A President and His People.

The Guardian has made a good yet somewhat chilling point:

Although never a social animal, he [President G. W. Bush] is reluctant to drop into Washington restaurants unannounced for dinner, as the Clintons did, in part because he is fearful of the public response. This week, in particular, because of the Libby decision, he has largely avoided public contact - his July 4 speech in West Virginia was invitation-only. (full article here)

When a U.S. president becomes afraid of the people, he can only slip further into a siege mentality and disconnect himself a little more from reality.