By Judy Sarasohn
Thursday, July 27, 2006; A23

President Bush may have vetoed the legislation, but supporters and lobbyists for increased federal support for stem cell research aren't giving up.

"This is never going away," said Michael Manganiello , a longtime advocate for stem cell research.

Just as Bush was preparing to veto the bill, Manganiello and Tricia Brooks left the Christopher Reeve Foundation to join Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek Government Affairs to lobby on stem cell research and other research and medical issues.

Manganiello had worked with Christopher and Dana Reeve to establish their foundation. He is also a past president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.

"After Chris and Dana died, I wanted to take what I learned to a bigger platform," he said. Manganiello said he and Brooks will work with clients at the state level as well as speak out politically on stem cell research, which supporters say holds great promise for curing diseases and debilitating conditions.

Alan MacLeod , a principal at WHD, said the lobby shop wanted Manganiello and Brooks because they're "top tier" and can lobby on a host of research issues. The shop's clients include the foundation, the University of Nebraska, the Institute for Creative Technologies, and the Northern California Institute for Research and Education.

Showing its growing political clout, the Indian American community jumped into the Capitol Hill fray over the U.S.-India nuclear initiative that would eliminate obstacles to U.S. participation in India's civilian nuclear energy sector.

The House was expected last night to approve the deal struck last year by the Bush administration. But the situation in the Senate is much dicier.

Joining other Indian American groups, corporations and lobbyists to push for the accord is a new organization, just three weeks old -- the Indian American Security Leadership Council. The council was formed by Indian American business executives, professionals and others who particularly care about national security issues.

The council ran an ad supporting the accord in Roll Call yesterday, signed by leaders of eight veterans groups, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Gold Star Wives of America. "We urge Congress to complete its work on the pact and lay the groundwork for increased security and cooperation with India because it is in America's future security interests to do so," the ad said.

Bonner & Associates helped frame the national security issue for a grass-roots effort and recruited the vet groups for the ad, which cost $14,700.

"We felt it [national security] was the most important issue. For the next 30 years, our problem will be radical Islam and non-democratic China," said Ramesh V. Kapur , president of the council and a Massachusetts businessman.

The council is bipartisan: Kapur has been a major Democratic fundraiser, and Krishna V. Srinivasa , vice president, is active in GOP circles.

Ron Somers , president of the U.S.-India Business Council, which has been out front in support of the nuclear initiative, said the ad was helpful. "It's important for our elected officials to recognize that there is broad support from many quarters," he said in a telephone interview from New Delhi.

While the folks at Edelman are sorry to see Democratic operative Leslie Dach leave for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. -- a client since last year -- after nearly 17 years at the helm of the PR firm's D.C. office, they're not worried about continuity.

Rob Rehg , a 14-year veteran of the office, is moving up to be president of the 200-person office, while Reagan confidant Michael Deaver , also a 14-year veteran of the firm, steps up from vice chairman-international and director of corporate affairs to chairman. "Leslie has gone from being our leader to being our biggest client," Rehg said.

Chief executive Richard Edelman noted that Dach, who was vice chairman, had grown "our D.C. operation from $1.5 million to $32 million today."

Dach was a communications adviser to President Bill Clinton as well as serving as an adviser to the Democratic National Committee and Sen. John Kerry's bid for president.

Rehg, who has worked for Republicans on the Hill, said Edelman is looking to add a senior Democrat to restore the office's partisan balance.

Speaking of PR restructuring . . . Fleishman-Hillard Inc. has also made some big changes, with Chairman John D. Graham starting to pull back a bit after some four decades. David T. Senay , a regional president, becomes president and chief executive, while Paul W. Johnson , another regional president, moves up to vice chairman of worldwide growth and president of public affairs. Senay and Johnson have been with the firm since the mid-1980s.

"We've gone from a small Midwest company to a global player," Johnson said.

Retiring after 25 years working in the Senate, Bob Stevenson , communications director for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), will join the OB-C Group LLC. He starts Monday.

Juanita D. Duggan, CEO of Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, will sign on with the American Forest & Paper Association Oct. 25 as chief executive, succeeding W. Henson Moore .