My question is how could they tell he was giddy? He always acts that way.
Daschle, on the other hand, was spotted Tuesday evening strolling through the Capitol in what was described as a "clearly giddy" mood. Asked if he knew Jeffords' plan, Daschle said he hadn't had any conversations, but added in passing, "I hope you will all treat me with some respect now."
Jeffords, 67, a lifelong Republican, met with President Bush, Vice President Cheney and leaders of both parties Tuesday and said he would announce his decision Wednesday morning.</>
"I'm considering a lot of things," Jeffords said. While a party switch was not certain, Republican sources said he was contemplating joining the Democrats or becoming an independent aligned with the Democrats.
A switch would give Democrats a majority in the Senate for the first time since they lost it in the 1994 elections, elevating Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to the post of majority leader with the ability to bring bills to the floor. Democrats would take over as chairmen of most committees.
Late Tuesday, a spokesman for Jeffords told Fox News that there would be no word from the senator's office until Wednesday on the time, location or any other news about the announcement. Jeffords' spokesman would not confirm reports that the news conference was planned for 10 a.m. — but did say that nothing would be heard from the senator or his office anytime before 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The spokesman indicated that the announcement would be "on the Hill," but didn't say where, only that it "would be convenient," he recognized, for Jeffords to make his announcement either on the floor or in a room where it could be taken live.
Fox News has learned that Jeffords told two Senate colleagues that his conversation with Bush did not go all that well.
He is proving to be a snake in the grass, and I say the Democrats deserve him, but why didn't he run as a Democrat?
This article says what the democrats were actually hoping might happen..Old Strom is the "Energizer bunny"!
Sen. James Jeffords
Fox News spoke with two senators who consider themselves close friends of Jeffords, one Republican and one Democrat. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Republican told Fox News that Jeffords described his meeting with Bush as "uncomfortable and unproductive." The Democratic senator confirmed that Jeffords had shared with him that the conversation was "not good."
The Senate Republican Conference staff told Fox News that they are now operating under the assumption that Jeffords will bolt the party. One source said they have been on alert for it since last Thursday.
Across Capitol Hill, all signs seem to point to Jeffords leaving the GOP. One leadership aide said "in the end, it was up to the president to keep Jeffords in the party, and Tom Daschle's riding pretty high tonight."
The move would overturn Republican Senate rule by shifting the balance to a 51-49 or 50-49-1 Democratic majority. Jeffords was not taking phone calls on Tuesday night, but asked his intention in a Senate corridor, he said, "Lots of people are trying to get me to do different things."
Asked about the situation, Senate Majority Whip Don Nickles, R-Okla., who joined Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., in a meeting with the three-term senator Tuesday afternoon, said he does not know what the senator's decision is, but said if Jeffords does switch, "I'll go looking for a beer. In fact, I may go looking for one now, I don't even want to contemplate it."
Daschle, on the other hand, was spotted Tuesday evening strolling through the Capitol in what was described as a "clearly giddy" mood. Asked if he knew Jeffords' plan, Daschle said he hadn't had any conversations, but added in passing, "I hope you will all treat me with some respect now."
Stung by the potential defection, the White House urgently contacted longtime Jeffords donors and political supporters Tuesday, hoping they could persuade the senator to stay in the GOP. Officials also said they were redoubling their efforts to persuade Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia to become a Republican, in hopes of countering any move by Jeffords.
One Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, said he didn't know if Jeffords would switch. Asked if he felt let down, he said he wasn't.
"The only thing surprising is how it happened. We always figured it might happen some other way," he said, in an apparent reference to 98-year-old Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, whose advanced age and unsteady step are a constant reminder to Republicans of the fragility of their majority.
If Jeffords switches, he could be offered the top slot in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, demoting Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, into the vice chair's seat.
Daschle would not confirm any discussion of chairmanships, saying that is a discussion for another day. A Republican leadership aide tells Fox News, however, that Lott has offered to match any offer the Democrats might make as far as perks or influence within the GOP caucus.
It is unclear whether Jeffords intended to bolt from the party that has been his home for nearly a quarter-century in Congress, or was publicly venting his irritation with his treatment at the hands of the White House and GOP majority in the Senate.
Jeffords angered the White House this spring when he refused to support Bush's budget with its $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut. Instead, he sided with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who forced changes on the Senate floor. The result was the first high-profile defeat for the new administration.
Shortly after that, Jeffords was not invited to the White House for a National Teacher of the Year award ceremony honoring a Vermont high school educator, a move widely viewed as political payback.
In addition, some GOP aides have whispered that the White House might retaliate by seeking changes in a dairy support system that benefits farmers in Vermont and the Northeast.
Bush did not contact Jeffords personally during the budget debate, leaving it to Cheney and administration staff officials to try to swing a deal for the senator's support.
-- Fox News' Julie Asher, Sharon Kehnemui, Carl Cameron, and The Associated Press contributed to this report |
