Veto Threat Becomes Key Weapon in Bush Arsenal
President Bush offered an olive branch to congressional Democrats at his news conference yesterday. He said he would work with the opposition party to find compromise on a variety of issues, including immigration, education, and the minimum wage.
But privately, White House insiders tell U.S. News that the threat of a veto will be a much more important part of the president's political arsenal now that the Democrats are in control. Bush, the insiders say, wants to start on a positive footing and assess how confrontational the Democrats will be.
But in the end, he won't hesitate to veto legislation that he considers excessive or wrongheaded. Bush promises to be particularly vigilant in assessing legislation on Iraq if the Democrats try to block his policies through funding cuts.
"No one has to ask this president if he's relevant," says a senior Bush adviser, who recalled how President Bill Clinton felt compelled to defend his relevance when reporters quizzed him about it after the Republicans took over Congress in 1994. "President Bush knows how to get things done in this town."