WASHINGTON — Declaring that this year's election had armed him with fresh "political capital," President Bush said Thursday he would use that asset to try to fundamentally change Social Security and alter the federal tax code -- twin goals certain to provoke strong opposition.
Exuding confidence at his first news conference after his victory in a contentious election, Bush said he hoped to work with Democrats in pursuing his agenda. But he left little doubt that if need be, he would press ahead without them.
"I earned capital in the campaign -- political capital -- and now I intend to spend it," he said. "It is my style. That's what happened after the 2000 election: I earned some capital. I've earned capital in this election, and I'm going to spend it for what I told the people I'd spend it on."
The agenda, he said, included "Social Security and tax reform, moving this economy forward, education, fighting and winning the war on terror."
In spotlighting his ambitious agenda, the president clearly was buoyed by his solid win over Sen. John F. Kerry in the nation's popular vote.
Unofficial returns showed the president with slightly more than 59 million votes (about 52%) to Kerry's 55.4 million (about 48%). That made Bush the first presidential candidate since his father in 1988 to capture more than 50% of the vote. And it contrasted with the 2000 election, when Bush eked out an electoral-vote win despite losing the popular vote.
Bush's apparent eagerness to aggressively push his major initiatives also reflected an awareness among senior White House officials that most second-term presidents enjoyed a small window of opportunity in which to enact their priorities before another election season got underway and the incumbent was hindered by lame-duck status.
Appearing relaxed and in good humor throughout the 40-minute news conference, Bush said he would begin contemplating changes to his Cabinet and White House personnel this weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
"I haven't made any decisions on the Cabinet yet," he said.
Speculation has been rife in Washington that U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft would be among the first senior officials to leave their posts during Bush's second term -- a departure that would create a high-profile opening for the president to fill.
