Though McCain has split with Bush on critical policy issues -- like campaign finance reform and the treatment of detainees -- the president said he would help McCain if he became the GOP presidential nominee.

CNN: McCain gets mixed message; Dems deadlocked after contests

Americans were evenly split on whether Bush is "competent, " with 47 percent saying yes, 47 percent saying no and 6 percent expressing no opinion.

CNN: Bush's approval ratings slide to new low

The Republican Party still contains competing establishment and reform factions, most recently seen in the factional split between George W. Bush and John McCain in 2000.

CNN: What we in 2012 can learn from Teddy Roosevelt in 1912

The country - including the Bush administration - is split on the issue.

BBC: NEWS | Americas | US court considers key gun case

With Congress almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, Mr Bush joked with party leaders that he might have to resort to some arm-twisting.

BBC: White House welcome for Bush

Because the Senate is split 50-50 between the Republicans and the Democrats, Mr Bush was always likely to encounter more opposition there than in the House, where Republicans have a slim but workable majority.

ECONOMIST: Bush's budget dilemma | The

If Maria Cantwell's 1, 953-vote lead over Republican incumbent Senator Slade Gorton survives a recount that begins in Washington this week, and if George W. Bush wins the presidency, the Senate will again be split--this time 50-50.

CNN: Two-Headed Senate

The rebels, split by internal rifts, tend to hit hard and then melt back into the bush or across Burundi's borders.

ECONOMIST: Burundi: Murder and manhunts | The

Having turned Florida Republican in 1992 by voting for George Bush by a margin of two to one, the Cuban-Americans roughly split their vote between the parties in 1996.

ECONOMIST: All about a boy