Bush Completes Cabinet Picks

Tuesday, January 2nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) â€” President-elect Bush named a Democrat to his Cabinet on Tuesday, choosing Norman Y. Mineta to become his secretary of transportation after serving as President Clinton's secretary of commerce.

Completing his 14-member Cabinet, Bush also announced his choices of Spencer Abraham, defeated for re-election to the Senate from Michigan, to be secretary of energy; and Linda Chavez, who served as director of the civil rights commission under President Ronald Reagan, to be secretary of labor.

``I can't think of a better way to start the new year than to round out a Cabinet, one of the strongest that I think any president has ever been able to assemble,'' Bush said.

Mineta said ``I am a Democrat with both a small d and a large one,'' and that in the hard-fought contest between Bush and Vice President Al Gore, ``I was proud to stand with my party.''

On his diverse Cabinet, Bush said ``I am not afraid to surround myself with strong and competent people,'' and that Americans will appreciate his effort to find the best people for the jobs.

``I fully expect to get straightforward talk, honest opinion, and dedication to what is best for America,'' Bush said.

He said he hopes the nation understands that the mark of a good executive is to recruit good people and listen to them.

He told a post announcement news conference that his tax cut plan ``will encourage economic growth and vitality and more job creation.''

Bush said he is concerned ``that there are some warning signs on the horizon'' of an economic slowdown, and he's worried about it. He said ``a responsible tax relief package'' will counter a downturn in the economy.

On confirmation of his Cabinet by the Senate, Bush said he hopes ``that all our nominations sail through,'' but it doesn't happen that way. With civil rights advocates lining up in opposition to John Ashcroft as attorney general, Bush said he is confident the former Missouri senator will withstand the scrutiny about his fairness and his heart.

He said Jesse Jackson ``can try to block any nomination he wants,'' but the decision will be made by U.S. senators after they have considered Ashcroft, and that he is confident of confirmation. Bush said Ashcroft, a staunch conservative who opposes abortion, will perform fairly and will not politicize the Justice Department.

Bush said he intends to reach out to Democrats, but the president-elect also said ``the reason I'm standing here'' is because of the agenda he pushed during the campaign, and he intends to pursue it.

``This is an administration that recognizes talent when we see it regardless of political party,'' Bush said, speaking of Mineta.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Tuesday that he expected confirmation hearings by various committees could begin next week. He also said ``a major portion'' of Bush's nominees could be ready for full Senate confirmation by Jan. 22, two days after Bush's inauguration

As he tries to wrap up his Cabinet selections, Bush also is weighing how to present to Congress his education proposals, a No. 1 priority.

Key elements of the plan include flexibility for states and local districts in their education programs, and increased student testing.

The most politically sensitive component of Bush's proposal is his school voucher plan to strip federal funds from the worst-performing schools and make them available to parents for private education, tutoring or ``whatever offers hope,'' as he put it.

Given the disputed presidential election and the slender advantage Republicans hold on Capitol Hill, Bush cannot force his programs through Congress.

Nevertheless, advisers said Tuesday that he will stick with some form of his campaign proposal to allow parents with kids in chronically ailing schools to spend federal education funds as they choose.

``School choice is one of the strongest ways we have to educate our children,'' said Ari Fleischer, spokesman for Bush's transition effort. Bush ``believes in school choice and he is going to work hard to enact school choice.''

Fleischer disputed a report in Tuesday's Washington Post that Bush is likely to drop the voucher proposal because too many members of Congress oppose it. He said the proposal is ``part and parcel of what he believes in.''

A top adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that Bush might be open to discussing a mix of private and public school choice. He noted that Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., has favored public school choice.

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On the Net:

Bush transition site: http://www.bushcheneytransition.com