General agreement among political observers after the U.S. Senate failed to advance immigration reform Thursday is the issue might not come back until 2009, after another round of congressional elections and a new president is in the White House.

Congressional Democrats gave President Bush’s proposed $3.1 trillion budget a predictably cold reception and Republicans weren’t particularly warm, either.

Sen. Charles Schumer, the liberal Democrat from New York, raised the hackles and suspicions of Republican conservatives when he spoke warmly of Michael Mukasey, President Bush’s choice to be U.S. attorney general, and said the former judge had the potential to be “a consensus nominee.”

When they torpedoed his immigration-reform bill, congressional Republicans challenged President Bush to enforce the existing laws more vigorously. Now his administration has taken them up on it.

President Bush’s $2.9 trillion budget rests on several optimistic — many would say unrealistic — assumptions.

Surely it gladdened thriller writers everywhere that a small circle of aides could spirit the president of the United States out of a Camp David summit meeting without most of his Cabinet knowing.

The White House had hoped to hold off asking for more money to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until after the election, but with costs rising faster than expected, it sent a request for an early $25 billion to Congress this week.

President Bush has arrived in Tucson, where he'll spend the night before attending a fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Tim Bee this morning.

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - President Bush pivoted to the Arab side of the Mideast peace dispute on Saturday, but he may well get a less glowing reception than he did in Israel earlier this week.

NEPTUN, Romania - President Bush urged NATO allies on Wednesday to recognize the seriousness of the anti-Taliban mission in Afghanistan and step up with more troops for the fight.

BUCHAREST, Romania - President Bush renewed urgent calls Wednesday for NATO nations to allow Ukraine and Georgia to start the admission process over Russian objections and to counter Osama bin Laden's latest threats to Europe by stepping up their efforts in Afghanistan.

ARUSHA, Tanzania - President Bush was swept up in an outpouring of affection Monday in Tanzania's rural north, where tens of thousands lined the road to see him, one woman burst into a dance of joy just from a hug and fierce-looking Maasai warriors leapt and chanted in his honor.

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Thursday the country is not recession-bound and, despite expressing concern about slowing economic growth, rejected for now any additional stimulus efforts. "We acted robustly," he said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush, standing before Congress one last time, urged the nation Monday night to persevere against gnawing fears of recession and stay patient with the long, grinding war in Iraq. He pressed Congress to quickly pass a plan to rescue the economy.

WASHINGTON - President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday embraced calls for an economic stimulus package to avert recession. Bernanke said such a plan should be quickly implemented and temporary so that it won't complicate longer-term fiscal challenges.