Posted on 07/16/2005 6:07:16 PM PDT by CHARLITE
WASHINGTON -- Super-lobbyist Ed Gillespie has been given his own office in the West Wing of the White House to manage President Bush's Supreme Court confirmation battle. That raised speculation Gillespie could be chief of staff for the end of the Bush presidency.
Republican lobbyists Ken Duberstein and Tom Korologos were given judicial confirmation chores in years past without moving permanently into the West Wing. Insiders believe Gillespie, a protege of Bush political adviser Karl Rove, is being groomed to replace Andrew Card as chief of staff for Bush's last two years as president.
Less than a decade ago, Gillespie was a mere aide to then House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He left to become a lobbyist and has been called on by Rove for political tasks: running Elizabeth Dole's 2002 campaign for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina, Republican National Committee chairman in 2003-2004 and now the judicial confirmation assignment.
CONFIRMING BOLTON
Supporters of John Bolton's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations want to make one last try to get 60 senators to break the filibuster instead of President Bush renominating Bolton during the next congressional recess to avoid Senate confirmation.
Contrary to published reports, Bolton has not personally urged a recess appointment. Because such an appointee would have to leave office when this Congress adjourns, Bolton would have little more than 13 months in office.
Hopes for 60 cloture votes hinge on settling the dispute over intelligence documents demanded by Bolton's critics. While progress has been made, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd remains uncompromising in leading opposition against Bolton.
DEAN DOWN
Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean has drastically lowered his profile in the last three weeks, but that has not stopped complaints about him from prominent Democrats.
In touring Republican red states carried by George W. Bush, Dean was snubbed June 30 when he went to New Orleans. None of Louisiana's top Democrats -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu and State Democratic Chairman Jim Bernhard -- showed up.
Inside party circles, Dean is a principal topic of conversation -- not all of it, but most of it, unfavorable.
VETOING STEM CELLS
Republican strategists in Congress and the White House are contemplating a fast track for the embryonic stem cell research bill: completing congressional passage with Senate action, rushing it to the White House for President Bush's veto and then back to the House for a vote to sustain the veto -- all within 24 hours.
The idea would be to expedite an unpopular act and get it over with. The House-passed stem cell bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware and opposed by Bush, may pick up 70 votes in the Senate.
A footnote: Some Republican strategists figure the president's veto of the Castle bill will enable Bush politically to nominate a moderate to the Supreme Court, but conservatives say that is nonsense.
NON-BLACK-TIE "W"
George W. Bush, who dislikes black-tie "state" dinners so much that he hosted only four in his first term, has reluctantly scheduled his first two 2005 formal dinners for later in the year. That still leaves President Bush hosting fewer such occasions than any of his predecessors in the modern era.
A black-tie event for India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, July 18 will be Bush's first formal event since Oct. 6, 2003, but it will labeled only as an "official" dinner because the guest is not a head of state. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be the guest for what so far has been designated a "social" dinner, one further step down in formality with the details still unclear. Bush has held full-scale "state" dinners for the presidents of the Philippines, Poland, Mexico and Kenya.
A footnote: Bush prefers to entertain foreign visitors at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. Colombia President Alvaro Uribe will be there Aug. 3, requesting more money for the war against narco-guerrillas.
"Supporters of John Bolton's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations want to make one last try to get 60 senators to break the filibuster instead of President Bush renominating Bolton during the next congressional recess to avoid Senate confirmation".
Getting 60 Senators together is not going to happen and Novak doesn't really mention a recess appointment except in negative terms so that's probably not going to happen either. Frankly, I think the best option is to re-nominate Bolton until he's confirmed or Bush leaves office in '08. We don't need anyone in that cesspool anyway. We can have the Sec State sit in to veto the occasional important Security Council vote and forget about the rest.
Gillespie is good. Smart move.
You are probably, right, and by not picking someone else, or REALLY pushing for Bolton's confirmation, I think Bush is conveying his message that he feels that the UN is basically usless anyway.
May I nominate Michael Moore to replace Dean?
He can do a better job of that by refusing to give any more money to the U.N.
I am pretty sure that the funding for the UN has already been appropriated for this year, but if it wasn't, THAT would be a good thing to use against the dems that are holding up Bolton's nomination...
Bush could say that he would stop funding until Bolton is confirmed...you know how fond that Kerry and Kennedy and Biden are of the UN>
It just might get their attention!
I'd use the fact that the Dems stalled Bolton as proof that further funding should be cut, since they don't think filling that position is all that important.
Yes, it is nonsense. In fact, political suicide.
I know that a couple of weeks ago a Republican representative was trying to pass a bill that would reduce the UN dues the US would pay at least until they released all of the records, and submitted to subpoenas re: the OFF Scandal...
I don't think that it passed, but I will have to check.
These Senators evidently think they'll be remembered kindly in history. If noted in history books, they'll be noted as partisan hacks and nitwits. There will be no mention of how they saved the Senate from the precipice, quite the contrary. perhaps they won't be around to see the ridicule documented in the books, but they should think now of what it'll be like to be laughed out for centuries.
Why would Andy leave? More D.C. gossip that keeps everyone engaged?
Since they must vote, yeah, I want them to rush the bill through. Give Spectre no time to parade about indignant that he can't bully the President to support his pet ghoulish project.
A footnote: Some Republican strategists figure the president's veto of the Castle bill will enable Bush politically to nominate a moderate to the Supreme Court, but conservatives say that is nonsense.
I would appreciate these stratagists go on the record. So they can promptly be fired for stupidity. They'd be better placed on the other aisle.
I think Bush should appoint Bolten during the next Senate recess. And then Bolten should go to UN headquarters and announce that effective January 1, 2006 the United States will no longer be associated with the UN and the UN is no longer welcome in the United States.
If only the UN didn't exist and foreign leaders would just come and kiss the ring of the American President, the world would be a much better place! ;0)
Elected Republicans seem be better than average managers, but they sure do lack imagination.
How can this be a "filibuster" if all that's happening is Daschel-style obstruction? The ol' timers had to stay up all night reading from the phone book.
Here is a bill that passed in the House, but as far as I can tell, it hasn't been before the Senate yet...http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR02745:@@@L&summ2=m&
I really, really resent Specter "using" his cancer as a call for this embryonic stem cell bill...
He didn't get cancer until long after this was first discussed...and he is just pitiful as a Judiciary Chairman because he is too busy being "sick", if you know what I mean.
Any hints that Uncle Karl himself will become Chief of Staff when Any Card leaves?
Thanks for the link. I see that Henry Hyde is the sponsor which is good, but only Mike Pence has signed on as a co-sponsor. Too bad.
I would vote for that....but alas, we don't get to vote for that..
I am beginning to think that we need to change our federal elections to the ones in the states...with different referendums we can vote for/against...like funding the UN!
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