By Mary Morley
George W. Bush”s inauguration on Saturday ushered in a new administration as well as much speculation about how the new president will handle the next four years.
BYU students are among many in the nation who have predicted what might occur.
Although some students seemed to have a generally positive outlook on the coming years, they were not without concerns.
Issues such as hoped for peace agreements in the Middle East and economic policy topped their list of concerns for the future.
Ryan Madsen, 24, a senior from Price, Utah, majoring in history, said that although he is sure Bush will face economic challenges, he will have a successful administration overall.
Concerning the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, he said, “I would predict that a peace agreement will be signed.”
He said Bush is more concerned with solving the problem than creating a legacy for himself.
“I think that he will look at the problem and try to solve it instead of thinking of the Republican or Democratic way to solve it,” Madsen said.
Madsen also said he expects Bush to show greater personal integrity and trustworthiness as a president.
“The biggest scandal will probably be deer hunting on the White House lawn,” Madsen said.
Nancy Johnson, 21, a senior from Waco, Texas, majoring in human development, said Bush would have a successful administration.
Johnson, who lives about 20 minutes from the president”s ranch in Crawford, Texas, said most Texans seemed to approve of Bush”s economic policy as governor of the state.
During Bush”s term, Texans took advantage of policies such as tax-free weekends that saved consumers millions of dollars and generated revenue for businesses, Johnson said.
Other students, such as Daniel Marriott, 25, a senior from Salt Lake City majoring in political science, expect mixed results.
Bush will face many challenges such as the downturn of the economy, the energy crisis in California, and opposition for tax cuts from Democrats, he said.
“He won”t be perfect; he”s immature in the political scene,” Marriott said.
But Bush has been and will be successful in other ways, such as his cabinet nominations, he said.
Bush will also be able to negotiate with Democrats better because he is moderate in a lot of aspects and will do things that other presidents might not have done in order to bring about agreements, Marriott said.
