Rice's Flick Picks

GOP 'Special Guest' Fined

Bureaucrats gone bad. Loop Fans will recall John T. Korsmo , the North Dakota Republican appointed chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board by President Bush . Korsmo got into a bit of trouble a couple of years ago by showing up as a "special guest" at a fundraiser for a GOP House candidate. Seems FHFB-regulated bank presidents just happened to be on the invite list.

Korsmo pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal officials -- he said he had no role in compiling the list. Korsmo, who was looking at a maximum five years in the slammer and a $250,000 fine, was sentenced Monday to 18 months of probation and a $5,000 fine.

Justice Bush and Spouse George W.

It's not easy figuring out where Bush is heading to find his Supreme Court nominee, but some hints emerged yesterday.

First prominent Republicans out there extolling the virtues of someone who's not a legal-beagle, or a long-cloistered appeals court judge. The idea would be to have instead perhaps a governor or a businessman or a person from some other profession. (After all, legal experience is not required. That's what law clerks are for.) And we had Laura Bush opining from Africa that she would like to see another woman succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor . Well, let's use the Dick Cheney Selection Method -- searching for a "solid" vice president and ending up with the job yourself. (Remember, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was at the Justice Department in 1971 working on a "solid" successor to Justice John Marshall Harlan II , a successor who turned out to be . . .) So the choice would be? Laura Bush, of course. A woman of great character, experienced in government, education and child-rearing. Apparently supports abortion rights but not aggressively so and not likely to be subjected to harsh criticism.

Runners Now Runners-Up

Back in April, Assistant Secretary of Commerce William H. Lash III and Federal Election Commissioner Bradley A. Smith were in the running for president of the State University of New York at Brockport.

There was said to be a third candidate, a fellow who ran a university in Pennsylvania, but Smith and Lash seemed far more worthy.

Alas, the other candidate, John R. Halstead , was named last week as the winner. Smith, who taught law at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, before coming to the FEC five years ago, is heading back there. Lash is still at Commerce.

An Unusual Suspect

Folks at the conservative Progress for America were taken aback when they glanced at the Web site of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. An NRSC video, shown for the first time at a dinner for the president last month and now on the site, includes a blast at "liberal special interest groups" that, NRSC spokesman Brian Nichols said yesterday, have "threatened the president's agenda."

The usual suspects, such as MoveOn.org and the New Democratic Network, were listed, along with Progress for America.

Turns out the target was supposed to be People for the American Way, Nichols said, but somehow between script and outside production company and finished product, it was changed to Progress for America.

Apologies all around, Nichols said, adding that the video was removed until it can be corrected.