Post Politics Hour

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Don't want to miss out on the latest buzz in politics? Start each day at wonk central: The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a member of The Washington Post's team of White House and Congressional reporters answers questions about the latest in buzz in Washington and The Post's coverage of political news.

Washington Post chief political reporter Dan Balz was online Monday, April 10, at 11 a.m. ET .

The transcript follows.

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Rockville, Md.: It would seem that even the Washington Post is confused about the facts in the Libby Leak investigation. Witness the factual discrepancies between yesterday's editorial and front page story. The editorial gave the impression that the leak investigation is not newsworthy, even as the paper was running a page one story on it. What is you opinion on this story? Is it a bombshell or a dud?

Dan Balz: Good morning on another busy Monday here and around the country. We've gotten lots of questions on this issue this morning, so let me start out by addressing this one.

The difference between the front page story on Sunday and the editorial underscores the separation of powers here at the Post. The editorial page is independent from the news staff of the paper, or perhaps I should say the news side is independent from the editorial pages. We do our reporting and the editorial staff does its reporting and interpretation of events. The contrast was striking in this case, but the explanation is fundamental to the way newspapers in this country try to organize themselves.

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Anonymous: Re: Libby

Scott McClellan has said the information was declassified in the "interest of the public good." If this is true, why didn't Bush and Cheney speak up in the beginning to set the record straight rather than wait for this information to be revealed in a lengthy and expensive investigation.

Dan Balz: That is one of many good questions about this episode. The difference between the explanation now that the intelligence was declassified and released in the public interest overlooks the fact that Bush had decried leaks of classified information and the reality that in this case, before the entire NIE was released, the president apparently authorized the release of selected portions to individual reporters.

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Arlington, Va.: I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of President Bush's statement this morning at SAIS that he welcomes different opinions and believes leaders should surround themselves with individuals representing various viewpoints.

With opinion makers steadily criticizing him for having a stale cabinet, one which was hand-picked by the President for its conformity, do you foresee anything changing in the White House?

Dan Balz: I assume there will be some more changes but how significant I can't tell you. There are continuing complaints that the circle of advisers the president listens to is very small. Even Republican loyalists believe he would benefit from hearing from more people. That will be one of the challenges for Josh Bolten, the new White House Chief of Staff.

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Winston-Salem, N.C.: I'll leave it to the news and editorial side to paper to sort thru fact from fiction as the dichotomy speaks for itself . . .What are the chances that White House will respond directly for the calls for it respond to the motivations of the Pres/VP on the "leaking" to Miller?

Dan Balz: I'd say that answer depends on your definition of the word "directly." The White House folks would probably say they already have responded, although clearly there are plenty of questions still be be answered. If others join Sen. Specter in calling for further explanations, the pressure will grow for the White House to respond more fully.

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Roseland, N.J.: The Bush leaking scandal and the failure of the immigration bill seemed to have masked a bigger GOP problem: they can't pass a budget. The Moderates and the True Believers are too far apart.

Normally the White House would be leaning on the factions to Get It Done. I don't get the sense this is happening now. Am I wrong? Is the White House just too distracted to resolve this? Or too weak?

Dan Balz: Good point about Republican problems on the budget. White House officials have assumed for months that getting a budget through Congress this year would be one of the most difficult problems they face. But there are some realities that come into play. The splits among Republicans on spending issues are deep and not easily reconciled. Second, the White House has poor relations with Congress right now, the result of several years of what members see as high-handed treatment. The president has begun to reach out to more lawmakers lately but there is much damage to repair.

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St. Paul, Minn.: Is there a tipping point where even stalwart Republican loyalists, such Norm Coleman, read the tea leaves and jump the SS Bush?

Dan Balz: You're seeing different Republicans jumping ship on different issues, although party strategists say that GOP cannot afford a real war between the White House and members of Congress. The truth is that Bush still enjoys pretty strong support among Republicans, so it's risky for a Republican in the House or Senate to go against Bush too strongly. Republicans worry that their base will not be motivated in the fall; open warfare could guarantee that's the case.

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Avon Park, Fla: Do you think that these generic Congressional polls showing Democrats with sizeable leads are overrated? Polls also show that people give high marks to their own member of Congress. So if most Americans give good ratings to their own Representative with a GOP majority, how meaningful are the generic battle questions?

Dan Balz: These so-called generic measures of support for congressional candidates are somewhat blunt instruments for predicting the outcome of the midterm elections. Still, the gap between support for Democrats and support from Republicans right now is very, very large. The fact that people hold their own House member in higher regard is now surprising. What we'll keep watching is the relationship between the overall approval of Congress and people's judgment of their own representative. If that starts to slide, Republicans will be in big trouble.

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Rockville, Md.: I am not one to fume about the MSM, I think The Post has always done an excellent job. But why are people (as usual) so divided on this issue of "leaking." My take is that it is just more partisan politics. But I would like to hear a serious reason.

Dan Balz: Leaking is routine in Washington. But in the Valerie Plame case, what happened and why with regard to leaks has become both important to the ongoing criminal investigation and to the political debate over Iraq and how the Bush administration tried to protect itself from political damage over why the U.S. went to war. So in this case, what might look like normal partisan politics takes on significantly higher stakes.

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Rockville, Md.: Sometimes I SHOULD just shut up, however...

"If that starts to slide, Republicans will be in big trouble."

And if the sun goes down we will say it is night.

Dan Balz: Yes. Thanks.

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Silver Spring, Md.: You are kidding yourself if you think that the Republicans are not going to start running away from Bush as the mid-terms approach. Here is the question: Where do they have to run to?

Dan Balz: You misunderstood. Republicans are running from Bush on particular issues: some on immigration; some on spending; some on domestic spying; some on Iraq. But strategists are warning that there will be price to pay if this turns into a deep split.

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Simpsonville, S.C.: You say that the President still has a lot of support from his party. What I see is that this administration reminds me a lot like the Carter administration, where that White House became so totally fixated on Iran that nothing else got any attention. This time around, it is fixated on Iraq. With 500,000 people demonstrating in Dallas this weekend, the White House should be reacting to that but it is stuck arguing about how we got into this war to start with. How does the White House break out of this cycle?

Dan Balz: I'm not sure they can break out of this, absent some significant changes in Iraq. The war is dragging down the president, as everyone knows, but the administration is limited in what it can produce in terms of big changes in Iraq. The best evidence of that is that, for all its efforts, the administration has not yet found a way to force the Iraqis to agree on a new government.

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Bethesda, Md.: If the elections were today, which houses of government would the Republicans likely lose?

Dan Balz: I'd say the House is in more jeopardy than the Senate at this point.

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Kansas City, Mo.: Sen. Kerry's plan on Iraq seems to have gotten a lot of attention on the various talk shows. Is it being taken seriously or was it released at a good time with not a lot going on.

Dan Balz: Sen. Kerry's plan has drawn media attention but so far not much support from fellow Democrats. Sen. Biden, for one, has been quite critical of it.

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Washington, D.C.: Does this sudden emergence of a Hispanic immigration movement create a new voting bloc for Democrats? They may not be nearly perfect, but its all Republicans leading the anti-immigration charge, a la Pete Wilson in California. Also, the unions seem to be heavily involved in organizing, which would seem to benefit the Dems.

Dan Balz: The demonstrations have been extraordinary in terms of numbers. I'd turn your question around to ask, how much could this damage Republicans, who were making progress in chipping away more and more Hispanic support from the Democrats. The Pete Wilson analogy is in the minds of many Republicans who support a guest worker program and a path to legal status or citizenship. Wilson's support for an anti-illegal initiative in 1994 helped him win reelection but badly damaged his party in subsequent elections.

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Washington, D.C.: Last week's Post Outlook section contained an unusually blunt piece by Kevin Phillips about the republican party's transformation by its reliance on evangelical Christianity, corporate oil interests and Wall Street deficit financing policies and the perilous direction the party is taking the country. Why do you think such an indictment has engendered no discussion or coverage in the MSM, on cable or anywhere as far as I can determine?

Dan Balz: I think there has been ongoing discussion of the role all these elements have played in the politics of the Bush years. Kevin Phillips's new book draws them together and makes a provocative argument that is drawing attention right now. But if you look back through coverage in the MSM and other media, you'll see lots of discussion about the rise and influence of the Christian right, the relationship between Bush administration officials and the oil industry and the potential consequences of rising deficits.

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Dunn Loring, Va.: Here's what is wrong with Wash Post radio and don't worry--you're a part of this. When you do a 20 minute interview with Ken Mehlman like you did last week--all's well and good. But when it's repeated two more times during the day, the station will get plenty of tuneouts from those who've already heard it and many won't be back immediately. A little like having the Post repeat a news story on a different page the next day. Even the soothing voice of a Dan Balz won't convince me to listen to the opinions of Mehlman twice!!

Dan Balz: I'm crushed. But the good news is that, at least for now, you're listening to Wash Post radio for more than an hour or so. It's an issue I'll take up with those here who know the radio business and particularly the listening patterns of our audience.

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Boston, Mass.: What would it mean for US politics if Berlusconi (despite controlling nearly all of the media in Italy, installing his backers in Parliament, gaming the courts, etc.) gets kicked out of office?

Dan Balz: The exit polls out of Italy suggest that there will be a change in government, with Berlusconi's coalition out and a center-left coalition headed by former Prime Minister Prodi in. That is likely to alter what has been Berlusconi's strong support for Bush on Iraq.

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Midddlebury, Vt.: Dan,Since there is almost no correlation between a President's approval rating and his ability to get things done - for instance, in passing legislation through Congress, and since approval ratings are largely driven by factors outside the president's control (gas prices, media coverage of Iraq war) why does the press put so much stock in these ratings?

Dan Balz: I'd disagree with you that approval rating has no influence on a president's ability to get things done. When a president has ratings as low as Bush's, the opposition party becomes even more unified and the incumbent party more nervous. Bush's ability to get things done depends in part on the size of his congressional majorities. If there are Republican defections and Democrats remain united in opposition, he'll have more trouble. The departure of Tom DeLay, who managed to scrap together the votes to pass a number of Bush initiatives, may be good politically for the Republican Party but may make it tougher for Bush to get his agenda through.

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Washington, D.C.: I've been on vacation and have missed the latest revelations in the Plame leak. Can you fill me in on how the Administration squared the President's early comments about firing "whoever was responsible" for this leak with the fact that he was responsible?

Dan Balz: Awkwardly.

Thanks to everyone for your questions. Check in again tomorrow at 11. Have a great day.

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