January 2001

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Bush Charms the Kennedys 1/31/2001 10:16 PM Sen. Edward Kennedy was on the floor of the Senate today, taking the lead in trying to sink Bush's nomination of John Ashcroft as attorney general. His son, Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, has accused Bush of stealing the election. But Thursday night, both will lead a delegation of the venerable Democratic family's members to a cozy dinner and a movie with Bush in the private White House screening room. Joining the senator will be his cousin, Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Caroline Kennedy and her husband also have been invited. The film features Kevin Costner playing an aide to former President Kennedy during the two weeks in 1962 when brinksmanship over Cuba nearly sparked a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Read the article Bush Keeps Media and Staff Prompt 1/31/2001 10:15 PM In little more than a week, everything at the White House - absolutely everything - has changed. Out are the 20-something, denim-wearing, pony-tailed Clintonites known for strewing pizza boxes throughout the halls; the perpetually late president who some media wags said never changed his watch from Arkansas time; the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week news cycle that often saw huge stories break on Friday nights after the evening network news aired. In are the 30- and 40-something, box-cut, scrubbed-clean, suit-and-tie-wearing Bushies; the scrupulously punctual president who starts his day just after 7 each morning; and a weekday 9-5 news cycle that ends with an announcement over the speaker in the press office that the "lid" is on. Read the article Bush, Congressional Black Caucus Meet 1/31/2001 10:12 PM Fresh in office, President Bush has spent a lot of time chatting up black children, swaying to gospel music at a black church, lunching with Washington's black mayor and otherwise wooing a constituency that gave nine of every 10 votes to his opponent. Now Bush is moving beyond symbolism and toward substance: He arranged Wednesday to meet the Congressional Black Caucus, whose members, all Democrats, walked out on Jan. 6 as Congress certified his victory when the electoral votes were counted. Read the article Bush, Greenspan Court Odd Alliance 1/31/2001 10:11 PM The first President Bush blamed Alan Greenspan for contributing to his 1992 defeat by failing to cut interest rates quickly enough to spur the economy. The second Bush in the White House is seeing his hand strengthened by the same Federal Reserve chairman's aggressive rate cuts and unexpected support for tax relief. The slumping economy has accelerated a Bush-Greenspan courtship -- and put them into an unusual alliance. The Fed's half-point cut in a key short-term rate on Wednesday -- its second such reduction in a month -- should make it easier for Bush to press his case on Capitol Hill for an accompanying tax cut. Read the article Debate Rages as Ashcroft Heads Toward Confirmation 1/31/2001 10:09 PM The divisive debate over John Ashcroft's nomination as attorney general rumbled toward its conclusion on Wednesday, as Senate Democrats used floor speeches to renew their criticisms one last time before Ashcroft's likely confirmation. The Senate agreed Wednesday night to hold a final vote Thursday afternoon on the nomination, and Ashcroft is expected to draw support from at least 60 senators. But Democrats seemed determined to use the anticlimactic debate to lodge their complaints once again that the former Missouri senator's political record and conservative personal beliefs make him a questionable choice as the nation's top law enforcement officer. Read the article Judiciary Committee Backs Ashcroft for Attorney General 1/30/2001 11:05 PM John Ashcroft's nomination to be attorney general moved to the full Senate Tuesday, after the judiciary committee approved his nomination by a 10-8 vote that fell mostly along party lines. After more than two hours of pointed debate by the panel, only one Democrat, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., voted in favor of Ashcroft, along with all nine Republicans. The other eight Democrats on the committee opposed him. Republicans said they expected a full Senate vote confirming Ashcroft by Thursday. Ashcroft opponents were conceding that they didn't have the votes to stop the nomination, but hoped the narrow committee vote would sway some lawmakers and help produce 35-40 votes against him. Read the article Cheney Seen as Influential Vice President 1/30/2001 11:05 PM It's only week two of the new administration, but Vice President Dick Cheney, by his boss' design, appears well on his way to becoming the most powerful No. 2 in White House history. President Bush assigned Cheney this week to sort through the administration's first front-burner domestic policy headache, the California energy crisis. Last week, Cheney took a seat in the Oval Office for what was to have been a tense, one-on-one summit between Bush and his former GOP primary rival, Sen. John McCain. In Bush's West Wing consultations with members of Congress and his daily economic and domestic policy briefings, Cheney, who turned 60 on Tuesday, is there with a bulging leather file folder embossed with his initials, RBC. Read the article Bush Unveils 'Faith-Based' Initiative 1/30/2001 1:09 PM President Bush, giving teeth to his father's decade-old "Thousand Points of Light" initiative, launched a broad governmental effort yesterday to invigorate religious charities and other nonprofit organizations in the battle against the nation's social problems. In the first step of what could be an unprecedented collaboration between the government and nonprofits, the president created offices in five Cabinet agencies and the White House with a charge to ease regulations and boost government funding of charities, many of them with religious ties. Read the article Clinton Asks Aides to Check Out White House Pranks 1/30/2001 1:08 PM Former President Clinton asked aides to investigate reports of White House vandalism by outgoing members of his administration and possibly "make amends" if warranted, a spokesman said Monday. "We made an offer to go over and survey what was done -- take a look and see if we can make amends," Clinton spokesman Jake Siewert said. "We asked to take a look at the damage and offered to try to sort it out. They said that it was isolated incidents and that that would not be necessary." Read the article Bush Calls for Vote on Ashcroft 1/30/2001 1:04 PM Bush voiced frustration Tuesday with continued Democratic objections to his attorney general-designate, John Ashcroft. "It's time for the delays to end," the president said. "I hope in the spirit of bipartisanship, there will be no further delays with the confirmation process of John Ashcroft," Bush told reporters at the end of a Cabinet Room meeting with House and Senate Republican leaders. "There's been a lot of discussion, a lot of debate, a lot of questionnaires presented and answers filled out and it's time for the vote, it seems to me." Read the article Bush May Lower Tax Withholding 1/26/2001 4:06 PM President Bush might order an immediate reduction in the income taxes withheld from paychecks if his proposed tax cuts become law, aiming to put cash in people's pockets quickly, administration officials said Friday. Lowering the withholding rates would give consumers more money to spend right away -- even if the full income tax cuts were phased in over several years -- providing an economic kick-start that could boost consumer confidence. New Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill thinks it would be appropriate to change the withholding rates, and the administration is considering the idea as part of its tax bill, said an official familiar with O'Neill's thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity. Read the article Rumsfeld Planning Missile Defense 1/26/2001 4:05 PM President Bush intends to move ahead with a national missile defense plan despite objections from Russia and other countries, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday. "The president has not been ambivalent about this," Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference as he closed out his first week on the job. "He intends to deploy." Bush pledged during his campaign to build a national shield to protect against limited attack from ballistic missiles, the secretary said. Read the article Democrats Surprised by Bush's Start 1/26/2001 12:06 PM Arizona state lawmaker Chris Cummiskey was surprised at the speed with which President Bush brought up issues like abortion and school vouchers after his inaugural message on healing the country. New Hampshire political organizer Kathy Sullivan said she's been hearing from people surprised by the "in your face" quality of Bush's first days in office. San Diego administrative assistant Kathleen Kenneally said Bush's first efforts to roll back abortion rights happened "way too quickly." Around the country, Democrats say they were taken aback by how rapidly the president staked out his positions on several controversial -- and potentially divisive -- issues like abortion, school vouchers and a $1.6 trillion tax cut. The incredibly close election of 2000 highlighted sharp divisions in the country, which Bush pledged to heal both during his campaign and in his inaugural address. Read the article Bush Defends Faith-Based Charities 1/26/2001 12:05 PM Even before unveiling a plan, President Bush is trying to defuse criticism of his proposal to shift certain government-funded assistance programs to religious institutions. He'll send the plan to Congress next week, and to build support, he met with religious leaders Thursday night at the home of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, leader of Washington-area Roman Catholics. On Friday, Bush was capping his first week in office with another pitch for his education plan, summoning 17 governors to the White House. Read the article Bush Aides Collect Damage Evidence 1/26/2001 12:04 PM Some staff members of the Bush administration say they moved into their new offices to find numerous acts of apparent vandalism and they blame it on outgoing aides to President Clinton. Bush staffers have grumbled that glass desktops were broken, keyboards doused with fluids and stripped of "W" keys and tags identifying phones numbers switched. The new administration is asking staffers to report any suspected vandalism, but a spokesman said Thursday he doubts anything will be done with the findings. Read the article Some in GOP Want Brownback to Run for Kansas Governor 1/26/2001 12:03 PM U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas has talked with Republican leaders about running for governor in 2002. And while Brownback apparently has not made any decisions and although some insiders insist that he won't make the race, some Republicans have begun urging the senator to run, The Kansas City Star has learned. Brownback's entry would scramble the state's political picture in 2002 and possibly spark another confrontation between the GOP's moderate and conservative factions. Brownback is considered the leader of the conservative wing. Read the article Bush's Hand Greatly Strengthened 1/26/2001 12:02 PM Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's endorsement of tax cuts yesterday, after years of preaching the virtues of debt reduction, dramatically strengthened President Bush's negotiating position in the coming tax-cut battle, lawmakers and administration officials said. Greenspan dispelled the notion that Bush's plan to cut taxes might be reckless, dangerous or even massive, as former vice president Al Gore charged. He embraced the central principle of Bush's $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut -- cutting individual tax rates -- and seemed to dismiss assertions by Democrats that additional government spending on certain programs has economic merit. And for the first time he explicitly endorsed individual Social Security accounts, a key part of the Bush agenda. Read the article Bush Courts Voters Who Rejected Him 1/26/2001 12:01 PM When preparing his inaugural address with aides, President Bush insisted on including a particular line he penned himself: "While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise -- even the justice -- of our own country." The audience for that line was black America, which voted 9 to 1 against Bush. Polls show that African American support for Bush has slipped further since then, because of charges by black voters in Florida that they were disenfranchised and the racially tinged confirmation battle over John D. Ashcroft's nomination to be attorney general. Read the article Powell: State Department in 'Technological Dark Ages' 1/26/2001 12:00 PM Secretary of State Colin Powell, sounding like the military man he once was, promised State Department employees Thursday an all-out "fight" to bring them out of the technological dark ages. He also urged them not to be fooled by his easygoing demeanor: "Don't mistake it. I'm still a general." Work at the department came to a virtual standstill in late morning as throngs of Powell's new subordinates turned out in the main auditorium to hear his thoughts and expectations in his new job. Read the article For Clintons' Last Act, Reviews Don't Look Good 1/26/2001 11:59 AM It may have been the most elaborately planned exit from the White House ever – two full months of executive orders, exit interviews, farewell speeches and valedictory celebrations for President Clinton. One week after the former president and Hillary Rodham Clinton left the White House, there is widespread acknowledgment even among close Clinton aides over how that planning ended: in a public relations debacle. A shower of legal, financial and political issues cumulatively created a controversy-pocked transition. Read the article Missouri Senate Under Republican Control 1/24/2001 11:31 PM Sharing power no more, Republicans claimed firm but narrow control of the Missouri Senate in special elections on Wednesday. The GOP claimed two of the three vacant seats, in northwest and northeast Missouri, bringing its Senate ranks to 18 -- and an unquestioned majority -- for the first time in more than half a century. Democrats held onto a vacant seat in St. Louis, a party stronghold, claiming 16 in all -- enough to make noise but not control chamber votes. ``We put together all of our winning coalitions,'' declared Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, who will become president pro tem, the chamber's top leader. Since the start of the session, he had shared that title with Democrat Ed Quick. But under mutually agreed rules, those distinctions vanish if one party has a clear majority. Read the article Bush, McCain Appear No Closer on Campaign Finance 1/24/2001 11:25 PM President Bush and Sen. John McCain discussed campaign finance reform Wednesday but reported no progress on bridging their differences over how to stem the flow of special interest money in U.S. politics. The newly inaugurated president and the Arizona Republican who fought him for the Republican Party's nomination last year said their 45-minute Oval Office meeting was cordial but neither pointed to major movement on the issue. Asked how the meeting had gone and whether he thought he could work with McCain, Bush told reporters: "Good. He's a friend of mine. We had a wide-ranging discussion." Read the article Bush Meets With Democratic Leaders 1/24/2001 11:22 PM Sitting down for the first time at the White House with Democratic leaders, President Bush said Wednesday it's time "to come together and get things done" despite expectations of gridlock and acrimony in the nation's capital. The president also raised concerns about the economy in pushing for his $1.6 billion tax-cut plan. "I look forward to explaining to any member that's concerned about tax relief and why ... I proposed it. And I think the evidence is going to become more and more clear that the economy is not as hopeful as we'd like, which I hope will strengthen my case," Bush said. He expressed concern about the economy before his inauguration, but never as president. Read the article Chao Sails Through Confirmation Hearing 1/24/2001 11:20 PM Elaine L. Chao, President Bush's choice for secretary of labor, sailed through her confirmation hearing yesterday with a warning that the laws of the workplace need to keep pace with the "emerging realities" of the new economy. After a four-hour hearing before the Senate Labor Committee, senators from both parties voiced support for Chao, making it clear that barring some last-minute disclosure in her background check, she would win easy confirmation. The White House has yet to formally send Chao's nomination to the Senate, pending the completion of her FBI check and the release of her financial disclosure documents, committee officials said. Read the article Approval for Norton, a Battle for Ashcroft 1/24/2001 11:19 PM A Senate committee discounted the objections of environmentalists and overwhelmingly approved the nomination of Gale A. Norton as interior secretary yesterday, even as Democrats on the Judiciary Committee escalated the fight over attorney general-designate John D. Ashcroft. The full Senate, meanwhile, confirmed Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson as secretary of health and human services and Norman Y. Mineta, who was commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, as transportation secretary. The vote was 100-0 for each. Read the article Lott Calls Justice Department 'Cesspool,' Ashcroft Foes 'Extremists' 1/24/2001 11:16 PM Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, called the Justice Department a "cesspool" on Wednesday and labeled some Democrats who have led the opposition to the nomination of John Ashcroft to head the agency as "extremists." Lott called the Justice Department a "cesspool," and hopes Ashcroft can "clean it up and enforce the laws that really do need to be enforced" Lott made the comment at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce luncheon in response to a question about delays in the confirmation process for Ashcroft, a conservative Republican defeated for re-election to the Senate. "If there is a cesspool anywhere in this city," Lott said, "it is the Justice Department. And I'd like for John to try and clean it up and enforce the laws that really do need to be enforced." Read the article Democrats Postpone Vote on Ashcroft 1/23/2001 10:06 PM Democrats are delaying the Senate Judiciary Committee's vote on Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft so they can get more information from him. The panel's top Democrat, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, notified Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, that he will utilize a committee rule that enables any senator to postpone voting on a nomination or bill for one week, Leahy's spokesman, David Carle, said Tuesday. Read the article Fox News Trounces the Cable Competition on Inauguration Saturday 1/23/2001 10:05 PM Cable viewers flocked to Fox News Channel to see George W. Bush sworn in as president, boosting that channel past CNN in inauguration Nielsens and giving Fox News its third-highest-rated day ever. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Fox News averaged a 2.5 rating in homes that receive the service, to beat CNN's 2.0 and MSNBC's 1.6. CNN won in total households, with 1.6 million to Fox News' 1.42 million, but that's with CNN available in 80 million homes while Fox News currently reaches just 57 million. MSNBC's household average Saturday was 954,000. The big Bush numbers for Fox News reinforce the perception that conservatives and Republicans favor Fox News while liberals and Democrats prefer the cable-news competition. Last summer, Fox News challenged CNN's ratings during the Republic National Convention (1.3 for CNN, 1.1 for Fox News, 0.6 for MSNBC), but fell to third during the Democratic event (1.6 for CNN, 0.9 for MSNBC, 0.7 for Fox News). Read the article Cheney Promises to Become a Regular on Capitol Hill 1/23/2001 10:01 PM Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday made the first of what he promises will be many visits to Capitol Hill in his double role as liaison to Congress and deciding voter in the case of Senate ties. "I'm delighted to be back on the Hill and get a chance to spend some time up here as I expect to do in the months ahead," the former Wyoming congressman said after attending a policy lunch with Senate Republicans. Cheney also visited his new office in the House, a former Ways and Means Committee office just off the main entrance to the House chamber, and the traditional vice president's office in the Senate. Cheney is the first vice president in recent memory to get his own office on the House side of the Capitol. Read the article Defense Secretary Holds First Session 1/23/2001 1:22 PM Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld held his first meeting Tuesday with the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Henry H. Shelton. The closed-door session in the Pentagon conference room known as the "tank" was described by one participant as an "introductory session" rather than a detailed discussion of Rumsfeld's policy plans. By statute, Shelton, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is the defense secretary's senior military adviser. Read the article Secretary of State Gets Hero's Welcome to Work 1/23/2001 1:21 PM When retired Gen. Colin L. Powell queried a career State Department official earlier this month for a piece of information, the official replied that he would check on it and get back to the general's staff. "You don't understand," Powell told the official. "You are my staff." Now confirmed as the nation's 65th secretary of state, Powell arrived for work yesterday to a tumultuous welcome from hundreds of members of his new staff. Like a liberating army of one, he was met by employees who jammed the entrance of the State Department, a mezzanine and surrounding hallways to hear him address his new "troops." Read the article Letter 'W' Missing from White House Keyboards 1/23/2001 1:16 PM President George W. Bush has lost his middle initial from many computer keyboards at the Old Executive Office Building in the White House complex. In an apparent prank carried out by departing Clinton administration staffers, Bush aides discovered that dozens of computer keyboards were missing the "W" key. Bush aides said Tuesday that the W is marked out in some cases but often the key has been removed -- and sometimes taped on top of doorways -- or damaged with the spring broken. Read the article Georgia Senator on Good Side of President, in Woodshed with Daschle 1/23/2001 1:15 PM Just four days into President Bush's reign, Georgia Sen. Zell Miller finds himself on the good side of the Republican commander in chief but in the woodshed with Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. After becoming the first Democrat to pledge his support to Bush's attorney general nominee, former Republican Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri, Miller signed on as an original co-sponsor of Bush's plan to cut taxes by $1.6 trillion. The real surprise, Miller insists of the accommodation he's bestowing on the new president, is that this surprises anyone at all. Read the article Bush Picks Powell's Son for Post 1/22/2001 9:26 PM President Bush tapped Michael Powell on Monday to head the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that shapes how Americans get their telephone, broadcast and cable services. Powell, 37, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, currently is a commissioner on the five-member panel. He filled a Republican slot in 1997, and his term expires in June 2002. The widely expected designation as chairman does not require Senate confirmation. Read the article In Small Ways and Large, Presidents Eager to Get a Quick Start 1/22/2001 9:23 PM Jimmy Carter pardoned Vietnam draft dodgers, Ronald Reagan ordered cuts in federal spending, Bill Clinton put his wife in charge of health care reform. Modern-day presidents like to get off to a quick start during their first week in office, taking both symbolic and substantive steps to set the tone for the new administration, and George W. Bush is no exception. It's a way of telling the nation, "Yoo-hoo, I'm here," says political scientist Charles Jones. Read the article Bush Gets Down to Business on Education, Tax Cuts 1/22/2001 9:21 PM President George W. Bush will be getting right to work in the Oval Office Monday, planning to spend his first day as the nation's 43rd president working on education and tax cuts. A White House official said the new president and his administration won't waste much time basking in the afterglow of the weekend's whirlwind of inauguration festivities. Instead, the administration will spend its first week "working with Congress to get it done," the official said. "I haven't seen my full schedule, but it's going to be a full day," Bush told reporters Sunday afternoon as he joined two dozen invited guests and first lady Laura Bush on a curator's tour of the White House. Read the article Clinton's Last-Day Clemency Benefits 176 1/21/2001 9:03 PM Just two hours before surrendering the White House, President Clinton gave parting gifts that lifted 176 Americans out of legal trouble, granting pardons to figures from the Whitewater scandal, former Cabinet members, an ex-governor, onetime fugitive heiress Patricia Hearst Shaw and his own brother, Roger Clinton. The extraordinary list, eclipsing in magnitude and scope the last-minute legal forgiveness dispensed by previous presidents, includes Susan McDougal, who was convicted of bank fraud in the Whitewater case, then went to prison for refusing to say whether Clinton had testified truthfully at her trial. Clinton pardoned his former secretary of housing and urban development, Henry Cisneros, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about how much money he had given a former mistress. The mistress, political fundraiser Linda Jones, yesterday was granted a pardon, too. Read the article Bush Tax Plan Finds Democratic Co-Sponsor 1/21/2001 9:02 PM The Bush administration gets off to a heady start this week with introduction of the president's $1.6 trillion tax plan in the Senate. President Bush picked up a Democratic sponsor, but also got Democratic warnings that he faces trouble if he ignores their priorities. Also on Monday, Bush is expected to meet with congressional Republican leaders. Separately, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Phil Gramm, R-Texas, joined by Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., were planning to introduce Bush's massive 10-year tax relief proposal. Read the article Bush Scrambles to Block Clinton Rush Orders 1/21/2001 9:01 PM President Bush moved swiftly yesterday to block or rescind scores of executive orders and regulations dealing with the environment, health, food and safety, and workplace conditions that were rushed through in the final weeks of the Clinton administration. Under orders from Bush, White House chief of staff Andrew H. Card Jr. instructed the Government Printing Office to halt publication in the Federal Register of any new rules "to ensure that the president's appointees have the opportunity to review any new or pending regulations." Final regulations have the force of law once they are printed in the Federal Register, the government's official organ. The new administration also issued a 60-day stay on regulations that were published in the register but have not yet taken effect. Read the article Bush Welcomes Public to White House 1/21/2001 9:00 PM The Oval Office redecorated in a snap, President Bush welcomed well-wishers to his White House on Sunday. He began his first full day as president with his head bowed in prayer. "I pray that God will place his great hand of protection on each and everyone, and especially on you, Mr. President, and your family," the Rev. Franklin Graham intoned at an inaugural prayer service at Washington National Cathedral. The pews were filled with members of the Bush family, friends and supporters as Graham, continuing a tradition established by his father, the Rev. Billy Graham, invoked blessings on the new government and its leaders. Read the article An Orderly -- and Uncomfortable -- Power Transfer 1/21/2001 9:00 PM They went to the Capitol yesterday to participate in that great democratic ritual, what President Bush, in his inaugural address, called the "peaceful transfer of authority." Peaceful, it was. In a drizzly gloom, as Bush assumed the presidency, all the participants played their roles. They applauded. They shook hands. They said generous things about each other. But as Bush began his presidency, he swore his oath before an uncomfortable gathering of the central characters not only of his life but of the extraordinary conclusion to the bitterly close election last year that had brought him to this stage. His father, the former president whose defeat eight years ago he had avenged. His vanquished election rival, Al Gore, who sat glumly throughout, fulfilling his obligation and nothing more. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, whose vote was part of the 5 to 4 Supreme Court majority that essentially handed the election to the incoming president. And looming over it all was Bill Clinton, whose personal behavior in office was a subtext of the election and who publicly questioned the legitimacy of Bush's victory because of the high court's intervention. Read the article Senate, in Voice Vote, Confirms Seven for Cabinet 1/21/2001 8:58 PM With Republicans back in charge and eager to demonstrate support for the nation's new chief executive, the Senate yesterday swiftly confirmed seven of President Bush's Cabinet choices, including his top national security and economic policy officials. Just three hours after Bush took the oath of office, the Senate convened in a rare Saturday session to approve half of his Cabinet in a single voice vote -- signifying broad bipartisan support for these nominees in the evenly divided Senate. In keeping with tradition calling for swift post-inaugural action on the most critical Cabinet jobs, the Senate confirmed retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as secretary of state; Donald H. Rumsfeld for a second tour of duty as defense secretary; and former Alcoa Inc. chairman Paul H. O'Neill as Treasury secretary. Read the article Day Is Filled With Drama And Defiance 1/21/2001 8:57 PM The nation's 54th presidential inauguration was a boisterous epilogue to a bitterly fought election, as hundreds of thousands of people cheering George W. Bush shared the soggy streets of downtown Washington yesterday with several thousand others who came to denounce his ascension to power. Police and protesters skirmished in the chilly rain. Women in fur coats and men in top hats stood near activists clad in Gore-Tex and hoisting acerbic placards. The new president was both applauded and booed as his motorcade traveled up Pennsylvania Avenue. Then he was greeted by shouts of support when he and his wife, Laura, walked the last few blocks of the inaugural parade. Read the article Bush Calls for Unity, Civility 1/21/2001 8:56 PM George Walker Bush was sworn in as the nation's 43rd president yesterday and, with a call for compassion and civility in public life, pledged to "work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity." The solemn, tradition-bound transfer of power unfolded beneath gray skies on a raw January day as the 54-year-old former Texas governor, his eyes misty with tears, took the oath of office that had been administered 12 years earlier to his father, former president George Bush, who looked on proudly. Read the article Speech a Crucial Test for Bush 1/18/2001 11:52 PM When President Bush delivers his inaugural address Saturday, he will attempt in 10 minutes a task that is as difficult as it is crucial to his presidency: turning his disputed victory into a strength for his administration and an opportunity for the nation. "I believe things happen for a reason," Bush said on the night of his victory last month, referring to the bitter five-week battle that preceded it. Bush put that line in the speech himself and said in an interview that he plans to elaborate on the theme in his inaugural speech. "I do have a sense of what that reason is," Bush said. "It will give us a chance -- us being those of us who have been entrusted with power -- to rise above the expectations of what a divided house means, and at the same time to diminish cynicism. I believe it is an opportunity for people who go to Washington for good reasons -- both Republicans and Democrats -- to come together." Read the article Show Kicks Off Bush Inauguration 1/18/2001 11:50 PM Festivities leading up to George W. Bush's inauguration began Thursday with a star-studded show at the Lincoln Memorial. Bush obviously relished the event, smiling, flashing a thumbs up sign at entertainer Wayne Newton and promising to give the country "a fresh start." Before laying claim to the presidency this weekend, Bush and his wife, Laura, as well as Vice President-elect Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, mixed with celebrities including Latin singer Ricky Martin. Bush took to the stage toward the end of the show and, in an unspoken acknowledgment that he had won the presidency despite losing the popular vote, thanked those who didn't vote for him. Read the article Powell Wins Unanimous Assent From Senate Confirmation Panel 1/18/2001 11:47 PM The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday approved retired Army Gen. Colin Powell to be secretary of state in the incoming Bush administration. There was no debate as the nine senators present recommended the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to succeed Madeleine Albright as America's chief diplomat. Confirmation by the Senate is expected Friday. Powell is one of Bush's least controversial Cabinet selections. Senators from both parties showed great deference toward Powell during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Read the article WhiteTestifies at Ashcroft Confirmation 1/18/2001 11:46 PM John Ashcroft's effort to block a black Missouri judge from a federal judgeship took center stage at his nomination hearing Thursday. Ronnie White, a Missouri State Supreme Court judge, insisted Ashcroft "seriously distorted my record," while Ashcroft's supporters defended his criticism of the judge's opinion in the death penalty case of a cop killer. But Ashcroft was hailed as a man of the highest integrity by two Republican congressmen. "Over the last six years, you've seen his heart, you know him up close and personal," said J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. "You know he's not a racist." Read the article Fox News Interview: Brit Hume Talks With George W. Bush 1/18/2001 11:45 PM In an interview Friday with Fox News Channel's Brit Hume, incoming President George W. Bush stood firmly behind his Cabinet nominees under fire on Capitol Hill, and said to those who insist he hasn't the legitimacy to appoint strong-minded conservatives to his Cabinet, "Too bad." Commenting on the ongoing energy crisis in California, Bush said California will have to dig itself out of whatever hole it is in. Bush described the state's problem as a long-term issue that he will look into, but with the underlying premise that California has to fix the problem. Read the article Farewell to a Favorite Son 1/17/2001 11:49 PM First, George W. Bush's election night victory bash was aborted, leaving supporters in a cold rain in Austin. Then Bush's contested legal victory in December made the president-elect's aides think a party might appear unseemly. But today, three days before his swearing-in as the nation's 43rd president, Bush indulged in a sentimental farewell to his home town. "Laura and I will never quite settle in Washington, because while the honor is great, the work is temporary," he said before a downtown rally here. "I'm leaving Texas, but not forever. This is my home." Bush waved a white cowboy hat to the crowd of about 15,000. His wife, Laura, accepted a bouquet of yellow roses. A band played multiple renditions of "Dixie." A country-western singer offered an ode to the president-elect. "George Bush, lead on," he crooned. "Stand up tall and tell our kids we're proud of the U.S.A." Students had permission to skip school to see the event, and patient Midlanders waited hours to get through the Secret Service's metal detectors. By all accounts, it was the biggest event ever in the area -- except, of course, for the oil show in nearby Odessa. Read the article Hot Ticket, High Cost 1/17/2001 11:48 PM Ivo Nelson had high inaugural hopes. He imagined being close enough to the swearing-in ceremony Saturday to actually glimpse George W. Bush -- no binoculars. He imagined seeing him raise his right hand and feeling the stir of history in the making. Nelson had no ticket to the event. But that did not stop him. He went to the Internet, where, it turns out, much of the inauguration is for sale. On ebay.com, Nelson made four bids on the swearing-in -- for tickets that, perhaps more than any others, were intended to be free, beyond the grasp of commercialism. They are handed out to constituents by members of Congress. Read the article Festivities Rushed but Ready 1/17/2001 11:47 PM President-elect Bush kicks off an inaugural celebration today that will bear the imprint of a drawn-out election fight -- a four-day festival that had to be planned in a hurry and that will be dogged by large numbers of protesters and many logistical hurdles for police and spectators. Many questions lingered yesterday, even as the final preparations were being made for the opening event, this afternoon's concert and fireworks show at the Lincoln Memorial. Police plan to close one downtown bridge but were not sure if the event would require them to close a second one. Transportation officials said the evening rush hour could be arduous or easy, depending on how many downtown workers decide to stay home. Read the article Martinez: I'll Work for More Home Ownership 1/17/2001 11:45 PM Cuban-born Mel Martinez headed for apparent confirmation as housing secretary after assuring senators on Wednesday that he would help more low-income Americans buy their own homes. Martinez, 54, the chairman of the Orange County, Fla., government that includes Orlando, promised to strengthen the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an agency some Republicans have sought to eliminate, and to make it more responsive to the nation's housing needs. Democrats and Republicans alike on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hailed Martinez, who fled from Cuba as a teen-ager, as an embodiment of the American dream and an excellent choice for the position. Read the article Whitman Approval Seems Certain, With Bipartisan Support 1/17/2001 11:44 PM New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman gained bipartisan Senate support Wednesday for her bid to head the Environmental Protection Agency with both Democrats and Republicans predicting easy confirmation. But some Democrats cautioned Whitman against attempting to roll back environmental regulations pushed through in the final weeks of President Clinton's administration. Even as Whitman appeared before the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee and days before the transition to a Bush administration, the EPA issued another rule that will tighten requirements for arsenic in drinking water. Read the article Powell Confirmation Hearing Becomes 'Lovefest' 1/17/2001 11:43 PM Received with all the respect of a folk hero, Secretary of State nominee Colin Powell told his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that the Bush administration will move full-speed ahead with a nationwide defense against missile attack. In the process, Powell said a landmark arms control treaty signed with the Soviet Union in 1972 probably will have to be changed to make way for the controversial and futuristic program. Brushing aside reminders by Sens. Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., that allies and others are skeptical about the project, the retired four-star general said, "When people see something new come along they are terrified, but if it is the right thing to do, you do it anyway." Read the article Senator Ashcroft Stands His Ground 1/17/2001 11:42 PM Senators continued grilling Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft on Wednesday, probing his record as Missouri's governor and top prosecutor and pressing him to explain how he would balance his conservatism with his duty to represent all Americans. In a daylong hearing over the most contentious of President-elect Bush's Cabinet choices, Democrats challenged decades of Ashcroft's decisions, interviews and statements, while Republicans defensed the nominee and complained he was being unfairly attacked. The line of questioning ranged from Ashcroft's opinions on airline mergers and the Microsoft antitrust case, to his views on drug laws, the environment and the Justice Department's use of independent counsels. Read the article Inaugural Tickets Sold Out 1/16/2001 11:58 PM No more tickets. Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesman Ed Gillespie said the final tickets for the inauguration, the official balls and other events authorized by the committee were sold at around 2 a.m. EST Tuesday. Read the article Bush Practices Inaugural Address as Hometown Prepares Sendoff 1/16/2001 11:57 PM President-elect George W. Bush spent Tuesday practicing his inaugural address as his nominee for attorney general faced a contentious confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. Bush transition spokesman Ari Fleischer, who will serve as press secretary in the incoming administration, said Bush has finished drafting the 10-12 minute speech, which Fleischer said will stress unity and healing. Bush is scheduled to take office Saturday at noon EST. Read the article Powell, Whitman Confirmation Hearings to Begin Wednesday 1/16/2001 11:56 PM Retired Gen. Colin Powell and New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman are among a number of Bush Cabinet hopefuls slated to appear before Senate lawmakers Wednesday morning, in addition to the continuation of hearings on Attorney General-designee John Ashcroft. Despite strong opposition to Ashcroft, and President-elect George W Bush's choice for Interior secretary, Gale Norton, other Cabinet choices facing Senate hearings this week are expected to be warmly welcomed. Read the article Tenet to Stay on as CIA Director 1/16/2001 11:55 PM President-elect George W. Bush has asked CIA Director George Tenet to remain in his post indefinitely and Tenet has accepted, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday. "Director Tenet has been asked to stay on the job for what will amount to an undetermined period of time," Fleischer said. Asked how long that could be, Fleischer said, "It'll be something that the president-elect will decide at a later period." Read the article Ashcroft's Wife Talks About Attack 1/16/2001 11:51 PM John Ashcroft's wife, Janet, said Tuesday she was once attacked by a rapist and her husband responded "exactly the way any woman would want him to respond." Mrs. Ashcroft's comments, during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," raised more questions than answers. Ashcroft, President-elect Bush's nominee to head the Justice Department, began confirmation hearings Tuesday. She mentioned the attack after being asked about criticisms that Ashcroft's views are extreme, particularly in his opposition to abortions for victims of rape or incest. Mrs. Ashcroft responded that liberal lobbying groups "have misrepresented him, because I know him and the history we have had, the circumstances I have had, where he has shown the most sensitivity and compassion when I have been in a very extreme situation that no woman wants to face." Read the article Ashcroft Pledges to Enforce Laws 1/16/2001 11:43 PM John D. Ashcroft pledged today to enforce all the nation's laws, even those with which he vehemently disagrees, and said he "will serve as the attorney general of all people" if his nomination is approved by the U.S. Senate. At the dawn of contentious confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ashcroft also defended his record as a former senator, governor and Missouri attorney general, arguing that he has upheld laws in the past that contradicted his personal beliefs on abortion and other issues. "I understand that being attorney general means enforcing laws as they are written, not enforcing my own personal preference," Ashcroft said in his opening statement to his former colleagues. "It means advancing the national interest, not advocating my personal interest." Read the article Ashcroft Punches Back! 1/16/2001 11:41 PM Attorney General hopeful John Ashcroft opened his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday by insisting that he has long been a champion of civil rights and pledging to enforce "all of the law for all of the people." Ashcroft used a 25-minute statement to respond directly to critics who have questioned whether his conservative convictions will interfere with his ability to enforce the law, especially on polarizing issues such as abortion. "I am personally opposed to abortion," Ashcroft said. "But as I've explained this afternoon, I understand that the role of Attorney General is to enforce the law as it is, not as I would have it." Read the article Inauguration Steeped in History 1/15/2001 2:11 PM It is, as Abraham Lincoln said in his 1861 inaugural address, "a custom as old as the government itself," a peaceful transfer of power, an occasion of high hopes, a symbol of constancy in a changing world. The tradition began in 1789 when George Washington hurriedly sent out for a Bible and added the words "so help me God" to the oath prescribed by the Constitution. When George W. Bush repeats those words Saturday and becomes the 43rd president he will do so in a ceremony that is the principle rite of passage of American representative democracy. Read the article Inaugural Parade Promises Variety 1/15/2001 2:07 PM This isn't his Daddy's parade. The newly sworn President Bush will have all the traditional military bands playing "Hail to the Chief" and plenty of floats exhibiting patriotic themes, but the inaugural parade of the second Bush presidency may be most remembered for some, shall we say, eccentric performances. All told, more than 10,500 people representing 45 states will participate in the parade, among them members of 38 high school and college bands from across the country, each branch of the military, as well as a team of guards mounted on horses. One of the odder tributes will come from the Precision Lawn Chair Demonstration Team, a group of 13 buddies from Colorado who flip and fold aluminum lawn chairs in time to militaristic chants such as, "I got myself a new beach chair. This is where I park my derriere." Read the article Bush Family Embarks On Second Tour 1/15/2001 2:05 PM Neil got into trouble and Marvin hates politics. Jeb was too serious and Dorothy, well -- she married a Democrat. They used to call the president "Dad." Soon, they'll be calling him brother. Here are snapshots of President-elect Bush's tight-knit family. Read the article Bush's Life Tied to West Texas Town 1/15/2001 2:02 PM George W. Bush attended Andover and Yale, but his early years were spent in Midland, in the heart of the Texas oil patch, where he rode his bicycle, cheered at Friday night football games and first met some of the friends who remain his closest advisers. With pumpjacks dotting the landscape and tumbleweeds rolling across the plains, Midland had a "frontier feeling; it was hot and dry and dusty," the former Texas governor recalls in his autobiography, "George W. Bush: A Charge to Keep." Midway between Fort Worth and El Paso, Midland now has about 100,000 residents. Its economy has diversified some since the oil bust of the mid-1980s, but it is still the administrative center for the petroleum-producing region known as the Permian Basin, where about 20 percent of America's oil and gas reserves are located. Read the article Bush Marks King Holiday in Texas 1/15/2001 2:01 PM George W. Bush marked the King holiday by paying tribute to those who desegregated Southern schools, declaring: "Today, the challenge is different, but there's still a challenge. Every child can go to school now, but the fundamental question is, is every child learning?" Access is now equal, but not opportunity, he said, because some schools are not fulfilling their mission. "This is a violation of America's promise," he said at Kelso Elementary School. "The dream of equality is empty" without high-quality schools that stress reading, discipline and character, he said. "That goal will take presidential leadership," he said, standing with Rod Paige, his choice for Education secretary. Paige, who is black, runs the Houston school district and is a product of segregated schools in Mississippi. "It is a goal we will work endlessly to achieve," Bush said. Read the article Democrats Prepare to Grill Senator Ashcroft 1/15/2001 1:49 PM Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft was preparing Monday for what promises to be a blistering confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as Democrats geared up to fight the appointment of the conservative former senator. Senate Democrats insisted on Sunday their opposition to Ashcroft — who was widely respected and well liked by his Senate colleagues — was nothing personal. But they said his conservative opinions are ill-suited to the job of being the nation's top law enforcer. The Senate tends to show deference toward one of its own during confirmation hearings. And the lawmakers generally concede an incoming president should have some latitude in choosing a Cabinet. However, Senators said they could not approve an attorney general sworn to enforce laws he opposes, such as abortion rights and affirmative action. Read the article Rumsfeld Pledges To Improve Military 1/11/2001 12:10 PM Donald Rumsfeld pledged Thursday that his goal as secretary of defense would be to refashion America's military to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In a prepared statement for his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Rumsfeld said that will mean building a missile defense system, improving force readiness and strengthening intelligence and space capabilities. "Forces in world politics have created a more diverse and less predictable set of potential adversaries," Rumsfeld said. "If confirmed, I look forward to working with President-elect Bush and the Congress to meet the challenge of bringing the American military successfully into the 21st century," he said. Read the article Bush Selects Zoellick for Trade Job 1/11/2001 12:09 PM President-elect Bush has selected Robert Zoellick, who served in previous Republican administrations at the State and Treasury departments, to be U.S. trade representative, officials close to the transition said Thursday. Bush was expected to make the announcement later in the day before ending a two-day visit to Washington and returning to his ranch at Crawford, Texas. Zoellick is a close associate of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III. When Baker was treasury secretary in the Reagan administration, Zoellick served as his executive secretary, controlling the paper flow into Baker's office. He later was undersecretary of state for economic affairs when Baker headed the State Department in the administration of Bush's father. Read the article Secret Service Stages 'Attack' on Presidential Motorcade to Prepare for Inauguration 1/11/2001 12:06 PM When George W. Bush is sworn in as the nation's president next Saturday, the U.S. Secret Service will take strong measures to protect him, as more than 700,000 people crowd the streets of Washington. An estimated 50,000 protesters are expected to be among them. On Wednesday, the Secret Service staged a simulated attack on a presidential-style motorcade in a training exercise that capped months of intense preparation. Read the article Bush Team Strategizes on Ashcroft Nomination 1/11/2001 12:03 PM Even before Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, announced her intention to oppose Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft Wednesday night, Bush transition officials were preparing to criticize any Senate Democrat who opposes Ashcroft before confirmation hearings are convened. "This leads me to the conclusion that some senators do not want to give Senator Ashcroft a full and fair hearing which is part of the advise and consent process," said a senior Bush transition official assigned to Ashcroft's confirmation. "It appears some senators will not take the time to judge his record or demeanor before deciding." The Bush official added that no one in the Ashcroft camp expected to win Boxer's vote. Read the article Cheney: Bush Has Grown As Leader 1/10/2001 5:39 PM Dick Cheney says he's seen George W. Bush grow as a leader in recent months, becoming "smoother, more decisive" during the presidential campaign and recount. When the president-elect moves into the White House on Jan. 20, Cheney said he'll be there, too, offering his opinions as vice president and a Washington veteran. "I'll sit as one of many that he'll look to for advice and guidance on those decisions that he has to make," the vice president-elect said in an interview with The Associated Press. Cheney, 59, is a former White House chief of staff, defense secretary and congressman from Wyoming. Just five years younger, Bush has served six years as Texas governor. Read the article President-Elect to Attend 8 Inaugural Balls 1/10/2001 12:03 PM On the evening of their inaugural, a newly sworn in President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will attend eight balls in Washington, each of them sponsored by a state or group of state Republican societies. The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced details of the balls Monday, saying each would have a celebrity host to emcee and musical entertainment. Jeanne Johnson Phillips, executive director of the committee, said details about the celebrities and entertainers would be released later. Each ball begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $125. The ball hosted by the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania societies will be held at Union Station, while Ohio will honor Bush and Cheney at the Washington Convention Center. The Texas and Wyoming societies also will be at the convention center, though in a different area. Read the article Armey Pushes Retroactive Tax Cut 1/10/2001 12:01 PM Congressional Republicans should rally around President-elect Bush's income tax cut proposal and push to make it retroactive to Jan. 1 to provide an immediate jolt to the flagging economy, House Majority Leader Dick Armey said Tuesday. In a memo to all GOP House members, Armey said the across-the-board income tax cuts should be the first order of business, along with an expansion of 401(k) plans and IRAs to improve savings. Other Republican leaders want to focus first on bite-size repeal of estate taxes and relief from the income tax marriage penalty, which have significant Democratic support. Read the article Paige Stands Firm on Voucher Support 1/10/2001 11:59 AM Education Secretary-designate Rod Paige vowed to work with Republicans and Democrats to improve the nation's educational system but showed no sign of backing down from his support of private school vouchers. "The power of informed parental choice can change the status quo," Paige told a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. "Failing schools should be given a finite period to change. If they fail to do so, children of low-income parents should have the option of transferring to another public school or using their share of federal funds to pay for another option, including tutoring, a charter school or a nonpublic school. "I believe that we need to overcome our political differences in favor of achieving our common interest of a highly educated people," Paige said. "We need to rearrange political relationships so they will better support our common goal." Read the article Bush Searches for New Labor Choice 1/10/2001 11:59 AM President-elect Bush is searching anew for a labor secretary, saying he was saddened by the withdrawal of Linda Chavez in a controversy over her relationship with an undocumented immigrant. "I absolutely believe she would have been a great Cabinet secretary," Bush said Tuesday night at Andrews Air Force Base after arriving for a three-day visit to the nation's capital. Republicans mentioned include Elaine L. Chao, former deputy transportation secretary and the wife of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Stephen Goldsmith, former Indianapolis mayor and a Bush adviser; former Rep. Jim Talent, just defeated for Missouri governor; Rich Bond, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash.; and Eloise Anderson, former social services director in Wisconsin and California. Read the article Access To Carnahan Files Angers GOP 1/10/2001 11:58 AM Supporters of John Ashcroft are angry that foes of his nomination as attorney general have access to boxes of opposition research done by the late Gov. Mel Carnahan's campaign. The files of news clippings, speeches and votes cast by Ashcroft were shared with the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way by the Democratic governor's campaign manager, political consultant Marc Farinella. The organization is part of a broad coalition working against Ashcroft. GOP operatives asserted late Tuesday that the loan reflects poorly on the governor's widow, U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan. Farinella says he is distributing the information on his own and that Mrs. Carnahan and her staff are uninvolved. Read the article Bush Defends Labor Nominee Chavez 1/8/2001 9:19 PM President-elect Bush today defended his nominee for secretary of Labor, Linda Chavez, as aides said they are still trying to assemble all the facts about the use of an illegal alien for household chores by Chavez. "I do remain confident in Linda," Bush told reporters in Austin. "She'll make a fine labor secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified." Later, at an afternoon press conference, he repeated his support of her. Read the article Rehnquist Raises the Flag: Pay Judges More 1/8/2001 9:18 PM Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has a message for Congress: The historic lawsuits that decided the 2000 presidential election tested this country's constitutional system as never before. Now, what about a raise for America's federal judges? Rehnquist's annual report on the federal judiciary, published New Year's Day, began with the rueful observation that the election embroiled courts from Florida to the U.S. Supreme Court "in a way that one hopes will seldom, if ever, be necessary in the future." He proceeded to an extended discussion of lagging judicial pay, a long-standing concern of the chief justice that he now calls "the most pressing issue facing" the federal courts. Read the article For Norton, a Party Mission 1/8/2001 9:17 PM On a June evening in 1998, in the big ballroom of the J.W. Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue, Gale A. Norton hosted the national kickoff for an organization she founded that is now called, after several name changes, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy. To understand why environmentalists in Washington are so worried about President-elect Bush's choice of Norton for interior secretary -- and why conservatives are applauding the nomination -- CREA is a good place to start. The organization was conceived by Norton, then the outgoing Colorado attorney general. Its purpose: to confront an "overriding problem," as its first mailings put it, that "over the last two decades, Democrats have created the impression that they are the defenders of the environment while Republicans are environmental destroyers. Our bad guy image hampers the election of Republican candidates and makes it difficult to promote common-sense policies." Read the article Bush Gets High Marks From Business Leaders 1/8/2001 9:14 PM Publisher Steve Forbes, who was one of President-elect Bush's opponents in the Republican presidential primaries, was surprised recently to get a call from Karl Rove, Bush's political counselor, inviting him to Austin to participate in a forum with business leaders. Bush aides insisted that last week's meeting not be referred to as a "summit" but instead be called "a two-day forum on the state of the economy." Perhaps that was out of sensitivity to the fact that the session was closed to the public, when a similar meeting by President Clinton was televised and later sold on CD-ROM. Whatever it was called, Forbes jetted in and gave Bush a rave review for his continued focus on cutting taxes. "I was delighted with the music," Forbes said in a telephone interview. "I wish I'd been the conductor." Read the article The Transition Team 1/7/2001 6:56 PM Construction worker Adrian Brown voted for Al Gore, but he's been working in the cold since Nov. 21 to build George W. Bush's presidential reviewing stand. Republican Senate aide Mary Suit Jones dutifully continued making VIP arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony even when it looked like the other guy might win. And Master Sgt. W. Bramwell Smith III will be among 16 Army trumpeters who will play "Hail to the Chief" one last time for President Clinton at the U.S. Capitol, then rush to the White House to deliver the same musical greeting to President Bush. Read the article Rumsfeld Denies Backing Slurs 1/7/2001 6:54 PM President-elect Bush's team said today that Donald H. Rumsfeld, Bush's choice for defense secretary, never agreed with pejorative comments President Richard M. Nixon made 29 years ago about blacks in a conversation preserved on tape at the National Archives. On the tape, Rumsfeld can be heard making several acknowledgments, such as "yes" and "that's right" as Nixon rambled on during a conversation about African and American blacks. Read the article Hatch Recommends Pardon for Clinton 1/7/2001 6:52 PM The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican suggested Sunday that President-elect Bush pardon President Clinton -- whether he is indicted or not -- to "end a problem in America that needs to be ended." The independent counsel investigating Clinton's conduct in the Monica Lewinsky scandal has said a decision to prosecute will come "very shortly" after Clinton leaves office Jan. 20. Read the article Bush Hosts GOP Governors for Texas Barbecue 1/7/2001 6:52 PM Proudly showing off his high-tech rain gutters and chatting legislative strategy over mesquite-smoked brisket, President-elect Bush played host to 19 Republican governors at his Texas ranch yesterday as a thank-you for getting him elected and a skull session for the months ahead. Bush took the wheel of a Chevy Suburban to give tours of the streams and canyons that lace the flat fields of Prairie Chapel Ranch, the 1,600-acre spread that soon will be the southwestern White House. Read the article Gore Presides as Congress Makes Bush Win Official 1/7/2001 6:51 PM With Vice President Gore presiding, a joint session of Congress yesterday officially tallied the electoral votes that will make George W. Bush the next president in a ceremony punctuated by reminders of the bitter and marathon struggle that resulted in Bush's narrow victory. The pageant that unfolded on the House floor was rooted in history and the Constitution, a highly scripted last act in the presidential election process. But in keeping with the unprecedented 36-day post-election battle in Florida, it contained moments of drama, unresolved rancor and irony. Read the article Cabinet Chosen Quietly, Quickly 1/7/2001 6:50 PM Foreshadowing his effort to build the most disciplined White House in decades, President-elect Bush picked a Cabinet with record speed and secrecy, giving his own nominees little notice of their selection and using decoys to keep the speculation industry off his trail. Like Bush's tenure as governor of Texas, his Cabinet selection process reveals a leader who is focused on confidentiality, loyalty and efficiency. People close to him say he is adamant in his instructions to aides and nominees that they must follow his lead. His choices, heavy on corporate and government experience, have long records of devotion to his family and associates. Read the article GOP Leaders Choose House Chairmen 1/4/2001 9:06 PM House Republicans installed new chairmen Thursday at committees that will handle the high-profile legislation on President-elect Bush's agenda, including Rep. Bill Thomas of California at the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Thomas, sworn in Wednesday for his 12th term in the House, will take over the helm of a panel likely to take first crack at Bush's call for sweeping tax cuts, modernizing Medicare and allowing workers to make private investments of a portion of their Social Security taxes. The 59-year-old Thomas and other chairmen were nominated by the GOP leadership and ratified by the rank and file on one end of the Capitol while Republican and Democratic leaders on the other end held private talks over power-sharing in a 50-50 Senate. Read the article Rove Has Fierce Political Savvy 1/4/2001 9:04 PM Karl Rove, a political consultant who rose through the ranks of Republican politics with the late GOP adviser Lee Atwater, brings a deep knowledge of presidential history and a combative style to his new job as senior White House adviser. Rove, 50, was senior political strategist for President-elect Bush in the past year's campaign and has known the younger Bush for more than a quarter century. Rove has been widely praised as instrumental in the Republican takeover of Texas politics. Rove, who once said he's been a Republican since age 9, has been active in Republican politics since his college years when he was an aggressive -- some would say too aggressive -- campaign strategist. Read the article Greenspan, Bush Size Each Other Up 1/4/2001 9:03 PM The Federal Reserve's slashing of a key interest rate sent a mixed message to the incoming Bush administration. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan essentially agreed with the president-elect's assessment of a slumping economy, but he also seized the initiative from Bush on how to deal with it. As Bush prepares to begin his term and Greenspan prepares to work with his fourth president, the two Republicans continue to warily size each other up. Read the article Inauguration Hot Line Offers Ticket Information 1/4/2001 4:36 PM The Presidential Inaugural Committee yesterday set up a hot line that provides general information about inauguration activities. But you'll need a fax machine if you want to order tickets to certain events -- and inaugural organizers still don't know how many tickets will be available to the general public. Read the article For Bush Hopefuls, Confidential Tell-All Interviews 1/4/2001 4:34 PM President-elect Bush calls it the "clearing counsel." No tape recorders. No politicians. Just a quiet room, a trusted lawyer and the final chance for top-level administration candidates to reveal any private indiscretions from their past that could return to haunt them. No spin allowed. Read the article Rep. Bud Shuster Retires From House 1/4/2001 4:34 PM Veteran Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), a major force in public works who was once dubbed "king of asphalt" on Capitol Hill, announced yesterday that he would retire shortly after being sworn in for a 15th term in Congress. Shuster, whose free wheeling use of campaign funds and close ties to an industry lobbyist drew the attention of the House ethics committee, cited health problems as the reason he would step down by the end of this month. Read the article Bush Appoints Allbaugh, Rove 1/4/2001 4:33 PM Completing the Washington destinations for his "Iron Triangle" of longtime aides, President-elect Bush today named campaign manager Joe Allbaugh to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency and political guru Karl Rove to be senior adviser and assistant to the president. Both had also worked on Bush's campaigns for Texas governor, as had Karen Hughes, Bush's communications director, who was named counselor to the president when he made his first White House appointments on Dec. 17. While it was certain Rove and Allbaugh would get desirable jobs, their specific portfolios had remained a mystery. Read the article Pomp and Ceremony, Football and Cowboy Boots 1/4/2001 4:32 PM The most prominent new Senate Democrat was sworn in as her husband -- who happens to be the president -- beamed from the gallery above, while the top new Senate Republican broke in his temporary office by tossing around a football. One was surrounded by the most prominent senators of what members call "the greatest deliberative body in the world," while the other shuffled through the deserted hallways in his cowboy boots hunting for discarded furniture. First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Virginia Gov. George F. Allen were among the 11 new members of the Senate, and the two could not have approached the ceremony more differently. Read the article Bush Kicks Off Business Summit in Face of Economic Uncertainty 1/3/2001 7:56 PM After warning anew of a possible slowdown, President-elect Bush is taking stock of the economy in a gathering of business leaders from throughout the nation. Nearly three-dozen executives from new and old economy ventures were to gather behind closed doors Wednesday with Bush, who is seeking to build support for his $1.3 trillion, 10-year tax cut proposal. The president-elect reiterated his view Tuesday that tax reductions could stave off a recession. Read the article Bush to Meet Republican Governors 1/3/2001 7:54 PM President-elect Bush will host a group of Republican governors at his Texas ranch this weekend to discuss his top priorities. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters Wednesday that Bush wanted to talk to the state executives about "several upcoming matters that President-elect Bush considers national priorities," including education. In addition, he wants to thank them for supporting his presidential campaign, said Fleischer. Read the article Democrat Votes for GOP Speaker 1/3/2001 7:52 PM Following through on a months-long threat, Democratic Ohio Rep. James Traficant defected from his party and voted to re-elect Republican Dennis Hastert as House speaker. Republicans gave a standing ovation Wednesday after Traficant cast the vote. Some Democrats stood and applauded, too, apparently glad the unpredictable congressman now is aligned with the GOP. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., also abandoned Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., voting instead for Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. Taylor, a conservative who has clashed with Gephardt, did not say why he voted for Murtha. Read the article Bush Praises Fed, Sticks With Tax Cut Plan 1/3/2001 7:52 PM President-elect Bush praised a reduction in interest rates Wednesday as one of the steps necessary to "make sure that our economy does not go into a tailspin." But he said it will not do the job alone, and his tax cut plan remains vital. Bush received the surprise news of the Fed's interest rate cut while meeting about three dozen business leaders to talk about the economy. He said he interprets the Fed's surprise move as an indication bold action is needed "to make sure this economy stays vibrant." Read the article Bush Readies Education Plan 1/2/2001 6:31 PM President-elect Bush turned his attention to education Tuesday, preparing a package that includes funding cuts for underperforming schools and aggressive testing of students. Bush has said improving public schools is his No. 1 priority, and lawmakers are certain to see his proposals just after he takes office Jan. 20. Aides say that despite opposition by Democrats in Congress, he will not abandon a school voucher plan. As Bush puts the finishing touches on his Cabinet this week, he is weighing how to present his education initiative to Congress. The most politically sensitive component is his plan to strip federal funds from the worst performing schools and make them available to parents for private education, tutoring or "whatever offers hope," as he put it. Read the article Bush appoints Democrat to Cabinet 1/2/2001 4:37 PM President-elect Bush named a Democrat to his Cabinet on Tuesday, choosing Norman Mineta to become his secretary of transportation after serving as President Clinton's secretary of commerce. Completing his 14-member Cabinet, Bush also announced his choices of Spencer Abraham, defeated for re-election to the Senate from Michigan, to be secretary of energy; and Linda Chavez, who served as director of the civil rights commission under President Reagan, to be secretary of labor. ''I can't think of a better way to start the new year than to round out a Cabinet, one of the strongest that I think any president has ever been able to assemble,'' Bush said. Read the article Leftover Trade Issues on Bush's Plate 1/1/2001 10:59 PM Few agencies or departments will leave the incoming Bush administration a bigger pile of politically divisive "unfinished business" than the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. To begin with, there are the already-negotiated trade treaties with Vietnam and Jordan that require congressional approval, along with half-completed negotiations on free trade pacts with Singapore and Chile. Read the article Jackson To Campaign Against Ashcroft 1/1/2001 10:46 PM Civil rights groups will publicly confront Democratic senators and demand that they vote against their former Republican colleague, John Ashcroft, for attorney general, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said Monday. Jackson said the groups, joined by organized labor, will concentrate their lobbying away from Washington and confront lawmakers at public events such as Martin Luther King Day celebrations this month. The effort also will try to defeat the nomination of New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Read the article Bush Returns to Texas Capital 1/1/2001 5:42 PM President-elect Bush returned to the Texas capital on Monday to work on filling three remaining Cabinet positions and to prepare for an economic forum. The former Texas governor left his Crawford ranch on New Year's Day and returned to the governor's mansion, where he will continue to work despite his resignation as Texas' chief executive. Bush still must name the secretaries of energy, labor and transportation. The next announcement is expected Tuesday. Read the article After a Tough Election Loss, Talent Seems Comfortable with the Future 1/1/2001 5:30 PM The congressman, who leaves office this week, says he'd be just as happy sitting in his brother's bar and grill as he would be in Washington. If he doesn't end up in the administration of President-elect George W. Bush, Jim Talent won't mope over the alternative -- more time with his family at his favorite hangout, his brother's bar and grill in Des Peres. As he extols his brother's special marinating sauce for chicken, the Republican from Chesterfield seems at ease with himself, despite the unsettling circumstances. Read the article