Well, according to the bio I turned up, he was Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, so that's firmly in the Bush II era.
Give me a moment....
Ah, yes, the full list of
US Poet Laureates is here
However, to be completely fair to Collins, I've only read a couple of his poems, the latest being something I was not in the mood to read, and I'm fairly certain that Rumsfeld has no interest in who is the Poet Laureate, apart from not wanting it to be Sam Hamill right now.
I think your estimation of "po lite" is fairly spot on, Tim. Doesn't thrill me, but doesn't much offend me either, excepting the way I read the last one, which was more of hearing an echo of Dick Morgan's sentiments than what Collins was writing in particular.