Editorial
The reality of Bush's second term

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On Jan. 20, 2005, no one will be able to doubt that George W. Bush is the legitimate president of the United States.

Now he needs to make sure his final term is successful. Historically, second-termers have started fewer things. Regarding foreign policy, that is a good tradition to follow. America does not need another war. We have neither the will nor the soldiers for it, and we have been assured there will not be a draft.

If Bush wants to leave a legacy, a part of it should be a second term that cleans up the mess from the first. It also means repairing alliances, so that four years from now the next president will not inherit a diplomacy in tatters. Alliances are an irreplaceable asset, especially for the national security.

Republican control of Congress gives the party its best chance in years of influencing the future. Bush should give us his plan for Social Security, a problem that grows worse every year it is ignored. The president should offer a plan that fixes the problem without bankrupting the treasury.

The Republicans were once the party of spending restraint, and need to become that again. In the first term, they cut taxes; in the second, they will have to restrain spending. Bush will have to discover the veto power and the uses of restraint.

Bush should also get ready to nominate a new member to the Supreme Court. By winning the election, Bush has earned the right to nominate a conservative but not a radical. Think of someone like Justice Anthony Kennedy or Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Bush has won his election with the support of evangelical Christians who oppose abortion, same-sex marriage and other social liberalism. If Bush is smart, he will be careful about how he rewards them. The balance of opinion is different in the red and blue states, and in the red and blue precincts of each state. These are mostly issues that in our federal system are best not given to the national government.

Bush should try to keep Colin Powell as secretary of state. Powell brings real-world experience and sobriety to offset the fantasies of laptop bombardiers. He also exemplifies racial diversity. The Republicans sometimes pretend they do not need this, but both parties need it and the smart Republicans will not forget it.

Bush has won this election partly because he had a clear idea of who he is. Smart members of his administration should make sure that good information and advice flows to the top. They should be loyal to Bush while remembering that he is not the king. He is only the president.

Second terms are times when presidents think of legacies. Bush should be focusing on things that will work so well that Democrats will want to keep them. Think of Clinton's legacies of NAFTA — the North American Free Trade Agreement — and welfare reform. Each was based on a thought of the public good rather than paying off a constituency or creating a wedge issue. Each had opposition support. Each was practical.

Bush has been elected for the last time. The time of spin is over. Time for reality.