"His two main goals for 2006 will be to assure the success of the Iraq war and make sure the Democrats do not take over the Congress," Sabato said, noting that an outright Democratic victory "is not likely, but possible."
A third goal will be overseeing government efforts to repair the vast devastation and billions of dollars of damage caused to New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, he added.
If Bush does not achieve his goals, his presidency could become "a misery," Sabato predicted.
"The rest of his second term has, traditionally, to be dedicated for consolidation," he said.
The president is likely to map out his political agenda and ambitions for the year in the State of the Union address at the end of this month.
"No one in the White House expects the speech to include anything of the magnitude of Social Security" which Bush had hoped to reform, but now appears to have dropped, according to the Washington Post.
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