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]
•Card to stagger resignations. Powells, Ridge, Armitage, Thompson likely to leave within the year; Ashcroft wants 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 the Nixon Cabinet, without the scandal." [WP, WSJ, USAT]
•Rove achieved 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; Specter denies warning Bush about pro-life judges. [WP, NYT]
• Turnout was 120.2m, or 59.6%; highest in 36 years; up 15m since 2000. [WP, USAT]
•Ickes or Warner rumored to replace McAuliffe; Mehlman likely to succeed Gillespie. [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]
•Newsom has no regrets as Feinstein cites 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]
•Kerry has 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 Edwards diagnosed 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]