O Ye Of Little Faith

Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer says the President "will miss John DiIulio." But he won't miss the controversy DiIulio stirred up. When Bush's plan to fund religious charities ran into surprising resistance from Christian conservatives worried about government meddling in church affairs, DiIulio lashed out, labeling them "predominantly white, exurban, evangelical and national parachurch leaders." And when word leaked that DiIulio's No. 2, Don Eberly, and Bush adviser Karl Rove were entertaining an inappropriate request from the Salvation Army--to defend the charity's right to discriminate against gays in exchange for its support for Bush's bill--DiIulio was furious. After repeated false starts, a scaled-back version of the faith-based bill passed the House last month. But its prospects in the Democratic-controlled Senate are dim at best.

Kress will at least be able to claim victory when he leaves. But he'll be cursed for his success by Republicans on the Hill, many of whom blame him for compromising almost all of the conservative elements of Bush's education plan, such as school vouchers. Republican lawmakers are so suspicious of Kress that many won't deal with him directly. When House and Senate negotiators met recently to discuss the President's bill, several Democratic Senators acknowledged Kress with approval. Hillary Clinton even gave him a kiss. Republicans just glared. They can start smiling soon.