But to his credit, and to the rage of hyper-Leftists like columnist Matthew Miller, Jeffords refused to empower Democrats until President Bush had the tax cut bill on his desk for signature. This rosy scenario argues that most presidencies stall out after about as many honeymoon months as Mr. Bush has enjoyed. By merely controlling the Senate, Democrats are powerless to roll either of these huge successes back. And with the tax cut having absorbed the budget surplus, Democrats also cannot credibly call for big new spending programs. With the prospect that legislation and the economy are stalling anyway, Jeffords has brought Democrats to power just in time to take the blame for anything that now goes wrong.
Republicans have decades of experience in opposition.
And the wheel is yet spinning. And President Bush, if he wants to play hardball, can adopt the methods President Bill Clinton used after Democrats lost both houses of Congress in 1994. Mr. Bush could govern by Executive Orders, by invoking emergency provisions in laws when no emergencies exist, and by making recess appointments to judgeships and other offices every time Congress goes off for the Fourth of July or other holidays. A professional speaker, he is a former Roving Editor for Reader s Digest. Click here to send him a message.