Sure, no one should misunderestimate the ability of the White House to push this thing right up to the gates of delerium, but let's also remember Bush's M.O.--he'll act like he's headed for victory right up to the minute he suddenly decides tax reform or the budget or some other element of the "ownership society" is suddenly more urgent.
He's going to lose this fight, folks, whether or not one or two Democrats in the House or the Senate give him "cover" by offering some sort of deal that neither party will accept.
But the point is to not let Bush and the Republicans run away. The point is to win the battle, make anyone who was on the losing side be embarassed to admit they had been on that side, and to publicly humiliate them (including Bush) as long as possible.
Any bipartisan cover makes that rather difficult, especially when it comes from one of the media's favorites.