Leavitt, who has spent weeks preparing for the nomination hearings, appeared comfortable and knowledgeable, shifting frequently to a barrage of questions running the gamut from affordable child care for single moms to reforms in the Food and Drug Administration.

He peppered his comments with all the right statements, although some of it smacked of good coaching, particularly when he did not know the answer to a question regarding some obscure program among the hundreds administered by HHS.

Leavitt praised outgoing HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, pledged to work cooperatively with senators, promised greater efficiencies and vowed that he would leave behind a department better off than when he took over.

One potential flash point was Medicaid and how then-Gov. Leavitt obtained a federal waiver to extend basic health coverage to a broader population by reducing enhanced benefits for some.

And Leavitt made no bones about his plans to implement Utah-style Medicaid reforms on a national level, giving the states greater flexibility and doing more with less money.

"We can expand the number of people we serve with available resources," he promised.

Kennedy was clearly skeptical about the quality of that "basic" health care, but he didn't push the point. And Leavitt made up for lost points by agreeing wholeheartedly with Kennedy that the Head Start program works and could work even better if coordinated with state programs.

Leavitt, who was called by Bush to head the Environmental Protection Agency a little more than a year ago, made it clear that he intends to manage the behemoth HHS with principles he developed as part of his Enlibra environmental doctrine but adapted to his new responsibilities.

"I believe collaboration trumps polarization every time and that solutions to complex problems have to transcend political boundaries," he said.

And he believes information technology is "challenging old institutions, bridging great distances and giving people more control over their own lives," and that governments must become more flexible and more competitive.

As he did at EPA, he reiterated his doctrine that market forces are superior to mandates, and that "people do more, and do it faster, when they have an incentive to do the right thing."

"I believe government must care for the truly needy and foster self-reliance and personal charity," he said. "Helping others is good for the soul. Government can augment this compassion and provide services, but it can never replace the love that makes us help each other."

At least on Tuesday, there was plenty of love to go around. Whether or not it lasts will depend a lot on how well Leavitt has learned D.C. politics.

"He has proven he knows how to get things done," Bennett said.

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E-mail: spang@desnews.com