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Why didn't he? Why, instead, did Bush voluntarily saddle himself with a seemingly intractable position? Roger Ailes, the media magician who crafted the Bush ads that permitted Dukakis no quarter, was one of the architects of "Read my lips." The "point is really pretty simple," says Ailes. "At the time, the race was close, and Dukakis had given us an opening by talking about taxes as a last resort. Now, let me tell you, the people believe politicians are going to raise their taxes. All the polls confirm this. So they're interested in figuring out which candidate is really going to do it only as a last resort.
"When a guy like Dukakis says what he says, no matter how responsible it may be, the people take it to mean that he'll raise taxes as a first resort. What you have to say to get on top of an issue like taxes is that you'd rather see your kids burned in the street than raise them. It wasn't the easiest case to make to Bush, but he understood the stakes. We did what we had to do."
Betting against Bush's ability to retreat without crippling himself politically is a fool's wager. If Bush's Inaugural-week activities revealed a near perfect pitch, it is because he has learned to discipline himself to do and say whatever is required to accomplish what he calls his "missions."
It wasn't always so. Beneath his sweet, decent facade, Bush, a no-nonsense taskmaster, is often described as pigheaded, a politician who frequently ignores his aides' advice in favor of his own instincts. As former aide Frederick Khedouri has put it, "George Bush holds strong opinions, and he is not particularly interested in elaborate discussion of whether he's right."
Sometimes trouble results. In 1980 Bush torpedoed his chances of winning the G.O.P. presidential nomination when Reagan surreptitiously invited the other contenders to a debate in Nashua, N.H., which was advertised as a two- man show. Against his handlers' advice, Bush refused permission for the others to participate. His petulance wore poorly, and Bush fled home. There, in the steam room of the Houston Country Club, Bush finally caught on: "How the hell am I ever going to get from here to there if I don't have the discipline to listen and watch and learn?"
Bush turned an important corner after Reagan won the New Hampshire primary. With only a few glitches, he demonstrated an ability to do whatever was necessary to become President eventually. After Nashua the goal was to contest Reagan graciously; a chance at the second spot was otherwise deemed out of the question. Bush bore down. Even in private, all talk of Reagan as "too old and out of it" to be President was banned. Followed almost scrupulously, the strategy worked. Bush was rewarded with the vice presidency and, following the next game plan, tried his best to disappear.
"Real success in American politics," said Nelson Rockefeller, "means only one thing." Which is why Rocky said he "never wanted to be vice president of anything." Neither did Bush. To reach his next goal, the 1988 G.O.P. presidential nomination, Bush proceeded offensively and defensively at the same time.