Christie Todd Whitman has been out in front on the environmental issues in ways which I think have begun to pacify the environmental activists to a degree. They're still suspicious. But it sent a signal that the administration is going to be more respectful of the environment, and indeed, the administration is going to try to govern from more of the center right position, rather than the much more conservative place that he had been. But I do think that the tacking back towards the center that's taken place on the environmental issues is part of a broader pattern that has also involved their response to China, both on the downing of the American reconnaissance plane and conceivably on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, that the positions that are being taken are more moderate conservative than fully conservative. And I think that that's helping to widen his potential base of support over time.
Vouchers seem to be definitely out.
Some grumbling on the right about, you know, federalized testing standards. I've been surprised by the way the White House has approached the education issue, and that is, that it was his highest priority, even higher than taxes, when he came into office. He made that point several times. But he has not created a drama around the education bill, and had allowed the bill to be somewhat watered down in various places, and I think as a result, that he is not going to get the large political victory that was otherwise there. Instead, he is defining himself much more through his taxes and his budget plan than he is through his education plan.