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- GRAPEVINE, Page 29Portrait of a Man Staying Put
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- By PAUL GRAY/Reported by David E. Thigpen
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- He may be unpopular on Capitol Hill, and his handling of
- budget and campaign strategies has drawn critical howls. But
- John Sununu is in no danger of being replaced as White House
- chief of staff. In fact, George Bush will rely on his top aide's
- conservative instincts even more heavily as the President turns
- sharply partisan in 1991 in preparation for the 1992 campaign.
- "Sununu," a Bush intimate said last week, "isn't going
- anywhere."
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- Still, Bush realizes that Sununu, a brilliant policy
- analyst, has scant feel for the subtleties of legislative or
- communication strategy. Close friends have urged the President
- to reach out for help in these areas, although Sununu is so
- resistant to second-guessing that such consultations are likely
- to take place only in secret. Meanwhile, Sununu is trying to
- soften his public image. As Bush barnstormed the country in
- search of Republican votes, Sununu haunted the so-called buffer
- zone, the narrow secure area between the podium and the
- audience, scanning the crowd for a small child. Finding one, he
- would take the tot by the hand and lead his little hostage off
- to meet the President, who on at least one occasion tripped over
- the toddler.
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