Moderates on the edge. Conservatives are reacting to the Jeffords defection by warning Bush not to give an inch to appease other centrist Republicans. Not only are GOP moderates wimps, they are unreliable, the conservatives argue. And they represent just a tiny fraction of the boldly conservative Republican Party. That may be.
Trouble is, centrist Republicans also are key swing voters at the polls.
A Clinton landslide. The Republicans can't afford to drive away the political center any more than Democrats can afford to alienate conservatives in their own party. That's what every President needs. But he has to be careful to prevent an accumulation of gaffes from eroding his standing with the voters. Bush has a chance to show his competence on a European trip that begins June 11.