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Sunday, September 08, 2002

By Ann McFeatters, Post-Gazette National Bureau

WASHINGTON -- August a year ago, President Bush was vacationing at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., hunkered down against an often hostile outside world.

Hundreds of people are visiting the temporary United Flight 93 memorial site in Shanksville each day. Some are from the area, others are making a detour off the Pennsylvania Turnpike to pay their respects to the passengers and crew who died Sept. 11. (Annie O'Neil, Post-Gazette) More coverage: 9/11 one year later: How terrorism went from afterthought to priority 9/11 one year later: For US Airways, employees, survival means shrinking The Arts Respond: How artists dealt with the post-9/11 era New books look at 9/11 issues A schedule of regional events

Resentments still lingered from his court-ordained election. The Senate had fallen into Democratic hands. He had got a whopping $1.35 trillion tax cut through Congress, but most of his domestic agenda was stalled.

Overseas, both allies and adversaries were railing against his "unilateralism." He had pulled the United States out of the global-warming treaty and announced plans to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

A White House aide conceded that the traditional honeymoon given to most new presidents had ended -- if there had been one at all.

The tenor and focus of President Bush and his administration abruptly changed on Sept. 11, when al-Qaida operatives killed 2,819 at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 at a field in Pennsylvania.

Overnight, Bush became the grim face of America's new resolve to fight terrorism. The quixotic nature of his past initiatives and public utterances gave way to a newfound focus and eloquence. The nation closed ranks and international leaders lined up in support.

On this Sept. 11, still carrying the badge of George Howard, a rescue worker who lost his life at the World Trade Center, the president will again lead the country in remembering those who died. He will again thank the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers for their dedication and bravery.

He also will thank the American people and members of the armed services for their support in fighting terrorism. And he will warn that the war is far from over.

Historians are likely to rank the past year as one of the most tumultuous in U.S. history. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, claims Sept. 11 moved the "tectonic plates" of global politics, permanently re-arranging the priorities and relations of nations.

Bush's close friends say Sept. 11 changed the president, as well. "There's a new sense of peace about him," says Commerce Secretary Don Evans. "He understands we're here to serve a purpose greater than self. His sense of humor has not changed -- he has a great sense of humor, but there's a new comfortableness in him about his role. He's grounded and confident. All of us mature along the way. We gather wisdom. That's true for the president as well."

"Certainly, he's more serious now," his wife, Laura Bush, told reporters two months after the terrorist attacks. He turned to prayer for strength and to exercise for stress relief. He trimmed about 30 seconds off his running time for a mile, down to about 7 minutes.

Bush's parents have spoken proudly of how their son has handled this past year, but he has said little himself about the experience. His most revealing interview appeared in the magazine Runner's World, where he noted his improved running times: "For me, the psychological benefit is enormous. You tend to forget everything that's going on in your mind and just concentrate on the time, distance or the sweat. It helps me to clear my mind."

Tough times ahead

The Democratic leadership in Congress generally praises Bush's performance over the past year, as well, gently raising cautions about the need to preserve civil liberties at home and only recently questioning his apparent intention to extend the war on terror to Iraq.

But after an intense year of channeling the nation's grief and shock into a determination to defeat terrorism, Bush is facing even tougher challenges, and the fissures in his support are growing.

The economy has stalled, the markets have fallen, and corporate scandals have proliferated, shaking investor confidence. The Bush administration has offered little in the way of solutions, except for further tax cuts that Democrats charge will make deficits soar. And Congress found inadequate Bush's proposals to improve corporate accountability. It approved tougher measures which he had little choice but to sign, and Democrats are now using the issue to paint Republicans as unreliable overseers of corporate America.

The Republican-controlled House has approved Bush's proposal to create a vast Department of Homeland Security, and the Senate's Democratic leaders are inclined to go along. But they are at loggerheads with Bush over his proposal to eliminate certain civil service protections for homeland employees on the grounds that he needs more flexibility to move the right people into the right places.

Perhaps no issue looms before the president quite like Iraq, however. Bush appears determined to launch a full-scale war, if necessary, to eliminate Saddam Hussein's mass-weapons programs and, preferably, the dictator himself.

Arab allies say their nations would explode in turmoil if the U.S. attacks Iraq at a time when the U.S.-backed Israeli government is warring with Palestinians. European allies, excluding Britain, remain unconvinced of the need for military force and point out that the war against al-Qaida and the consolidation of a new regime in Afghanistan remain unfinished business.

"It's a tough time to be president of the United States," said Republican consultant Ed Gillespie, a former campaign adviser. "There are a lot of challenges before us."

Bush, however, says he remains undaunted.

"There's a long way to go. We've got a lot of work to do," Bush told a crowd in New Mexico recently. "I understand history has put the spotlight on this country. And so long as I'm the president, this country isn't going to blink, we're going to lead."

Ann McFeatters can be reached at amcfeatters@nationalpress.-com or 1-202-662-7071.