February 25, 2006
Inside Report
By Robert
Novak
CATHOLICS FOR ROMNEY
WASHINGTON
-- A prominent anti-abortion Catholic legislator in New Hampshire
on Feb. 17 sent a "confidential invitation for addressee
only" to a 3 p.m. meeting with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
March 17 at the Upham-Walker House in Concord, N.H.
Republican
State Rep. Maureen C. Mooney said the meeting would be "private"
and "closed to the press." She added Romney would answer
questions from a "small group of conservatives."
Mooney's
invitation stressed that the meeting was not "an endorsement
of any kind on my behalf or the N.H. GOP." Romney, a possible
candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, lost ground
with Catholic pro-lifers when he said he would enforce a law requiring
that the morning-after pill be made available at Catholic hospitals
throughout Massachusetts.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
GEORGE
Although
members of Congress are keeping an arm's length from lobbyists,
Sen. George Allen -- a possible Republican presidential hopeful
-- will be celebrating his 54th birthday the evening of March
8 at a Capitol Hill fund-raising party hosted by Washington lobbyists.
Scott Corley,
a registered lobbyist for Microsoft, and Frank Cavaliere, Vonage's
vice president for federal regulatory affairs, sent out a letter
to fellow lobbyists asking $1,000 per political action committee
or individual. Also listed as hosts were lobbyists for Clear Channel
Communications, BWX Technologies, AT&T, VeriSign, the National
Federation of Independent Business, the National Association of
Broadcasters and the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.
Sponsors
and hosts alone are expected to produce over $50,000 for "Friends
of George Allen," and other guests would provide more. This
money could be used for either Allen's 2006 re-election effort
in Virginia or a presidential campaign in 2008.
STINGING
SOROS
Left-wing
billionaire George Soros, who has used a loophole in campaign
finance laws to smash George W. Bush and Tom DeLay, is getting
a taste of his own medicine in Rep. DeLay's home base of Houston.
The Free
Enterprise Committee, a so-called 527 organization that escapes
federal scrutiny, is running an ad in Houston that links Soros
to the attacks on DeLay. It depicts Soros in black while DeLay
is seen bathed in sunshine and in full color.
"George
Soros, full of money and liberal ideas -- like legalizing drugs,
letting felons vote and keeping the death tax," begins the
ad. It continues: "He also bankrolled the liberals linked
to attacks on Tom DeLay. So, when you see attacks on Tom DeLay,
consider the source."
SCALPING
FOR POLITICS
Rep. Thomas
Reynolds, a key member of the House Republican leadership, is
soliciting political contributions by in effect scalping tickets
for NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" games at Washington's sold-out
MCI Center for more than 30 times face value.
Reynolds
is soliciting $2,000 a person to provide tickets for the March
24 tournament session that are sold by the NCAA for $65 apiece.
"Tickets are very limited," says the letter of invitation,
"so please RSVP as soon as possible."
Although
Reynolds is chairman of the National Republican Congressional
Committee, the basketball money will fund TOMPAC, Reynolds's leadership
political action committee that he uses to make contributions
to selected candidates.
LOST DEMOCRATIC
CHANCE
Democrats
may have lost their best chance to retain the Ohio 6th congressional
district in the eastern part of the state when state Sen. Charlie
Wilson, the party's only serious candidate for the seat, failed
to meet the minimum ballot requirement of only 50 valid signatures
on his petitions.
Wilson submitted
just 96 signatures, many of them invalid because they were from
voters from outside the district. Democratic Rep. Ted Strickland,
who is running for governor this year, was elected without opposition
in 2004. The two Democrats who managed to get on the ballot are
not considered viable candidates. Wilson still will attempt running
for the nomination on a write-in.
A footnote:
Although Ohio is considered a Republican disaster area for 2006,
no serious Democratic challenger has emerged against Rep. Bob
Ney, despite his being linked to the lobbyist scandals.
Copyright
2006 Creators Syndicate
