By Stuart Gorin
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- A panel of scholars on governance and former White House officials held the consensus view that President-elect George W. Bush has gotten off to a "good start" by designating members of his Cabinet and key White House staff during a shortened transition period.

The January 16 panel discussion, part of the Transition to Governing Project coordinated by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution, was titled "Assessing the Bush Transition."

Brookings senior fellow Thomas Mann asked the participants to look at Bush's nominees and his legislative agenda. The transition period is a time, Mann said, for Bush to prioritize his campaign promises, initiate contacts with Congress and prepare his legislative and administrative agendas.

The panelists noted the favorable reaction to the president-elect's initial announcements of those he intended to nominate to his Cabinet, such as retired General Colin Powell as secretary of state, and the controversy that surrounded subsequent nominations such as that of former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft as attorney general.

Referring to the Senate confirmation battle currently under way for Ashcroft, panelist Boyden Gray, who served as White House counsel to former President George H.W. Bush, said it is not bad for the selection process to have confirmation fights but they should be fair.

Panelist Jack Watson, White House chief of staff during the administration of former President Jimmy Carter, called the confirmation process "broken" and said it needs fixing. There are too many forms for prospective Cabinet members to fill out, he said, and too much disclosure of information.

Commenting on the emerging role of Vice President-elect Dick Cheney and what he called his "formidable experience and ability," Watson said it is possible for that role to be "uniquely operational," considering Bush's style of delegating responsibility.

AEI senior fellow Norman Ornstein said that when Bush selected Cheney as his running mate, he was looking ahead to governance more than to campaigning as he assessed Cheney's strengths.

Alvin Felzenberg, director of the Mandate for Leadership Project at the Heritage Foundation, said that as a former member of the House of Representatives, Cheney will have a unique access to Congress -- he will be able to go on the House floor to talk with his former colleagues.

Felzenberg added that Cheney, along with Powell and Secretary of Defense-designate Donald Rumsfeld, are qualified for their positions interchangeably, which means when they discuss foreign policy issues they will be able to see the perspectives of the others.

On the subject of Bush's legislative agenda, Gray stressed that the president-elect will start with his issues during the campaign -- education, tax cuts and prescription drugs. Bush will have to be conciliatory in order to be effective in Congress, Watson said.

Another panelist, Thomas McLarty, who earlier served as chief of staff and counselor to President Bill Clinton, cited Bush's experience as governor of Texas and his cabinet-designate selections as examples of his commitment to bipartisanship.

The panel took note that at the subcabinet level -- where Bush has yet to announce many names -- applicants cannot act in their positions until they are confirmed by the Senate. In the previous Clinton and Bush administrations, the process took nine months to complete.

Ornstein stressed, however, that even though these second line cabinet officials will not be in place for a while, the government does continue to function.