From the The New York Times > Washington > Times: The fact that Mr. Bush chose a prime-time speech and news conference in the East Room, his least-favorite format in his least-favorite venue, to explain himself says volumes about the situation that White House officials find themselves in. A growing number of Americans tell pollsters that the country is headed in the wrong direction, despite signs of economic recovery. After a week in which Mr. Bush has been largely out of sight on his Texas ranch, his communications advisers, including Karen P. Hughes, one of his closest aides, are widely believed in the White House to have told him that he has failed to sound reassuring enough and caring enough.