It’s our way or the highway, says Bush
His first press conference yesterday put the lie to that. In a hit-the-ground-running exercise the morning after his re-election, the 44th President held his first Cabinet meeting and then fielded questions from reporters for 45 minutes.
During the press conference, he made some soothing noises about bipartisanship with Democrats in Congress but it was couched in such phrases as: "I reach out to everybody who shares our goals."
In other words, no compromise, co-operation only when they share our goals.
Those goals were spelled straight out. He and his closest allies have interpreted the clear result of the elections as giving the renewed administration a clear mandate to pursue its agenda.
"I've earned capital in this election and I'm going to spend it for what I've told the people I'd spend it on," Mr Bush said yesterday.
Among the items on the shopping list were to stay the course in Iraq, to enhance security, to privatise social security, to make tax cuts permanent, and to push through controversial energy legislation that will allow oil drilling to begin in protected national parks in Alaska. The energy legislation was published during Bush's first term but was effectively, blocked by Democrats in Congress. With reduced representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Democratic Party finds itself in a much more difficult position when it comes to opposing White House policies.
The president's responses, in the main, repeated the mantras of the election season.
On the war in Iraq, he gave no indication that he would seek to change tack, or look for new impetus.
The Bush White House, during the first term, was perceived to be blatantly pro-Israel, an impression that was given some substance by British prime minister Tony Blair's veiled exhortation to the US to engage more deeply in the Middle East situation.
Bush was momentarily taken aback when a reporter jumped the gun on incoming reports and informed him (mistakenly) that Yasser Arafat had died. He is very hostile to Arafat and will not speak to him.
Recovering, he said. "My first response is may God bless his soul. My second reaction is we will continue to work for a Free Palestinian state that is at peace with Israel." However, in the event of Arafat dying it is unlikely the White House will send any senior or junior representative.
Former President Jimmy Carter has volunteered to go but such is the antipathy of the Bush Presidency to Arafat, that Carter is unlikely to travel in an official capacity.
There was much speculation yesterday that there would be a Cabinet reshuffle, with greatest focus ultra-conservative Attorney General John Ashcroft's position. Former Mayor of New York Rudi Giuliani (a man with his own White House ambitions) has been spoken of as a possible replacement.
"Let me just help you with the speculation right now," said Mr Bush. "I haven't thought about it. (This afternoon) I am going to start thinking about the Cabinet and the White House staff," he said.
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