Re Election

FRESH STARTS, second chances, cleaned slates; they aren't always given their due. For President Bush, though, this is a sublime moment. After four tumultuous years, he has won a new lease on the White House with enough political capital left over to leave a legacy that could commend him to history. Fate is also intervening to supply Mr. Bush with a new cast of supporting players for his second term who can help bring some of his toughest tasks within reach. No one expects the president to abandon the conservative posture from which he campaigned so successfully for re-election - especially now that he is backed with larger Republican ranks in Congress.

TODAY ARRIVES as a ceremonial time-out in American politics. The official swearing-in of a president is celebrated as an opportunity to put aside differences and rejoice in what citizens of the nation have in common. Much of today's VIP audience, and nearly all of the partyers at tonight's balls, will be more red than blue, in the parlance of modern voting patterns. But President Bush, following long tradition, will speak in his inaugural address of shared ideals, hopes and dreams, and humbly pledge himself to their pursuit.

Prince George's County Sen. Thomas P. O'Reilly, one of the most powerful men in the Maryland Senate, stunned his colleagues yesterday by announcing his retirement to take a seat on the Workers' Compensation Commission.The unexpected departure of Mr. O'Reilly, 55, the Finance Committee chairman and a loyal lieutenant to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., is the latest in what is becoming an exodus from the 47-member Senate this election year.He becomes the sixth senator to formally announce plans to retire, and is among more than a dozen who appear unlikely to return next year.

Because they have to seek re-election so often, politicians by definition are people looking out for No. 1 -- themselves. This may not be such a bad thing, if they are otherwise guided by a sense of mission and duty. But if political juggling becomes all-consuming, the result too often is blinding opportunism that may serve the incumbent's self-interest but usually does little to advance the concerns of the constituency.The City Council's performance since last fall is a case in point.The start of the autumn session was impressive.

Call it a do-nothing session of the Maryland General Assembly. When the final gavel rings down on April 11, chances are lawmakers will have accomplished little of note. As a morose Governor Schaefer put it at a cabinet meeting last week, all legislators seem interested in is posturing so they can look good at re-election time later this year.If this were the only thing happening in the State House, it would be only mildly disturbing. But much more is taking place, little of it for the good.

The World Insurgents attacked British troops at a checkpoint in central Iraq, killing three and wounding eight in a suicide bomb and mortar barrage aimed at soldiers sent to the high-risk area to free U.S. forces for an assault on the militant stronghold Fallujah. U.S. troops pounded Fallujah with airstrikes and artillery fire, softening up militants ahead of the expected assault. Yasser Arafat was reportedly fighting for his life at a French military hospital after losing consciousness, as Palestinian officials transferred some of their 75-year-old leader's powers to Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.

WASHINGTON - President Bush has posted a re-election victory that amounts to a political nightmare for the opposition Democrats. Mr. Bush's popular vote margin of more than 3.5 million over Sen. John Kerry, regardless of the relative closeness of the Electoral College vote, settles the contention of the 2000 election that in trailing Al Gore by more than half a million popular votes, he was not the people's choice. At the same time, it leaves the Democrats to seek excuses again for their failure, despite a record party mobilization and voter turnout and without a clearly recognizable leader looking to 2008.

Going into the Wilde Lake Candidates' Forum, I was undecided as to which candidate for Columbia Council would receive my vote: Regina Clay or Nancy McCord. After listening to their presentations and hearing their responses during the question and answer period, the answer became clear. I support Regina Clay's re-election to the Columbia Council. It is clear that Wilde Lake's much-needed turnaround is just beginning. With that in mind, I believe Ms. Clay's experience and temperament make her an ideal advocate for Wilde Lake at this pivotal time.

This is Day One for the 102nd Congress, and the problems pile up even even before it assembles. The legislative branch seems hobbled in dealing with war and peace in the Persian Gulf, with recession after years of deficit financing, with its own ethics and methods of doing business. The same public that keeps re-electing incumbents holds them in such low esteem that Congress, as an institution, faces a crisis of confidence.Much of the problem is internal and structural. For the past three decades the number of committees and subcommittees has proliferated at such a rate that many strung-out lawmakers find themselves prisoners of their own staffers, many of whom have their own private agendas.

Republicans must feel good about their party's prospects in 1994. How else to explain the fact that more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans (8 to 3) have announced their retirements from the House of Representatives (those Democrats are younger on average than the Republicans), and nearly three times as many Republicans as Democrats (11 to 4) have said they will give up safe House seats to run for governor or senator?Traditionally the party not in control of the White House gains House seats in off-year elections.