In Six Years in Office, One Year at Camp David

AHappy Anniversary to President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, who have reached their first anniversary in terms of time spent at Camp David. Mark Knoller, CBS White House correspondent and the unofficial archivist for the White House press corps, reports on the CBS Web site that the Bushes took off Friday for their 116th visit to the beautiful presidential retreat and their 365th day there.

Both Bushes, Knoller told us, think he's being unfair in his counting method, because Knoller counts a partial day as a full one. So on Friday, Bush got to Camp David before noon, but it counted as a full day.

Applying the same method, Knoller reported that Bush's time there "isn't that much." After all, "President Jimmy Carter spent 376 days at Camp David during his single four-year term in office." And Bush will have to ratchet up the pace a bit in the next two years to best President Reagan's record 517 days there.

As for the ranch at Crawford, Knoller tells us that, as of Jan. 1, Bush had spent 405 full or partial days there.

Adhere to Party Lines, Or Else . . .

House Republicans may have lost the majority and have the Bush albatross around their ratings, but unlike the Democrats, they still place a priority on party discipline.

Last week, two prominent Republican outliers, Reps. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Walter B. Jones (N.C.), lost choice committee posts, apparently for defying their party's positions, according to reports in National Journal's CongressDaily.

Flake says he lost a seat on the House Judiciary Committee because his views on immigration reform -- which include a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- weren't in sync with the GOP's. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) said, "There is absolutely no truth to that."

Flake also said Republican colleagues were upset with him because he pushed to cut earmarks, saying his loss of the Judiciary seat was "DeLay-esque retribution for members who speak up."

Meanwhile, Jones, a longtime critic of the Iraq war, said Duncan Hunter (Calif.), ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, passed him over for a key subcommittee leadership post and gave it to someone with less seniority. Jones waxed philosophical about the move: "We have to pay a price, from time to time."

Intraparty 'Communication'

Fortunately for reporters -- and perhaps Republicans -- Democrats cannot resist sniping at one another. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) took to the floor on Thursday to offer this about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and her colleagues' 100-hour agenda:

"I am happy to see the House doing their 100 hours and moving things along very quickly. I admire and respect that. But having served in that body, I know how quickly they can move things and, frankly, sometimes how much thoughtful consideration goes into matters that are on that House floor."

Ouch!