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Bush's Next Act: Try Congress

With John Quincy Adams as model, Dubya could do plenty of good in House

By Michael Roston, Newser User

Posted Oct 27, 2008 2:34 PM CDT

(Newser) – President Bush can't have 4 more years, but he could try for 2, Steve Coronella writes in the Christian Science Monitor. Coronella urges Bush to follow John Quincy Adams, who served 17 years in the House. As a representative from Texas, he writes, “Bush could go on to make his mark on the national stage in a way that has eluded him.”

Adams, also the son of a former president, called his congressional tenure the most pleasurable of his career, championing the Smithsonian Institution and fighting slavery. While Bush's approval rating is low, Coronella writes that he'd be a shoo-in for election from Texas. As a congressman, Bush could make the best use out of his talents as a “people person.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

President Bush could follow the trail blazed by John Quincy Adams, scion of a political family who followed his father in the presidency and later spent 17 years in the House of Representatives. (AP Photo)

A circa 1978 campaign poster for George W. Bush. (George Bush Presidential Library and Museum)

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush wait in his truck for the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his ranch in Crawford, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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He has shown that he's well able to do the vision thing, and with a few smart congressional aides on his team he can continue that tradition in the House. - Steve Coronella, on President Bush

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Bush's Next Act: Try Congress