Scandal Visits the White House

Mary Curtius writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Congressional Republicans signaled Monday that they had abandoned their plan to conduct a joint House-Senate probe of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. . . .

"With the joint congressional investigation apparently off the table, Republicans are planning separate House and Senate inquiries.

"But it was far from clear Monday whether the Democrats would cooperate with those efforts."

Black Minister Watch

Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger write in the Los Angeles Times: "For many of the black ministers who have allied themselves with President Bush and a Republican strategy to boost the party's African American support, the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina put a severe strain on new and still-fragile bonds of trust.

"But just as some ministers had denounced a government recovery effort that seemed to leave many blacks in the gulf region behind, a number of those African American clergy say an aggressive outreach campaign by Bush and senior White House aides in recent days has begun reversing what might have been lasting political damage. . . .

"The White House outreach to its allies among black clergy has been intense and has engaged Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, chief domestic policy advisor Claude Allen, and James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives."

Voucher Watch

Amy Goldstein writes in The Washington Post: "Under President Bush's plan to cover most of the cost of educating students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, parents could enroll their children in a private or religious school this year at federal expense, even if they had gone to public schools back home, administration officials said yesterday."

Administration officials initially indicated the vouchers would only be for students previously enrolled in private schools.

"Yesterday, however, as new fine print of the proposal emerged, White House and Education Department spokesmen confirmed that the government payment -- as much as $7,500 per child -- would be given for a year to any displaced family that now prefers an alternative to public schools," Goldstein writes.

"Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), ranking Democrat on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said, 'Instead of reopening ideological battles, we should be focused on reopening schools and getting people the help that they need.' "

Supreme Court Watch

David D. Kirkpatrick and Sheryl Stolberg write in the New York Times: "The White House is reshuffling its short list of potential Supreme Court nominees with a new emphasis on finding someone who will hold up under the pressure of what is expected to be fierce confirmation battle, several Republican allies close to the process said on Monday. . . .

"Republican aides briefed on the search said the White House was looking mainly at female jurists for Justice O'Connor's seat, but it has expanded its short list and it is examining the contenders anew in the expectation of a trial by fire."

Deb Riechmann writes for the Associated Press: "Bush's low poll numbers have given liberals hope he'll nominate a moderate to avoid a raucous fight in the Senate."

Alternately: "Some think Bush might pick a hard-liner to keep his base happy and prevent a further drop in the polls."

Calendar Watch

Steve Holland writes for Reuters: "Seeking to highlight progress after a much-criticized late start to the hurricane relief effort, Bush planned to visit Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans on Tuesday.

"He will get a briefing on Tropical Storm Rita -- which is expected to strengthen and could make landfall on the Gulf Coast -- and visit a recovering business in New Orleans.

"He reworked his schedule for Friday and Saturday in order to visit cities in Alabama, Texas and Arkansas that have taken in large numbers of Katrina evacuees."

Karl Rove Watch

Kenneth T. Walsh writes for U.S. News: "Despite President Bush's emphasis on rebuilding the gulf states after Hurricane Katrina, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove found time to visit a super-exclusive conference this past weekend sponsored by leaders of Forstmann Little, the investment company, in Aspen, Colo. A White House official said Rove's appearance was 'on the books' for a long time and he decided to proceed with the trip, but the official provided no further information. However, a prominent Republican with strong connections to Capitol Hill got wind of Rove's jaunt and wasn't pleased.

" 'What the hell is Karl Rove doing there?' he asked. The GOP insider wondered whether it was appropriate for Bush's political guru to hobnob with the rich and powerful at the exclusive resort at a time when the administration is supposed to be focused on helping the victims of hurricane Katrina and showing empathy for their plight."

As I wrote in yesterday's column , the Huffington Post blog claims to have the skinny on what Rove said in his off-the-record talk.

Book Festival Protest

Poet Sharon Olds publishes in the Nation her letter to the first lady, declining her invitation to National Book Festival events in Washington this weekend because of the war with Iraq.

"I thought that I could try to find a way, even as your guest, with respect, to speak about my deep feeling that we should not have invaded Iraq. . . . But I could not face the idea of breaking bread with you," Olds writes.

Jumping Ship?

The American Spectator reports that Bush's ambitious second-term agenda is so dead that rumors "are flying through various departments of longtime senior Bush loyalists looking to jump, but with few opportunities in the private sector to make the jump look like anything more than desperation."