The President Has a Lot on His Mind: Iraq, Iraq and More Iraq

What if low-income seniors can’t afford to buy prescription-drug coverage?

That was President Bush’s overarching concern during a recent review of his proposal to add prescription-drug coverage to Medicare, according to aides. Senior White House officials tout that meeting as proof of Bush’s determination to stay focused on pressing domestic concerns, even as his confrontation with Iraq nears the brink of war.

But the ongoing effort by the White House to market an agile, high-wire presidential juggling act appears increasingly difficult to sustain. As Bush’s private and public schedules suggest, more and more of his domestic agenda is on the verge of becoming an afterthought, certainly in terms of his direct involvement.

His official schedule for next week has just two items: a meeting with the prime minister of Ireland and a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon at the Capitol, both on Thursday. Bush typically makes several public appearances a week, including a day trip or two outside of Washington to tout his domestic initiatives.

To be sure, throughout the White House and in federal agencies, staffers continue to work on domestic issues. But precious few of these matters now make their way to the Oval Office. About the only exceptions are Medicare and an economic stimulus plan.

The job of ushering through Congress Bush’s high-priority energy bill has been relegated to the Energy Department. Details of Medicare reform have been consigned to Republican lawmakers. Many other issues are percolating at staff levels, being readied for Bush when the appropriate time arrives.

Bush’s news conference Thursday night and his schedule on Wednesday underscore the disproportionate amount of time Iraq is claiming on his time -- and foreshadow the tough sell facing the White House as it seeks to display a chief executive in firm command of all issues, foreign and domestic.

During Bush’s prime-time news conference, 16 of the 18 questions dealt with Iraq; the other two were on North Korea. His entire opening statement was about Iraq, with only a fleeting mention of the recent capture of top Al Qaeda operative Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

And as Bush himself confessed Thursday night: “I’ve thought long and hard about the use of troops. I think about it all the time.”

On Wednesday, virtually his whole day was consumed by war-related matters, including a National Security Council meeting at which Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command, presented Bush with options for launching an attack on Iraq. The president began the day by eating breakfast with congressional leaders, speaking only about international matters.

White House communications director Dan Bartlett said Bush is not focusing on international matters to the exclusion of his domestic agenda. “In attention and commitment, he has been focused on both,” he said.

Still, he and other White House aides conceded that they are taking extra care to avoid burdening Bush with nonessential matters. “We don’t waste his time,” Bartlett said.

Ultimately, White House officials are well aware that in order for Bush to avoid the political fate of his father, he cannot allow even war or its aftermath to completely occupy his time. The elder Bush guided an international coalition to victory in the Persian Gulf War, but less than two years later lost his reelection bid largely because of voter perception that he did not appreciate the economic hardships many Americans were enduring.

“I think they understand that, although the war is on the tips of people’s tongues, ultimately 2004 is going to be about the economy,” said Stuart Rothenberg, a Washington-based political analyst. “They need to convey a sense that the president is hands-on on domestic issues.”

On a typical day, Bush arises before daybreak and is usually at his desk by 7 a.m.

In the quiet of the Oval Office, the president begins working the telephone, dialing up a foreign leader or two -- to consult, cajole and perhaps commiserate. The subject rarely varies: Iraq.

On Friday, Bush called the prime minister of Singapore and the president of Peru.

Next come intelligence briefings by the FBI and the CIA. Three days a week, Bush also convenes a National Security Council meeting.

With the exception of lunch and some exercise time built into his schedule, the rest of Bush’s day is usually taken up by short public appearances or meetings, including “policy time” -- typically late-afternoon gatherings to discuss various issues.

He generally quits around 6 p.m., and takes home about an hour’s worth of work. “I’m sleeping well at night,” Bush told reporters the other day.

In the run-up to his speech earlier this week on prescription drug coverage in Medicare, the president chaired “at least four big meetings,” Bartlett said. The final session was held last Friday, just before Bush left for Camp David for the weekend.

The presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains is about as far away from the White House as Bush is venturing these days. Virtually all other travel is on hold. A trip to Africa last month and a day trip to Camp Lejeune, N.C., this week were scrubbed.

Like her husband, Laura Bush also has stopped traveling.

“As we face these significant international challenges, the best thing for us planners to do is to have the president close to Washington, so he can be in a position to monitor events and respond to events,” Bartlett said. “The prospect of war is real.”