President-elect George Bush, who will be inaugurated as the 41st president of the United States this Friday, seems to have the potential to be an effective leader in at least two repects.

First of all, Bush’s cabinet choices point to sensible decision making. It is sometimes said a leader can be judged by the advisers he or she chooses for guidance. If this is true, Bush could be very successful in his efforts as president.

Bush completed assembling his cabinet last week with the announcement of William Bennett as his choice to lead the national crackdown on drugs. Most of the decisions which resulted from Bush’s two months of candidate screenings have been lauded by political analysts.

Some critics argue that Bush’s work in picking cabinet members couldn’t have been too difficult, since half of his choices served in the cabinets of previous administrations. But that is where his choices’ strengths lie—Bush has chosen people with experience.

The second indication of Bush’s potential success is his own background. He has had an initial advantage over presidents Reagan and Carter in his movement up through the ranks of Congress, watching the cogs of the capitol turn firsthand. He is already an “insider” in Washington politics, whereas his two immediate predecessors, as state governors, entered the White House as outsiders.

Judging from his cabinet choices and his grasp of Washington politics, the man who will enter the White House this week should have the confidence of America in his ability to lead.