The Hindu : International : Bush seeks broad support of Americans

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 05, 2004

International

International

Bush seeks broad support of Americans

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, NOV. 4. The U.S. President, George W Bush, is having his first Cabinet meeting since August to put in place the domestic and foreign agenda for the second term.

After the meeting, he heads off to Camp David for "a long weekend."

In the rather quiet victory celebrations in the Ronald Reagan Building on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Bush outlined the goals for the next four years even as he tried to reach out to those millions of Americans who voted for the Democrat, Senator John Kerry.

The agenda corresponds to the campaign theme: the war on terror, Iraq, pursuing stable democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, social security and the simplification of the tax code, to mention a few.

"Reaching these goals will require the broad support of Americans," he said in an obvious reference to that divide of America that voted against him. "I will work to earn it...When we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."

Budget proposals

Aides to the President have already been working on the budget proposals and the administration is planning to ask Congress up to $75 billions for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, much of it going to the former.

Already there are deep reservations, and not just among the Democrats, that this financing for Iraq has far exceeded the administration's estimate.

Analysts say Mr. Bush will have to start thinking of new faces to his second administration given that a few prominent members have expressed intention or hinted that they may want to leave.

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