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PrintThe Hiller Instinct: Hiller Instinct: Second Term Slump
It looked like a coronation... and George Bush sounds like the king of Capitol Hill:
President George W. Bush
"When you win, there is a feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view, and that's what I intend to tell the congress."
What someone should tell the president is be careful - second terms are often scarred by scandals:
Former President Bill Clinton
"I did not have sex with that woman."
The legacy of Bill Clinton's second term is Monica Lewinsky and the impeachment trial their relationship triggered.
Ronald Reagan is remembered for ending the cold war, but his second term ended with the humiliating Iran-contra scandal, a secret exchange of guns for hostages.
Former President Ronald Reagan
"There are reasons why it happened - but no excuses. It was a mistake."
No presidential mistake was bigger than Richard Nixon's attempted cover-up of Watergate. That scandal forced him to resign and to say the words no one wants to:
Former President Richard Nixon
"I am not a crook."President George W. Bush
"I earned capital in the campaign - political capital - and now I intend to spend it."
Bush will spend billions trying to boost the economy...and billions more in Iraq, trying to bring peace to the Mideast.
And while history says success in a second term is a gamble, Bush is ready to bet:
President George W. Bush
"I really didn't come here to hold the office just to say, gosh, it was fun to serve. I came here to get some things done."
President Bush is now officially a lame duck...and that will make it even harder for him to get what he wants in Washington. But Bush has a history of exceeding expectations...so as he starts his second term, remember the lesson of his first - don't misunderestimate him.