THE BUSH MESSAGE IS BEING HEARD

ST. LOUIS -- The hotel wake-up call came at 5 a.m., which isn't all that early, except that I went to sleep just a few hours before. As I get older I find it harder to wake up on time after a late night. The night before was a race to finish several projects in the office, watch the president give his first address to Congress, and then get to St. Louis to save me from having to wake up even earlier to catch a 6:30 a.m. flight to a newspaper conference.

In the lobby of the hotel I met up with two gentlemen who were already awaiting the airport shuttle. They turned out to be ministers at a conference of black churches on their way home to Atlanta.

"Did you see the speech last night?" one asked.

"How was it?"

"It was awesome!" was the response.

That was it. No explanation. No follow-up commentary either way.

So I couldn't help but ask, "What was so good about the speech?" The answer touched upon President George W. Bush's advocacy of faith-based programs, a marriage-penalty tax cut and a number of other issues, including how confidently the president talked. But the man stopped when he came to Bush's charge to his attorney general, John Ashcroft, to eradicate racial profiling in the country.

"This is a humiliating, disgraceful procedure," the minister said. "To be pulled over in your car only because you're black. It doesn't matter what kind of car you drive, what you do in life, you're a suspect because you're black. I was surprised he talked about it in his speech. That said something about him."

I agreed.

But Bush continually seems to be surprising people to his benefit. Elected by the narrowest of margins, he talks softly, hems a bit and then makes bold proposals. Ridiculed for stumbling syntax and a shallow intellect, he joins in the fun by poking at himself then displaying a personal discipline to focus on key messages and specific policies to move his agenda for the country forward. It is early in his presidency, but he is quickly proving himself a capable and decisive leader.

Of course, it doesn't hurt Bush that his predecessor is melting down in an ethical Chernobyl before the eyes of the world.

There is much good that Bill Clinton accomplished, but those who defend him are fooling themselves. His past is littered with the fallen reputations of those who believed in him and who were tossed aside by him for political gain or, worse, for an alibi. Few rise to his defense now because the smart ones recognize there is nothing redeeming nor honorable in defending the indefensible.

In comparison, Bush's "ums" and "ahs" are flaws that endear. And his policies, the more he speaks out on them, the more popular they become. That too is a reverse of the previous administration. Instead of taking polls to determine a policy decision, Bush's team decides the best policy and then seeks to persuade the people (and thus the polls).

To take on racial profiling is one of these decisions befitting a serious presidency.

Racial profiling is a degrading practice that judges people on the color of their skin. By making the eradication of this practice one of the early charges to his attorney general, Bush sends a strong message to the black community to see him as an ally.

Will it be heard? It's not for me to say. But one black minister, at an early hour on a cold day in St. Louis, suggested an important step was taken.

Clearly, there are many people listening with open minds and rooting for the president.

Jon K. Rust is co-president of Rust Communications. He can be reached at

jrust@semissourian.com.