September 13, 1999
Web posted at: 3:42 p.m. EDT (1942 GMT)

George W. Bush has every reason to hate Pat Buchanan. After all, the pundit turned candidate savaged the Texas Governor's father in '92, when Buchanan challenged President Bush for the G.O.P. nomination, labeling him "King George." And Buchanan has attacked the younger Bush on everything from free trade to abortion, referring to him as the "prince."

But Bush has put aside any resentments. He has even launched a charm offensive, telling insiders he admires Buchanan's common touch and thinks of him as the rival he would most like to go fishing with. Why make nice? Buchanan may bolt the G.O.P. to run for President on the ticket of Ross Perot and Jesse Ventura's Reform Party--a move that could come within a few weeks and give Buchanan the leverage to take votes from Bush in the general election. When Bush aides met last week in Austin, Texas, high on the agenda was how to make Buchanan feel wanted in the G.O.P. A senior adviser told TIME, "We're surrounding him with love."

Despite what the Beatles said, love is not all Bush needs. Insiders say Buchanan, who made a splash early in the '92 and '96 races and then quickly ran out of money, has been persuaded that the Reform Party, with its access to state ballots and millions of dollars in federal matching funds, can finally be the platform for his nationalist and anti-free-trade arguments and his anti-Washington populism. "My gut tells me he's going to make the shift," says Pat Choate, Perot's '96 running mate, who behind the scenes has been urging Buchanan to quit the G.O.P. "He's frozen out of the Republican Party. We'll give him an incredible forum."

That's the fear stalking the Bush camp. A private poll conducted last week by G.O.P. consultant Frank Luntz showed Buchanan drawing 6% in a match-up with Bush and Al Gore--with Buchanan taking two-thirds of his support from Bush voters. But an independent Buchanan run could hurt Gore too. "If he runs as a social conservative, it's going to help the Democrats," says Democratic stalwart James Carville. "If he runs as an economic nationalist, it's going to hurt the Democrats. And if he runs as an anti-Washington outsider, it's probably a wash."

It is unclear whether Buchanan could even get the Reform nomination. Bush allies argue privately to Buchanan that the party is a snake pit of jealousies between Ventura and Perot that would sink his candidacy, and they have warned that if he leaves the G.O.P., he can never come back. According to a Bush ally, "We told Pat, 'Lose the [Reform] nomination, and you're a man without a country.'" The Bush camp has also argued that Ventura will use his power as Reform's ranking officeholder to thwart Buchanan's bid. Last week, they got help with this idea when Ventura told the congressional paper The Hill that New York City mogul Donald Trump is "a serious candidate" for President on the Reform ticket. A Ventura ally admits the Governor is wary of Buchanan because of his hard-right stand on social issues and his anti-free-trade views, but, he says, "he doesn't feel that it is his role to recruit a presidential candidate to challenge Pat." As for Perot, friends say he does not plan to run and thinks Buchanan would be good for Reform.

All this must fuel Buchanan's ego. "Pitchfork Pat," as his supporters call him, is proving to be the leading annoyance to patrician politicians named George Bush. If he stymies W.'s aspirations the way he hindered his old man, don't count on the "love" to linger.

Cover Date: September 20, 1999

• With his presidential bid picking up steam, "Dollar Bill Bradley" leads a mythopoeic tour of his old hometown
• Bush wants failed schools to lose federal funding. As reforms go, good; but it's still just a baby step
• For all the screaming about spending and tax cuts, the truth is, the money's already gone
• A defense contractor may have escaped punishment because the Marines depend on it too much
• If Buchanan bolts the G.O.P., it's bad news for Bush. So he's sending love signals and a warning or two
• Sexual harassment, chapter 999

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