Kerry steps aside for teamwork...
By Nina J. Easton, Globe Staff | December 4, 2005
Rhode Island's Jack Reed, West Point graduate, former Army Ranger and paratrooper, Senate Armed Services Committee member and leader of Democratic efforts to build a unified message on Iraq, was supposed to be the designated hitter for Senate Democrats in responding to President Bush's speech on the war Wednesday.
But that was before John F. Kerry of Massachusetts got into the act.
On the eve of Bush's speech, Democratic Senate leaders told the media that Reed would deliver the party's official response at 11 a.m., inside the Capitol's ornate Mansfield Room. But Senate aides told the Globe's Rick Klein that Reed's staff had learned from TV producers that Kerry, past and likely future presidential candidate, had already booked a competing time slot to deliver his own remarks from the Senate's radio and TV gallery.
A last-minute scramble to organize a joint press conference ensued, and the two New England senators wound up sharing the podium.
If Kerry's action miffed the Democratic leadership, the minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, isn't letting on. His spokeswoman praised the ''the two vets for speaking out about a new course in Iraq." Meanwhile, Kerry's office offered this: ''We had scheduled a press conference for Senator Kerry to talk about Iraq. When we learned that Senator Reed had one planned for the same time, we happily offered to do our event later or combine them."
. . . and moves forward over war
Meanwhile, Kerry is posting his Iraq plan on billboards in the districts of two Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee, one in Terre Haute, Ind., John Hostettler's district; the other in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jeb Bradley's district.
The billboards feature a call for ''20,000 Troops Home by the Holidays and A Plan for a Stable Iraq" -- and a website for Kerry donations.
Laura Bush sets her yuletide table
It's that time of year again. Laura Bush has unveiled her second annual gingerbread White House, complete with a white-chocolate Executive Mansion. Buffet suppers, including crown roasts of lamb and pumpkin spice custards, are spread out for presidential parties. On Capitol Hill, a 65-foot-high Engelmann spruce tree stands ready to light up the city sky.
And the annual political war over what to call all this has begun. Only this time it was Democratic-controlled Boston that kicked the controversy into high gear, and a Republican House leader who got his way.
After references to Beantown's ''holiday tree," -- now officially renamed a ''Christmas tree" by the mayor, stirred up religious right leaders nationwide, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert made it a personal mission to rename the giant spruce he will light Thursday on the Capitol lawn. Since the 1990s, it has been called a ''holiday tree," in deference to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrators.
Hastert wanted the name to revert to the more traditional ''Capitol Christmas Tree," and this week the capitol architect acquiesced.
But flummoxed church-state watchdogs still found a glimmer of hope in the season's tidings. The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, noted that despite the protests of religious right leaders over the disappearance of the word ''Christmas" from the national vocabulary, the nation's First Couple opted for ''holiday" cards.
The Bush card features the presidential pets frolicking in the snow outside the White House and an Old Testament Psalm (28:7 ''The Lord is my strength and my shield.") but makes no mention of Jesus's birthday.
For 2008, best-laid plans conflict
New Hampshire officials and the Democratic National Committee are on a potential collision course with Republicans over the 2008 presidential primary schedule.
Later this week, a DNC advisory panel is expected to recommend that state caucuses be added to the window between the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary in an effort to dilute the considerable influence both states now enjoy in choosing a presidential front-runner.
Determined to maintain its first-in-the-nation-primary status, New Hampshire is rebelling. Secretary of State William M. Gardner last week said the state would move up its primary rather than be upstaged.
New Hampshire is willing to support adding other states to the early calendar providing they debut after its own primary.
All of this posturing could wind up running afoul of a Republican National Committee rule, adopted at the 2004 convention, that no delegate can be selected before Feb. 5, 2008. If New Hampshire, or any other state, jumps that gun in a leapfrog battle to be first, it risks losing half of its delegates to the Republican Convention.
''While the Democrats have some flexibility, we're locked into the calendar decided at the previous convention," said the RNC communications chief, Brian Jones.
The RNC rule applies only to voting events that result in the selection of delegates.
Iowa, which operates a caucus rather than a primary, may or may not fall under the rule. And will other caucus states that the DNC is considering moving up, such as the events in Michigan and New Mexico, receive a waiver?
That's up to the RNC lawyers to decide. |
