Bush's initial legislative agenda, stressing tax cuts and education, has not required the laborious bureaucratic staff work necessary for, say, a revision of the Clean Air Act or a prescription drug program for Medicare recipients. The appointment process will eventually force Bush to fill in the blanks in his agenda and could invite a firestorm of criticism. His choice for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration will signal whether the new president intends to try to ban the abortion drug RU-486. Potentially even more controversial will be Bush's pick for assistant attorney general for civil rights. The longer the president can stall such knotty personnel decisions, the more control Bush will have over molding the public face of his administration.
Initial impressions matter as much in politics as they do in dating.
Challenged by the shortened transition period, Bush has forged a disciplined White House staff free from damaging leaks or turf battles with the Cabinet. The benefits from this early imagemaking can be lasting, carrying over even to when HUD finally gets its new associate principal deputy assistant secretary.