Reply #161: Traditionally means

[PATRICK]

he is taking some risk with a fix. I used to think maybe he had qualms about something he was going to make or let happen but it only appears in the period when he is not sure he will get away with it. Once committed and confident of not losing he goes into comfort mode again. Watch out if THAT happens. That is when people die or lose their rights.

So is Bush simply naked under pressure or worried that a new scheme might not work? Probably both considering he is floundering for a highly unlikely SOTU "comeback". Once he gets comfortable with the idea of simply blowing off the SOTU as harmless fluff and not getting acclaim for radically screwing things up he'll be more at ease and coincidentally less available to the press.