Bush under pressure to hit back fast

Rattled by a CIA leak scandal targeting key White House aides, taking fire on Iraq and his leadership in question after Hurricane Katrina, Bush must confound suggestions of weakness and perceptions that his power is already ebbing.

But, the analysts said, it is far too early to write off Bush's presidency, only a year after his triumphant re-election victory over Senator John Kerry.

The Miers defeat represents at least a dent in Bush's once-vaunted authority, said Larry Sabato, political analyst at the University of Virginia.

"It is a disaster for the White House and an embarrassment," he said.

But the decision to take the blow Thursday was also a smart tactical move for an administration under fire on multiple fronts.

"Was it better to stop the bloodletting now? Absolutely," said Barbara Kellerman of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

And with the White House on edge over possible indictments of key Bush allies including political guru Karl Rove in the CIA-leak scandal on Friday, it may make sense to get all the bad news out of the way this week.