By Al Kamen
Wednesday, May 9, 2007; A15

Finding fine speaking venues at graduation is never easy for late-second-termers, as President Bush is learning. Whereas he once spoke at Ohio State or the University of Texas, now he's left with Florida community colleges or small schools in rural areas that are run by former aides.

But it looks as if it won't be smooth sailing Friday, even when Bush speaks at Saint Vincent College, a small Benedictine school in Latrobe, Pa., run by Jim Towey, former head of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives.

The invitation itself, as we wrote in March, sparked what Towey called "lively and welcome discussion." That included an opposition petition with more than 400 signatures, town hall meetings -- and a 41 to 30 faculty vote backing Towey.

Thirty current and former faculty members, in an open letter to Bush last week, said "in the spirit of Benedictine hospitality" they would "welcome" him to the campus "as we would any visitor" as 1,600 students graduate. And they said they will "welcome those who protest your visit" and hope the college doesn't "turn them away" on Friday.

"Just as we have graduated generations of men and women committed to peace, care, community, stewardship and hospitality," they said, "we pray that your visit with this graduating class turns your heart to these same values." Well. We know where this group is coming from.

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Benedictine nuns from Erie may be going down to Latrobe to take part in some sort of protest.

You can tell it's the final year of "The Sopranos." Sunday night, Carmella was in bed reading "Rebel-in-Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush." That's the excellent book written by Weekly Standard Executive Editor Fred Barnes that some critics have said is a bit too adulatory. The subtitle is "How George W. Bush Is Redefining the Conservative Movement and Transforming America."

Not that many episodes left. See the series, buy the book.

Okay, we promise. This is absolutely the last, last item on Randall Tobias, the former deputy secretary of state for foreign assistance (DFA) and Agency for International Development administrator.

On April 30, a couple days after Tobias's stunning resignation, we got this e-mail from Steve Tupper, a senior official in AID's bureau of legislative and public affairs.

Subject: Tobias Pictures and Statements

Strategic Communications Group members:

As you go about your daily activities on behalf of your Bureau or Office, please be alert to the need to remove all picture and statements from Ambassador Tobias in light of his resignation dated as of April 27, 2007. You should carefully review any ongoing projects such as Websites, reception room walls, printed publications, brochures, PowerPoints, newsletters, etc., to ensure that Agency materials are not maintained, produced, printed, or reprinted, with Tobias listed or shown as Administrator or DFA.

All projects that have been reviewed previously and approved by LPA in the last several months but that are still in the production process must be immediately stopped and re-submitted if they contain articles, statements, or pictures of Tobias. If you have any questions or specific concerns, please contact me and I will work with you on correcting the final product and obtaining re-clearance before continuing with the production process.

We're told this white-out is required by some rule or regulation.

Okay, so this is the last Tobias item. Really. No mas. Can barely remember his name. Anyway, we've found one example of why he was so beloved by AID officials. The State Department and AID routinely send lists of top employees up for promotion to the Senate for approval.

State's list went to the Senate just before Christmas and their raises were in their January paychecks. But the list of 20 AID employees up for promotion never went anywhere, the American Foreign Service Association says, because Tobias didn't do anything with it.

So the AID folks lost several months' pay for no particular reason. Finally, after what's-his-name quit over some gals' massages, the AID brass quickly sent up the list and the raises should be in the mail shortly.

When John Rood was nominated to be assistant secretary of state for international security last year, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) reportedly noted that Rood appeared to have a great future but seemed a little too young and inexperienced for the job. But he was a staunch neocon, and with the Republicans in charge, the Senate approved the nomination.

But now Rood, 38, has been nominated to move up to be undersecretary for arms control and international security, and Biden is running the Foreign Relations Committee. The nomination is said to be dead because of Rood's youth and inexperience.

Given the administration's policy changes on Iran and North Korea, changes bitterly contested by leading neocons, perhaps it's just as well. Administration folks are calling around asking for other names for the job. Maybe Robert Einhorn, President Bill Clinton's assistant secretary for nonproliferation, is available?

Minerals Management Service Director Johnnie Burton, who was roundly attacked by Democrats and Republicans in Congress for not aggressively pursuing billions of dollars in royalties from oil and gas companies from their operations in the Gulf, has called it quits. Burton is heading back to Wyoming, where she was director of the state revenue department and had been a member of the state House of Representatives.