Keynote Address, Gloria Borger
Political Reporter/Columnist
U.S. News & World Report

Enron is an issue that won’t go away, but expect foreign policy to dominate the legislative agenda and the news as we approach the mid-term elections, journalist Gloria Borger said in her keynote address that opened the 2002 conference.

President Bush currently enjoys a 74% approval rating, Borger noted, primarily because of public confidence in his handling of events after 9-11, notably the war in Afghanistan. She said he is spending much of his time on problems no one could have ever anticipated.

Borger commented on the irony of the time the president is spending on foreign affairs, most recently including the situation in the Middle East. During his presidential campaign, Borger noted, Bush suggested he would spend much of his time on domestic issues. “Today, that’s where Democrats believe they have an advantage. They want to talk about health care reform and Social Security.” But, she said, “don’t expect Congress to seriously consider those issues before the mid-term elections.”

Historically, the party in the White House loses seats in Congress during the mid-term elections. That may not occur this year, Borger said, because of President Bush’s popularity. “Today, two-thirds of the public approve of the president’s handling of the economy,” Borger said. “By the same two-thirds majority the public also approves of the president’s handling of national security.”

The one domestic issue of great concern to the White House is Enron. Congress, the administration and the SEC, she predicted, will spend considerable time discussing legislative and regulatory responses to this situation.

Borger, a political reporter, columnist and contributing editor, joined U.S. News & World Report in 1986. She is a special correspondent with CBS News and a panelist on PBS’ “Washington Week in Review.”