Persons of the Year 2005

After winning re-election and claiming a mandate, the President and his No. 2 quickly squandered their political capital. Social Security reform, Iraq, Harriet Miers, Hurricane Katrina, the CIA-leak case, torture — on issue after issue, Bush and Cheney stumbled and saw their popularity drop. Although the team's numbers are improving somewhat, Republicans are facing next fall's midterm congressional elections with trepidation.