Political Posturing: Hollywood Goes Back to Ignoring Us
• Bush, backed by "will of the people," pledges to be productive uniter: "I came here to get some things done, and we are doing it." Iran expected to dominate foreign policy; Social Security proposal likely to be postponed until midterm elections. [ WP , NYT , LAT , USAT , USAT , BG ]
• Bush's renewed determination evident in jovial manner: "[T]here is a feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view, and that's what I intend to tell the Congress. . . I'll reach out to everyone who shares our goals." [ WP , NYT , WT ]
• Cardto stagger resignations.Powells, Ridge, Armitage, Thompsonlikely to leave within the year;Ashcroftwants out now;Rumsfeld"wants to restore golden-boy glow." Official: "The Cabinet does not need a new face because it has no face. . . It's like theNixonCabinet, without the scandal." [ WP , WSJ , USAT ]
• Roveachieved every goal except increasing African-American vote; Catholic vote up 5%, Jewish vote up to 25%. [ NYT , NYT , WT ]
•Administration vet 10 to 20 Supreme Court candidates back in January 2001;Specterdenies warningBushabout pro-life judges. [ WP , NYT ]
•Turnout was 120.2m, or 59.6%; highest in 36 years; up 15m since 2000. [ WP , USAT ]
• IckesorWarnerrumored to replaceMcAuliffe;Mehlmanlikely to succeedGillespie. [ WSJ ]
• Bush's agenda may be stalled by deficit; budget does not include war spending or costs of Social Security reform.Bush: "It's just not my style. I don't believe we need to raise taxes." [ WP ]
•Top priorities include privatized Social Security accounts, energy policy, reformed tax code, ANWR drilling, lawsuit protection for gun makers. [ LAT , LAT , WSJ ]
•No signs of backing down from hard-line foreign policy. [ WSJ ]
• Newsomhas no regrets asFeinsteincites gay marriage for high conservative turnout. [ NYT , WSJ , USAT ]
•Liberal 527s deflated, not defeated; Hollywood groups talk of "squandered" opportunity.Ickes: "This was not a runaway by any means. Had ACT not done what it did, they would have won by a much larger percentage of the vote." [ NYT , LAT ]
• Kerryhas opportunity to be leader in Senate, Democratic party. [ BG ]
•Ohioans attracted to faith-based presidency. [ WP ]
•Youth vote up, especially in battlegrounds where 64% participated. [ BG ]
•Exit poll data skewed by problems; final polls considered accurate. [ NYT , BG ]
• Elizabeth Edwardsdiagnosed with breast cancer. [ NYT , USAT , BG ]
•Big names, unknown governors bandied about for 2008. [ USAT ]
•Election books rushed to print. [ WSJ ]
•County-by-County map of popular vote. [ BG ]