Lugar's New Math: 9 to 9 = 8 to 2

A Retreat to Summit Up

Bush is to stop in Brazil this weekend after his visit to Argentina for the Summit of the Americas. He's not going to Rio like so many of those congressional delegations. Instead, he's stopping at a presidential retreat outside Brasilia called "Granja do Torto," which is just a name but, if translated very literally, could be taken to mean "Farm of the Crooked or Twisted."

Bush is there to chat about trade and such with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva , whose poll numbers have been tanking of late over a political corruption scandal. Lula's chief of staff, Jose Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva , resigned recently amid allegations that he knew of and encouraged a multimillion-dollar scheme to buy votes in Congress.

Lots of notes to compare?

Helms Aide Finds Work

Speaking of Latin America, Roger F. Noriega , former assistant secretary of state for that region, former ambassador to the Organization of American States and an aide to former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse A. Helms (R-N.C.), has landed a job in the lobbying shop at the law firm of Tew Cardenas.

Harriet Miers -- the Memory Lingers On

The abrupt plug-pulling last week of White House counsel Harriet Miers 's nomination to the Supreme Court took some getting used to.

For example, as late as Tuesday we were getting notices such as this one from the office of Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.):

"Media Advisory -- Durbin to meet w/Miers at 6 p.m. today."

That was followed promptly by: "Ooops! Corrected Media Advisory -- Durbin to meet with Alito at 14:30 pm tomorrow."

Even on Wednesday the Senate Web site's calendar had this:

Monday, Nov. 7, 2005

12:30 p.m. Judiciary

To hold hearings to examine the nomination of Harriet Ellan Miers, of Texas, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. SH-216.

Who'd have thought she made such an impression.

At NCTC, Brock for Cummings

Kevin R. Brock , a 22-year FBI veteran and now assistant director of the Office of intelligence, has been named principal deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), replacing Arthur Cummings , an FBI career officer who's heading back to the bureau.