Bush holds bipartisan meet on NMD

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JAN. 8. As the Republican President-elect, Mr. George Bush, goes about the task of firming up domestic and foreign policies, his transition team has a bigger problem on its hands - defending some of the nominees who are about to start the confirmation hearings in Capitol Hill.

Mr. Bush is meeting later in the day a Congressional bipartisan group to discuss military issues and policy, in particular about the state of the armed forces and modernisation as also the controversial National Missile Defence system. Joining Mr. Bush in Austin, Texas will be the Vice President- elect, Mr. Richard Cheney, the soon to be National Security Advisor, Ms. Condoleezza Rice, and the Defence Secretary- designate, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld.

At the time of the campaigning, Mr. Bush had flayed the Clinton administration in general terms about the state of readiness and deployment of troops in peacekeeping missions where there was no clear exit strategy. Mr. Bush, among other things, said that he was in favour of spending some $20 billions for research and development, additional money for pay raise and of course his pet National Missile Defence system - an idea which elicited a lukewarm reception in parts of Europe but vehemently opposed by China and Russia.

The Bush administration will also make a thorough review of all peacekeeping missions, in particular in the Balkans. Mr. Bush created a storm of sorts in Europe when the word was put out that his administration would like American troops out of the area. Subsequently, the Bush team clarified that only a review was on the cards and that no firm decision had been taken on the status of the American component.

Eight Republican and six Democratic Members of Congress have been invited to today's session on military and defence policies. According to one report, apart from the Chairman and the Ranking Democrat from the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mr. Bush has also invited senior law-makers from the House of Representatives and Senate dealing with defence appropriations. Significantly, Senator John McCain, a Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is not in the list of invitees.

Confirmation hearings

The focus on policy aside, the Bush camp is getting ready for the confirmation hearings which will begin in all seriousness from January 22, two days after the swearing in of the 43rd President. In particular, the Bush transition team is gearing for some bruising battles in the Senate over the nomination for the Attorney-General, Mr. John Ashcroft; and for Labour, Ms. Linda Chavez.

Democrats on Sunday stepped up attacks on both Mr. Ashcroft and Ms. Chavez, the former for his staunch Conservative views and the latter for providing housing and financial support to an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Ms. Chavez was already under attack for her labour policies and views on affirmative action when news broke that she had provided ``help'' to an illegal immigrant.

The Bush team knows full well that its pick for the Attorney- General and Labour is not going to sail smoothly in the Senate even among a few Republicans who are now insisting on fuller details about Ms. Chavez. The Democrats and Civil Rights groups had already started gunning for Mr. Ashcroft from the time his name was announced for the top law enforcement officer.

Democrats and critics of the former Missouri Senator have questioned his views on abortion and his record on civil rights issues. Mr. Ashcroft - seen as the darling boy of the religious right - has been criticised for his opposition to an African American Judge moving to the Federal Bench from a State Supreme Court; had opposed to an openly gay ambassador while being a Senator and to the appointment of Mr. David Satcher as Surgeon General. Mr. Satcher is African American.

In the case of Ms. Chavez, the Bush transition team has now come forward to give additional information - that she had also given help to two Vietnamese refugees and to the children of a Puerto Rico woman living in New York. As far as the relationship with the Guatemalan woman, the Bush team is denying that Ms. Chavez saw her as an employee, rather that it was one of ``charity and compassion''.

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