A short checklist, long road ahead

In what is becoming a signature theme of his presidency, George Bush focused his agenda on only a handful of key initiatives: Some, like tax cuts and Medicare reform, had been signaled weeks in advance; others, such as $15 billion to combat the AIDS epidemic or $1.5 billion to help convert to hydrogen-fueled cars, came as a surprise.

By contrast, President Clinton in his last State of the Union Address laid out 63 priorities - from paying down the national debt to reducing TV violence and global warming. Not much of it made it through the GOP-controlled House.

But even with a short checklist and a Congress controlled by his own party, the president's agenda is not a given on Capitol Hill. Though applauding Bush's message, some Republicans warn that getting from bills to law will require high-wire legislating, and possibly changes to his program. Some measures could hinge on compromises with moderate Republicans as well as with key Democrats.

"Even though the president has unified party government, we still have a situation in the Senate where there is southern domination of the leadership and the need to reach out to moderate Republicans," says James Thurber, a political scientist at American University in Washington.

The Bush plans fit a pattern: This White House sets priorities and sticks with them - varying strategies to fit the political terrain. At the start of the last Congress, Bush set out to cut $1.6 trillion in taxes and overhaul the federal role in education. The tax cut was muscled quickly through Congress, while the "No Child Left Behind" bill was scrupulously bipartisan from the start.

The new agenda includes another round of tax cuts so radical that even supporters were surprised, with "sweeteners" such as new resources for AIDS victims in Africa and drug addicts in America, which could blunt criticism that this administration is just about business. On this page key parts of the plan are examined.

The president's plan to step up US efforts to combat the worldwide AIDS epidemic was welcomed by those fighting the disease. But some activists question the size and timing of the commitment. The administration's five year, $15 billion proposal includes $10 billion in new funds to help African and Caribbean nations where the AIDS epidemic is most severe. Next year the administration proposes spending $2 billion with more funds coming in later years. "I vigorously agree that doing everything within our power to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean is a moral imperative, an initiative squarely within this nation's national interest," says Rep. Elijah Cummings (D) of Maryland.

"It's difficult to overemphasize the impact that HIV has on any manner of humanitarian programming in Africa," says Dave Snyder of Catholic Relief Services in Africa. "So committing to more resources to combating the disease is one of the best ways to strengthen the overall impact of international aid to Africa."

But the new US commitment must be seen in the context of the scope of the AIDS epidemic, notes Najib Balalal, Kenya's minister of social services. "Fifteen billion dollars over the course of five years, for the entire continent and the Caribbean, well, that's actually not that much."

Both in the US and overseas, some feel that the increased funding is politically motivated. "It's a good thing, more money or medicine to help us, but we have been sick for a long time here and it's interesting that America is remembering us now," says Mugumo Maksud of the Kericho AIDS Community Center in Nairobi.

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