Another Switch?
Roll Call Staff
Party-switching Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) had a little trouble remembering his current party affiliation during an event Friday to promote his new book at Politics & Prose.
Jeffords spent a good part of his remarks ripping into Republican leaders before noting that he is now a Democrat. Folks in the audience were a little surprised, given the fact that the name of the man’s new tome is, well, “An Independent Man.”
Liz Daley Jeffords, who was standing beside her husband, quickly nudged him. As you may recall, the Missus was said to be none too pleased in 2001 when her hubby decided to switch, so she’s all too familiar with his current affiliation.
There was some whispering before the red-faced Senator corrected himself and declared that he is, in fact, “an Independent.”
Jeffords spent a good deal of a recent book-signing ripping into Republican leaders before the author of ‘An Independent Man’ startled the crowd by announcing that he was a Democrat. He quickly clarified his statement.
The Senator will undoubtedly remember upon further review that his first book, “My Declaration of Independence,” also hinted at his current status. But he may be a bit confused by the fact that he aligns himself with Senate Democrats for organizational purposes, such as committee assignments.
Adding to the uncertainty now is that members of the Green Party showed up at the event and urged the Senator to run for president in 2004 as that party’s candidate.
“He was flattered, but he’s got his hands full in the Senate,” said Jeffords spokesman Erik Smulson.
Gephardt’s Hill Strategy. Staffers to some rival presidential campaigns were surprised to see a packet from Rep. Richard Gephardt’s (D-Mo.) presidential campaign land in Congressional Democratic offices Tuesday.
The packet addressed to fellow Democratic lawmakers included a copy of Gephardt’s announcement speech from last month, including the line that “with your help, we can take that fight to the most powerful office in the history of humankind.”
Although rival camps immediately raised questions about the propriety of trying to round up support in the halls of Congress, Gephardt campaign spokesman Erik Smith stressed that too much was being made of it.
“It was a packet produced by the campaign and handed out by volunteers,” Smith told HOH.
One staffer in a rival camp tried to find humor in the situation. “I appreciate Dick Gephardt letting us know that he’s running for president,” said the staffer. “I vaguely remember seeing him on CNN giving a speech, but then they broke away to cover the breaking news of a dog being rescued from the ice and I never heard what Gephardt had decided to do in ’04.”
Smith shot back that it “sounds to me like you’ve got a [legislative correspondent] with a lot of free time on their hands.”
He added that while others want to be “vitriolic,” Gephardt hopes “other people will eventually engage us” in a contest of ideas.
The Z Files. Aides to House Select Homeland Security Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) had at least one minor glitch at the panel’s first organizational meeting on Tuesday.
The placard for one committee member, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), identified him as “Mr. DeZafio.”
“I don’t know if Mr. DeFazio is using an assumed name — maybe it’s an intelligence [secrecy] thing,” joked one Democratic aide. “But it wasn’t a good start for the new committee.”
One GOP aide joked that Democrats are being overly generous by chalking the misspelling up to encryption: "It's true we're taking security precautions for members of this committee, but disguising their names isn't one of them."
The Pitts. In what some insiders are billing as a major shakeup, House Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) has replaced his committee staff director, Matt Reynolds, with former high-profile lobbyist Billy Pitts.
Pitts was a top lobbyist for the Walt Disney Co. and then MP3.com before retiring in 2001. But he’s best known for cutting his teeth as the chief legislative strategist to then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.) back in the day.
People close to Dreier insist that it is an “amicable transition” from Reynolds to Pitts. Reynolds has been shifted over to handle foreign policy issues for the Congressman.
Pitts is expected to play a major role in brokering jurisdictional disputes that the Rules panel will have to settle over the new Department of Homeland Security.
The staffer first caught Dreier’s eye when the Congressman served as co-chairman of the Bicameral Joint Committee to Reorganize Congress in the 103rd Congress, where Pitts played a key role.
Taylor: Preventing Another Underwear Bomber
March 19, 4:09 p.m.
The intelligence community faces challenges daily. No example is more emblematic of the problems faced than the so-called underwear bomber of 2009. As threats emerge, the hunt for “persons of interest” must occur in a more reliable and efficient manner because the consequences of inaction can be catastrophic. Read Full Article
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