Sununu says Relationship With Bush Good for NH
By Daniel Remin
WASHINGTON — Visiting the Bush family more than 20 years ago at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, Maine, Sen. John E. Sununu, R-N.H., first met President Bush, who was not yet Texas governor.
That was the start of a relationship that has become central to Sununu, in his former position as a member of the House, his election campaign last year and his current role as senator. Now, with U.S. military action against Iraq perhaps only weeks away, constant terrorist threats to the homeland and projections of record budget deficits, Sununu said the solid relationship he has with the President is proving to be a plus for New Hampshire.
“The President looks to a lot of people for advice and input,” Sununu said in an interview. “When I was vice chairman of the (House) Budget Committee, (I) developed a good relationship with the White House, worked with the President’s economic team as they reached out in developing the growth package that’s before Congress this year, and I’ve always had very good relationships with the President and his key staff members. In the long run, (these relationships) help me do my job better for the people of New Hampshire.”
Sununu’s family has a long history with the Bushes; the senator’s father served as the first President George Bush’s White House chief of staff.
During Sununu’s campaign for senator, the current President Bush came to New Hampshire twice to show his support, first in early October and then in the week before the vote. According to Sununu, Bush’s visit helped voters focus on the themes Sununu presented in his campaign, including strong national and homeland security policies, economic growth, tax cuts and support of New Hampshire’s small-business economy.
“These are important issues, and having the President visiting the state helps to get voters more focused on the election and the campaign, and if you take advantage of that, you’re able to connect with them,” Sununu said.
More recently, Sununu attended a luncheon at the White House with other freshman senators. At that gathering, the President spoke about his key issues, which include disarming Saddam Hussein and Bush’s plan for the economy.
“That was an opportunity to provide some feedback about some of the new policy proposals he’s made,” Sununu said. “It was also a chance to see (White House Chief of Staff) Andy Card and (political adviser) Karl Rove, people with whom I’ve worked pretty closely in the past several years, and just to have some personal conversations about their priorities and concerns as we begin what will be a very challenging year.”
Sununu said he sides with most of Bush’s policies, especially on the economy and national security, which the senator partly attributes to the fact they are both Republicans.
“We share some core values – of limited but effective government, low taxes, local control, personal responsibility – so on a lot of issues, we’re likely to agree,” he said.
Not everything the Bush administration has decided has gone Sununu’s way. A significant dispute involved the need for home heating oil in New Hampshire. Sununu sent a letter to Mitchell Daniels, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, asking for federal help to meet New Hampshire residents’ need for home heating oil, but nothing was done.
“I think anyone that followed the issue knows no one in the Northeast was able to break them free of their position,” Sununu said. “It was a source of frustration for me, but I’m not going to agree with the President on every issue, and I think they understand that.”
(Daniel Remin is an intern with the Boston University Washington News Service.)
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
