President George W Bush, already hard hit by the unpopular Iraq war, has been hurt by a chain of scandals in recent weeks, and more pain is yet to come as a clash over Iraq in Congress looms.

A purge of US attorneys and the outing of a covert CIA operative for alleged political gain, revelations of dismal hospital care for Iraq war veterans, and FBI breaches of US privacy laws, have combined to abate the former juggernaut.

And more pain for the White House is yet to come.