The North's First Minister David Trimble has said he expected the Bush administration to be less involved in the North than Bill Clinton had been.
"They will be trying to do less in some respects but I think doing it in a cooler and clearer way.
"I was very impressed by the speech that Bush gave at the Speaker's lunch on Thursday," said Mr Trimble.
"There was no waffle, no padding. He analysed the issues clearly and correctly and put out his position very clearly with a nice touch of humour, which I appreciated," said Trimble.