The U.S. public holds a general internationalist sentiment, but President Bush faces a real challenge in translating that sentiment into a truly bipartisan foreign policy, says Senator Joseph Biden. Biden, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1987 to 1995.
First impressions are important in all walks of life, including politics and government.
Despite the delayed transition, President Bush is off to a fast start. In the area of national security, he has assembled an able team of advisers. But he has far less experience in foreign policy than in domestic policy. He needs to be a fast learner, because foreign policy challenges will almost certainly confront him soon. President Bush has assumed office at a time when the United States possesses unrivaled political, military, and economic power.