In his spectacular offshore photo op proclaiming an end to major combat in Iraq, President Bush portrayed the lightning overthrow of Saddam Hussein as just one battle in a continuing war against terrorism.

That portrayal served the president’s political purposes by enabling him to present himself as a wartime leader long after most fighting has ended, and it reflected the reality that the most difficult part of the conflict lies ahead.

Indeed, the events following the globally televised toppling of. Hussein’s statue in Baghdad have confirmed prewar predictions that the military campaign against the longtime Iraqi leader would be the easy part.

The postwar period has seen clashes between protesting Iraqis and U.S. troops, problems in the American effort to administer Iraq and a predictably rocky start to the latest effort to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The administration also has done little to heal widely publicized rifts with some traditional U.S. allies. Its actions have raised questions about its interest in easing tensions precipitated by its zeal in pursuing the war in Iraq and by such prior foreign policy moves as its rejection of treaties on global warming and antiballistic missiles.

The administration continues to stress its ties to newer allies rather than moving to restore relations with some older ones.

On Wednesday, Bush welcomed Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and Thursday he welcomed the foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s seven newest members, all Eastern European countries that backed the war.

By contrast, the White House called off Monday’s planned visit to Canada “due to the president’s ongoing obligations to help the people of Iraq build a nation that is whole, free and at peace.” The war also was cited for the decision to forgo the hitherto annual White House observance of the Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo.

Besides, both Canada and Mexico opposed the war. So Bush went to Arkansas to campaign for his tax cut plan on the way back from a weekend at his ranch.

While there, he welcomed Australian Prime Minister John Howard, the sixth international leader to visit the ranch. Britain’s Tony Blair, China’s Jiang Zemin, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah and Aznar preceded him, while Mexican President Vicente Fox was invited but canceled his visit.

While Australia is a long-standing ally that backed the war, its size and location have made it less important than countries whose leaders haven’t been there: European powers France and Germany and hemispheric neighbors Mexico and Canada.

The administration has shown signs of easing one problem that has undercut its efforts — the reluctance of top officials to travel abroad. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have made fewer such trips.

Having covered vice presidential trips since the Nixon years, I know how much foreign leaders welcomed high-ranking visitors, even when the vice president was the undistinguished Spiro Agnew.

Bush also keeps foreign trips to an absolute minimum. And while he has hosted many official visitors, fewer have received high-profile state visits than under his predecessors.

Bush apparently plans only the briefest possible stay in Europe for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and the annual economic summit.

And the United States continues to resist a more extensive United Nations role in rebuilding Iraq, indicating the administration remains intent on going its own way as it pursues the war that has become its preoccupation.

Carl Leubsdorf is Washington Bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News.