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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (744082)	6/29/2006 6:53:21 AM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

talk about blind-faith,hmph! -the Bush administration has suffered from a kind of infallibility complex which impedes progress and obscures reality

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (744082)	6/29/2006 10:44:15 AM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

this is what the gop needs, lol Comeback talk creates Lott buzz By Alexander Bolton The prospect of former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) returning to leadership next year is creating more and more buzz on and off Capitol Hill, Republican insiders say. The higher volume of talk has been fueled partly by his former aides who hold influential lobbying positions downtown, but prominent GOP insiders with no special allegiance to Lott say it extends well beyond his inner circle. Perhaps by coincidence, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has recently sought a more public leadership role, appearing more often before television cameras set up outside the GOP conference’s Tuesday luncheons, and has otherwise made himself more available to the press. If Lott were to return he would have to challenge one of several colleagues for a leadership post. At the end of last year, he said he could challenge McConnell’s bid to become majority leader, but he has since backed away from that threat. The Lott-McConnell dynamic was on subtle display last week when McConnell appeared before the cameras to discuss the debate on Iraq. Just beyond his shoulder, Lott could be seen holding court with a dozen reporters. Lott surrounded by a gaggle of reporters is not an unusual sight. Since resigning as majority leader in December 2002 he has been a media favorite because of his mix of outspokenness and authority. It is his role as a behind-the-scenes dealmaker, however, that has caught the attention of senators, staff and lobbyists looking ahead to next year. Lott has influenced Senate-House negotiations over pension reform, tax cuts and other legislation. “I get a lot of comments from people around the town, from staffers, senators and lobbyists, who are watching what Lott’s doing behind the scenes,” said Jack Howard, the senator’s former deputy chief of staff, “People are thinking more seriously that Lott should be back in the leadership in some capacity.” Howard is president of Wexler & Walker, a government-relations firm. Another former Lott aide said he too has been caught up in surging interest in Lott. “I got a lot of calls about it recently,” he said, “People are asking about it.” But Lott loyalists are not the only ones talking. Former Reagan White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, chairman of the Duberstein Group, said: “I think there is a broad sense that Trent Lott has a proven track record as a leader in both the House and the Senate and that many beside the immediate Lott staff family find it an attractive avenue should Trent decide to run. You hear the chatter. You hear the buzz. It is not, from what I can detect, staff-generated or previous-staff-generated but a recognition that Trent racked up quite a track record when he was whipping the House and his various leadership positions in the Senate.” Charles Black, chairman of lobbying group BKSH & Associates and a former senior adviser to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, said: “Depending on how the dominoes fall he may be interested in getting back in the leadership. There’s been some gossip for it for a while, but its probably stepped up some. I hear it from all of the above, people in the lobbying community, staff people on the Hill.” Lott’s best chance of returning to leadership would arise if Senate Republican Conference Chairman Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) loses his reelection race. Santorum is considered the favorite to succeed McConnell as assistant leader after Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) retires this year. Lott has made clear to his friends that he supports Santorum’s bid for reelection and wouldn’t run for the Republican whip’s position while Santorum is fighting for his political life. Even so, renewed focus on Lott’s future appears connected to polling data showing that Santorum faces a difficult race. One recent poll showed Santorum trailing his Democratic opponent by almost 20 points, a wider gap than earlier in the year.