White House Insiders

President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry held their final debate of the 2004 election this past week. Now, less than three weeks before Election Day, President Bush is visiting battleground states and shoring up his base in a final push for re-election.

Washington Post White House correspondent Mike Allen took your questions and comments on President Bush, the current administration and covering the White House on Friday, Sept. 15 at Noon ET.

White House Insiders is a 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.

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Kansas: In today's Post, Dana Milbank points out in her article "Bush's Cartoon of Kerry Failed to Show Up (Post, Oct. 15)" that the Bush relentless negative ad campaign may have back-fired on the Bush, Rove, & Co. Now it appears that Bush, et al. have taken a different approach -- throwing the "L-word" (Liberal) around. Do you think that the L-word attack will work? To me, it seems like a pretty old and tired strategy -- one that suggests desperation on the part of Bush/Rove.

Mike Allen: When HE worked at The Wall Street Journal, Dana wrote a clever front-page story, "A Boy Named Dana." But don't worry, you aren't the first person to make the mistake--he gets plenty of "Dear Ms. Milbank" fan mail. I think the campaign had planned to use the liberal attack earlier but "John Kerry -- says one thing, does another" proved so durable, they stuck with it. Early in the campaign, they wanted the hits to be more specific. Notice the president only used the word "liberal" once during the debate, although he used it four times in one rally speech yesterday. At the debate, the president referred to Kerry as liberal several other times, without using the word. Perhaps his most clever answer, tying Senator Kerry to France, was, "You know, there's a mainstream in American politics. You sit right on the far left bank."

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Monterey, Calif.: It seems to me that the story about the bulge in the back of George Bush's jacket during the first presidential debates has, at this point, reached a level of interest and coverage (ie, global) which warrants far more clarification/explanation from the White House than the little denials they have provided so far.

Are you or others still working to follow up? What has the White House said about coming forward with more information?

There seems to be little doubt that "something" was on his back: he photos I've seen are all consistent.

washingtonpost.com: Bulge Under President's Coat in First Debate Stirs Speculation (Post, Oct. 9)

Mike Allen: Oy. Yes, we remain interested in this story, mainly because so many people are talking about it and because the White House and campaign responses have been so contradictory. Democrats love it -- Mike McCurry talked with reporters on the Kerry plane on Wednesday about how the alleged bulge in the back of Bush's jacket continues to pay play out on the blogosphere and TV. "It's been on the Internet for a week," McCurry said. Bush aides will tell you it is ridiculous, but they can't explain the bulge. Some of them tell you it's a cheap suit, some of them tell you it's one of his best suits. I thought maybe it was a Secret Service James Bond device, but they swear it is not. And they say he was not wearing a vest. Anybody who can help solve the mystery, I welcome your thoughts.

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Westminster, Md.: Mike: What is your sense for the mood in the White House and Air Force One? Calm and collected or a tad anxious?
Many people expect a Karl Rove surprise at the last minute to swing the election. Are you picking up any indication that something is in the works?

Mike Allen: The mood is like a long car ride home from a tiring family trip. Yes, the president and Mr. Rove both love surprises. Reporters would not be shocked if Osama bin Laden turned up, or a cache of ugly stuff in Iraq was found.

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Rochester, Mass.: Mr. Allen, I appreciate yours and Mr. Milbanks reporting. However, I am curious if during this election year coverage and general coverage of this administration, has there been more pressure or outright intervention from your editors that have changed or altered the true intention or overall impact of an article you have written? Do you feel that your written articles before they have been edited have been accurately reflected after they receive a headline, placement, or changes by your editor for coverage of this administration or have they been watered down to lessen the impact of what you had hoped to convey to your readers?

Mike Allen: I have discovered that Post editors are extremely fair and are always hungry for a meaty story as long as it is well documented, clearly written and includes all the relevant points of view. We feel they are very supportive of journalism that holds public officials accountable for their words and actions, even if they know some flak may result from it.

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Rolla, Mo.: Is the Cheneys' outrage over Kerry's mentioning of their daughter for political purposes or is it real? Either way it seems hypocritical given that Cheney volunteered this info (unsolicited) in front of 40 million or so people at the VP debate 4 years ago. Mary Cheney is a grown women, openly "out" and working in the campaign. Have her parents really come to grips with her sexuality?

washingtonpost.com: Cheneys Steamed at Kerry Reference to Daughter (Post, Oct. 15)

Mike Allen: Aside from the bulge, this certainly is a huge talker. You make a very relevant point. Mary Cheney formerly was an executive with Coors Brewing Co. and served as an emissary to the gay community. I think the Cheneys were angry about the WAY it was brought up -- just the way Senator Kerry said the world "lesbian" gave even some Democrats the creeps -- and suspect there were ill motives for doing so. Especially since Sen. Edwards did the same thing in his debate, Republicans think this is an effort to hurt President Bush with his rural and conservative base, and perhaps to paint him as hypocritical for supporting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. But yesterday it was amazing to see the ticket spouses taking really bitter shots at each other.

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Washington, D.C.: With the election so close and with both sides having hordes of lawyers ready to be dispatched to battleground states to demand recounts, file legal challenges, etc., should we just resign ourselves now to the fact that a winner probably won't be declared on Nov. 2?

Mike Allen: Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman has said he believes the winner will be clear the night of Nov. 2. But both campaigns are certainly preparing for the contingencies you suggest and if there really is a close election, some key states may not have a certain result that night.

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Richmond, Va.: Mike,

Do you get much sleep traveling with the President or are you up at all hours of the night filing stories?

Mike Allen: Iced tea cures all ills.

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Charlotte, N.C.: Does the Bush team think they are trailing right now? I know the polls show a dead heat, but that undecided number looms out there. Can you give us an insiders view on the the vibe coming the Bush campaign right now?

Mike Allen: The campaign beleives that they are not likely to get more than one-third of undecided voters. So you may have answered your own question. The x factor is whether or not the polling accurately reflects the people who will vote.

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Springfield, Va.: How does the White House see the electoral college vote shaping up as of today? What states are still in contention?

Mike Allen: The president is doing three events in Florida tomorrow (I'll be getting up early to go with him), and five more on Monday and Tuesday. Republicans once felt great about Ohio but now seem to be worried about the big cities. The president does not need Pennsylvania if he keeps all his states from 2000, but that would be the big prize. You'll see the president a lot in the upper Midwest -- Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota -- all Gore states that he hopes to pick up. (Minnesota clearly is the longest shot of those.) A University of Wisconsin study this week showed that nearly all the advertising is in 10 states, which ABC News's "The Note" has dubbed "The Big 10": Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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Annapolis, Md.: With the president bestowing the reporters on his plane a rare visit does this show that he might be looking for good press?

Mike Allen: The president has been largely sealed away from reporters since the summer -- he has even stopped doing the two- and three-question exchanges with his pool that the White House had always used as the explanation for not doing more press conferences. On Air Force One, the press sits in the back and would not even know the president was aboard if we had not seen him walk up the steps, smile and get on. There's a Secret Service cabin in front of us that we can see into, but even the staff and guest cabins are beyond our prying eyes. Asked if he would come to the press cabin again, the president provoked laughter by saying, "I'm a better person for it."

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Navy Yard, SE Washington, D.C.: Does Kerry still think he can win either Virginia or North Carolina? Does Bush really think he can take New Jersey?

Mike Allen: No.
No.
I'm skeptical, but they are going to play in NJ, and maybe make Kerry spend resources. On Monday, before heading to Florida, the president is going to Marlton, NJ. The First Lady, Vice President and RNC chairman have all made Garden State appearances following polls that showed the president closing on Senator Kerry in a Democratic stronghold. The likely reasons include a successful Republican convention just over the Hudson River, and possibly fallout from Gov. James McGreevey's, um, woes.

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Salida, Colo.: Why does President Bush refuse to give news conferences before the election? Is it fear of negative press questions?

Mike Allen: This White House, like all White Houses, likes to control its messages and a news conference is a free-for-all where any topic can suddenly dominate. The president also can be embarrassed by being asked about the same problem again and again. This is nothing new: Bush and Gore did very few avails during the fall of 2000. And it's not negative questions that they worry about -- it's pointed questions about issues or topics that they don't want to be talking about. An actual negative question just makes the reporter looks bad and is unlkely to elicit much from this president, especially.

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A House on Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, D.C.: During the debate Bush stated that he supported the McConnell plan for raising the minimum wage. I have been unable to find any information on what the McConnell plan is.

Can you explain what the McConnell plan is? Has bush mentioned it before Wednesday's debate?

Mike Allen: Funny you should ask. I was watching the debate in our editors' office and I leaped up to go check Nexis when the president said that, because I follow these things and had no idea what he was talking about.

Here is what I THINK he was talking about, from National Journal's Congess Daily of 7/7/04: "Republicans are poised this week to counter Democratic attempts to increase the minimum wage with their own legislation raising the pay rate, a strategy intended to provide cover for Republicans feeling election-year pressure on the issue. If Democrats offer an amendment dealing with minimum wage, "there would be a Republican alternative," said Majority Whip McConnell, who is authoring the GOP bill. Sources said the Republican bill, which is still being prepared, would likely raise the minimum wage by a smaller amount and over a longer period of time than the Democratic proposal sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass."

I just did a crude database check and if the president has mentioned it before, it certainly was not frequently.

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Cleveland, Ohio: If the American public are truly concerned about the reported bulge in President Bush's jacket then why hasn't a reporter simply asked him about it?

Isn't it true that if any of you White House staff reporters asked a "tough" question like that, you'd be covering a beat somewhere in the wilds of New Jersey?

Mike Allen: The last time the president took questions from the full press corps was when he appeared in the Rose Garden with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, on Sept. 23, and he did not call on any newspaper reporters.
And if you watched the president's last prime-time news conference, which was on April 13 (no--that's not a typo), I think you'll see reporters do not hesitate to ask difficult questions.

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Centreville, Va.: I know that President Carter was active (quietly) in his church and even taught catechism. What church does President Bush attend and how active is he? How active is he in his church in Texas? I think this is a legitimate question since he brings up his faith a lot.

Mike Allen: When the president is at the White House over the weekend, which is not often, he fairly regularly attends St. John's Episcopal Church, the "Church of the Presidents" across Lafayette Park. It has a "President's Pew," and kneeling cushions with different presidents' names on them. We're told the president attends chapel at Camp David. He does not typically attend church in Crawford, although he tried several local congregations early in his presidency and goes to Easter sunrise service each year.

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Mike Allen: Thank you for great and thought-provoking questions -- a helpful reminder that we have a very knowledgeable and involved audience. See you in the paper.

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