October
1, 2005
Who Picked Dreier?
By Robert
Novak
WASHINGTON -- Sources who were involved in the conversations
say Speaker Dennis Hastert and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
agreed between them that Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier
should temporarily succeed DeLay because he had no long-term ambitions
for leadership.
Hastert and DeLay are described as pondering whether the speaker
himself should temporarily take over the majority leader's duties.
Hastert's friends say the idea of Dreier originated with DeLay.
Dreier as an interim leader would have eased the way for DeLay's
eventual return. Hastert's allies also contend the speaker decided
to name Majority Whip Roy Blunt as DeLay's temporary successor
without being urged to by conservative House members who opposed
Dreier.
If DeLay
does not return to the leadership, House Republicans will vote
on a permanent majority leader. That might not happen until after
the 2006 election, whose outcome will affect the leadership question.
Rep. John Boehner, chairman of the House Education and Workforce
Committee, might challenge Blunt for the post.
Article
Continues Below
The Next
Justice
The two
names passing through conservative legal circles last week to
fill the remaining Supreme Court vacancy were White House Counsel
Harriet Miers and Federal Appeals Court Judge Samuel A. Alito
Jr.
Miers, a
60-year-old former Dallas City Council member, is a prominent
Dallas lawyer without judicial experience. She is close to President
Bush, but the pro-life movement questions her position on abortion.
She would be the first non-judge named to the Supreme Court since
William Rehnquist in 1972.
Nobody questions
the conservatism of the 55-year-old Alito. He was named in 1990
by President George H.W. Bush to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals
(New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) following service as Bush's
U.S. attorney for New Jersey and in the Reagan Justice Department.
McCain
in California
Sen. John
McCain is willing to go to California to campaign in favor of
a labor-opposed "paycheck protection" measure that would enable
workers to prevent unions from using their dues money for political
campaigns.
In a recent
private dinner sponsored by the American Spectator magazine, McCain
said he always has supported the concept of paycheck protection
and would be happy to go west to campaign for the referendum.
However, McCain told this column that nobody has requested his
presence.
A footnote:
McCain said he also favors other ballot issues sponsored by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, including congressional redistricting for
California.
Frist's
Back
Supporters
of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist privately admit that he again
demonstrated his lack of political finesse last Monday when he
showed his back to reporters seeking to question him about his
heavy sale of stock in HCA Inc., the hospital company founded
by his family.
Frist called
a press conference to read a brief statement asserting that he
"had no information about HCA or its performance that was not
publicly available." He then walked briskly out of the room with
his back to the camera.
The practical
choices facing Frist were either to issue his statement without
a press conference or to submit to questions. Instead, the televised
image of him appearing to flee questioning could have increased
suspicions that he had something to hide.
Hawaiian
No's
President
Bush's Supreme Court strategists hoped as late as Wednesday night
that 81-year-old Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, one of the last
senators undecided about Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice,
would vote "yes" Thursday to put a clear majority of Senate Democrats
in favor of confirmation.
However,
Akaka joined his senior colleague from Hawaii, 81-year-old Sen.
Daniel Inouye, in opposing Roberts. That meant the 44 Democrats
split evenly, 22 to 22, on Roberts. Akaka did not address the
Senate to explain his vote.
A footnote:
The only senators from the same state belonging to the same party
and splitting their votes were Michigan's two Democrats. Sen.
Carl Levin voted for Roberts. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, up for re-election
to a second term next year, opposed him.
Copyright
2005 Creators Syndicate
