With Republicans on the Ropes - Scott Walker Relies on Karl Rove:

"If he was indicted, that would have been a huge problem for the president. He would have been gone," said Scott Walker, the chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign last year in Wisconsin. "Obviously, there are other people there, but no one is like Karl Rove."

Walker, who is a candidate in the state's Republican gubernatorial primary, was optimistic that Rove would help the president and Republicans navigate their distracting challenges. Walker was heartened that Rove quickly responded Friday to a BlackBerry message about state politics, which he said showed that Rove was getting back into the game.

"Republicans are in charge of the House, Senate and the White House," Walker said, "so why hasn't more been done to control spending?"

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1030bush30.html

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One year after President Bush comfortably sealed his re-election and set out to build a Republican majority designed to last well after his second term, the White House is teetering in a precarious balance that party leaders fear could have damaging implications far beyond Washington.

The Republican governor of Minnesota declared last week that his party was "on the ropes" and fretted that he would be "lucky to get re-elected." A Republican running for governor in Virginia, meanwhile, has shied away from appearing alongside Bush, a notion that probably would have been unthinkable less than a year ago.

As the president weathers the lowest approval ratings of his tenure and congressional leaders grapple with their own legal troubles, some Republicans across the country are wondering whether the travails of the national party will be a drag on their races in the 2006 midterm elections.

"It's been a tough couple of months, without question," said Rick Graber, chairman of the Republican Party in Wisconsin. "I hope the president will be back on the offensive very, very shortly."

Virginia and New Jersey choose new governors on Nov. 8, the first major statewide elections of the year that will be carefully watched and interpreted by both political parties. Bush has not been involved with either race, but when he delivered a speech on the war on terrorism Friday in Norfolk, Va., Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore declined to join him at the event.

To be sure, many candidates would be delighted at the opportunity to have the president campaign on their behalf. But for the first time in his presidency, some Republicans are beginning to keep their distance, uncertain if Bush would be helpful to their re-elections.

When asked whether she would like the president to campaign for her, Rep. Anne Northrup, R-Ky., told a radio interviewer: "Umm, you know I haven't really made that decision. ... I mean that's one of those things where I think you have to wait and see whether that would be a good idea."