Post Politics Hour

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Don't want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with 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 national political reporter Tom Edsall was online Wednesday, May 31, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

The transcript follows.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Any comment on the pitiful article from the AP on Monday that was trying to connect Senator Reid with corruption. The writer, John Solomon, could only criticize Reid for legally taking a gift and then voting against the interests of the agency giving the gift. The truly funny part was when the AP changed the story and left out the part about Reid's vote on the issue. Does that sound like a bad reporter or just a blatant partisan or anti-democratic jokester?

Tom Edsall: This article has become very controversial, especially on the web. AP, CNN and others should provide a detailed follow up to explain the confusing play, and perhaps later changes, of the information of Reid's actual vote. I have not researched this myself and do not know the details as fact, but it appears that Reid voted against the interests of those who gave him free tickets, and this significant fact appeared in various locations in the story in different printings and publications, and may have been left out altogether in some cases. The burden falls on AP to straighten this out.

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New York, N.Y.: Since the NY Times put Hillary's marriage on the front page, do you see the issue as more of a Bill Clinton baggage problem for her in 2008? If she is supposed to be her own woman, then her husband will overshadow her no matter where they go together. On the other hand, if Condi Rice decides to run, will the fact she is not married be seen as an asset?

Tom Edsall: for those of us, myself included, who believe there are areas of privacy that should only be invaded by the media when public policy is affected, the unfortunate reality is that the Clinton marriage is going to be part of her very likely presidential campaign. There is no way around it. The choice of whether to cover the details of their marriage that to some would be viewed as in the privacy sphere is up to individual reporters, editors and publications, but there will be many who believe there are no boundaries.

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Boston, Mass.: Dana Milbank has been doing his chats from Starbucks. What do you think of his taste in coffee?

Tom Edsall: Dana is a Starbucks kind of guy.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom,

Chris was saying that Hillary Clinton is the front runner for the democratic nomination, b/c of name ID and money. Do you think she is?

She does have 100% name id, but she is at 35% in the polls, and that's not good news. As far the primary goes, she will be able to raise more money than her competitors, but there is so much money in politics now a well known challenger to her will be able to compete with her.

Democrats are a fickle bunch as seen in 2004 with Howard Dean. They are giving her the highest rating, but when they get to know a Mark Warner or someone they judge to be more electable and more authentic, their only concern, he or someone else like him will emerge as a challenger and may quickly be able to turn into the front runner himself.

Every Democrat I know wonders if she can win. Her connection to the voters is not strong. People do not like her. Democrats do not like her.

Tom Edsall: Chris is right when he describes her as the front runner. She leads in all public polls, and has support across the board among Democrats. In the primary system, one of the first steps is to weed out the field and to determine which two candidates with actually fight it out for the nomination. Assuming she is one of those two candidates, the difference between facing Mark Warner and Sen. Russell Feingold would be enormous. Many Democrats share your view that she is polarizing and the question would become which candidate is best equipped to make that case. All that said, I and many others thought her campaign for Senate in N.Y. would be an unmitigated disaster, and we were dead wrong.

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Fairfax, Va.: So it's OK for a Senator to take a gift as long as he or she votes against the interests of the giver? Has Reid always voted against the interests of the Nevada Athletic Commission or did his supporters just find one example of him doing so?

Tom Edsall: Good question. Reid has been very supportive of his home state interests. It is a question the AP should deal with.

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Alexandria, Va.: Good morning, the truth about the massacre at Haditha is slowly emerging, but it would appear that no one in Washington is concerned about the slaughter of Iraqi civilians by US Marines. Do you think that we expect the same level of indifference from the rest of the world, or will this become a big story? Many thanks.

Tom Edsall: This story sure looks like it has huge potential to become a national and world-wide issue.

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Pittsford, N.Y.: Do you think that the AP would be on the defensive about this story without pushback from liberal blogs? How important is pushback from bloggers, media watchers, partisans, etc. in making sure that bogus, politically-motivated stories are corrected?

Tom Edsall: In this case, I thinks the blogs have been very effective in pushing the problems raised by the story and the various forms it has taken on other media web sites (CNN, MSNBC etc.)The public, and the press, owe the blogs a note a gratitude.

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Houston, Tex.: What are Bill Frist's chances for the presidency in 2008?

Tom Edsall: His credibility as a candidate has taken a series of hits from left, right and center. His TV diagnosis of Terry Schiavo, his sudden support of stem cell research after seemingly committing himself to the Christian Right, and doubts about his ability to run the Senate have all undermined his prospects. He may prove to be a better doctor than politician.

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Houston, Tex.: Good morning Mr. Edsall, With the news that whistleblowers are less protected, NSA viewing phone records, Bush's attempt to blame disapproval of the war on MSM, where do you see checks and balances of this administration?

Tom Edsall: Good question. Checks and balances are likely to continue to go in the same direction they have from the start: downhill.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Why would the Clinton marriage (of 30 years) be of interest to the press and the public? Plenty of male politicians have dicier marriages and multiple marriages. Wouldn't the family values crowd prefer a politician in a 30 year marriage over someone like say McCain or Giuliani who have had multiple marriages? Is this gender discrimination? Are we going to only hear about the marriage, the hair-dos, the clothes...in order to elect a woman?

Tom Edsall: Assuming he runs, McCain's handling of his divorce from his first wife will become the subject of public examination.

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San Francisco, Calif.: Thanks, Tom, for taking my question this morning. Given his support of the Kyoto Protocol and demonstrated leadership in crisis situations, how long do you give this Secretary of the Treasury in his new position, which many have suggested is simply a salesman for rosy economic news, since policy is made in this White House? Is this guy Paulson a "fit" with this administration?

Tom Edsall: I think in this case, the administration may have bitten off more than it can chew, for a terrible metaphor. Henry M. Paulson has been a winner in a very tough market. I don't think he is going to be willing to spend time being a patsy for anyone, despite his acceptance of a post in this administration which has tended to diminish the power and authority of much of the Cabinet.

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Farmington Hills, Mich.: Do you agree that the ABC correspondent who claimed that Hastert was being investigated in regards to the Abramoff scandal should reveal his sources if it is found that the story has no truth? Is this type of erroneous reporting(when sources lie) swept under the rug when the story becomes "old" news?

Tom Edsall: No. Sources are the bread and butter of the news business. A promise not to reveal a source's name is a promise to be kept. The only circumstances to break such a promise would be if the reporter determined that his source(s) knowingly misled him with information they knew to be false in order to damage Hastert. At that point, the sources lose their right to anonymity. If the sources were convinced of the accuracy of what they told the reporter, no matter what their motive, the promise to protect the secrecy of their identity remains absolute.

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Annapolis, Md.: If Sen. George Allen survives his race for re-election, how strong a presidential candidate will he turn out to be? There's an obvious opening for a conservative challenger to McCain. But he needs to get a better speechwriter. Cut out those football analogies.

Tom Edsall: Allen as his backers have tried to portray his as the "real" heir to Ronald Reagan, suggesting, without saying so, that McCain is not. So far, that message has not risen above sea level.

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New York, N.Y.: Re Hillary Clinton's initial run for Senate in NYC, she faced no serious opposition, as Giuliani dropped out of the race leaving Republicans scrambling to put up a candidate. For that matter, she faces no serious opposition in her re-election campaign. This makes it difficult to say that she has much real support when she is something other than a default choice, and it is unlikely that this will be the scenario in the Presidential stakes.

Tom Edsall: In the political marketplace, when a potentially strong candidate like Giuliani drops out, and then for two elections no tough challenger emerges, that suggests the unchallenged candidate is no push over.

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Margate City, N.J.: Why do you think that members of Congress think they are above the law. Do you think this type of altitude will come back to hurt them in November?

Tom Edsall: There are legitimate constitutional issues in the Justice Department (executive branch) conducting searches of congressional offices, but it is a political loser for Congress as a public issue, making them look as if they want special protection unavailable to regular citizens.

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Cambridge, Mass.: Tom, is the country ready to actually elect a woman as President? I wonder if the Democrats would be wasting an opportunity to win an election.

Tom Edsall: I think the answer to your question is yes. The practical question is, Which woman? Margaret Thatcher won in England, and many more women are winning governorships. In recent decades, governorships have been the best training ground for future presidents.

With that, I am going to sign off. You folks were, as usual, great. Best Tom

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