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Bush meets Clinton & Gore

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December 20, 2000 

WASHINGTON--(AP) - President-elect George W. Bush, who pledged in campaign speeches to restore "honor and dignity" to the White House, spoke congenially as he prepared to meet with President Bill Clinton, a frequent target of his criticism.

Bush's first visit to Washington since the election has been met by overtures of cooperation and expressions of good will from both parties. And the meeting Tuesday between the outgoing Democratic president and his Republican successor also seemed likely to be friendly.

"We can come together to heal whatever wounds may exist, whatever residuals there may be," Bush said on Monday as he stood with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

Clinton recently told reporters that he believed that Democrats "will give him a honeymoon and an opportunity to get on his feet."

Wrapping up a three-day visit to Washington, Bush was also to meet later Tuesday with Vice President Al Gore and at least one Cabinet prospect before returning to Austin, Texas.

Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, the front-runner for secretary of Health and Human Services, was meeting Tuesday with Bush to discuss the job, advisers said.

During his trip to Washington, Bush also attended several meetings on Capitol Hill and had breakfast with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

Bush planned to meet with Clinton at the White House for about 90 minutes, including lunch.

"The principal purpose is to offer our assistance in making this an orderly and professional transition," said White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

"I'm sure that they'll want to get to substance, especially in the foreign policy world," he added.

Podesta said he expected they would also "go over the issues that are confronting us in the last days of the administration and the issues that will be confronting the new president as he's inaugurated."

While in Washington, Bush was meeting with prospective Cabinet members. On Monday, he had private sessions with former Sen. Dan Coats, the current front-runner for defense secretary; Paul O'Neill, chairman of aluminum maker Alcoa, a prospect for treasury secretary; and Ann Veneman, former California agriculture director, a candidate for secretary of agriculture.

Meanwhile, public expectations for Bush's presidency are lower than they were for past presidents-elect, says a new CBS News poll.

Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, or 60 percent, expressed optimism about the next four years, compared with about seven in 10 who felt the same just before presidents Clinton, Bush, Reagan and Carter took office, according to the poll.

About 42 percent expect Bush will be a good president, and 38 percent predict he will be average. By comparison, in 1988, 38 percent predicted Bush's father would be a good president, and 47 percent expected him to be average, the poll said.

The survey 1,048 adults was conducted Dec. 14-16 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.