[Announcer:] Another day of buddying up by President Bush in Europe. Will his next stop be the toughest, when he looks into the eyes of his old pal Vladimir Putin?
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] I look forward to talking to him about his decision-making process.
[Announcer:] Another close-up of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Are his days of being Mr. Popularity numbered? An affair to remember. Everyone's talking about Charles and Camilla's wedding plans, including the British government.
[Unidentified Male:] They don't want a fuss being made. So why are you all making such a nonsense of it?
[Announcer:] Now, live from Washington,
[Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics. Judy Woodruff, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you for joining us. President Bush looked for common ground with yet another European leader today. Meeting in Mainz, Germany, with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the two put their bitter feud over the Iraq war behind them, at least publicly, and turned their attention to Iran and its nuclear ambitions. One day after sending mixed messages on the Iran problem, Mr. Bush tried again to ease European fears that Iran might be America's next military target.
[Bush:] Iran is not Iraq. We just started the diplomatic efforts, and I want to thank our friends for taking the lead. And we will work with them to convince the mullahs that they need to give up their nuclear ambitions.
[Woodruff:] Later, President Bush visited with U.S. troops in Wiesbaden, Germany, delivering another spirited defense of the Iraq invasion. But many Germans remain angry about the Iraq war. Thousands of protesters matched in the streets of Mainz, carrying signs and banners that made their opposition to Mr. Bush clear. At this hour, Mr. Bush is in Slovakia for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. While most of his European tour has been about fence-mending, the president may need to turn off the charm during this final stop. Our senior White House correspondent John King looks at the pressure on both the U.S. and the Russian president.
[John King, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] June, 2001, a picturesque walk in Slovenia, and a first impression that has defined U.S.-Russia relations since.
[Bush:] I looked the man in the eye, I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul.
[King:] Four years later, the man Mr. Bush calls Vladimir is widely seen as halting, if not reversing Russia's path towards democracy.
[Natan Sharansky, Author, "case For Democracy":] There is no blood, no KGB. But it is right to be very concerned by some of the restrictions.
[King:] So as he prepares for Thursday's meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, Mr. Bush faces pressure to reconsider his early verdict.
[Richard Perle, Fmr. Pentagon Adviser:] When you gaze into souls, it's something you should update periodically, because souls can change.
[King:] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Russian counterpart earlier this month and raised concerns about shutting down media critics and Kremlin prosecutions of Putin foes. The White House also is frustrated, among other things, with Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran and missile sales to Syria. And Senator John McCain says Mr. Putin must be pressured to keep a promise to pull Russian troops out of neighboring Georgia.
[Sen. John Mccain , Arizona:] Sooner or later, he has got to realize that the path that he's on is one which will eventually bring his government down. I mean, you can't continue this kind of consolidation of power and not expect to be eventually isolated, at least to some degree, in the world.
[King:] The meeting comes a month after an inaugural address linking support of freedom and human rights to strong relations with Washington. A critical time, as Senator Joseph Lieberman puts it, to talk turkey.
[Sen. Joseph Lieberman , Connecticut:] I think it is in that sense a test of this president's foreign policy credibility when he meets with Putin. And I'm confident he's going to meet the test.
[King:] But White House officials also stress an upside, calling Mr. Putin a strong ally in the war on terror. And in much of Europe there is less concern than Mr. Bush hears back in Washington.
[Wolfgang Ischinger, German Ambassador To U.s:] On the fundamental question, is Russia moving away from us or against us, we don't think so. We think Putin has the right instinct.
[King:] The meeting will test Mr. Bush's view that a close personal bond helps most when there are problems in a relationship. U.S. officials concede that bond is now strained and the relationship drifting, and say Mr. Bush will make clear to his friend that it is up to him to set it back on course. John King, CNN, the White House.
[Woodruff:] From the president's meetings overseas, we turn our attention to the 2008 election cycle in today's "Political Bytes." A new Zogby poll is the latest to find that Senator Hillary Clinton is the top choice among potential Democratic presidential contenders. John Kerry was second, followed by the party's 2000 nominee, Al Gore. John Edwards and Howard Dean round out the top five. Speaking of Howard Dean, the new DNC chairman is on the road, making good on his stated plan to cultivate the grassroots. Today he's in Ithaca, New York. Tomorrow he heads to Kansas. And he has a speech scheduled next week in Mississippi.
[John Mercurio, Cnn Political Editor:] It's a double-edge sword for Dean. He needs to do this. He needs to go into these states and confront this idea that Democrats can't win in red states. But Democrats in those states are divided over his trip and his message. His sort of grassroots appeal, I think, is in danger of being overshadowed by that division.
[Woodruff:] Meanwhile, Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney is facing claims he contradicted his position on gay marriage during Monday's speech to Republicans in South Carolina. Romney told the audience he opposes both gay marriage and civil unions, even though last year he urged the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage, but would have permitted civil unions. A spokesman for a gay Republican group responded by saying, "What happened to the Mitt Romney who ran for governor supporting employment nondiscrimination, hate crimes legislation, domestic partnerships, and civil union-like benefits for gay couples? We don't need another flip- flopping politician." In response to his critics, Romney said he has always opposed both gay marriage and civil unions. But if Massachusetts is going to have one or the other, he said, "I'd rather have civil unions." For more on Mitt Romney and other potential White House hopefuls in 2008, I spoke yesterday with Chuck Todd. He's the editor in chief of "The Hotline, an insider's political briefing produced every day by the "National Journal." I started by asking Chuck about the challenges facing potential candidates who face elections next year in 2006.
[Chuck Todd, Editor In Chief, "the Hotline":] The problem is, as we always talk about, the presidential campaign starts sooner than ever before. Every cycle we say this. It's more of a reality than it was that it was this time than it was even four years ago. Howard Dean, for instance, he was the first one to announce in 2004. He did so in May of 2000. Well, now let's think about 2008. There are a bunch of people having to run in 2006 elections, in some cases very closely-contested races, and so it's hard to balance running for office in your state and then all of a sudden also at the same time running for president, when many of your primary opponents also get to run full time for president. It's a it's a very difficult situation. It's why Bill Frist, for instance, isn't seeking re-election and instead focusing full time on running for president.
[Woodruff:] Well, you've got a number of people in that who fall in that category. One of them is the governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney. We've been reporting he was down making a speech in South Carolina over the weekend, but he's in this fix, isn't he?
[Todd:] His is the most interesting situation because he's got you know, he's obviously the neighboring state of New Hampshire, so he lives in the Boston media market, gets to see all these guys come and visit New Hampshire all the time. He's in a re-election bid that is no guarantee that he can win. If he loses, forget running for president, he's done in politics. So and then to win in Massachusetts as a Republican, you have to move to the center. That's no good for a Republican presidential primary. So he's in a real fix, which is why many smart people don't believe he's going to run for re-election.
[Woodruff:] Who are some of the others, Chuck, who have to go really jump over the '06 hurdle before they can get in '08.
[Todd:] Well, ones that potentially have these are and they have nothing to gain by it Hillary Clinton. She's up in 2006. George Pataki, he's up in 2006. George Allen in Virginia is up. Mark Warner is somebody who might challenge George Allen in that Virginia Senate race. And all these folks have really nothing to gain by running for re-election, because if they don't win as expected, either win outright or win big, then suddenly the presidential luster falls, they get dragged into a competitive race, it takes time off the trail in 2008 in other states. You know, Mitt Romney was in South Carolina, for instance, and not in Massachusetts campaigning. So it really it really messes up a schedule.
[Woodruff:] And it accelerates everything.
[Todd:] It accelerates it, makes it do or die. And, you know, in some cases some of these guys don't even if they run in '06 and win, the worst case for them is losing, but the worse case could be winning. And Mark Warner, does he really want to be a U.S. senator and then immediately run for president?
[Woodruff:] And then you've also got the double-edge sword. You've got the media attention, but you've also got the media attention.
[Todd:] Right. It's not it's not an easy situation. The only one that has even a remote chance of seeing upside is a guy like Bill Nelson, who's not considered a presidential candidate yet. He's up in "06, he's running for re-election in Florida. Katherine Harris" opponent, most likely. She could raise his profile. And if he beats her, and suddenly he, being from the most important state in presidential politics right now, suddenly could be helped by '06. But for the most part, '06 is hurting these guys, not helping.
[Woodruff:] Chuck Todd of "The Hotline." "The Hotline" is an insider's political briefing produced daily by the "National Journal." You can go online to nationaljournal.com for subscription information. A quick update now on two other potential White House candidates. Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton are part of a Senate delegation that has made stops in Iraq and Afghanistan. After a meeting with Afghan president Hamid Karzai yesterday, Senator Clinton said she would like to see more cooperation between the U.S. and Afghanistan. McCain took it a step further. He said he favors permanent U.S. military bases inside Afghanistan. Elected officials tend to have their share of political headaches no matter where they are or who they are. That includes California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. As our senior political analyst Bill Schneider reports, Schwarzenegger's star power may not be quite what it used to be.
[William Schneider, Cnn Sr. Political Analyst:] "The Terminator" is take some hits. The latest Field Poll shows a big drop in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's job rating among California voters. In September, 65 percent of registered California voters gave the governor positive marks. Now, 55 percent do. Schwarzenegger is embroiled in some real political battles. He's in a showdown with the California legislature over the state's budget deficit. He's denounced both teachers and nurses as special interests. When he faced a group of protesting nurses at a women's conference, Schwarzenegger ridiculed them. The state nurse's association turned the incident into an ad.
[Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger , California:] Pay no attention to those voices over there, by the way. Those are the special interests, if you know what I mean.
[Unidentified Female:] You referred to us as a "special interest group." Yes, that was very insulting.
[Schneider:] Schwarzenegger has said the special interests don't like him because, "I am always kicking their butts." In the past, he has denounced his political opponents as "girlie men." In the 2003 recall campaign, Schwarzenegger faced allegations of groping and sexual harassment.
[Schwarzenegger:] I know that there have been some issues raised today about my behavior towards women.
[Schneider:] Teachers and nurses include a lot of women. Has Schwarzenegger's woman problem come back? Actually, no. Women in California still give Schwarzenegger positive marks. Yes, he's lost support among women over the last five months, but he's lost support among men too at about the same rate. Where has he lost the most? Democrats. In September, Schwarzenegger drew positive ratings from California Democrats. Now, Democrats have turned against him. Disapproval of the governor among Democrats has jumped 20 points, from 34 to 54 percent. Teachers and nurses are organized in unions, which usually align with Democrats. The California legislature is dominated by Democrats. Schwarzenegger wants to govern as a populist.
[Schwarzenegger:] It will be the governor with his partners, the people of California, against the legislators. We will be against the politics as usual.
[Schneider:] But the evidence suggests that by picking battles with Democratic legislators and Democratic unions, the governor's image is becoming less populist and more partisan. [on camera]: Losing Democrats is a danger for Governor Schwarzenegger because California is a strongly Democratic state. Schwarzenegger got elected with a lot of Democratic support, and he can't survive without it. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
[Woodruff:] Thank you, Bill. Well, when well-known politicians lend their name and voice to a cause, it can make a big difference. Up next, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson talks about the battle against breast cancer, a battle that his family is all too familiar with. Also ahead, making wedding plans can be complicated, but when you're Prince Charles, it's truly a matter of state. And later, the 2005 campaign for and against Social Security reform. We'll watch one senator join the action back home.