But clearly exhilarated by his lead in the polls over Democrat Al Gore, the Republican standard-bearer was brimming with confidence on May 11, when he sat down with Business Week in Austin. When the topic turned to Microsoft's antitrust problems with the Justice Dept.'s breakup gang, Bush was cagey. He repeated his support for traditional enforcement policy based on abuses of pricing power or harm to consumers. At the same time, the Texan said he would reserve judgment on the matter as the case works its way through the judicial process. Here is an extended, excerpted version of the conversation that appears in the May 29 issue of Business Week.
Growth is strong and people feel prosperous.
First of all, my job is to think down the road. Up until a couple of months ago, your assessment of the economy was true. But the stock market appears to be somewhat skittish these days, and there is nervousness on the horizon. I certainly do not want the economy to turn down. I think I can improve the environment so capital continues to flow and entrepreneurship flourishes.