John Tower's Hesitation Blues

He says he's a new man, but will Bush give him the Pentagon?

When former Texas Senator John Tower sat down for a job interview with George Bush in mid-November, he had a surprise for the President-elect: a five-point plan for cleaning up the mess at the Pentagon. Since the plan came from, of all people, the hawkish Tower, Bush was startled -- and impressed -- by what he heard. "It was the exact opposite of what they expected him to say," said an adviser who helped Tower prepare. According to Tower's associates, Bush declared near the end of the meeting that he would announce his choice for Secretary of Defense after Thanksgiving.

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