Even though his popularity remains at record lows, U.S. President George W. Bush is not shy about dispensing campaign advice to the Republican hopefuls who want his job. 
 
To beat the Democrats next year in the race for the White House, Bush listed counterterrorism, building a democracy in Iraq and pushing for low taxes as the key issues for members of his party to emphasize.
 
 ”Look, candidates who go out and say that the United States is vulnerable to attack and we’re going to make sure our professionals have the tools necessary to protect us are going to do well,” Bush said at a White House news conference.
  
“Candidates who go out and say that helping these Iraqis realize the benefits of democracy are going to do well,” he added. “Candidates who say we’re not going to raise your taxes will do well.”
 
Bush registered a record-low approval rating in a Reuters/Zogby poll this week, with only 29 percent of Americans giving him a positive grade for his performance.
 
Poll numbers such as these and strong sentiment against the Iraq war have led analysts to predict that Republican presidential candidates will seek to put as much distance between themselves and Bush as they can.
 
Yet none of the major Republican candidates so far has made a dramatic public break with Bush over issues like Iraq.
 
Democrats view the Iraq war as a defining issue for capturing the White House.
 
Bush was pressed on whether he was an asset or liability to Republican candidates.
 
“Strong asset,” Bush replied to laughter in the press briefing room. He has repeatedly said he would avoid being “pundit in chief” during the race for the Republican nomination or if he has a favorite. 
 
Bush also said he did not take to heart recent criticisms from former officials, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who portrayed Bush’s economic policies as fiscally reckless in a new memoir.
 
“My feelings are not hurt,” Bush said but he added that he “respectfully” disagreed with Greenspan about his economic record.

– Reporting by Caren Bohan; photos by Larry Downing and Jason Reed