Bush Considers Giving His Trade Aide Cabinet Rank

President-elect George W. Bush said Saturday he is still weighing the size of his Cabinet--specifically whether to include the office of the U.S. trade representative.

Bush made his comment as he sought to dampen speculation that the person he appoints as trade representative may not wield the clout that Charlene Barshefsky has enjoyed in the Clinton administration.

The president-elect also said he has not decided on a nominee for the post and added:

“First, the USTR position is going to be a real important position in my administration. It’s important because ours will be an administration of free trade. . . .

“And I haven’t decided how large a Cabinet it’s going to be yet, how small it’s going to be. I’ll make that decision later on.”

Bush spoke to reporters during a lunch break as he hosted an old-fashioned Texas barbecue at his ranch here for 19 Republican governors who had worked tirelessly to help him get elected.

But with only two weeks to go until he becomes America’s 43rd president, Bush more or less dispensed with offering thanks. Instead, he lobbied his former colleagues for continued support of his agenda, most notably education reform and a $1.3-billion tax cut.

In touting his tax cut plan, Bush cited a new reason Saturday to justify the move.

“Many Americans have got debts. We want those Americans to be able to pay off that debt,” he said. “A good way to do so would be to give some of their own money back.”

Bush twice ducked questions about whether immediate federal action is needed to help ease the energy crisis in California, falling back on his mantra that there is but one president--meaning that he does not intend to weigh in on such matters until after taking office.

Yet the president-elect didn’t miss the opportunity to talk up his intention to escalate domestic energy exploration--a prospect that chills environmentalists.

“We need a national energy policy. We’ve got to recognize that if we do not build capacity and don’t have the energy to power plants, the prices are going to go up,” Bush said.

“If we restrict supply and demand increases, the price of a product will go up . . . . We need to explore. We need to open up lands--in an environmentally sensitive way.”

Asked for his reaction to the certification of the electoral college “finally,” Bush quickly replied:

“Not finally. This was the day it was scheduled to be certified! I guess I better go write my inaugural speech.”

Turning serious, he added: “It’s a humbling experience--I want to reiterate what I said before: I’m going to be the president of everybody, whether they supported me or not. People need to know that. People need to know that this will be an administration that will make decisions based on what’s best for America.”

Bush also revealed that he has been pondering what message he intends to send the rest of the world in his inaugural address.

“And that is,” Bush said, “we will not retreat within our borders, that our great land will protect ourselves and our allies against the current threats that we face.”

He cited “weapons of mass destruction [and] threats of terrorism,” and added: “But also in this speech I will reconfirm what everybody here knows: that the greatest thing that America’s got to export is freedom. And the people of the world will hear a clear statement of my intent and my commitment to make sure that we will remain engaged in the world in a positive and humble way.”

But if Bush seemed a bit distracted Saturday, who could blame him?

He is facing, after all, not one but two moves: into the White House, of course, but also into his newly built house here on his 1,600-acre ranch.