Posted on 05/14/2005 11:12:38 AM PDT by aculeus
WASHINGTON -- Members of the inner circle of high-ranking House Republicans privately agree that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is an absolute lock for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and will not be easy to defeat in the general election.
The same lawmakers believe the Republican race to oppose Clinton is wide open but regard Sen. George Allen of Virginia as having the edge over Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee. The consensus among them is that Allen is a better candidate than Frist and will the advantage over him in GOP primaries. The House members see little or no prospect for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain of Arizona or Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
The Clinton-vs.-Allen forecast by the leading House members duplicates the National Journal's poll of insiders from both parties.
LOTT'S DEAL
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's efforts to broker a compromise on judicial confirmations angered Majority Leader Bill Frist, but in fact he never was close to completing a deal with moderate Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson.
Lott was trying to show that every effort had been made to negotiate a settlement before Republicans attempted to use the "nuclear option" (a phrase coined by Lott) to force a majority vote on judicial confirmations. Nelson, who is up for re-election next year in conservative Nebraska, wants to separate himself from other Democrats.
Internal Senate Republican politics are at stake. With Frist not seeking re-election in 2006, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell is heavily favored to succeed him as majority leader. However, Lott is a long shot to seek and regain his old leadership position.
AMBASSADOR TO EU
Veteran Washington lawyer and Republican activist C. Boyden Gray recently sat down with Howard Kohr, executive director of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in an effort to counteract Jewish opposition to Gray as U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
Neo-conservatives inside the administration have advised President Bush that Gray would be a poor selection to go to Brussels. According to sources close to the situation, White House national security aide Elliott Abrams has opposed Gray in writing.
Gray was White House counsel in the first George Bush administration and has led citizens' efforts for the confirmation of George W. Bush's judicial nominations.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE POLITICS
Diminishing Democratic support for efforts to curb unregulated campaign spending by "527" organizations are reflected in the withdrawal by co-sponsors of the bill that would close the loophole in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act.
Of the eight original Democratic co-sponsors of the loophole closer, four have withdrawn: Reps. Timothy Bishop and Michael McNulty of New York and Reps. Xavier Becerra and Barbara Lee of California. In a House floor statement, Becerra expressed a "growing discomfort" that the bill "may actually limit voices too dramatically without offering other alternatives." Three Republicans are co-sponsors.
Of more than $600 million in 2004 unregulated 527 contributions, a big majority of the money -- roughly two-to-one -- was spent supporting John Kerry and other Democratic candidates and trying to boost Democratic voter turnout.
CORRECTING BILL THOMAS
After the U.S. Capitol was evacuated last Wednesday, a Capitol police officer shouted, "Stay there!" to a portly lawmaker who was prematurely trying to return from a holding area to the abandoned building. It was Rep. Bill Thomas of California, the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The policeman's admonition caused consternation among lawmakers who witnessed it, because nobody speaks harshly to the hot-tempered, imperious Thomas. In this case, however, Thomas just smiled and followed directions.
Police gave Speaker Dennis Hastert a specially guided path out of the Capitol, but other House members -- including Thomas -- were on their own.
©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
townhall.com
LOL! You should work for an exit polling service Novak! Run Hillary Run!
George Washington, George Bush, George Allen......has a nice ring to it, eh what?
Leni
hey, you got a point there :o)
Take care of those eyes :o)
George ALlen is opposed to Bush's Amnesty Program:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1395383/posts
Last Monday or Tuesday I heard George Allen talking on the John And Ken Show in Los Angeles.
Since Allen is considered by many to be the Conservative front runner for the Presidency in 2008, I thought I would type here what I heard Allen's positions were regarding Illegal Immigration so people in the future can use it to determine whether they want to vote for him in the primaries.
What Allen Said was that it was "ridiculous" that the we are "shaking down" old ladys and children at ports and airports but we are continuing to leave the borders wide open.
Allen also said it was "nonsense" that we are securing Iraq and Afghanistan's borders but doing nothing about our Southern Border.
He said that he "opposed" President Bush's Guest Worker program and that Allen was proud he voted against the AgJobs Amnesty bill in the Senate recently.
Furthermore Allen is not a cosponsor of ANY of the dozen or so Amnesty bills floating around the Senate like the "Dream Act" and such.
Allen also said he was one of the few Senators to meet with the Minutemen project organizers and that he "supported" them and understood them.
John and Ken did not ask Allen whether he supports putting troops on the border, but Allen did sound pretty conservative on every Illegal Alien question they asked the Senator.
PS:
I am NOT saying I agree or disagree with Allen's statements, I am merely listing them for people's future political reference.
BTTT
Won't be much left after 8 yrs of a GOP congress
The words President Allen are sounding better and better :o)
W: Governor
Bill Clinton: Governor
George H.W. Bush: CIA Director, Ambassador, Congressman
Reagan: Governor
Carter: Governor
Ford: VP
Nixon: VP, Congressman
LBJ: VP
JFK: Senator?
Ike: General
HST: VP
FDR: ?
Hoover: Secretary of Commerce
Hoover was the only President who wasn't a member of congress, VP or General before becoming President.
DITTO!
WV Rebel wrote: The only problem as I see it is that Senators, even if they're former Governors, don't have a history of winning Presidential elections.
Actually, there are no examples of Senators who are former governors who have been a party's nominee for President. At least not in well over a century.
Actually, George Allen's 1993 gubernatorial race was against a strong female Democrat Attorney General who had a 30 point lead over him earlier in the year before he trounced her by double-digits. He can do the same to Hillary without coming across like Lazio. If some MSM weenie started screaming about it, he'd just tell them to lighten up and do so on camera.
Some aspiring artist / cartoonist should do a piece with George Allen riding an elephant in a cowboy hat with a rifle saying, "We're going RINO huntin'!" and have a bunch of rhinos with McCain, Hagel, Pataki, Giuliani written on them scurrying away from Allen.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Pray for W and Our Troops
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