‘Allies, not Lickspittles’

History suggests caution. Not only is the majority razor-thin, but senators are a fiercely independent lot, often reluctant to do their president’s bidding. Bill Clinton, for instance, had a rocky ride with a Democrat-controlled Congress between 1992 and 1994, famously failing to persuade lawmakers to pass his ambitious healthcare plan. Nonetheless, Mr Bush has several big advantages. First, many Republican lawmakers are all too aware that they owe their jobs to the president’s popularity and his prodigious campaigning before November’s election. Equally important, Bill Frist, the Senate’s new majority leader (and hence top agenda-setter), is a certified Friend of George. The Economist