WASHINGTON -- Everything seems to be coming up roses for President George W. Bush as he heads into his reelection campaign.

He pulled off a secret Thanksgiving Day visit to the troops in Iraq, which surprised and gratified them.

That should add up to a political plus since no newspaper or TV network could avoid using the picture of the president in Iraq holding a roast turkey on a platter as the GIs whooped it up.

Bush has been criticized in recent weeks for keeping his distance from the dark side of the war by not making visits to military hospitals to meet the wounded or attending funeral services for the war dead.

On the domestic side, his 11th hour arm-twisting and veto threats, plus special interest politicking and congressional procedural maneuvers won passage of several pieces of legislation that could play well for him politically.

This doesn't mean Bush is a shoo-in next November. If the joblessness rate remains high and Iraq casualties continue to mount, the Democrats may hold strong political cards.

The Democrats could remind voters that Bush launched two military invasions in his three years in office. The U.S. attack on Afghanistan was justified because that country had become the headquarters for al-Qaida, but he has yet to give an explanation that meets the truth test for the attack on Iraq.

All this assumes, of course, that American voters care whether their leaders have credibility.

The president has already signaled that he plans an aggressive political campaign. His controversial ads kicking off his campaign boil down to the assertion that anti-war dissenters are supporting terrorism.

Americans should wise up and realize that his scare tactics have made inroads in our freedoms, destabilized the Middle East and turned the world against us.

The president had some significant triumphs in the final days before Congress closed shop and went home for the holidays. While the economy is picking up steam, job loss continues to be a problem -- and not just to the unemployed.

If there is a major upturn in employment and a sense of general prosperity, the cliché that people vote their pocketbooks could be a boon for Bush's reelection chances.

A big feather in his cap is the passage of the Republican-sponsored Medicare bill with a major assist from William Novelli, the CEO of AARP, who delivered his powerful organization's support to the GOP.

It robbed the Democrats of their traditional issue and Republicans will be able to brag that they solved the prescription drug problem for the elderly.

The flawed legislation conveniently does not take effect until 2006 -- two years after the presidential election. By that time the bonanza in billions for the drug companies and insurance companies and the downside of the privatization in the bill may finally hit home.

Intense lobbying by the insurers and pharmaceutical industries paid off and you can be sure they will have deep pockets when the GOP fundraisers put the arm on them.

Al Eisele, a columnist for The Hill newspaper, lamented Wednesday that the Democratic Party has gone into a slump as the result of its defeat on the Medicare bill. He noted that Medicare, created in 1965, was considered the party's most important modern legacy.

Since Bush is on a roll, his aides say he is now poised to step up his annual drive to curb medical malpractice suits. Congress will take up legislation to do that next year.

Bush has had a series of other successes as well, including the $350 billion tax cut that most benefits the richest people in the country -- the third tax cut in three years. Congress also went along with the $87.5 billion spending bill for the war in Iraq.

Bush also triumphed on an issue dear to the hearts of his conservative constituency -- a ban on partial birth abortions. Bush made some headway in raising the ceilings on media ownership but did not get all he wanted.

A compromise allows a single company to own TV stations that reach 39 percent of the viewing audience. Bush had wanted a 45 percent ceiling.

The lawmakers also acquiesced to Bush's desire to eliminate overtime pay for white-collar workers. Congress also went along with Bush's proposal to make federal workers, under the civil service system, compete for their jobs with outside contractors.

Is there anything this president will not do for big business?

It would be great if some of his self-proclaimed "compassion" rubs off on the jobless, the homeless and the poor in this country.

(Helen Thomas can be reached at the e-mail address hthomas@hearstdc.com).