Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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We Win

Thursday, August 3, 2000

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Republican National Convention

Save this Mullings. George Walker Bush will be sworn in as President of the United States at noon on Saturday, January 20, 2001.

By the time the overnights are in on Bush's speech, the Bush/Cheney ticket will be leading the Gore/Whoknows ticket by 12-15 points.

Democrats here at the GOP convention had, for the most part, hardened their thinking on how Gore might be able to win this thing by saying they were going to have to destroy (my word) George W.

There IS some dissention in the ranks as to how they should go about accomplishing this, but they all know this: If, on November 7th, George W. is viewed by the American public as anything resembling the man we saw last night, Al Gore cannot and will not win.

There were two themes in the press pavilions during the day. Interestingly, neither of them had to do with whether or not George W. would be the next President.

The first theme had to do with whom Al Gore would pick as his Vice Presidential running mate. I am certain this was started by the Gore campaign to try and cut into George W.'s night. All it really showed, as one very senior and very smart reporter pointed out, was how thin his choices are.

There was none of the breathlessness which attended the run up to the Bush announcement. No one much cared.

The other, more important, theme was George W. and his relationship with his family. Remember back in New Hampshire President Bush made the mistake of referring to George W. as "this boy, here." That was seen as a sign that the President didn't consider his son to be of Presidential caliber.

I said, yesterday, that there is a Bush trait in evidence when it comes to those sorts of gaffes - if, indeed, this was a gaffe: None of the Bush men - The President, Governor Jeb, nor Governor George - stand in front of a mirror and practice what they are going to say.

You can take it as an article of faith that if it comes from their lips, it started in their hearts.

In the earlier days of the campaign, George W., as part of his stump speech, briefly talked of his family; of his wife and his daughters. He said of them, "� And I love them, a lot."

As this discussion continued through the day, yesterday, I thought about what national political figure would even WANT to say the phrase, "I love them, a lot," much less be able to say it with enough conviction to have the traveling press accept it without falling off the press risers with laughter.

When President Bush weighed in on President Clinton the other day, I think most people saw that as a dad defending his son.

[Begin Ramble - Speaking of which, it is fascinating that President Clinton is doing battle with President Bush, while Al Gore is doing battle with Dick Cheney.

Hello? Is anybody on the Democratic side planning to block and tackle George W.? Ann Richards is available. She, after all, is in a tie for the world's record of most losses in a Gubernatorial race against George W. - End Ramble]

Jeb Bush, on ABC's morning show said that his brother now looked like a President but a year ago he hadn't. A year ago doesn't exactly coincide with the "This boy, here" line, but it might be in that same general time period.

Was this a sibling tingeing just a bit yellow? No. It was a man who is proud of his brother's ability to grow while doing battle in, perhaps, the most difficult arena on the planet.

This is a family which obviously enjoys being a family. Whatever hurts and heartaches there have been along the way, they have shared; as they shared the truly amazing scene last night when George W. became the Republican nominee for President.

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