Given the current trajectory, I don't see the Bush coattails to be anything but microscopic in 06. With now having to nominate 2 people for the Supreme Court, there's going to be a LOT of clamoring from the right for someone who's a dyed in the wool conservative. So Bush will either need to pick someone like that and expend a lot of political capital pushing the person through in a firefight, or pick a plain vanilla person and expend that capital in placating the right. Either way, at this point I think the ambitious Bush platform of 2004 is now officially dead. So what would Bush bring to a congressional campaign? He can't show up to someone's rally and crow about his Social Security reform. Barring a major shift in Iraq, he can't really crow about that. And if Democrats can reframe the terrorism debate around the idea that so much time and money has been spent on "homeland security", yet they just got their butt kicked by a natural disaster, he'll be touring the country with an empty gun. The only thing he'll have is the aura of being the president. But in places where his popularity is at 40% or lower, he might hurt a candidate more than he helps. There's a reason why Bush's only stop to Washington State in 5 years has been for a quick private fund raising event. Having him at your side here is about as effective as having Michael Jackson there.