Four months into his second term, President George Bush is still battling to impose his agenda on the US domestic political scene.
His plans to make major reforms in the social security system have been critically received in Congress and among the general public, despite several attempts to clarify and focus them on particular groups. He is struggling to end the filibuster used by Democrats to block presidential nominations, so that the Republican majority can push through conservative judicial appointments. This will now become bitterly entangled with the forthcoming Senate vote on his nomination of John Bolton as United Nations ambassador, which has been referred there by a deeply divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
It is too early to say Mr Bush is having difficulty with his domestic agenda. But opinion polls register his failure to sell it effectively to the public, as six out of 10 voters say he could do a better job and believe the nation is on the wrong track. Republican and Democratic voters remain strongly partisan on his record; but his overall support does not compare well with previous presidents early in their second term. Most Americans support Mr Bush's foreign policy - except on Iraq, where approval is in the low 40s.
The Bolton decision is a setback for Mr Bush, even though he is likely to win the full Senate vote. Nomination of such a strong conservative figure as ambassador to the UN is provocative, given Mr Bolton's previous hostility to the world body and his defence of unilateral US action. The hearings have yielded a searing critique of him, including from usually loyal Republicans who say he is quite unsuited to the job. Senator George Voinovitch asked what message is being sent to the world community by the appointment of a man "who himself has been accused of being arrogant, of not listening to his friends, of acting unilaterally, of bullying those who do not have the ability to defend themselves".
Mr Bolton's nomination cuts across the genuine efforts made by Mr Bush to improve relations with Europe this year. It sends contradictory messages around the world about whether there has been a shift in policy from the neo-conservative to the more realist wings of the administration. These tensions will be tested over Iran in coming weeks, as decisions are made on whether to refer its nuclear programme to the UN Security Council. Thus the administration's foreign policy remains prey to events and as yet lacks long-term consistency, notwithstanding Mr Bush's enthusiastic reception in Georgia last week.
In his domestic policy Mr Bush is bolstered by the Republican majority in Congress and the mandate he has from last November's election. He is not beholden to particular interests or lobbies. But he needs to make more progress in putting it in place if he is to maintain his political advantage over the next 18 months, before Congressional elections in November next year. His handling of the social security reforms and the Bolton nomination show he will not get his way easily.