John Breaux Thinks Chris John Best Fit for His Shoes

Baton Rouge, LA, Morning Advocate ^ | 05-31-04 | Shields, Gerard

[Theodore R.]

Breaux thinks John best fit for his shoes

By GERARD SHIELDS gshields@theadvocate.com Advocate staff writer

It's official -- U.S. Sen. John Breaux, D-La., is supporting U.S. Rep. Chris John, D-Crowley, in the race to succeed Breaux.

Breaux's endorsement of John was expected. But the fellow Crowley native who is retiring after 32 years in Congress made it official by co-hosting a New Orleans fund-raising event on May 22 on behalf of John.

Event chairs were asked to raise $25,000. Event hosts were asked to contribute or raise $10,000. And it was suggested that each guest who attended contribute $1,000.

Laura Fruge, a spokeswoman for the John campaign, declined to say how much money the campaign raised.

"We did very, very well for ourselves," Fruge said.

§ Retiring U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, has no plans to leave Congress early but isn't ruling it out.

A spokesman last week said Tauzin, who is being treated for intestinal cancer, has made no plans to force a special election by retiring early. Tauzin, 60, has been on congressional leave while he undergoes chemotherapy treatment at a cancer center in Houston. Tauzin is expected to recover, according to his doctors.

Tauzin spokesman Ken Johnson said the congressman is hoping to return to work, health permitting, on issues ranging from the transportation bill to energy.

"He'll be back to work as soon as he gets clearance from his doctors, but his course of treatment remains unclear," Johnson said.

Tauzin has already undergone two rounds of grueling chemotherapy and may require radiation treatment as well, Johnson said.

National Republicans are urging Tauzin to finish his term in order to give Republicans, who will have President Bush at the top of the ticket, a leg up in the Nov. 2 primary to pick his successor. Bush won the district with 52 percent of the vote in 2000. The 3rd District that Tauzin, a former Democrat, represents is almost two-thirds Democrat.

"We've always encouraged him to finish out his term," said Carl Forti of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "And we never had a doubt that that is what he would do."

§ It took the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., little time to go after 3rd District Congressional candidate, Billy Tauzin III.

In a news release issued on May 21, the day before Tauzin announced his candidacy, the Democratic committee highlighted Tauzin's DWI arrest and conviction three years ago, called him a telecommunications lobbyist and implied that he recently moved to the district.

"The kind of experience he's had over the past few years isn't exactly what people look for in a member of Congress," committee spokesman Greg Speed said in a statement.

In response, Tauzin called the DWI arrest a "tough life lesson" he has put behind him. He also corrected the Democrats about his employment, which he said does contain a small amount of state lobbying but is made up more of public and community relations.

Lastly, Tauzin moved to Thibodaux three years ago, he said. Tauzin called the Democratic attack telling.

"It does show that I am the front-runner," Tauzin said.

§ In a look at eight candidates who could become the vice presidential running mate of likely Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Congressional Quarterly magazine rated the field based on candidates' support of Democratic party bills.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a moderate, finished near the bottom of the pile with an 80 percent rating. Only two other senators had a lower score. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson recorded a 67 and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., scored a 14.

U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., scored the highest at 96 percent. And Kerry himself? He scored a 93.

§ Kerry continues to show that he considers Louisiana a battleground state.

He has visited the state three times since March and is scheduled to be in Baton Rouge on June 5. It will be part of a series of hearings that Kerry is holding across the nation to create a party platform. His stop will include testimony on national security, terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Witnesses will include Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

§ U.S. Rep. David Vitter is trying to obtain more money to help the state repair and maintain bridges.

Louisiana ranks 10th nationally in the percentage of bridges classified as structurally deficient. In addition, the state ranks sixth in terms of percentage of bridge surface area that is deficient.

Vitter, R-Metairie, also noted that Louisiana is only spending 57 percent of the federal funds it qualifies for to replace and rehabilitate bridges. Vitter has proposed the Rural Bridge Safety and Repair Demonstration Act of 2004, which would create a federal demonstration project in Louisiana to address the high percentage of structurally deficient bridges.

"A sound network of highways and bridges is not only a safety issue, but it's a vital and valuable part of our economy that serves a key role in job creation efforts," Vitter said in a statement.

John Bradberry, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, said in a statement that he would look into the bridge spending and thanked Vitter for his bridge efforts.

§ Of the 801 American soldiers killed in Iraq, eight have been from Louisiana, according to a review by National Journal magazine.

Gerard Shields is The Advocate's Washington correspondent.

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[Kuksool]

Breaux wants to make it 3 for 3. His endorsements of Mary Landrieu and Kathleen Blanco showed he has enormous clout in the Bayou State.