This Week, Talk of Bain, Jobs and Bipartisanship WASHINGTON - Presidential campaigns rarely run in a predictable, straight line, and this week will be no exception. President Obama and Mitt Romney will no doubt continue their debate over Mr. Romney's experience at Bain Capital - a debate that both campaigns seem eager to continue in speeches and television commercials. But there will be other issues and distractions as well. JOBS Both campaigns are eagerly awaiting the release of new job numbers on Friday, an event that is certain to fuel the already intense debate over the pace of job creation. Last month, the disappointing report, which showed that only 115,000 jobs had been created in April, gave a boost to Mr. Romney's criticism that the president's economic policies have not worked. Mr. Obama has responded with a concerted attack on Mr. Romney's history at Bain Capital, challenging his credentials as a job creator. "There may be value in that kind of experience, but it's not in the White House," Mr. Obama said last week. But another anemic report could provide Mr. Romney with more rhetorical ammunition. It might also prompt a new round of anti-Bain advertisements as the Obama campaign tries to change the subject by undermining Mr. Romney's record. REPUBLICANS For a while this year, it looked like the Republican primary in Texas might have been the climax to the contentious intraparty feud. Now, it is mostly an afterthought. But the primary on Tuesday could give Mr. Romney the 1,144 delegates he needs to officially become the Republican Party's nominee. Before Rick Santorum dropped out of the race, he had looked to the state as a place where he could make a significant dent in Mr. Romney's delegate total. Mr. Santorum never made it that far. With all of Mr. Romney's rivals out of the hunt, there has been no campaigning in Texas. The Houston Chronicle estimates that Mr. Romney needs to win 70 percent of the vote on Tuesday to collect enough delegates to put him over the top. If he doesn't, he will probably have to wait until June 5 - when California and four other states vote - to clinch the deal. BIPARTISANSHIP True moments of bipartisanship are rare in Washington at any time. And they are almost impossible to find during the final six months of a presidential campaign. But there will be two hug-it-out moments this week at the White House. On Tuesday, Mr. Obama will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room to recipients including the author Toni Morrison and Pat Summitt, who recently stepped down as the women's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. The presentation of the award - the highest civilian honor - is an event typically devoid of the partisan rancor so common in the capital. And on Thursday, Mr. Obama will welcome his predecessor, George W. Bush, and his wife, Laura, to the White House for the unveiling of their official portraits. The last time a presidential portrait was unveiled, Mr. Bush was on the other side of the equation: attending the unveiling of Bill Clinton's portrait during a ceremony at the White House on June 14, 2004. That day, Mr. Bush welcomed Mr. Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and sang their praises, putting aside their very deep political differences even as the presidential campaign of that year raged on. Mr. Bush said Mr. Clinton possessed a "deep and far-ranging knowledge of foreign policy," a "great compassion for people in need" and said that "Bill Clinton could always see a better day ahead. He filled this house with energy and joy. He's a man of enthusiasm and warmth. Expect similar accolades of Mr. Bush by Mr. Obama on Thursday. CAMPAIGNING The nice words for Mr. Bush will not linger for long. On Friday, Mr. Obama will head to Minnesota for an economics event at which he will urge Congressional action on his "to do" list of legislation. And then he will attend several campaign events where bashing Mr. Bush's economic legacy will once again be front and center. Mr. Obama's campaign speeches are increasingly laced with derision for the economic policies of Mr. Bush and warnings that the country should not repeat them. Look for those warnings again at the campaign stops in Minnesota and Chicago.