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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Let Saigon be Saigon’s

By Ken Herman | Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 11:46 PM

President Bush heads to Vietnam next month, making a question about that upcoming trip a must-ask when former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes spoke at the National Press Club in Washington Wednesday evening.

It was during the 2004 campaign that Barnes acknowledged that as speaker of the Texas House he had found a National Guard slot for young George W. Bush, then the son of a Houston congressman, during the Vietnam War. Barnes said he acted at the behest of a Bush family friend.

Any advice for Bush as he prepares for his first-ever trip to Vietnam long after the Guard stint that kept him out of the war?

“It’s a lot safer than it was when he didn’t go the first time,” Barnes quipped.

Barnes was at the National Press Club to speak about his book, “Barn Burning Barn Building,” an account of his long years at and near the power centers in Austin and Washington.

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Isn’t anybody named Smith anymore?

By Ken Herman | Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 04:37 PM

Some names are more difficult to pronounce than others. Take Gonyea, for example. Or Abramowitz.

So then, what’s a president to do when confronted with such monikers? Cut and run would be the answer.

At today’s Rose Garden news conference, President Bush looked to the front row and recognized National Public Radio’s Don Gonyea for a question.

“Let’s see,” said Bush. “Yes, sir, Mr. NPR. Welcome to the front row.”

For the record, it’s gon-yay, kind of like it is spelled.

A few minutes later, Bush turned to Michael Abramowitz of the Washington Post.

“Washington Post man,” said Bush, moments later referring to him as “Mike.”

For the record, it’s a-bram-o-witz, just like it’s spelled.

Another Rose Garden sidenote: For some reason, upon entry, Karl Rove was doing a Bill Clinton impression, complete with the familiar raised thumb. Not a bad impression, either, as he said something about northwest Arkansas and Fayetteville.

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Reporter’s attire suits Bush

By Ken Herman | Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 01:00 PM

Here’s the latest from Mr. Fashion.

Two months after he dissed a reporter’s seersucker suit, President Bush had kind words – mostly – for the journalistic wardrobe he encountered at today’s Rose Garden news conference.

“If I might say,” Bush told NBC’s Kevin Corke, “that is a beautiful suit.”

Corke offered thanks on behalf of his tailor, leading to this additional presidential praise: “And I can’t see anybody else that even comes close.”

Bush then corrected himself to compliment the suit warn by CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux.

The president was not as charitable when CBS’ Jim Axelrod prefaced his question by saying, “My best suit’s in the cleaners.”

“That’s not even a suit,” Bush correctly noted about Axelrod’s sport-coat-and-slacks combination.

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Poll: Nelson 61, Harris 33

By Larry Lipman | Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 11:16 AM

Sen. Bill Nelson is still way ahead of Rep. Katherine Harris in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

Among likely voters, the poll found Nelson leading Harris 61 percent to 33 percent with 6 percent undecided.

If there was a ray of hope for Harris it was that 18 percent of likely voters said they could change their minds before the election.

Nelson’s lead among all registered voters was slightly less, at 56 - 31 with 11 percent undecided. Nelson’s margin among all registered voters has declined since late July when he led 61 - 24.

Harris still has a wide lead over Nelson among GOP voters, 67 - 27, but Democrats are even more solidly behind Nelson, 85 - 10. Independent voters also overwhelmingly support Nelson, 65 percent to 26 percent.

“Congresswoman Harris has made some progress in her race against Sen. Nelson, but with four weeks until the election, it isn’t nearly enough to make her a serious threat to the incumbent,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a news release.

“Floridians, by almost a two-to-one margin, still view her unfavorably — an indication of just how difficult a task she faces. In order to win, she’ll have to convince Floridians she is not who they think she is,” Brown continued.

The poll found that only 20 percent of voters had a favorable opinion of Harris, while 37 percent were unfavorable, 16 percent were mixed and 26 percent and said they hadn’t heard enough to form an opinion.

Women were toughest on Harris, with 40 percent of female voters giving her an unfavorable rating. Only 16 percent of women gave her a favorable rating.

Overall, Nelson received a 31 percent favorable rating compared to 12 percent unfavorable, 19 percent mixed and 38 percent who hadn’t heard enough to form an opinion. Nelson received a 31 percent favorable rating from women, and 24 percent unfavorable. He had a 29 percent favorable rating from men, and 17 percent unfavorable.

Despite Nelson’s lead, Brown said that “for a politician who has held statewide office for more than a decade, Sen. Nelson’s profile is surprisingly fuzzy. Four in 10 voters say they need to know more about him before they can decide if they view him favorably or unfavorably.”

“But it doesn’t matter because Congresswoman Harris is so weak. She is losing a quarter of the Republican vote and more than 60 percent of the independent vote and getting only half of the white evangelical vote — a recipe for electoral disaster for a Republican in Florida,” Brown said.

Among likely voters, the poll — conducted between Oct. 3 and Oct. 5 — had a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

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