After stepping into the Rose Garden on Tuesday to demand that China release the crew, Bush took a gentler, more conciliatory approach for the rest of the week. To project that calmness, he kept to his usual routines, told jokes at the beginning of a speech to newspaper editors on Wednesday, and was still planning to fly to Texas this week for a four-day Easter weekend at his ranch. On Friday, the White House released a photograph of Bush talking on the phone in the Oval Office as he received an upbeat report on the condition of the detainees. The president is sitting back in a big swivel chair, his legs crossed nonchalantly and his right arm stretched out as if he were casually practicing the ceremonial pitch he threw out later that night. Bush advisers told reporters that the situation was difficult for China, too.
Strong people are capable of dealing with things in a measured and low-key and firm way.
By and large, both Democrats and Republicans backed the administration's decision to express regret for the loss of the Chinese pilot's life, while refusing China's demand for a U.S. apology for the collision. But the contours of the attacks that may emerge, if the standoff drags on, already were clear. If the administration had opened a dialogue with Beijing soon after coming into office, instead of holding the Chinese at arms length, Powell or some other senior official might have been able to resolve the situation quickly and quietly with a few phone calls, the diplomat and some Democrats argued. But by trying to project toughness, they said, Bush pushed the Chinese into a corner. Taking the opposite tack, some Republicans criticized the administration for adopting an increasingly conciliatory tone.