There’s an old political maxim that, when things get tough for presidents at home, they travel abroad.

To be sure, President Bush’s trip this week to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan has important foreign policy aspects. But it couldn’t have come at a better time for him.

The month that started with Bush’s State of the Union speech, rather than providing a new start, has been pretty much of a disaster. It has exacerbated his political problems and underscored the urgency of the need for changes to his top command.

For the most part, Bush’s difficulties have stemmed from long-standing factors: his administration’s decision to use questionable budgeting practices that avoid the true costs of tax cuts and the Iraq war, the fallout from five years of arrogant dealings with Congress and the first MBA president’s proclivity to ignore matters he’s delegated.

The sluggishness of a tired White House high command also played a significant role in several instances, prompting further talk in town of the need for Bush to bring in some fresh blood.

The last month has seen the following series of problems:

¢ A status quo State of the Union speech that contained only modest initiatives and failed to provide answers to such pressing problems as high gas prices and confusion in the new Medicare prescription drug program.

¢ A misleading budget plan, widely labeled as dead on arrival, that again excluded billions that will be needed for fighting and reconstruction in Iraq, gave misleading figures on the long-term cost of the president’s cherished tax cuts, contained false optimism about long-term budget prospects and put off any real effort to find fiscal solutions.

¢ A scathing congressional report on the administration’s bungled response to Hurricane Katrina that condemned the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and local officials.

¢ The mishandling of the proposed management transfer of six large U.S. ports to a firm owned by the United Arab Emirates that revealed a White House asleep at the switch and unleashed long-simmering congressional resentment at the way the administration has politicized national security.

¢ The inept handling of the aftermath of the Texas hunting accident in which Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally wounded a friend and, with White House acquiescence, delayed public disclosure.

¢ Continued violence and political turmoil in Iraq, complicating the administration’s hopes of reducing U.S. troop strength and portraying the situation as on its way toward resolution.

The combined impact of these events has been to halt a modest recovery in Bush’s job-approval standing and create growing concern among congressional Republicans that they could pay the political price for his ineptness.

A president’s job approval is considered a key ingredient in his party’s midterm election turnout. For example, Bush’s strong post-Sept. 11 standing helped his party greatly in the 2002 election.

Although GOP support for Bush remains strong, his administration’s profligate spending has turned off conservative Republicans and created fears that many may sit out the election.

In addition, recent polls show an increase in the generic Democratic advantage in voter preference for next November’s election.

To be sure, some analysts believe that these polls may overstate the Democrats’ strength. And the opposition party has still done nothing to provide voters with a positive electoral agenda.

On the other hand, the fact that older voters form a larger part of the midterm electorate than of the presidential vote could also help the Democrats unless the administration straightens out the confusion in the Medicare prescription drug plan.

GOP prospects might look a lot better if Bush and his administration looked better able to cope with its problems.

One traditional way of breathing new energy into a tired administration is to replace top-level aides who, whatever their merit, have to be worn down after more than five years in office.

While such a change would be at odds with Bush’s usual practice, it’s something he should be giving serious thought to on this week’s long flights to and from South Asia.