July 2001

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At the Races 7/26/2001 10:35 AM Florida's Goss Hints He May Run Again Next Year; New York's Lazio Seeks To Cool Talk of a Comeback; and Oklahoma's Inhofe Maintains Lead Over Former Governor... Read the article Jeffords Faces Suit Over Party Switch 7/26/2001 10:31 AM Before sunrise one day in late spring, Michael Hahalyak and John Hoffman set out to change the course of political history in a 500-mile trek back and forth from Pittsburgh to the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse at Third Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. When their day was done, well after 10 p.m., Hahalyak, 81, and Hoffman, 64, had filed a federal civil suit against Sen. Jim Jeffords (I) attempting to force the Vermonter back into the Republican Party. Even though legal experts give little credence to their arguments - essentially that Jeffords committed a fraud by running as a Republican last year - the two are certain that they can overcome the long odds. Read the article After Primary, It's Miller Time 7/26/2001 10:29 AM Jeff Miller (R) sailed past five rivals Tuesday in the GOP primary to succeed resigning Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), taking enough votes to dodge an expensive and divisive runoff that could have offered Democrats a chance to compete in this Republican stronghold. "To have this show of support, I just can't say how thankful I am," Miller, a former state Representative, said yesterday. "It's an extremely humbling experience." Aided by Scarborough's last-minute endorsement and a concurrent election for his now vacant state House seat, Miller surpassed the expectations of most observers by taking 54 percent of the GOP vote - more than three times the support that second-place finisher Michael Francisco received. Read the article Bush Expected to Nominate Joint Chiefs Chair Soon 7/25/2001 2:37 PM President Bush is expected to nominate a new chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff as early as this week in a step that would put his personal stamp on plans to reshape U.S. security strategy and forces, defense officials said on Wednesday. The White House has put a tight lid on talks between Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over the nation's top military officer and senior adviser to the President. But reports have centered on three candidates to succeed retiring Army Gen. Henry Shelton as JCS chairman. Read the article Bloomberg Gains in New York Poll 7/25/2001 2:22 PM Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg has gained voter support in the past six weeks, but he still trails all four of the Democratic contenders, according to a poll released Wednesday. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported Wednesday that the 59-year-old media billionaire resigned from four exclusive clubs with predominantly white memberships two months before announcing his candidacy. In a hypothetical matchup against City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, the Quinnipiac University poll showed Vallone leading Bloomberg 53-28. Public Advocate Mark Green led Bloomberg 54-28, and City Comptroller Alan Hevesi was ahead of Bloomberg 51-29. Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer led Bloomberg 48-33. Read the article Florida GOP: Harris to Run in 2002 7/25/2001 2:19 PM Secretary of State Katherine Harris, Florida's best-known female politician after the five-week recount that sent George W. Bush to the White House, apparently wants to join the president in Washington. Harris' political advisers are ``trying to put together the best campaign team that they can'' for a congressional run in 2002, state GOP executive director David Johnson told The Associated Press. Harris, who has nearly a year to formally enter the race, refused Tuesday to confirm she was running, but added she's confident she can ``make a difference'' in Congress. Read the article Poll: Mrs. Bush Broadly Popular 7/24/2001 3:27 PM First lady Laura Bush is viewed positively by almost two-thirds of Americans after six months in the White House, a poll finds. She hasn't been as divisive a figure as her predecessor. Mrs. Bush also hasn't made a strong impression yet, according to the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Read the article Bush: Peacekeeping Should Be Civilian Job 7/24/2001 8:59 AM President Bush ventured into Serbia's recovering Kosovo province Tuesday, telling U.S. troops he hopes to speed the day when peace is self-sustaining here and they can go home. The president brought with him a defense spending bill passed by Congress that includes $1.9 billion to boosts pay, benefits and health care for American troops. He signed it before hundreds of cheering soldiers in green camouflage fatigues. Read the article Hastert Supports Muhlenberg Museum 7/24/2001 8:58 AM House Speaker Dennis Hastert is supporting a local group's effort to create a museum honoring Frederick Muhlenberg, the country's first speaker of the House, and other House speakers. "We ought to learn from the history of this nation," said Hastert, R-Ill., before a recent fund-raiser at Ursinus College. The house in nearby Trappe was built in 1745. It was purchased in 1781 by Muhlenberg, who became the first speaker of the House in 1789 as a Montgomery County congressman. Hastert, a former high-school history teacher and a lifelong history buff, called Muhlenberg "a calming influence during the early years of our Congress." Read the article Group Backs 'Guest Worker' Program 7/24/2001 8:57 AM A study group headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft is calling for a new program that would grant guest-worker status to some of the millions of Mexicans who are in the United States illegally. The proposal, sent to the White House Friday, would be "part of our continued effort to work with the Mexican government toward our shared goal of a more orderly, more humane, legal and safe migration," spokesman Scott McClellan said Monday evening. The working group, co-chaired by Powell and Ashcroft, "recommends creation of a new, temporary guest-worker program that would allow for some of the workers to achieve permanent resident status over a period of time," McClellan said. Read the article Leadership Not A Draw for Kyl 7/24/2001 8:56 AM Despite his reputation as a hard-line conservative, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) sometimes leads a pack of racecars as they warm up their engines at the Phoenix International Raceway. At other times he plays the grand marshal, firing off a gun to start the race at one of America's largest racetracks. "It's interesting when people see Jon and his political persona. They have a hard time picturing him doing this," said his longtime friend Jim Haynes, a race director at PIR. "He doesn't fit the profile." What's more typical is to hear Kyl, the son of a former GOP Congressman from Iowa, described as a reliable Republican vote. In the last Congress, he voted with the GOP leadership 99 percent of the time. Read the article GOP Drops Chair Duties 7/24/2001 8:54 AM One of the few flashes of bipartisanship in a Senate scarred by pitched battles ended quietly last week when Republicans told Democrats they no longer would share the responsibility of presiding over the Senate floor. Since January, Republicans and Democrats have both wielded the Senate gavel, a division of labor that highlighted the razor-thin majority that both parties have enjoyed this year. But Republicans, frustrated by what they describe as the Democrats' failure to act in a bipartisan manner, have terminated this practice in order to focus all of their efforts on enacting President Bush's agenda. "There is not a lot of interest on our side to do it," said Senate Minority Whip Don Nickles (R-Okla.). "Usually it is the majority's responsibility to preside, and we hope to regain the Majority, and we will be happy to preside." Read the article President Bush, First Lady Tour Rome 7/22/2001 10:03 PM President Bush put the controversy of a global summit quickly behind him, strolling hand-in-hand with his wife Sunday evening through the ancient ruins of what he called this "very romantic city." The president also prepared for a meeting with Pope John Paul II that promises to be much warmer than any papal audience President Clinton ever enjoyed. Neither side expected the leaders - one political, one religious - to discuss Bush's pending decision on embryonic stem cell research. Bush was in a playful mood as he and first lady Laura Bush climbed down the steps of the Roman Senate, site of so much historic political oratory, and through the Settimio Severo Arch of ornately carved stone. Read the article Helms Blocking Bush Confirmations 7/22/2001 10:02 PM In a tangled test of wills with the Bush administration, Sen. Jesse Helms is blocking confirmation of a fistful of Treasury Department officials and slowing approval for others as he seeks relief for the textile industry. "I'm not going to let it go unnoticed that about 4,000 people (in North Carolina) will lose their jobs who are not trained to do anything else," said Helms, R-N.C. He stepped in months ago to influence obscure Customs Service regulations implementing a 2000 trade bill. Helms' move quickly drew the attention of the White House, followed by expressions of irritation from the chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction over trade issues. Read the article Attorney General Ashcroft Defends His Ardent Faith 7/22/2001 10:01 PM Attorney General John Ashcroft stood at one of the nation's most recognizable pulpits Sunday to defend his passionate Christianity, saying he imposes his faith on no one. Ashcroft spoke to a near-capacity crowd at Orange County's Crystal Cathedral, a 10,000-member, open-air church that hosts the weekly TV worship program "Hour of Power." The show draws millions of viewers worldwide. Critics have accused Ashcroft, a lay minister and son of a Pentecostal preacher, of giving religion too prominent a role at the Justice Department -- including optional prayer meetings with staff before each work day. Read the article Senate Hearing Set July 30 for FBI Choice Mueller 7/19/2001 9:26 AM Robert Mueller's nomination to lead the FBI formally went to the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, and the panel promptly set a confirmation hearing for July 30. Mueller appears to enjoy support from both Democrats and Republicans. He met privately on Capitol Hill with some members of the committee Wednesday. Mueller, a veteran federal prosecutor, is President Bush's choice to succeed Louis Freeh, who retired as director last month. Justice Department officials said Mueller hopes to testify at his confirmation hearing before he undergoes surgery for prostate cancer. Read the article Bush Signs Law for Reagan's Daughter 7/19/2001 9:23 AM President Bush has signed into law a special measure that gives Maureen Reagan's adopted daughter -- a 16-year-old girl from Uganda -- permanent residency in the United States. The measure, a private bill sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also classifies Rita Mirembe Revell as Ms. Reagan's "immediate relative child." Bush signed the bill Tuesday. Maureen Reagan, the eldest daughter of former President Reagan, is undergoing radiation treatments for melanoma that has spread to her brain. Read the article Grams Forms PAC; Won't Rule Out Senate 7/19/2001 9:21 AM Dipping his toe back into Minnesota's political waters, former Sen. Rod Grams (R) has formed a political action committee to help fund candidates in a variety of races. Called the Rod Grams Minnesota Victory Club, the PAC was formed June 1 and will "provide direct cash contributions for common-sense candidates all across Minnesota," from the local to the federal level. Pointing to Democrats' political strength in winning local and federal offices, Grams said he saw the PAC "as a way to help right the ship" through a "focus on grassroots politics" and "direct financial support." Grams was defeated in his bid for re-election by now Sen. Mark Dayton (D) in 2000. Noah Rouen, a spokesman for the PAC, said that it "is something [Grams] has always wanted to do" and "keeps him involved in Minnesota politics." Read the article Limbaugh Boosts DeLay Legal Fund 7/19/2001 9:16 AM Fresh off signing a $250 million contract to continue hosting his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh is passing the hat for House Majority Whip Tom DeLay's (R-Texas) legal bills. Limbaugh is hosting a major Washington fundraiser next week to help DeLay pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees left over from the politically charged racketeering lawsuit brought by House Democrats last year. Chief Deputy Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), DeLay's top lieutenant, is putting together the event, scheduled to take place next Wednesday at the Washington offices of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, a Cleveland-based law firm. Read the article House Backs Ashcroft on Gun Plan 7/18/2001 10:07 PM The House voted Wednesday to back Attorney General John Ashcroft's plan to shorten to one day the time the government keeps background-check records of gun buyers, delivering a setback to gun control advocates. In the year's first major vote on the volatile issue of guns, lawmakers voted 268-161 to reject an effort by Rep. James Moran, D-Va., that would have required the FBI to keep the records for at least the 90 days currently mandated. Ashcroft proposed truncating that period last month, arguing that the shorter period would still let the records be audited for fraud and abuse while better protecting the privacy of legal gun purchasers. The National Rifle Association, which lost a federal lawsuit aimed at destroying the records immediately after the checks were conducted, has called Ashcroft's proposal a "step in the right direction." Read the article Ziglar Backed for INS Commissioner 7/18/2001 10:06 PM Key lawmakers on Wednesday backed James Ziglar, President Bush's pick to head the Immigration and Naturalization Service, despite Ziglar's lack of immigration experience. "I know he'll do a great job. I know he'll undertake the assignment with great vigor," said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, who was Ziglar's childhood friend in Pascagoula, Miss. "All that is left to be said is 'Amen. Let's vote,' " Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., added at the Senate judiciary committee hearing. Read the article GOP Wants to Gain More Women Voters 7/18/2001 10:06 PM Republicans are exploring ways to recruit more women voters -- usually a Democratic-leaning group -- while fine-tuning their message on issues that have been tough for the GOP, such as health care, energy and the environment. GOP leaders boast of early successes of the Bush administration on tax cuts and education, but some Republicans acknowledge the party needs to re-examine how it's telling the public about its accomplishments and goals. "We're selling stuff in tune with the historic currents, but we have a marketing challenge," said Republican consultant Alex Castellanos. "We haven't made our case as well as we can yet." Read the article Blair Praises Bush: Offers to Be 'Bridge' Between U.S., Europe 7/18/2001 10:04 PM Britain's Tony Blair will serve as a friend in need to President Bush in Europe this week, the prime minister made clear today, emphasizing his desire to "build bridges of understanding between the U.S. and Europe" at a time when the U.S. president faces harsh opposition on this side of the Atlantic. Blair said he recognizes that Bush "is being trashed" by pundits and interest groups in Europe, "but then I think that happens to a lot of U.S. presidents." For his own part, the prime minister had nothing but praise for the new president. "There will always be people who will attack the U.S.," Blair said, "but I don't think we should pay a very great deal of attention to that." Read the article House Passes Flag Amendment 7/17/2001 9:46 PM For the fourth time in six years, the House endorsed a constitutional amendment to protect the American flag from desecration. Once again, however, the effort to amend the Constitution for only the 18th time since the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791 faced likely defeat in the Senate. The House voted 298-125 for the one-sentence article stating that "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." Read the article Volunteers Sought for Vet Funerals 7/17/2001 5:38 PM Deaths of World War II veterans have risen to some 1,200 day, and the Pentagon is looking for volunteers to play 'Taps," present the American flag and perform other military honors at funerals. "It's very much of a challenge for all the services," to provide such ceremonies at so many funerals, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said. "But it's something that we need to do," he said. "This the right thing to do." From the pool of millions of troops that served in World War II, Quigley said some 1,200 veterans are dying daily, up from 1,000 a day two years ago. Read the article Bush Allies Predict Charity Bill Win 7/17/2001 5:37 PM Supporters of legislation opening government social welfare programs to religious charities told President Bush they expect a favorable outcome when the House considers the issue Wednesday. But the legislation faces an uncertain future in the Democratic-led Senate, where no commitment has been made on when debate will begin. "We feel pretty good about the vote," Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., told reporters after the White House meeting. "We reported to the president that things look pretty good. ... The president has led this effort with great passion and great conviction." Rep. Danny K Davis, D-Ill., said that he is supporting the measure after a period of indecision. Read the article Bush Nominates Coats As Ambassador 7/17/2001 5:36 PM President Bush on Tuesday nominated former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana to be U.S. ambassador to Germany. A staunch conservative, Coats was mentioned early in the administration as a possible candidate for secretary of defense, a post which ultimately went to Donald H. Rumsfeld. Coats was a member of the House in 1988 when Indiana's Republican governor named him to the Senate to replace Dan Quayle, who had been elected vice president on the ticket headed by George H.W. Bush. Read the article Karl Rove, President's Focus Engineer, Finds Self in Spotlight 7/15/2001 10:22 PM Karl Rove, the political brain who brought President Bush to the White House, is all about focus. "You really have to focus," he would say during the presidential campaign. Now, as Bush's senior adviser, he says his biggest worry for the administration is "losing focus." So why is it that Rove's name is often the one mentioned these days when the White House message is blurry? Last week, Rove popped up in the context of an arrangement between the White House and the Salvation Army over a regulation the charity sought to exempt it from workplace bias laws based on sexual orientation. Read the article Vulnerable Freshmen Bank on Tough Races 7/15/2001 10:20 PM At least eight freshman House Members raised more than $300,000 in the first six months of 2001, and no fewer than a dozen new Members banked a minimum of $200,000 by June 30, according to a first glimpse at new fundraising reports that suggest another cycle of record-breaking spending in House races. Most of those eight Members (four Republicans and four Democrats) won first terms last year by less than 5 points and are already bracing for tough re-election fights in 2002 - some of them in districts being redrawn by the opposing party. Read the article Lott Not Missing 'Pain in the Neck' 7/15/2001 10:19 PM Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) thought long and hard about whose tenure as Minority Leader would serve as his prototype for how he will carry out his new role. He first thought of former Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), who held the post in the late 1970s. But Baker never faced the circumstances Lott does now: a minority Senate with his party in charge of the White House. And then it hit Lott. "It's sort of like Daschle's was," Lott said, referring to Sen. Thomas Daschle's (D-S.D.) time as Minority Leader while Democrat Bill Clinton occupied the White House. "I must say, I think Daschle and the Democrats deserve a lot of credit for making life difficult for us in the majority." The Mississippi lawmaker now hopes to return the favor. Read the article 2004: History Not on Gore's Side 7/12/2001 12:53 PM As Al Gore mulls another presidential race, history is not his ally. In the 144 years of modern-party politics, only one candidate -- Richard Nixon -- won the White House after losing his first bid as a nominee. Another 22 unsuccessful first-time nominees never got nominated again, and most of them quickly faded from the political scene. America rarely is kind to presidential losers. Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey twice, and Democrats gave two nominations to Adlai E. Stevenson and three to William Jennings Bryan. None of them became president. Since the Civil War, another 14 Democratic nominees and eight Republicans simply went one-and-out. Read the article West Wing Partially Evacuated 7/12/2001 12:42 PM The West Wing of the White House was partially evacuated Thursday after a car parked on the driveway nearby raised suspicions. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney remained at work inside. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice's office was among those evacuated. At the time, Rice was in a weekly meeting in the office of chief of staff Andrew Card on the other side of the building. While security precautions are always high at the White House, it is extraordinary that a portion of the building would be evacuated. People were asked to leave the press office and briefing room of the West Wing, the closest offices to the driveway. Offices also were evacuated in the Old Executive Office Building, which faces the driveway. Read the article Thune Leaning to Senate? 7/12/2001 12:17 PM When it comes to the South Dakota Senate race, President Bush may get his wish after all. Sources close to Republican Rep. John Thune say that in the wake of Sen. Jim Jeffords' (I-Vt.)decision to throw control of the Senate to Democrats, the South Dakotan is looking much more seriously at abandoning his planned gubernatorial bid and challenging Sen. Tim Johnson (D) in 2002. "There is a growing feeling that [Thune] is certainly shifting his attention" from a gubernatorial bid to the Senate race, said Dwight Adams, a former Republican state party chairman and Thune confidant. "The trips to the White House and Jeffords switching have had an impact." Thune discussed the race with Bush during the President's March 8 visit to South Dakota, and Thune and his wife dined at the White House with Bush and the first lady in April. Read the article National Republican Congressional Committee Raised a Record $39 Million 7/12/2001 12:16 PM The National Republican Congressional Committee announced it had raised a record $39 million in the first six months of 2001. Almost one-half of the NRCC's fundraising total came as a result of events held with President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The committee raised in the vicinity of $17 million from the joint House-Senate dinner featuring Bush and a spring gala with Cheney. "The President and Vice President have been on our team and helping us get our solid footing as we move into the 2002 cycle," said Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), chairman of the NRCC's executive committee. Read the article Bob Dole Treated for Surgery-related Infection 7/11/2001 3:43 PM Former Sen. Bob Dole is scheduled to be released from a hospital Wednesday or Thursday after undergoing treatment for an infection related to surgery he underwent last month. Dole had been readmitted Monday to Walter Reed Army Medical Center near Washington for treatment of a "superficial infection," according to his spokesman, Doug MacKinnon. Dole, the 1996 GOP presidential candidate, will be 78 on July 22. Read the article Ashcroft: Justice to Watch Over FBI 7/11/2001 3:40 PM Attorney General John Ashcroft, following up on promises of change after the FBI evidence problem in the Timothy McVeigh case, has given a Justice Department office responsibility for investigating problems in the bureau. In a statement Wednesday, Ashcroft said responsibility for investigating problems at both the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration will be handled by Justice's inspector general. The change gives the inspector's office the same authority to investigate misconduct allegations against employees of the FBI and DEA that it has had with respect to all other components of the Justice Department. The inspector general's office is the agency's internal watchdog and looks into alleged waste, fraud and abuse. Read the article House GOP Scales Back Bush Tax Plan 7/10/2001 10:36 PM House Republicans have significantly scaled back President Bush's plan to give new tax breaks for charitable contributions, massively shrinking the benefit for Americans who do not itemize on their taxes. The bill to be considered Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee would allow taxpayers to deduct just $25 in donations in 2002 and 2003. That would slowly grow to $100 by 2010 and remain there. Those figures would be double for couples. The new tax break applies to 70 percent of Americans who claim the standard deduction, allowing them to deduct charitable contributions from their taxable income and reduce their tax bills. Read the article Bush Makes First New York Stop as President 7/10/2001 11:43 AM Six months after his inauguration, President Bush is visiting New York state for the first time, welcoming newly sworn-in citizens at the Statue of Liberty and paying respects to the late Cardinal John O'Connor. Bush was attending a naturalization ceremony Tuesday on Ellis Island, just off the southern tip of Manhattan, where he was announcing that he intends to accelerate the citizenship process. Then he was heading to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City to present the Congressional Gold Medal to O'Connor posthumously The medal is the highest honor awarded by Congress to individuals, institutions or events. Lawmakers and then-President Clinton approved the recognition for O'Connor last year. Read the article Positioned for a Call to Justice 7/10/2001 11:42 AM Al Gonzales is not entirely comfortable with the direction the discussion has taken. He's been White House counsel for a few months, and affirmative action -- the controversial policy giving preference to minorities -- is not something he's eager to discuss. Perhaps he is concerned that he may have spoken too freely. "I am not naive enough to think that race has never played a role in the opportunities given me," he has just said. Then he asks, "How do you define affirmative action?" At 45, Gonzales has lived the American dream, from inner-city poverty to Harvard Law School, from the first minority partner at a major Houston law firm to this elegant West Wing office at the White House. And he's much talked about today as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court. Read the article Bush Courting Iowa Republicans 7/9/2001 1:11 PM George W. Bush got to know Iowa's campaign trail when he stumped for the state's leadoff precinct caucuses, and he has moved aggressively to strengthen those ties since taking office. Strategists say Bush's courting of activists where the presidential nominating season begins is more than a pre-emptive strike against any challenges from fellow Republicans in 2004; it's also an effort to boost his standing in a state he narrowly lost to Democrat Al Gore last year. With the electoral math virtually evenly divided, any edge is worth seeking, they argue. Read the article FBI Chief, Others for Top Jobs Nominated 7/9/2001 1:07 PM The big news on the nomination front last week was President Bush's choice of federal prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III for director of the FBI. But Bush also announced his intention to nominate a number of others to top jobs. The president picked Phillip Bond, director of federal public policy for Hewlett-Packard Co. and a former Defense Department official, to be undersecretary of commerce for technology; and B. John Williams Jr., a tax partner at Shearman & Sterling, to be chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service. Bush also intends to nominate Kent R. Hill, president of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass., and former president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington to be assistant administrator of the Agency for International Development for Europe and Eurasia. J. Edward Fox, president of Fox and Associates and a former assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in the Reagan administration, was tapped to be assistant administrator of AID for legislative and public affairs. Read the article GOP Web Site Keeps Members Fully Briefed 7/9/2001 1:05 PM House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (Okla.) is betting that his colleagues are Web-savvy enough to tap into a new site that offers the inside skinny on legislation that's making its way to the floor. "Committee Central" offers one-stop shopping for Republican members (www.gop.gov/ committeecentral), complete with bill summaries, issue briefings and sample op-eds. Parts are open to the public; some are for GOP members only. The site also allows party activists and lobbyists to make their feelings known about legislation, so the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the National Right to Life Committee, for instance, can post letters indicating whether a given bill amounts to a "key vote" on its annual voting scorecards. According to Watts spokesman Kevin Schweers, the GOP conference is an equal opportunity clearinghouse, so if the unions want to chime in on a particular vote, their letters will be posted as well. Read the article Chafee, Setting His Own Course 7/8/2001 11:23 PM Long before he was a U.S. senator, Lincoln Chafee shoed horses for a living. Recently he got a chance to apply that knowledge to his first meeting with the president of the United States. "It's the same thing," Chafee says, absently munching Doritos in his office here, the same one occupied by his father, Sen. John Chafee, until his death in 1999. "Before you start shoeing a horse you don't know, you size him up, let him size you up, get to know him a little bit. I usually let him smell me." For the record, there was no sniffing when Chafee sat down with George W. Bush in the Oval Office for a 20-minute get-acquainted session on June 7. But it's a safe bet that Bush was at least as curious about the junior senator from Rhode Island as Chafee was about him. Read the article Bush Wraps up Brief Vacation 7/8/2001 8:03 PM On the misty last day of a brief vacation, President Bush attended church Sunday at an oceanside chapel and went fishing in the Atlantic with his father. Gray waves curled in white froth over the black rocks off the shore when Bush's motorcade pulled through the gates of St. Ann's Episcopal Church as a light rain abated. The president, first lady Laura Bush, and his parents, former President Bush and his wife, Barbara, and other family members sat in a front row pew after being greeted at the door by the Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, the Episcopal bishop of Maine. The church, used mostly by summer visitors to this vacation coast, was built in 1887 in Old English style of cemented rocks and boulders. The Bush compound at Walker's Point is a short ride away up Ocean Avenue. Read the article Top Republican Candidates in Special Election are Running Without Endorsements from Influential Kin 7/8/2001 7:23 PM They all enjoy blood ties to GOP heavyweights whose support could mean key votes in the race to succeed Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.). But two of the three top Republicans in the likely special election are running without endorsements from influential kin. Jim Hendren, for example, is the nephew of Hutchinson and his brother, Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.). But Hendren, a former Air Force pilot, would prefer that voters know he served six years in the state House, including two years as Minority Leader, where he led challenges to key parts of Gov. Mike Huckabee's (R) agenda. Another Republican in the race, state Sen. Gunner DeLay, is a distant cousin of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), whose sky-high popularity among conservatives could boost the state Senator in a competitive primary. Read the article National Republican Senatorial Committee Raises $25 Million 7/8/2001 7:17 PM Claiming that reports of its demise following Sen. Jim Jeffords' (I-Vt.) party switch are greatly exaggerated, the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised nearly $25 million in the first half of 2001 and stockpiled $15 million in its war chest. The NRSC was also quick to point out that it raised $6.8 million in June after Jeffords exited the Republican Party and the GOP lost the Senate majority. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reported raising $6.7 million since Jeffords' June 5 departure and $20 million total over the past six months. Read the article