On the whole, however, Democrats may find themselves outgunned by a White House that has gone into war-room mode. While the Democrats have managed to stop GOP tax cuts the past two years, Hill veterans say the only real debate here is how large Bush's cuts should be. Democrats are beginning to hammer together a multiheaded counterargument against the Bush plan. In addition to charging that the cuts benefit only the rich, they say that they will result in unpopular spending cuts. The Senate's senior Democrat, Robert Byrd, says the plan recalls the Reagan tax cuts of 1981.
Republicans are ebullient at their prospects.
Rep. Phil Crane of Illinois said Bush's plan will pass because it will emerge as the compromise. But it is also clear to the White House that compromise from their side may be necessary. Senior White House officials concede that an accommodation is likely, although they won't speculate on the president's bottom line. Bush advisers say he has plenty of latitude to deal, as long as he holds ground in the opening skirmishes and proves that he tried to deliver on his campaign promises. Because that is what it's going to take.