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Bush to Meet With Leading Democrat
The new Republican president-elect, George W. Bush, made a high profile meeting with a leading Democrat his first official duty on Friday. The Texas governor wasted no time putting his uniting-not-dividing philosophy into practice, inviting Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana to visit, fueling speculation that he might be one of the Democrats Bush has suggested he will have in his Cabinet.
Bush heads to Washington next week for meetings with congressional leaders, his former Democratic rival Al Gore and President Bill Clinton. Bush also will interview potential Cabinet prospects Monday and Tuesday in Washington.
Bush's Communications Director Karen Hughes pointed out that Breaux had led bipartisan efforts to reform Medicare and Social Security and was someone the governor had frequently praised for his ability to work across party lines. Breaux was the only Democrat Bush called in the waning days of the five-week postelection battle for the presidency. "This is part of Gov. Bush"s reaching out to the Democratic Party," Hughes said. She declined to reveal if the president-elect would offer Breaux a Cabinet post, saying only that "they will have a wide-ranging discussion about a variety of issues."
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