Politics is about timing and possibilities. Bush may be missing both - if he truly is a conservative. When his support is this high, he should be trumpeting his philosphy, but he is not. Why not? Those high ratings can disappear overnight and then Bush has no capital to spend.
Using the bully pulpit example, here is where I think that W is missing out. He certainly gets more camera time or can, anytime he wants it. He can use that time to point out why he does what he does - he can educate the voter. He has done that a few times, but not enough. Just as a personal example, I worked the polls for the primaries. I always engage people in discussion when I can. I'll throw out a comment to get a reaction - usually to a dem poll worker - and they do react. Then I take a minute or two and give them some real life examples of why their thinking is wrong and almost invariably they will agree with me. No, they don't fall to their knees and convert, but they start to see past their preconceived notions - especially about guns. I call it 'getting past the sound bite'. Involve them in your examples and they pay more attention and they start to learn. I try to do that everyday, one on one. Think of the possibilities of the POTUS speaking to millions. First, he can (and must) control the sound bite. Then he has to get past it and win people over. Now is the time for him to do it while his ratings are high.