Washington ? The White House and the Republican Party have decided against taking overt steps to make amends for racially charged remarks by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., because President Bush’s aides said he has nothing to apologize for and should not pander, officials said.

Some conservatives are pushing Bush, who condemned remarks Lott made last month about Strom Thurmond’s 1948 segregationist presidential campaign, to do more to reach out to blacks. But officials said Bush has made no changes to his upcoming budget and plans no immediate speeches designed to appeal specifically to minorities.

Most significantly, Bush officials said he may go with his initial instinct and register his objections to race-based preferences in the University of Michigan’s admissions, which are being reviewed by the Supreme Court in the biggest affirmative action case in a generation.

Justice Department lawyers wanted to oppose the Michigan program vigorously, but some were resigned to the possibility that politics would cause Bush to stay out of the case. Now, though, activists who have discussed the case with senior White House officials said Bush may criticize the Michigan program and the concept of preferences, while stressing the importance of diversity.

More important agenda

Several of Bush’s senior aides said they believe the Lott controversy, which played out during the two weeks before Christmas and resulted in his resignation as Senate Republican leader, was nipped quickly enough to avoid damaging the president as he heads into his re-election campaign.

Matthew Dowd, a strategist for the Republican National Committee, said legislative accomplishments, including passage of an economic growth package and providing relief from prescription drug and other health-care costs, will be more important to voters than the Lott episode. “The public’s now on to the next thing,” Dowd said. “The president has always been perceived as a tolerant, unprejudiced person. People see the party through the lens of the president, not a majority leader who 50 percent of them don’t even know who he was.”

President Bush and Republican leaders are not likely to offer any special new programs or concessions to minorities in the wake of Trent Lott's much-maligned comments last month about segregation, White House aides say. The president is, however, coming under criticism for his renomination of controversial Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering to a federal appellate post. Bush is pictured last week at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.

William Bennett, former education secretary and co-director of the conservative Empower America, said Bush “should not be intimidated” by any Lott fallout and must pursue a race-blind agenda.

“They should be consistent and say that we don’t celebrate separation by race, whether it’s the old Dixiecrat South or the new Michigan system of higher education,” Bennett said this weekend.

Pro-active policies

White House officials said Bush has promoted policies that benefit blacks, including encouraging minority homeownership, improving inner-city schools and helping channel federal funds to faith-based organizations. And the White House communications operation has an official devoted full time to working with media aimed at female, black and Hispanic audiences.

“Democrats feel like they have to do things that some people might call pandering — specific things for different communities,” a GOP official said. “Republicans’ feel good policy is good for all Americans, and you just have to explain to people how it impacts their communities, whether it’s Catholics or Asian-Americans or African-Americans.”

So Bush’s aides said they see no reason to do anything differently, despite the fracas surrounding a Lott comment at a 100th birthday celebration for Thurmond.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., sits next to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex., left, during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing. Lott was forced to step down as Senate Republican leader because of remarks he made that were considered racially insensitive -- an action that is causing damage control as the GOP courts minority voters.

Individual caring

“The president will continue to do the same things he has done for the last two years,” an administration official said. “The president’s proposals and plans represent ways to bring about racial healing and progress on civil rights.”

Bush signaled that approach when he was asked on New Year’s Eve what he would do to repair any damage to the GOP from the Lott controversy.

“Well, first of all, I think that most people understand that their Republican Party cares deeply about each individual, regardless of the color of their skin or their religion,” he said. “And I will continue to promote policies that enable the American individual to achieve his or her dreams. I believe in equal access to the greatness of America.”