The 51% Solution
From the Washington Post:

President Bush vowed yesterday to use the "political capital" gained from his victory on Tuesday to push an aggressive domestic agenda in a second term, beginning with limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and continuing with revamping the tax code and adding private accounts to Social Security. [...]

"I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style," he said. "I'm going to spend it for what I told the people I'd spend it on, which is -- you've heard the agenda: Social Security and tax reform, moving this economy forward, education, fighting and winning the war on terror."

In both words and tone, Bush conveyed exceptional self-assurance as he jauntily parried with reporters and served notice that he expects Congress to move with dispatch on his agenda. The message was unmistakable: that Bush intends to be the capital's dominant political and policy force, and that the election returns mean that other players should move to accommodate his priorities, not simply meet in the middle.

Um, no matter how Bush and Co. spin this (and they are in full spin mode), 51% does not signal Mandate Time!--it is the barest of majorities. Sean Aday puts it thusly:

Not only did Bush only barely achieve a majority, performing at virtually exactly the level expected of an incumbent seeking re-election, but at 49 percent he holds the distinction of having the highest percentage of votes cast against a sitting President in history. We may no longer be precisely a 49 percent nation, but there is still 49 percent who didn't support Bush.

The really weird part of yesterday's press conference was Bush attempting to put a one-question-at-a-time rule on the reporters (remember, he doesn't do nuance), and when they had multiple part queries, they got these rather bizarre joking responses:

THE PRESIDENT: Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule. That was three questions.

THE PRESIDENT: Again, he violated the one-question rule right off the bat. Obviously, you didn't listen to the will of the people.