White House Insiders
Dana Milbank
Washington Post
Friday, May 28, 2004; 11:00 a.m. ET
What is the latest buzz within the Bush administration? How does the administration feel President Bush’s speech on Monday resonated with the public? How has the President and his advisors reacted to the Bush’s recent poll numbers?
Washington Post White House correspondent Dana Milbank took your questions and comments on President Bush, the current administration and covering the White House on Friday, May 28 at 11 a.m.
White House Insiders is a new show featuring Washington Post staff writers Mike Allen and Dana Milbank. Every two weeks, one or both will take your questions on the White House, the president and the Bush administration.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Dana Milbank: Welcome to another exciting edition of White House web chat, in which we discuss the weighty issues of the day, such as:
1) How did the makeup artist cover up that boo-boo on the presidential chin so well on Monday night?
2) Did that pink coffee table being unloaded from Air Force 1 this week come from Barbara Bush's dorm room? And is it destined for the Lincoln bedroom?
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Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.:
Any idea how long the administration will hold up the report from the 9/11 commission?
Dana Milbank: No hold up at all. In fact, the administration resisted a plea from the commission for more time but then relented. Report is due in another couple of months-- just in time for the political convention season.
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London, UK:
How does the administration feel after their "conservative estimate" ( between 100 to 500 tones of chemicals agents in Iraq ) of chemical agent has not yet been found? After 13 months into war.
Dana Milbank: Thank you for the question, Prime Minister Blair. I know you must be feeling awfully duped. Privately, administration officials and their advisers are somewhat mystified, attributing the failure to disinformation spread by Saddam Hussein. Publicly, the jury is still out -- until the WMD commission gives its report well after the November election.
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Volcano, Hawaii:
I've been seeing a lot more Colin Powell
in the news lately, and a lot less Condi
Rice, which seems somewhat odd
considering their prior relationships with
Bush and the speculation about a
second-term cabinet. What gives? Is Ms.
Rice in a cooling-off period following her
testimony before the 9/11 commission?
And, in a completely unrelated topic, what
is the last book Bush is known to have
read -- not daily inspirational sayings but,
you know, a full-on book?
Thanks, and let
us all have a thoughtful Memorial Day
weekend.
Dana Milbank: Have you been living in a Volcano or something?
Oh, sorry.
Actually, it is true that Powell has been visible -- vying for air time with that palm tree in Jordan and getting out in front of Bush and Rice in criticizing Israel's action in Gaza. But Rice has been out in public too, and was in Berlin recently. She hasn't had a high-profile appearance since her testimony, but expect her to step out a bit next week as Bush goes to Italy, France and the G-8.
I forgot what the last readout of Bush's reading list was, but I am certain it did not have pictures.
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Boston, Mass.:
I've noticed that more and more top Army brass are crticizing the Administration's Iraq policies publicly.
How is this being received and dealt with in the White House?
Dana Milbank: True, though mostly formers, like Zinni. The likes of Myers and Abizaid are pretty good at keeping in line. In fact, it was Paul Wolfowitz, the Pentagon's no. 2 civilian, who was most out of line, acknowledging mistakes made in Iraq.
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Arlington, Va.:
Was the President wearing a helmet when he fell of the bicycle? It is administration policy, via National Highway Traffic Safety, to wear one?
Dana Milbank: Yes (mouthguard to), and OSHA has recommended he wear the helmet again next week when he meets with the French and German leaders.
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St. Paul, Minn.:
USDA seems to be dealing with one miscue after another. There was the snafu on Canadian beef imports and a flip-flop on organic standards. Is anyone 'in trouble' at USDA? Will Veneman be around for a second Bush Administration?
Dana Milbank: Was at an event at the National Press Club a couple of weeks ago and Venemen was introduced as the Secretary of Education. Maybe it's Rod Paige who is in big trouble.
Agriculture's quick move blocking a return of mad Canadian cows was particularly awkward because Bush had just promised essentially the opposite in a Rose Garden meeting with Canadian PM Paul Martin.
I'm guessing many cabinet secretaries will move on, as usual, if Bush is reelected, which leads us to...
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Fresno, Calif.:
Dana - Accurately or not, everyone expects Powell to leave State if Bush is re-elected. Any idea who would replace him if that happens? Thanks
Dana Milbank: How about John McCain?
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Alexandria, Va.:
How is it that the Bush campaign can cite "external factors" as influencing his poll numbers?
What is happening in Iraq is directly a result of decisions the president has made or has avoided. Does anyone really think that the events there are the fault of someone OTHER than the Bush Administration?
Dana Milbank: I think Bush advisers such as Matthew Dowd are correct to use this term. It doesn't mean that Bush had nothing to do with the situation, only that his reelection now depends on events largely outside of his control. Will Iraq erupt after June 30? Will unemployment continue to go down? There's no longer much Bush can do about this.
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Weymouth, Mass.:
It seems that Bush's self-destruction means that Kerry just has to stand there, look presidential, and do nothing. But regarding Ralph Nader, the conventional wisdom is that he hurts Kerry, helps Bush. Is there any scenario involving Nader that worries the Bush re-election team (Example: Nader attracting conservatives in New Hampshire -- quite feasible given the 2000 election stats -- and tipping the state to Kerry in a close race)?
Dana Milbank: The illustrious and intemperate Tom Toles drew a lovely cartoon of Nader presenting Kerry with the one Bush supporter who switched to Nader -- a straw man. There is, of course, virtually no scenario under which Nader pulls more votes from Bush than Kerry, and indeed it seems hard to see how Nader would pull any votes from Bush, unless voting was done on punch cards in South Florida. But logic does not seem to be the driving force of Nader's candidacy. He told me last time around that in some ways it was better for the Republicans to be in the White House, because that would eventually lead to enough backlash to create a reinvigorated progressive/consumer movement.
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Fresno, Calif.:
Dana - I realize it's a big if, but if the prison abuse investigation should force Rumsfeld out, who do you think would be his likely successor? Couldn't possibly be Wolfowitz, could it? Given his possible tarnishment in this and his rigid ideology, I can't imagine Bush would want to go through the confirmation process, with all that would be rehashed.
Dana Milbank: How about John McCain?
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Anytown, USA:
Why did Jenna Bush skip her college graduation?
Dana Milbank: This was a surprise, even to those of us waiting in Austin that night. It was always the case that the president and first lady would skip the graduation -- the hassle of security sweeps for everybody, they said -- and have a private party for Jenna. It only became clear Saturday night that the party, at an Austin restaurant called Moonshine, would happen at the same time as UT graduation a couple of miles away.
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Damascus, Md.:
The president's speech on Iraq on Monday seemed to be timed for maximum impact, but fell completely flat, so far as I can tell.
They said it was the first in a series of speeches leading up to the June 30 'turnover'. But I haven't seen any schedule or hoopla about any further speeches in the series.
Are they abandoning the speech plan already? Or are they just trying to bury the news?
Dana Milbank: Fear not: More speeches coming.
There's Bush's speech tomorrow at WW2 memorial, next week at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, then D-Day in Normandy, and ample opportunity at the G8. By the end you'll have memorized the five-point plan.
Whether it all works or not will take several weeks, and several polls.
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Natick, Mass.:
There is talk in the blogosphere that the RNC is using Indian call centers to outsource their fundraising calls. Surely, they wouldn't be that foolish, would they? Is this true?
Dana Milbank: We're still looking into it. As Scott McClellan would say: When we have something to report, we'll report it. In the meantime, Tom Toles will be happy to take your calls on the subject.
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Springfield, Va.:
What chance is there that Bush will have the decency to follow in LBJ's footsteps and announce that Iraq is so important he can't be distracted by a presidential campaign and so will not run for a second term, clearing the way for Sen. McCain to accept the Republican nomination?
Dana Milbank: Doggone it. I thought we had that as an exclusive for tomorrow.
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Rockville, Md.:
How does Scott McClellan get along with the press? As a supporter of President Bush, I feel relations with the press started to go downhill when Ari Fliesher left. Certainly on television, McClellan does not come across as warm or personable and I was wondering if you thought this had an effect on public opinion?
Do you think McClellan will stick around for a second term?
Will the BC04 Campaign have a separate press secretary? Who is it?
Will Fliesher have any role (formal or informal) in the campaign?
Dana Milbank: Actually, Scott McClellan is much better liked by the press than his predecessor. The covreage has indeed deteriorated, although this has much more to do with world events than with the press secretary. Mike McCurry, beloved by the press, couldn't get Clinton out of what my former employer called Bimbroglio.
A bit of Ari Fleischer news, if you haven't read it already: He has a new baby girl. I know you all join me and people of goodwill everywhere in hoping the girl has her mother's looks.
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Minneapolis, Minn.:
How seriously does the administration take Al Gore's attack in political terms? Do they think it will just blow over or do they think he carries enough political clout to make a huge effort to counter it?
Dana Milbank: Perceptions of Al Gore's political clout declined markedly with his endorsement of Howard Dean. I haven't heard the slightest concern about Gore's speech, and indeed in a Bush campaign conference call yesterday, Bush surrogates have been bringing up the Gore speech themselves as an example of hysteria and instability.
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Demarest, N.J.:
Two quick questions:
(1) We all know what Helen Thomas thinks of the Bush administration, but right now -- without asking you to name any names -- what do most reporters who spend every day covering the administration think of its competence, honesty and grasp of reality?
(2) Are people you consider reliable worried that Bush's people, falling in the polls, will stage an "October surprise" to push his numbers back over the top? Is there any speculation what that "October surprise" might be?
Thanks. Keep up the very good work.
Dana Milbank: (1) We have no thoughts, of course. But a Pew poll suggests 55% of journalists think the press has been too easy on Bush.
(2) There's lots of potential for an October surprise, but not the intentional sort when they finally pull Osama bin Laden out of his holding room in the basement of the OEOB. Both campaigns agree that the election is likely to be shaped by some event -- terrorist attack, felicitous discovery of weapons, etc. -- that is yet unknowable.
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Princeton, N.J.:
What mystifies me about press coverage of the Bush administration is how relatively compliant reporters are about reporting the Bush spin without critical response. How much punishment is handed out to reporters who don't toe the line (I'm thinking of Brokaw sitting next to Bush at one meeting while Jennings and Rather were consigned to the furthest corner of the table) and how much do you see that reaction influencing coverage? How much is pure laziness on the part of reporters who simply take the latest administration line as given and spew it out to the public? I'm struck when I catch foreign news coverage of the White House about how captive our domestic press seems and about how relatively impoverished our knowledge therefore is.
Dana Milbank: This was true, but I think less so now. Reporters are more followers than leaders. When the opposition party is weak and a president's poll numbers are high, coverage is soft. When the opposition is aggressive and the public has turned against a president, coverage his tough.
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Fountain Valley, Calif.:
Bill Clinton said yesterday that his book release won't hurt John Kerry and that Kerry is doing the right thing by treading lightly on foreign policy. Is Clinton saying what he actually believes?
Dana Milbank: I fear even my colleague John Harris, who has a PhD in Clinton studies, would not be able to tell you when Clinton is saying what he actually believes. Here on Earth, though, it seems implausible that Clinton's book could help Kerry, and the distraction can only hurt Kerry as he tries to make himself known.
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Alberta, Canada:
Why don't you like John McCain?
Dana Milbank: Mad Cow has spread further than I thought up there.
I LOVE John McCain.
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