Presidential popularity 1 and 2. For instance, a presidential veto represents a presidents failure to persuade members of congress to pass a bill he wants. The same logic can be applied to the Persian Gulf crisis. The United States would have been perceived as more powerful if it had persuaded Iraq to get out of Kuwait without resorting to force. In short, a strong president should use his force sparingly.
Presidents can translate their own popularity into success in congress.
Bush's main failure after the Gulf War was not to take advantage of his extremely high popularity to get his domestic agenda passed through congress. The president's party is more likely to be responsive if the president is held in high public esteem, yet they are the first ones to distance themselves from a president whose support diminishes. Furthermore, because they typically give the president the highest support, they have the greatest potential to lower their support in response to a decrease in the president's standing amoung their constituents. In the interest of electoral survival, the opposition party can substantially increase its support for the president in response to a notable rise in his standing, but such instances are rare. Consequently, only some members of congress are likely to respond to changes the president's standing with the public.