Except for a few missing W's, President George W. Bush's inauguration and move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue went smoothly.
The first hundred days are likely to be crucial for the Bush presidency. The Senate Democrats -- now in the minority after 17 days of rule under Vice President Gore -- may be getting ready to intensify partisan battles soon after conceding some minor partisan squabbles this week.
Cabinet Questions
Though many had thought the fight for confirmation would be tough for Bush's nod for Interior Secretary, Gale Norton, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee surprisingly voted 18-2 yesterday to send the controversial nominee to the full Senate. Barring any major revelations, Norton will likely be confirmed.
Before the vote, committee ranking member Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said he would vote to approve her nomination despite his reservations about her record on environmental issues, CNN reported.
Letting Norton by without much trouble may be part of a plan by some Democrats to consolidate their forces to block the confirmation of former Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., Bush's nominee for Attorney General and the most controversial of all his Cabinet picks.
Yesterday, Senate Democrats delayed a Judiciary Committee vote on Ashcroft's nomination, citing a need for further questioning. They said they want written answers to at least 126 questions before they will hold a vote.
Committee ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, that he will invoke a rule that allows any senator to postpone voting for one week.
Hatch had originally scheduled a meeting for yesterday to vote to send Ashcroft's nomination to the full Senate.
According to CNN, Bush, in a yesterday morning meeting with the bipartisan congressional leadership, seemed unfazed by the delay, saying, "I think they're making sure that when they confirm him, all questions have been answered."
Many analysts believe that there is little chance Ashcroft will not be confirmed, but some Democrats are still vehemently opposed to his views. Ashcroft has a conservative record on abortion and gay rights, and many Democrats have attacked his record on civil rights, among other things.
Bipartisan Tests
Bush blocked some last-minute measures enacted by President Clinton, including funding for overseas abortion aid, causing some Democrats to react with dismay and question whether Bush's mantra of "governing from the center" would hold true.
Bush also placed moratoriums on $2.7 billion in housing grants for the poor, new regulations for sightseeing flights over national parks, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 'get-tough' policy to kick drug dealers and criminals out of public housing, among other things.
Bush's actions are not new to the White House. Ronald Reagan blocked some of Jimmy Carter's last-minute orders, as Clinton did to some of Bush's father's last actions.
Meanwhile, Bush's education proposal is receiving some criticism as well. The proposal included school vouchers, something that many Democrats are strongly against. This will be the topic of much debate in the coming weeks.
Also, Bush's proposed economic plan, with its major tax cut, will no doubt be debated for some time, especially since some analysts say that the total cost of the cut could reach up to $1.6 trillion, instead of $1.3 trillion as Bush proposed.
Many Democrats say that the total is just too much for the government to handle, but supporters of the cut hope it will rejuvenate the slowing economy.
The Spoiler
Bush's thorn in the side from the primaries, Arizona Sen. John McCain, was scheduled to meet with the new president last night, in an effort to forge an agreement on McCain's campaign finance reform bill.
On Monday, McCain and allies introduced the bill, for which Bush has not expressed his support, putting pressure on Senate leadership to schedule a vote soon.
The legislation has failed to pass the Senate in past years, but supporters believe they may have the requisite 60 votes to break a Republican filibuster and pass the bill, according to MSNBC.
Indeed, support appears to be increasing. In November, five senators who opposed McCain's bill were defeated for reelection, and recently conservative Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., announced his backing.
McCain made campaign finance reform an important part of his campaign against Bush in the primaries, but now says he is not pushing the bill to foil Bush's honeymoon period.
"I am not interested in any way in harming the President of the United States' agenda," McCain told MSNBC. "We want to cooperate."
Co-sponsor of bill, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., added, "This is not a challenge to out the new president ... This is an opportunity for cooperation and real accomplishment with the new administration."
McCain said delaying the legislation would doom it and that he would attempt to attach the bill to other measures if an early vote is not guaranteed.
