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This problem-solving approach to government has proved effective in the short run; long term it could signal a leadership vacuum. In a study of presidential decision making, Porter notes that the White House, no matter how it is organized, rarely anticipates problems well. Within the Administration, there is some concern that Bush is often tied to his In box, dealing with crises and other immediate matters. A senior adviser admits that Bush's long service in the Federal Government has left him overdependent on the Congress and the bureaucracy to set his agenda: "He is a prisoner as well as a product of that experience."
Roger Ailes, Bush's campaign media adviser, exhorted the President before his NATO trip to show the American people that "you can knock one out of the ball park every now and then." Bush did just that in Brussels, but the former Yale first baseman was always valued more for his defensive play and team spirit than for his batting. To help nudge the Administration from its reactive mode, Sununu, Darman, Bennett, Vice President Dan Quayle and HUD Secretary Jack Kemp have begun meeting for breakfast every few weeks in the White House mess in what has become known informally as the "forward strategy group."
Several members of this gathering played a key role last month in urging Bush to support a U.S. mission to Mars as a way to restore vision to his Administration. (After he did so, the President complained that he was criticized for earmarking too little money for the program.) "We've got this competence thing knocked," said an Administration official. "Now we have to figure out how we're going to leave our mark on the country."
But if Bush does not anticipate every problem, it may not matter. Most Presidents ultimately are measured not as visionaries but by how well they perform under fire. So far, Bush has responded ably to his few minor crises, mostly by staying calm and remaining steady. Moreover, after eight years of the Reagan revolution, Bush's modest pragmatism seems more welcome than unwavering single-mindedness.
While Bush has not addressed the nation's festering social problems and has all but ignored the federal budget deficit, American voters seem to reckon that at least he will do them no harm. Most polls put Bush's approval ratings at around 65%, typical for this point in a President's first year. One can at least make out a cogent political strategy in his performance to date: his broad proposals on clean air, education, ethics in government, crime and child care may promise more than they deliver, but they have co-opted the Democrats' best talking points. Tougher tests lie ahead.
Bush seems both impatient and amused by examination of his motives and methods. One day after talking to TIME about his decision-making style, the President posed for a gag photo showing him rubbing his hands over a crystal ball, with smiling aides hovering nearby. Says Bush: "Hey, listen, right now things are going pretty good, but tomorrow it will be another kind of ball game. So just keep doing your best. Back to my mother -- do your best. Do your best."