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President urges high ethical standards for new staff

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January 23, 2001 

WASHINGTON-- (AP) - Getting swiftly down to work, President George W. Bush ushered in his new administration Monday by welcoming his staff to "the honor of a lifetime" and calling on them to uphold high ethical standards.

As scores of new White House staff members were sworn in, Bush asked them to help deliver on promises he made during the campaign, saying, "We are here to make progress, we are not here just to mark time."

"I want it said of us that promises made were promises kept," Bush said in his first official appearance in the East Room.

With wife Laura, Vice President Dick Cheney and White House chief of staff Andrew Card at his side, the new president implicitly sought to draw a distinction between his administration and President Bill Clinton's, which was tainted by scandal.

"I expect every member of this administration to stay well within the boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct," Bush said. "This means avoiding even the appearance of improper conduct."

He urged the staff members to consult White House counsel Al Gonzales on ethical matters. And he called on them to confront colleagues if they see questionable behavior. "No one should hesitate to confront me as well," Bush said.

Cheney, who worked in the Nixon and first Bush White Houses, recalled taking the same oath some 32 years ago when he was a first-time White House staffer. And, before administering the oath to several dozen aides with their right hands upraised, including press secretary Ari Fleischer and counselor Karen Hughes, Cheney sounded a fatherly but stern warning.

"You've all taken up some serious responsibilities ... . You serve the president and you serve the White House and the government. But most of all, you serve the American people."

"In the final analysis, it's important to remember only one man put his name on the ballot," Cheney said, with a nod to Bush. "He'll be held accountable for your performance."

The nation's 43rd chief executive was meeting separately later with Republican lawmakers and then with Democratic officials, seeking to build ties that will help him promote his agenda.

A White House official said the theme running through the first week of the administration will be "working with Congress to get it done."

The new Republican president's dlrs 1.6 trillion, 10-year tax-cut plan is being introduced in the Senate by Banking Committee Chairman Phil Gramm, a Republican, and Sen. Zell Miller, a Democrat.