Dubya Aces <i>Oprah</i>

George W. Bush's date with Oprah Winfrey was fraught with danger for the governor whose frequent malaprops and occasional blue language have cemented his reputation as a middlebrow Texas tough guy.

But Bush sailed through the hour, by sticking to his core campaign messages and being himself.

Bush discussed his philosophy of education and tax cutting, and told Oprah he "feels a deep calling" to run for president. He talked about the comfort he takes in faith and family, discussed his decision at age 40 to quit drinking cold turkey, and told Oprah the birth of his twin daughters was his life's "defining moment."

The only possible misstep came when Oprah led Bush to say he thinks he's smarter than most folks.

Oprah said she thinks Americans want a president who is "like us…and also who is smarter than us. Do you fit that bill?"

Oprah promised to ask questions that "reveal the real man." In substance, her interview did not elicit any new information, but the picture of Bush misting up in Oprah's studio while recounting wife Laura's resolve during a difficult pregnancy has to humanize him in the eyes of Oprah's 22 million viewers and the female voters his campaign is targeting this week.

With tears in his eyes, Bush remembered when his daughters were born, "I realized that I was responsible, as was Laura responsible, for these little girls coming up in the world."

It wasn't quite the lovefest that Oprah shared with Al Gore, but America's "Girlfriend" gave Bush equal time in every way.

They greeted one another with a kiss. She squeezed his hand when he made a joke. And, in the "Remembering Your Spirit" segment of the show, Oprah ran a flattering video of George and Laura Bush at home on their ranch, talking about their marriage.

Oprah demonstrated a little more journalistic rigor with Bush than with Gore.

After Bush, a strong believer in local control of schools, explained his strategy for improving learning is built on emphasizing early reading skills with phonics, teacher training and Head Start reading curricula for pre-school aged kids, Oprah asked pointedly, "How are we going to o this if local governments are in charge?"

Oprah also allowed a 25 year-old black woman in the audience a follow-up question after Bush answered her first question, "Where do I fit into your platform?" with a policy-free riff on the "American Dream."

The second time around, Bush argued that his tax cuts will help the young woman get ahead. "Because of the surplus, I think you ought to be able to put more money in your pocket, that's what I'd do," Bush said to cheers from the audience. "My vision of tax relief is everybody that pays taxes ought to get relief."

When Bush said, "I want to be judged by my heart," Oprah followed up with, "How does that definition apply directly to your ability to lead?" (Bush explained he had a record of bipartisanship and makes decision on "principle, not polls or focus groups.")

Bush was not willing to go all the way on the touchy-feely stuff.

Oprah ran a clip of Bush talking about grace and forgiveness in his nomination acceptance speech in Philadelphia, then asked Bush to tell a story of a time he needed forgiveness.

'When my heart turns dark," Bush offered. "When I am jealous, or when I am spiteful."

Oprah would not be denied. "I am looking for specifics," she said firmly.

"I know you are, but I'm runnin' for president!" said a mischievous-looking Bush.

Laid low last fall by a Boston reporter's foreign policy "pop quiz", Bush played along with Oprah's Favorite Things Q&A. No big revelations here. Bush loves peanut butter and jelly on white bread; looks up to Winston Churchill; and cherishes memories of "playing little league baseball in Midland, Texas."

The studio interview was disrupted once by a heckler shouting questions about U.S. sanctions against Iraq, and demonstrators concerned with gun control and the sanctions stood outside.

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