There actually appears to be a bit less criticism in Washington about Mr. Bush's strategy than Mr. Clinton's. Mr. Bush has benefited from Mr. Reagan's and Mr. Clinton's success in paving the way, but Mr. Bush has also played it smart with the Beltway crowd. He made the obligatory pilgrimage to the Georgetown soiree of The Washington Post 's Kay Graham and her "A" list. And, rather than lecturing them on the evils of the Washington as Mr. Clinton did to their horror in 1992, he said how honored he was to be there, invoked his mom and dad, and mainly schmoozed big time. His staff is also a bit more deferent. Jeff Eller, who had Tucker Eskew's job with Mr. Clinton, publicly delighted in telling the White House press corps he was going around them. Mr. Eskew refers to them as being a part of "one big mission." 
And then there's Dick Cheney. There's nothing Washington likes more than someone who's been here before. And, as Cheney constantly points out, this is his fourth tour of duty. It was Cheney who put together the budget (with a small group of powerful advisors "with little hands on involvement of the President" according to The Washington Post ) and Cheney who stays on top of foreign policy. Cheney told the National Association of Manufacturers this week that he has an "informal weekly lunch" with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to coordinate foreign affairs. 
The buzz during the transition was that Cheney's dominance was making Mr. Bush look weak and irrelevant. But the Bushies say this doesn't worry W. at all. And maybe he's right to relax. A CBS Poll question on whether Mr. Bush is really running the country turned in his favor this week, at least among people who watched his first prime-time speech. 61 percent of those who watched now think that he'll be in charge of what goes on in his administration, while 39 percent say other people will be running the country. However, among the non-viewers, 40 percent believe "Bush is in charge," compared to 60 percent who say "other people" would be in charge. 
The Bushies are betting, however, that some of those non-viewers will be watching the weather and sports in Fargo and Winnetka when the president comes to town, will hear "unfettered" about how wonderful he'll make their schools and their bank accounts, and won't worry too much about who's in charge, either.