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Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2007 > December
December 2007
A Clinton New Year’s Eve Party
What do the Clintons often do on New Year’s Eve? Show up at a party linked to a family member’s presidential campaign.
This was the New Year’s Eve scene in downtown Des Moines as Hillary Clinton wrapped up a day of campaigning in Iowa as the state’s Thursday caucuses approach.
Husband Bill and daughter Chelsea joined her on stage.
The music was provided by Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
“I guarantee you we’re having a better time than the Mike Huckabee folks are,” Todd Park Mohr, the band’s frontman, told the crowd.
Iowa Brings Out The “Wild Side” Of Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, the mild-mannered former governor of Arkansas and emerging frontrunner in the Republican presidential campaign, is experiencing a personality change with the approach of the Iowa presidential caucus.
Well, sort of.
On New Year’s Eve, between local TV interviews in a Clive, Iowa, hotel lobby, Huckabee was sipping a Diet Pepsi when he noticed that it was a “Wild Cherry” Diet Pepsi. “Whoa, looks like I’m taking a walk on the wild side,” said the teetotaler and former Baptist minister, holding up the soft drink bottle for everyone to see.
Added Alice Stewart, his press secretary, prompting a laugh from Huckabee: “Not just a preacher anymore.”
Huckabee lost more than 100 pounds after learning that his weight was threatening his health. Among other things, he switched from regular soft drinks to sugar free drinks.
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A Camp David Christmas
Pretty standard menu and guest list at Camp David today as the first family celebrates Christmas prior to heading to Crawford on Wednesday.
The White House says President and Mrs. Bush are hosting their twin daughters, first mother-in-law Jenna Welch, presidential sister Doro Bush Koch and her family and presidential brother Marvin and his family.
The lunch menu features roast turkey, cornbread dressing, pancetta green beans, sweet potato casserole, fresh fruit salad, parker house rolls, pumpkin and pecan pies and red velvet cake.
Libertarians: Let there be light bulb freedom
The Libertarian Party believes the federal government has gone too far by telling us what we can screw into our sockets.
“Outlaw light bulbs and only outlaws will have light bulbs,” says the headline on a party release decrying the energy bill’s mandated phase out of incandescent light bulbs in favor of more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs starting in 2012.
“From the toilets in your bathroom to the lights in your ceiling, there are very few consumer products free from some form of government regulation,” said Shane Cory, the party’s executive director. “I seriously doubt regulating light bulbs was intended to be a necessary-and-proper role of the federal government.”
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Presidential candidate swears off Bible
In what his campaign trumpeted as a “courageous statement,” George Phillies, a candidate for the Libertarian presidential nomination, today said he would not use the Bible when he takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009.
“When a president takes office, he should place his hand in one place: on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights he is swearing to protect,” Phillies said. “And then, having sworn to protect our Constitution, he should do so.”
Phillies is a professor in Worcester, Mass.
“I do not believe, as some of my Republican opponents do, that a particular religious work is ‘inerrant’ and trumps the Constitution. Such a political belief about the place of the Constitution is unacceptable in a president of the United States, because it means he or she cannot be acting in good faith in taking the oath of office.”
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Mitt: Thanks, Mr. President
Here’s something you don’t hear too often on the campaign trail: Kind words for President Bush.
They come from GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney (seen above in recent New Hampshire campaign stop) and are included in a column posted on http://townhall.com
Highlights:
“As Americans prepare for the holidays with their families and loved ones, we have many challenges to face but also many reasons to be thankful. We are thankful we live in a nation that is still a land of freedom, hope and opportunity. And we can be thankful that President Bush has kept us safe. Too often our politicians in Washington and on the campaign trail seem to have forgotten this simple fact.”
“Today, it is easy and popular to attack the President when he is down in the opinion polls. Yet, we must also remember that the nature of Washington’s politics has helped drive the approval of the Democratic-led Congress to even lower approval levels, indeed some of the lowest in history. It is no wonder Americans have lost faith in Washington. Our fortunes either rise together, or fall together.”
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First daughter eloping?
This just in: Jenna Bush to get married within next two weeks.
At least that’s what her mom - apparently misspeaking - said this morning when she accompanied President Bush during a visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington.
A man at the event asked Mrs. Bush the question that’s been on lots of folks’ minds since Henry Hager popped the question to Jenna Bush earlier this year.
“When are we going to have a wedding?” he inquired.
“We are going to have a wedding some time this year,” said Mrs. Bush.
In this case, this year means next year. And still no official word on whether it will a White House wedding. Smart money is betting against it.
Bush: Live at the Holiday Inn
Here’s a best of from President Bush’s Monday appearance at a Rotary Club meeting in Fredericksburg, Virginia. All of these are from q-and-a with the Rotarians.
Q: My question is, I have three children in the school system here, and I’m very concerned about their well-being living in this country. And you’ve done a wonderful job of protecting our nation, but I’m concerned about the nations like Iraq, who now have nuclear weapons…
Bush: Iran.
Q: Iran and Iraq, both.
Bush: Not Iraq.
-
Q: I’m a financial adviser here in Fredericksburg and I wanted to ask you what your thoughts are on the market going forward for ‘08 and if any of your policies would make any difference on…
Bush: … Early on in my presidency, somebody asked me about the stock market and I thought I was a financial genius and it was a mistake. … I apologize for not being in the position to answer your question, but I don’t think you want your president opining on whether the Dow Jones is going to be going up or down.
-
Q: You may have noticed that transportation is an issue for us in this area. And…
Bush: Actually, the helicopter didn’t get stuck in any traffic.
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Bush at Holiday Inn
The sign outside the Holiday Inn North in Fredericksburg, Virginia answers the question: Where is the president’s speech this morning?
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CREW urges election commission to say no
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is urging the Federal Election Commission to prohibit Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., from using campaign funds to offset mounting legal fees related to an ethics investigation into whether he improperly contacted former U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias about a corruption probe of a Democrat just before last year’s congressional elections.
Iglesias was one of nine U.S. attorneys who were fired last year for questionable reasons. The House and Senate Judiciary panels are investigating whether they were fired for political reasons such as not aggressively pursuing Democrats.
The Senate ethics panel began investigating Domenici after the citizen watchdog group filed a complaint last March alleging that the senator inappropriately applied pressure on Iglesias in the middle of an investigation.
CREW sent a letter to the elections commission today asking them to rule that funds cannot be used in this manner.
“We hope the FEC will not allow campaign funds to be used for new, additional purposes,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW. People who contribute to campaigns never envision that their donations will be spent for the lawyers of congressional staff, she said.
“There is no nexus between staff legal fees and congressional campaigns,” Sloan said. “We hope the FEC doesn’t create one.”
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Bush reports White House theft
Some warm, morning-after words from the president in the Rose Garden today as he reflected on yesterday’s White House holiday parties for journalists (one for print, one for broadcast):
“I hope you enjoyed the holiday bash as much as I did. I noticed some of the silverware is missing. We’ll be taking a full inventory,” he joked. “Happy holidays.”
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More White House departures
Today’s update on the parade of folks heading for the White House exits.
Bill McGurn is leaving after three years as chief speechwriter for Bush. His official title is assistant to the president for speechwriting. Spokesman Scott Stanzel says McGurn, a former Wall Street Journal editorial writer, will hang around through the upcoming State of the Union address.
Also headed out is Candida Wolff, head of the White House legislative affairs shop. She’s leaving at the end of the year when Congress wraps up its business. Wolff became assistant to the president for legislative affairs in January 2005 after spending three years as assistant to the vice president for legislative affairs.
Replacements for each will come by way of promotions. Bush announced today that Dan Meyer, now a staffer in the legislative affairs office, will get the top job. And Marc Thiessen, McGurn’s deputy, will become head of speechwriting. Thiessen was a former chief speechwriter for then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
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Drinks anyone?
Nice event at the White House yesterday as President Bush and the first lady greeted members of the press at one of the many annual holiday parties.
Curiousity of the evening: The first adult beverages were offered as guests waited to have their photo taken with the Bushes. Attentive attendants were standing directly under the official portrait of Betty Ford.
Somebody might want to rethink that positioning.
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Senate judiciary committee approves White House contempt citations
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 7 Thursday to find Karl Rove, one of the president’s former senior advisers, and current White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas seeking information about the dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys last year.
“This is not a step I have wanted to take,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the judiciary panel, which is investigating whether the federal prosecutors were fired to silence investigations into Republicans and hasten investigations into Democrats. The dismissal of the prosecutors led to the call for former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign from both Republicans and Democrats. Gonzales left the Justice Department in August.
Leahy said the committee was forced to take action after the White House refused to turn over documents and testimony related to the inquiry in a timely manner.
“Congressional oversight is an essential part of our system of checks and balances,” Leahy said. “Getting answers and information helps identify and prevent abuses that hurt the American people and that corrode our system.”
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn disagreed. Cornyn voted against the contempt citation because he believes the best place to settle the long-running dispute between Congress and the White House over the subpoenas is in federal court.
“I don’t begrudge those who do think they should have come to testify,” Cornyn said. “I think this is something that we are not going to ultimately agree on so that’s why it needs to be decided by the courts.”
“I did not support the contempt citations, but I do support getting a resolution by the only branch of government capable of settling the matter,” Cornyn said.
Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the committee, voted in favor of the contempt citations against his better wishes.
“It is a vote that I would prefer not to make,” Specter said at the committee hearing. “It is a vote that I will make with reluctance, but I will do so because I think it is necessary for the Congress to demonstrate our determination on Congressional oversight that it involves some very important, substantive programs.”
Specter said he was prepared to meet all of the administration’s demands concerning the testimony and document release except one.
“I’m prepared to give up the oath. I’m prepared to give up separate sessions by the House and Senate. I’m prepared to give up a public session. I’m even prepared to give up a transcript, much as I dislike doing that,” Specter said. “But it is just impossible to make a concession not to proceed further. We cannot abrogate or relinquish our constitutional responsibilities.”
The citations will now be reported to the full Senate for a vote. Today’s vote was largely symbolic as it is unlikely that there will be enough time to enforce the citations through the courts.
The approval of the contempt resolutions comes two weeks after Leahy ruled that the president’s claims of executive privilege were “overbroad and not legally valid” to prevent Bolten and Rove from providing Congress with subpoenaed documents and testimony.
Bolten was scheduled to appear and provide documents to the committee by June 28. Rove was summoned to appear to testify before the Judiciary Committee on August 2. Both failed to meet the deadlines.
The White House has not yet responded to our call for comment.
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Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne to stump for Edwards
T’is the season … for celebrities in the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign.
Over the weekend, it was TV talkshow star Oprah Winfrey campaigning with Barack Obama. On Tuesday, it was billionaire investor Warren Buffet appearing with Hillary Clinton.
And next Tuesday and Wednesday, it will be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne performing at events in New Hampshire for John Edwards. They will appear at Edwards’ town hall-style meetings in Lebanon, Keene, Nashua, Portsmouth and Manchester.
In statements released by the Edwards campaign, Raitt and Browne both cited the former North Carolina senator’s opposition to the war in Iraq and universal health care proposal as the main reasons for their supporting him.
“He’s been one of the only strong, effective advocates for ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home,” Raitt said.
“We need to end the war in Iraq and make sure every American has health care,” said Browne.
Raitt and Browne are also co-founders (along with Graham Nash and John Hall) of Musicians United For Safe Energy, which sponsored the 1979 “No-Nukes” concerts. Currently, they involved with Nukefree.org in opposing federal financial assistance to the nuclear industry.
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Romney hits Thompson, Giuliani and Huckabee on immigration
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is trying to hold off a challenge in Iowa from Mike Huckabee with criticism of the former Arkansas governor’s record on immigration, is using the same tactic in South Carolina, with one major difference.
Instead of targeting Huckabee alone, as he is doing in Iowa, Romney is taking aim in South Carolina at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson as well as Huckabee.
A new mailer sent by the Romney campaign in South Carolina this week has photos of Huckabee, Giuliani and Thompson under the headline: “Compare the records on illegal immigration.”
The mailer’s caption for Huckabee reads “Special Benefits for Illegals; for Giuliani, “A Sanctuary City”; and for Thompson, “A Do Nothing Record.”
Romney, on the other hand, offers a “record of results” and provides “strong leadership on illegal immigration,” the mailer asserts.
The mailer makes no mention of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was the key Republican sponsor of a broad immigration bill earlier this year that would have given a path to citizenship to many illegal immigrants and created a temporary worker program.
In the latest Mason-Dixon poll, which was released this week, McCain is running a distant fifth in the Republican presidential field with 10 percent. The leader in the poll was Huckabee (20 percent), followed by Giuliani (17 percent), Romney (15 percent), and Thompson (14 percent).
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Ft. Hood realignment tab to double
Realigning the Army’s Ft. Hood will cost taxpayers roughly $2.7 billion over the next 20 years - about double what the Pentagon estimated just two years ago.
That’s the bottom line in a report the non-partisan Government Accountability Office released Tuesday on military base realignments and closures.
In 2005, the Department of Defense announced plans to close or realign dozens of facilities around the country, in an effort to streamline military training, operations and maintenance.
Under the plan, Ft. Hood, a sprawling base that’s home to some 42,000 soldiers 50 miles northeast of Austin, Tx., is to be realigned, chiefly by moving the 4th Infantry Division to Ft. Carson, Co., and making various other changes.
The Defense Department originally estimated it would cost $435.8 million to realign Ft. Hood.
Now the DOD estimate has risen: to at least $621.8 million, a 43-percent price spike in just two years, the GAO reports.
Realigning Ft. Hood was never meant to be a money saver: the purpose was to consolidate certain Army functions in the name of efficiency.
Two years ago, the Pentagon estimated taxpayers would spend $45.3 million more per year to realign the sprawling fort than to keep it as is.
Turns out that, too, was low. Now the brass estimates it will cost more than twice that amount - $105.8 million a year - to make the changes.
Those are recurring costs.
That means the revised tab for the change will top $2.1 billion over 20 years, not accounting for inflation.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Texas, Washington
Secret Service embroiled in e-mail dispute
Testimony today in a federal lawsuit alleging systemic discrimination against African Americans in the U.S. Secret Service suggested that the agency was not initially accurate in accounts of whether it keeps personal e-mails of its employees.
James Saint-Rossy, a former contract worker at the service, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson that he wrote a computer program in April 2003 that would store interpersonal or so-called “unofficial e-mails,” on a different computer server than the one regularly used by the agency.
Personal e-mails of existing and former employees were sent to that server beginning in January of 2004, according to Saint Rossy’s testimony.
That is important because two former Secret Service officials in charge of information resource management—Robert Buchanan and Allen Hobson—gave sworn declarations later in 2004 stating that the service does not archive e-mails.
The service repeated that stance for the following 3 1/2 years, including during a Sept. 20, 2007, conference call with the lawyers for the plaintiffs.
A few days later, the plaintiffs’ lawyers uncovered a document produced by the government that showed that a special agent had searched the e-mail account of a former Secret Service employee several years after the employee retired. This showed that the service does have an e-mail archive to search.
Yvette Summerour, pictured left, is one of the Secret Service agents alleging that she was bypassed by whites for promotions and discriminated against.
“The Secret Service testimony and argument today confirmed that the agency provided false information to the Court in 2004, resubmitted that same false information in 2007, and failed at either time to take the elementary steps that easily would have revealed the truth,” said E. Desmond Hogan, one of the Hogan & Hartson http://www.hhlaw.com/home/lawyers representing the plaintiffs for free.
Saint Rossy testified that no one from the service had ever contacted him about the fact that the technical staff of the service was writing programs in 2003 that resulted in retention of e-mails between agents even though it was his job to do that.
“The really unfortunate thing is that our case has been effectively stalled while we have to spend incredible resources to litigate for what we are entitled to by rule and right,” Hogan said. “Our clients, who risk their lives for this country everyday, deserve better.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marina Braswell, representing the service, argued that Buchanan and Hobson were unaware that the service stored the interpersonal e-mails, a stance repeated by Buchanan and Hobson when they testified today.
The agency’s official policy was to not keep “unofficial e-mails,” Braswell said. So Buchanan and Hobson were telling the truth when they gave sworn statements in 2004 that the agency did not archive interpersonal e-mails.
There was “no material misrepresentation” made to the court, Boswell said. “We believe the evidence will show there was no intent to mislead the court.”
But Robinson was clearly not pleased. At one point, she questioned whether Braswell had made a reasonable inquiry into whether the two Secret Service officials had given the court accurate statements.
To date, Robinson has ordered the government to produce evidence more than 20 times a number that far exceeds typical cases, legal experts say. And she has sanctioned the government twice.
Robinson continued the hearing until next Monday when the plaintiffs will have an opportunity to question Saint-Rossy.
The delays have frustrated the plaintiffs, who allege that white agents routinely leapfrog over black agents despite higher scores on promotional exams, and black agents are sent undercover because it is assumed they talk the “street” language and where a white “good ol’ boy network” prevails.
“Seven years later, we are still talking about the government turning over information in the case rather than hearing about the discrimination,” said Ray Moore, an Atlanta native and the lead plaintiff in the case. The government has “dragged its feet” time and again, he said.
Moore continues to fight the case, despite rising to the highest levels in the service, because he wants to ensure that “no one faces the discrimination I faced.”
White House Chanukah
It’s Chanukah party night at the White House, highlighted this year by the lighting of a menorah initially owned by the great-grandparents of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter slain by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.
The menorah is being brought by Judea and Ruth Pearl, the slain journalist’s parents. Judea Pearl’s grandparents - Chaim and Rosa Pearl - brought the menorah with them when they left Poland for Israel in 1924.
“To think that this menorah which has traveled from Poland to Bnai-Brak (in Israel) would one day be glowing in the White House is simply beyond my wildest imagination,” Judea Pearl said in a statement. “This tribute to our son and to the town that his great-grandfather founded in 1924 honors hundreds of thousands of such menorahs which were brought to Israel form many countries by freedom-seeking Jews who, inspired by the story of the Maccabees, achieved sovereignty and dignity by rebuilding their historic homeland.”
Ruth Pearl said her family is “humbled and honored by this unexpected tribute and we hope that our menorah serves as a visual reminder to all people who are facing darkness that, with hope and perseverance, freedom and goodness will prevail.”
Also today, Bush will meet with Jews from around the world who been victims of religious persecution.
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Dowd’s new gig
Longtime Texas political consultant Matthew Dowd, who went from chief strategist for President Bush’s campaigns to high-profile critic of the president, signed on today with ABC News as a blogger and on-air analyst.
The network notes that Dowd has worked for Democrats and Republicans. But Dowd drew the most attention for his role in the Bush-Cheney campaigns.
The official ABC bio notes that Dowd, a longtime Austinite, now lives in “Wimbleby, Texas.” That should be Wimberley, as any Texas Hill Country fan knows.
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Political pitch
She’s a Cub fan. She’s a Yankee fan. And now, it seems, right-hander Hillary Clinton is a Red Sox fan when she’s campaigning in Red Sox nation.
That’s her writing something about “another sweep” as she signs a Red Sox ball for a supporter during a Thursday event in Gilford, N.H.
Unclear if she was offering congratulations on the Bosox sweep of Colorado during this year’s World Series or was conveying best wishes for another sweep in the future.
FYI, the event came a day after Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling endorsed GOP presidential contender John McCain at a New Hampshire event. Schilling and the Arizona senator are old buddies from the pitcher’s days with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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Communications union calls Edwards’ number
The Communications Workers of America chapter in Nevada announced Thursday that it is backing former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
The endorsement is important because Nevada’s presidential caucus is early in the process - Jan. 19, after the kick-off events in Iowa and New Hampshire.
“John Edwards has spent his entire career fighting for working families and organized labor,” Communications Workers of America Local 9413 President Chuck Benway said in a statement announced the union’s support for Edwards.
The Nevada CWA joins several other Nevada labor unions that have endorsed Edwards, including the Steelworkers, Carpenters and Transport Workers. Combined, the unions represent 28,000 members.
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Sorry, wrong number
Sometimes, you have to mop up after the boss.
President Bush, in remarks about the nation’s mortgage problems, encouraged folks facing problems making their payments to call the Hope Now Alliance. It’s a private-sector group of lenders interested in helping folks with problems caused by their subprime mortgages.
“The best you can do for your family is to call 1-800-995-HOPE,” Bush said. “That is 1-800-995-HOPE.”
No it’s not.
The White House moved quickly to announce the correct number: 1-888-995-HOPE.
That’s 1-888-995-HOPE.
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Updated: Hutchison won’t run for leadership post
Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will not run for chair of the Senate Republican Conference and will keep her current post as chairman of the Senate Policy Committee, she said Tuesday.
She had been widely speculated to be looking to move up from the policy job, which is No. 4 in the Senate GOP leadership, to conference chair, which is the No. 3 spot.
“I love the position that I’m in,” Hutchison said. “I really like it better than the position of Conference, and I didn’t need to be in that race.”
Hutchison is getting good at dangling her names for offices that she eventually does not seek, having flirted before with running for governor of Texas and then opting out of the race. She’s now looking at running for governor again, this time in 2010.
Her office insists that she did not drop out pf the Senate leadership race because she feared she would lose. It’s worth noting, however, that news broke that she would not run on the same day that the following headline stretched across the front page of the Politico: “Hutchison’s rise troubles GOP peers.”
The story pointed to concerns among conservatives over her views on children’s health insurance, creating a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and creating autonomous zones for ethnic groups inside Iraq.
Hutchison’s position on the race has created a little dissension in the Texas Senate delegation.
The other senator from Texas, John Cornyn, was going to run for Hutchison’s current leadership post if she tried to move up. Now it appears that Cornyn is stuck where he is. Did Hutchison hang Cornyn out to dry by leaving open the possibility that she would try to move up and open up a better spot for him, only to publicly withdraw after the leadership races had largely taken shape?
Hutchison spokesman Matt Mackowiak says Hutchison told Dave Beckwith, a former Hutchison aide who now works for Cornyn in Texas, a week ago that she was not going to try to move up.
Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh said Hutchison expressed qualms about running to Cornyn’s office last week, but that Cornyn “learned of her decision definitively” when the two senators talked Tuesday morning.
One other question: If Hutchison knew a week ago that she would not run for conference chair, as her office claims she told Beckwith, why did she not publicly respond to reports saying she was in the race? Hutchison’s spokesman said he had no answer for that.
Here’s audio of Hutchison discussing her decision with reporters.
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Bush: CNN Political Ace Brought a Bug On My Plane
President Bush keeps the traveling press corps at arm’s length: maybe now we know why.
Reflecting on the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush recalled Tuesday that “my friend Candy Crowley,” - the CNN political ace - brought a “virus” on the campaign plane seven years ago.
“I got a respiratory infection,” Bush confided to the cameras and a roomful of scribes at his White House news conference on Tuesday. “So did half the press corps. They got off the plane; I didn’t get to get off the plane.”
“It was a tough experience,” Bush recalled.
“Well look,” he said, glancing toward CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry, “I’m not dissing Candy. I said ‘my friend.’ That’s going to happen to the best of them, you know?”
Bush made the jocular reference during an almost wistful riff on things his misses - and doesn’t miss - watching the presidential campaign unfold from the comfort of the Oval Office.
“I miss the campaigning,” Bush said. “I like campaigning, you know. And if somebody ever says they don’t like campaigning, they’re not telling you - either that or they’re a lousy candidate. I mean, it’s fun. I enjoy it. I enjoy the crowds. I enjoy the noise. I enjoy giving that message. I enjoy the competition. And, yes, I’m going to miss it.”
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Early warning
Generally, White House reporters get about 90 minutes notice that President Bush is going to have a news conference.
So it came as a surprise this morning at 10:48 a.m. when the White House announced that Bush will hold a news conference at 10:10 a.m. TOMORROW. That’s almost 24 hours notice.
How come the change in tactics?
Nothing too mystical, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, who says it’s been on the schedule for awhile “and he agreed to let us announce it early.”
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Bushes night out
It was get-dressed-up-and-go-out night at the White House on Sunday as the president and the first lady headed out for the annual Kennedy Center Honors tribute.
This year’s honorees: Comedian Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, Beach Boy Brian Wilson, pianist Leon Fleischer and director Martin Scorsese.
Prior to motorcading to the Kennedy Center, the Bushes hosted a White House reception in honor of the honorees.
Pretty good guest list, including actor Theodore Bikel, actor Steve Carell, Army Chief of Staff George Casey, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Hootie & The Blowfish singer Darius Rucker and bassist Dean Felber, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, singer Aretha Franklin, musician Lyle Lovett, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, musician Itzhak Perlman, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, musician Earl Scruggs, comedian Martin Short, actor Ron Silver and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.
Also on the guest list were several CBS executives and correspondents, including Jim Axelrod and Bill Plante, the network’s men at the White House.
How’d they score the invitations? The Kennedy Center event was taped Sunday night for airing on CBS on Dec. 26.
And speaking of scoring, the presence on the guest list of comedian Martin Short and wife Nancy brings to mind a warm recollection Steve Martin offered the other night during a Washington q-and-a session hosted by the Smithsonian.
An audience member asked Martin if anything funny happened while making the 1986 film “The Three Amigos” with Short and Chevy Chase. Martin told of a Scrabble game in which Short passed him a note offering sex with Mrs. Short in exchange for the letters q and e.
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McCain gets key endorsement
The New Hampshire Union Leader, in its traditional front-page editorial, today endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona for president.
“We don’t agree with him on every issue,” Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid wrote “We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform. What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination. Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water.”
That’s right, McCain said in a statement about McQuaid’s editorial in New Hampshire’s only statewide paper.
“It is yet another indication that I have the momentum to win the first-in-the-nation primary. … I alone have the experience, knowledge and judgment to lead as commander in chief from day one, and my candidacy will rally the Reagan coalition to win a great victory next November,” McCain said.
McCain was the surprise winner of the 2000 GOP primary, easily besting then-Gov. George W. Bush and several other contenders.
Among the other contenders was Steve Forbes, the Union Leader’s endorsee in the 2000 GOP primary.
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White House wedding plans
During her recent preview of the White House holiday decorations, Laura Bush offered this observation: “It’s very interesting, I think, that this year’s ornament is a wedding. It’s the wedding of Grover Cleveland, the only president who married while he lived at the White House.”
And isn’t it interesting that Mrs. Bush, soon-to-be mother of the bride, thinks it’s “very interesting” that the White House Christmas ornament depicts a White House wedding? Hint of wedding plans re daughter Jenna?
The first lady, who previously has said privately there would not be a White House wedding, isn’t saying.
“I’ll be announcing Jenna’s wedding plans sometime later, but not at the Christmas decorations. She actually is still on her book tour. She’s in Denver today on her book tour. And so when she finishes her book tour, we’ll make our plans, and you all will be the first ones to know,” she said.
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