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A sunny ’W’ seizes the moment Bush intends to further consolidate power at the White House
by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 16 November 2004Wars and conflicts Governments USA
By Kenneth T. Walsh
Suddenly, the West Wing is buzzing with a new sense of possibility. Reports on the assault in Fallujah (story, Page 16) have been cautiously positive. The president’s first call to Harry Reid, the new Senate Democratic leader, raised hopes that he might get more cooperation from his congressional adversaries. And the death of Yasser Arafat may provide a "new opportunity" for Middle East peace, Bush said late last week in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The president is moving briskly to seize the moment. He is consolidating power at the White House, channeling ever more influence to Vice President Dick Cheney, his closest confidant, and counselor Karl Rove, architect of his November 2 victory. Senior White House officials tell U.S. News that Bush plans to replace at least half his cabinet over the next few months. His aim is to remove officials who have become lightning rods for controversy or who seem to have lost their desire to serve in Washington. "The president believes it’s always good to have some new faces in a new term," says a senior Bush adviser.
The process has already begun. Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned last week, and the departure of Education Secretary Rod Paige is expected to be announced this week. Most of the attention, though, focused on the resignation of Attorney General John Ashcroft. Bush quickly nominated Alberto Gonzales, his chief White House lawyer, to succeed Ashcroft. Gonzales is expected to continue tough prosecution of the war on terrorism but with a less confrontational manner. Gonzales’s appointment marks the first time a Latino will have served as attorney general. The diminutive former Texas Supreme Court justice will face tough questions in the Senate Judiciary Committee but is expected to win confirmation.
Yet despite the personnel shifts, the president’s policies aren’t expected to change. U.S. News has learned, for example, that Bush is planning for a congressional vote next year on reforming the Social Security system. Bush sees the reform proposals—which include giving young people the option of investing part of their Social Security funds in the private sector—as his main chance to build a lasting legacy. Bush aims to create an "ownership society" in which Americans rely less on the government and their employers and more on themselves by creating their own wealth.
High spirits. Another goal is to reform the tax code, either by simplifying the existing law or by enacting a flat tax or a national sales tax. But Bush recognizes that this process will take many months, and he doesn’t anticipate that a detailed plan will be ready before 2006 at the earliest.
In personal terms, White House officials say they’ve rarely seen Bush so upbeat. "He’s got the wind at his back," says a senior aide. "He’s in very high spirits. He looks at the election as strong validation of his agenda."
Bush was further buoyed last week when he and his wife, Laura, made bedside visits at Washington’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center to 42 soldiers wounded in Iraq. Bush was moved when one soldier told him, "I wish I could get well and get back to my unit." A misty-eyed Bush thanked him for his service. Another recuperating soldier said he was from Texas, and both the GI and the commander in chief flashed split-fingered "Hook ’em Horns" salutes to the University of Texas Longhorns. Bush was heartened that morale seemed high, and the rare complaints were easily remedied. At one point, a soldier told Bush, "I could use a hot shower." The president turned to a general nearby and said, "Give this man a hot shower."
Bush’s optimism may be wishful thinking. Opposition Democrats still have considerable power in Congress. The burgeoning deficit could stifle his spending plans, and the world situation, especially in Iraq and the broader Mideast, could worsen at any time. But for now, Bush sees sunny skies ahead.