Tuesday, November 10, 1998

Bush flexes muscles?

Though still not declared as a presidential candidate in 2000, Gov. George W. Bush already appears to exercise considerable influence in Washington.

According to Bill Kristol, editor and publisher of the Republican Weekly Standard, Bush's weighing in against Newt Gingrich last week was the main factor in Gingrich's resignation.

On ABC-TV's "This Week" on Sunday, Kristol said Bush conveyed to members of Congress after the Nov. 3 election that if he ran for president and lost, he didn't want to lose because of Gingrich. That, Kristol claimed, was the "decisive thing" that precipitated Gingrich's demise.

The Bush camp denies it all. But there's no question the GOP sees the White House as the prize it wants most in 2000. If Kristol's report is on target, it would suggest the party may well have picked Bush as its next standard bearer and is even now laying the groundwork for his election.