EDITORIAL: Swagger to the center: Bush is in danger of leaving the country in far worse shape than he found it. It's time for a new direction.(Editorial)

Apr. 30--President George W. Bush is in the last 1,000 days of his presidency. If he doesn't want to pass them as an impotent lame duck, the president, famously resistent to change, will have to change. And not just to bolster sinking poll numbers or to assuage Republican fears of losing control of Congress. The simple truth is that the nation would be poorly served by a politically neutered president. Bush is on track to leave the country worse off in a number of important ways than it was when he arrived in Washington. It's not too late to improve the nation's prospects. But to do it, the White House will have to embrace the virtue of pragmatism. It's not enough to change spokesmen and shuffle staffers. That's cosmetic. On things that really matter for the nation's future - such as war and political turmoil in the oil-rich Middle East, managing the people's money, and protecting and promoting core American values - Bush needs to put ideology and spin on the back burner and concentrate on doing things that make the nation stronger. No one is asking Bush to govern as a Democrat. But the conservative cowboy needs to swagger to the…