Lois Romano

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THE BUSH IMPRINT
With Lois Romano
Washington Post Political Correspondent
Friday, Jan. 19, 2001; 12 Noon p.m. EST

What kind of president will George W. Bush be? Have his life experiences prepared him for the highest office in the land? What kind of statement will he be sending? And what kind of imprint will he leave on Washington and the White House?

Washington Post political reporter Lois Romano has covered George W. Bush extensively over the last two years. Believe it or not, she's lives outside the Beltway--way outside. Like Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first apprehensive, she has found there is life outside Washington.

Below is a transcript.

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Washington, DC: Lois: The picture of Bill Clinton as a teenager shaking hands with President Kennedy in many ways symbolizes the beginning of his journey to the Presidency. Is there a comparable moment in the life of incoming President Bush? Does his desire to be President date back to his youth? Or does his desire to become President date from a later moment in his life? You've covered George Bush as much as anyone; what's your view? David

Lois Romano: Hi everybody--I'm glad to be here with you all. This is an interesting time in our history. I look forward to answering your questions.

Washington DC: Every president brings a different set of talents to the job. Reagan was a wonderful communicator but had a poor head for detail. Nixon could think deeply about subjects such as foreign policy but had difficulty forming personal relationships. What are Bush's strong and weak points?

Lois Romano: George W. Bush sees himself as a nice guy and good people person, Which is why he was devastated to have lost the popular vote. He will be very good in dealing with voters, members of congress etc one-on-one. He will compromise and negotiate. he is not, however, an intellectual. Like Reagan, he is not a detail man. But he recognizes good support staff and he delegates.

Arlington VA: Does Bush's charm only work with fratboys and Texans? Or can he work with jaded East Coasters as well?

Lois Romano: Good question. And it remains to be seen. He does have a more folksy charm. His style is to befriend someone, find common ground personally--and then send someone else in to cross the ts. But while he doesn't have a deep intellectual base, he does understand politics. And that's a universal language in washington

Baltimore: Just how important is loyalty to the Bushes? And what constitutes disloyalty?

Lois Romano: Loyalty is paramount to the Bushes. George W. tries to find a combination of loyalty and competence in advisors and staff. But loyalty comes first. Recently, Oklahoma Gov. FRank Keating was passed over for a cabinet post and it is believed it was because Keating criticized the Bush operation during the campaign.

Lois Romano: I semed to have overlooked the first question today--about whether Bush had a long-term goal to be president, if this was his life's dream.
The answer is no. George Bush never seriosuly considered the possibility of the presidency untila coupleof years ago when the poll showed it was a possibility. he was a "late-bloomer." his mother once referred to him as the black sheep of the family. he was a heavy drinker until 1986. It was brother Jeb, gov. of Florida who was to be president. Bush set out to be a successful businessman, and luck as much as anything put him here.

Falls Church: Bush went out of his way to court minority voters during the campaign. But he ended up receiving little support from blacks and (except for Cubans in Florida) Hispanics. How much does this bother him? He seems to go out of his way to reassure people that he is not prejudiced.

Lois Romano: I think it does bother him. He is not a prejudiced man. In fact, some of his closest friends are Black and Hispanic. I think he will try to reach out to minorities after he takes office. The question is how will his policies sit with minorties. he can reach out all he wants--but if the policies don't speak to minorities, their support will continue to elude him.

Holmes Beach, FL: Hi Lois. It was nice to see your picture on my screen. I retired 6 years ago but I remember when you worked for Roll Call and later for the Post. I was surprised that you were in Oklahoma. All the best to you.
Tom Murphy

Lois Romano: nice to hear from you, Tom.

Palm Beach, FL: How much will Bush depend on his wife during his tenure in office. Laura Bush says she does not offer advice but does she have the same kind of "behind the scenes" involvement in the decision making as Nancy Reagan had. I had read she was very much involved in the campaign although she tried to downplay her involvement.

Lois Romano: George Bush depends enormously on his wife for emotional support-- not necessarily policy support. She is a calming influence on him, and she was instrumental in getting him to quit drinking in 1986. Laura is a very laid-back person and I don't think we'll see her throwing her power around behind the scenes. She will, however, offer advice on education --an area she is very interested in. She taught in public schools a number of years.

Bethesda, Md.: In your opinion, will foreign leaders respect such an obviously unintelligent man and treat him as an equal?

Lois Romano: In my opinion, foreign leaders will always respect the office of the presidency- and the nation. It's hard to know how they will react to Bush because he is an unknown. But don't forget that foreign leaders are quite familiar with Dick Cheney- former defense secretary- and Colin Powell.

Vienna VA: Do you think Laura Bush will be comfortable in the limelight? She doesn't really resemble the more recent First Ladies -- not even her mother-in-law. Maybe Pat Nixon.

Lois Romano: Laura Bush has grown into her public role. She has become increasingly more comfortable in the limelight. But she will never give up her privacy. During her tenure as first lady of Texas, she made a point of inviting all the Bush's old friends from Midland,Tx. regularly to the Austin mansion. She also made sure her daughters were shielded. I think we'll see the same patterns in washington.

Foggy Bottom: Why does Bush talk so much about his "heart?" As in "don't judge my heart." Is this a Texas thing? A born-again thing? A recovery thing?

Lois Romano: I think it does have to do with his recovery from alcohol. Bush was adrift through his 30s and had to reach deep into in heart to pull his life together. He also admits he turned to God to give him the strength to quit.

Princeton, NJ: I am amused that Bush portrays himself as a Washington outsider when he has spent more time in Washington than Clinton given his father's term as VP and Pres. There are reports GW was very much involved in his father's 2nd election run and had learned many lessons from his father's failures in office. Bush also portrays himself as folksy. Am I correct that those are just fronts he portrays to the American public and press so less will be expected of him during his term in office.

Lois Romano: Bush actually worked in his fathers first presidential campaign (88) and he is very savvy politically. But it is also true that he doesn't like Washington and that he found it to be a phoney environment. His first act of business after his father was elected was to leave washington.
As for his folksy demeanor-- that is him. he is product of west Texas. He was never particularly happy at school on the east coast.

Arlington, VA: Do you think the fact that fewer Americans voted for Bush than for Gore will affect how Bush and Cheney conduct their administration (e.g. add a note of humility and a need to earn the respect of those who didn't vote for them), or will they essentially act like others before them?

Lois Romano: Yes, I think it will affect how they do business because they want to get reelected. Bush lost the popular vote, the senate is equally divided--and so if Bush wants to get anything accomplished, he has to think about those who did not support him.

Rosslyn: W. makes no secret of his disdain for "East Coast intellectual types." DC is full of people like that. Will he be able to get along with them?

Lois Romano: he will get along with them because they will make it their business to get along with him. No matter what people think of Bush's intelligence, everyone's respects the office and therefore will show respect for him.
What Bush's disdains is people who try to throw their intellect around.

Annapolis, Maryland: I've read that George W. is not very bright. In your opinion-Is he up to the task ahead of him?
Muffin
Annapolis, Md.

Lois Romano: Don't confuse intelligence with knowledge. Bush is smart. He is just not intellectually curious and he is not what we call a policy wonk. But he does knows what he doesn't know and he is not afraid of surrounding himself with strong, intellectual people.

Annandale: Do you expect former President Bush to be a major advisor to his son? What about the other Bush sons? And whatever happened to the Bush daughter?

Lois Romano: Former President Bush is and will continue to be a major advisor to his son. It is widely believed that he was instrumental in getting his son to select Dick Cheney. But the Bush family and Bush's advisors are careful to put the selder Bush in the background so he doens't overshadow his son.
Brothers marvin and Neil are in business. Jeb is governor of texas.
Sister Doro is married and living in Maryland and is very close to her brother.

Dupont Circle: What aspect of Bush's personality do you think will create the biggest problems for him as president? How might he deal with it?

Lois Romano: While Bush is a high energy person, he doesn't like to get overwhelmed with details and work. He is not someone who can work 15 hours a days and juggle 100 balls. He will deal with it by pacing himself. I think we will se more of Reagan type presidency. Bush will build in times for working out and for seeing friends. He won't allow himself to get stressed-out.

Reston: How would you rate Bush's "emotional intelligence?" Does he have any emotions that might create challenges for him? A temper? A tendency to sulk? A tendency to take things personally?

Lois Romano: Good question. I think there have been some questions about Mr. Bush's overall maturity. Last year, he was quoted as making fun of a Texas inmate after her execution, for instance. And more recently, a microphone picked him up using a profanity to describe a reporter he didn't like. Those are certainly areas he needs to work on.

Alex: Bush might not be overtly prejudiced, but the idea of respecting and nominating a man who accepted a degree from a school that bars interracial dating, and also speaking there himself on his campaign trial to the White House, sure speaks of prejudice to me. I am nauseated at the idea of associating with someone who would endorse Bob Jones as both Ashcroft and Bush did. You can have your "closest friends" as black, but you can't really think they are equal if you act as Bush has done. I was very willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until that campaign appearance and this nomination. It is sure tough to reconcile his acts with his words.

Lois Romano: Indeed, I think it will be hard for minorities to reconcile Mr. Bush's words and his actions. I do not believe that Mr. Bush buys into Bob Jones philosphy. But he is clearly a very political man who believed he needed the hard right to get elected. Now, how he governs, his policies--will speak volumes.

Columbia: Who are the "idea people" close to Bush? How do they get past his anti-intellectualism?

Lois Romano: Karl Rove is his long-time political strategist and the architect of his campaign. Others include Dick Cheney, economic advisor Larry Lindsay, foreign policy adviser Condoleeza Rice--and many more. Bush listens and understands what he wants to do. Again, don't confuse intelligenecs with konwledge.

Connecticut Avenue: How would compare W.'s personality to his father's?

Lois Romano: W is much more volatile, much more acerbic than his dad. His personality is probably more like his mother's.
But they both have the Bush hyper-kinetic energy. Father and son both are always on the move athletically--golf, tennis, etc. Also, both love having a lot of people around. Neither are particularly introspective and they joke about not putting them on the couch.

Lois Romano: Unfortunately, my hour is up. Thank you all for writing. It was fun talking to you.
Lois Romano

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