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 and Washington Sketch columnist Dana Milbank was online Friday, June 30, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest in political news.

Political analysis from Post reporters and interviews with top newsmakers. Listen live on Washington Post Radio or subscribe to a podcast of the show.

The transcript follows.

Read Dana Milbank's Washington Sketch columns.

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Dana Milbank:

Good morning. Glad you could join me today, at the end of the Bush administration's official Beat Up on the Media Week. Consider me your own personal complaint department, and fire away.

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Washington, D.C.: Given the widespread knowledge of Senator Biden's hair implants, does the press have a responsibility to inform the public about any hairpieces that might be worn by other candidates in the '08 presidential contest?

Dana Milbank: An excellent start to the discussion. First, let me say that I do not associate myself with the questioner's claim about Biden's hairpieces, at least not in the sense of having any legal liability for it.

You are quite correct in the larger point, however. I spent a good bit of time tracking the "ozone hole" on Al Gore's head in 2000. Seems he had some sort of dark colored spray people would apply to diminish the scalp's shininess.

Somebody once told me that the man with the most hair has won every presidential contest. I don't know if that's true but I can't think of one that refutes it. Maybe Dukakis.

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Arlington, Va.: What's to prevent the Bush administration from ignoring the Supreme Court's decision? The Republican led Congress has shown contempt for its oversight duties, so who would actually hold the administration responsible?

Dana Milbank: The administration would be foolish to ignore it; they can campaign against it. Have Specter et al draft some legislation that creates the tribunals the administration wants but goes further than the Democrats want, then accuse the Democrats who vote against it of supporting the release of terrorists. It'll be Max Cleland all over again.

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Alamo, Calif.: It seems to me that if Lieberman loses to Lamont and decides to run as an independent, the benefactor of this decision may well be the Republican candidate? If that is the case, then how can Lieberman even consider running as an independent, and why hasn't the press called him on this?

Dana Milbank: Actually there's a history of independents' success in Connecticut (see: Weicker, Lowell). Also I'm not sure why Lieberman should be worried about helping the Democrats, since the Democrats have not been very concerned about helping him (see: Feingold, Russell).

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Astoria, N.Y.: Hey Dana,

I saw you on a "frontline" episode made last year along with Balz, Edsall and a couple other Post folks, you guys actually looked pretty professional/presentable, way to go!!

Dana Milbank: Those were actors and stuntmen.

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Washington, D.C.: If Bush thinks press leaks are so damaging, why doesn't he use those powers that apparently let him do anything he wants in the name of fighting terror, and just suspend the First Amendment? You know he wants to.

Dana Milbank: Actually, the House took a step toward suspending the First Amendment last night, passing a resolution that essentially accuses the media of helping the terrorists. As I write this, I must first submit each answer to federal monitors, who then post my answers on the Web site after making any necessary revisions.

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Barbershop: Eisenhower had NO hair. Darnit Milbank, if you don't start taking these chats seriously I'm going to find that Starbucks you're hiding in and start some trouble!

Dana Milbank: Ah, but that was pre-television. I left that part out. Sorry.

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Reading, Mass.: How do you celebrate the 4th of July?

Dana Milbank: In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, cradle of the Revolution.

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Ontario, Calif.: Dana,

Any clue as to why the Bush administration isn't trumpeting the discovery of those chemical WMD in Iraq? Certainly the disclosure of the WMD could portend political advantage for the Republicans. Is it possible that the White House is afraid that the finding won't hold up to scrutiny - that there were not, in fact, some 500 chemical WMD found?

What do you think?

Dana Milbank: If there weren't so much other silliness this week -- flags and Times bashing -- this would have risen to the top. The House Armed Services Committee had a "hearing" on this yesterday. This has, in fact, been known for years: While we didn't find any WMD in Iraq, we found a small amount of inactive chemicals from before the first Gulf War that had passed their sell-by date. There are no new stories, only new election cycles.

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Rockville, Md.: Greetings:

Without getting too far into what is a bad question, condescending or angry or a bit crazy, what sort of questions do you like the best? How can people phrase their questions to make the most of this exercise? Or is it a matter of content?

Dana Milbank: The content is not important, but the ideal question begins with the sentence, "I love your work."

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Alpharetta, Ga.: LOVED THE FLAG BURNING AMENDMENT SKETCH. But, in all seriousness, is it possible that it could help Lieberman or hurt Chafee in their respective primaries?

Dana Milbank: Excellent way to start a question. It is so very difficult for me to take the flag-burning amendment seriously, so I am assuming that the voters of Connecticut and Rhode Island are smart enough to ignore it as a political issue.

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New Hampshire: Thanks for taking my question, Dana!

First, kudos to you on your excellent column from the 28th on the flag desecration amendment. I laughed loud and long.

Yesterday, President Bush met with PM Koizumi-- I heard Graceland mentioned quite a few times, but otherwise found little substance there.

I found it disconcerting that he was not prepared for the questions re: Hamdan. I also found his emotional reaction to the girl kidnapped by North Korea a little over the top, especially when he asked what kind of regime would kidnap a young girl. We have kidnapped many people, including children, in the GWOT and held them secretly. It is part of what Hamdan was all about. What is your take on this? I also found it surreal that nobody asked him his opinion on the Israeli military incursion into Gaza. What are your thoughts?

Dana Milbank: Another excellent way to start a question.

The 'drive-by briefing' the president said he got before the press conference was a bit disconcerting. You'd think they'd have Koizumi cool his blue suede shoes for a few minutes so Bush could formulate an answer. I suspect they want to see how it's playing first, to see how to react. Seems likely that the response will go in the direction of campaigning against the Supreme Court.

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I Love Your Work?: Dana, what did you have for breakfast?

Dana Milbank: Ok that's enough.

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Washington, D.C.: Correction needed! Kerry has way more hair than Bush.

Dana Milbank: No, no, no. I'm not talking about length of hair but follicles per square inch.

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Margate, N.J.: "Actually, the House took a step toward suspending the First Amendment last night, passing a resolution that essentially accuses the media of helping the terrorists. As I write this, I must first submit each answer to federal monitors, who then post my answers on the Web site after making any necessary revisions."

OK, so here's a problem with your style, Dana. I know I shouldn't take your second sentence seriously, but what about the first? Did the House indeed pass such a resolution last night?

Dana Milbank: OK, so here's a problem with your style, Margate. If you read the newspaper, you'd know all about the resolution the House passed last night. My colleague Chuck Babington had a fine piece on it. I've asked the web folks to put a link to it. (Would put the link myself but the Post Web site today has denied me access because it does not recognize me as a "registered user.")

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Anonymous: In fact, IKE had the most ear and nose hair. I assume that's what you were referring to, right?

Dana Milbank: I love your work.

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washingtonpost.com: House GOP Chastises Media , ( Post, June 30, 2006 )

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Durango, Colo.: Does Feingold have any chance in 2008, or is he just way too liberal?

Dana Milbank: I'm always wrong about these things, but I'd put it at pretty close to zero. It's not necessarily the liberal thing -- he voted for Roberts, don't forget -- but the notion that most everybody in the party doesn't like him. Even if the roots love him, he'll still need some establishment help.

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Boston, Mass.: Hi Dana,

This morning in Slate Walter Dellinger seemed pretty convincing, saying Hamdan was the most significant statement about the limitations on presidential power ever. Ever (he added).

So now it looks like Congress is going to jump in and pass legislation ratifying whatever it was the administration wanted to do. Have you ever seen a bunch of congressmen so eager to line up to kiss a president's butt as these guys? And as for the alleged leak of the Swift stuff, hey, didn't W start talking about that way back in 2001?

Happy Friday!

Dana Milbank:

Yes, my friend Dahlia Lithwick has been doing some fine work with Walter Dellinger this week over at our sister publication, Slate.

Brief advertisement: I'm starting a new feature Sunday, to appear jointly in Slate and in the Post's Outlook section, a revival of the Zeitgeist Checklist. Please check it out.

As for the butt-kissing, yes and no. The very act of going through Congress, even if it's a sycophantic Congress, is a change in thinking for the administration and a shift in the balance of power.

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Washington, D.C.: Might DeLay be crazy enough to try to return to the House, or try to run for governor or Texas on the heels of his Supreme Court "victory"?

Dana Milbank: At the moment, DeLay does not strike me as a man preparing to return to politics. My evidence for this is the story my friend Mary Ann Akers wrote in Roll Call yesterday about a series of beaver jokes the old majority leader told at an auction. (And his daughter defended him!)

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Evanston, Ill.: I know I'm waaaayyy outside the beltway, but I thought you were a serious political writer. I see from today's chat you are not. Am interested in a serious political writer's view of what the Supreme Court ruling will ultimately mean to Bush politically. Let me know if you have access to a serious one over by you.

Dana Milbank:

Sorry for the confusion. I am not a serious political writer and all of our serious political writers are over at the Brookings Institution getting a briefing.

However, I do appreciate your observance of media-bashing week.

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Charlottesville, Va.: Dana,

Love your working in of humor and directness.

Love your workmanlike approach.

Love your workmate Dana Priest's moxie (but not her punctuality).

Love your working over of a government that begs for it.

Love your workplace, except for where the editorial staff, a secretive bunch of pretzel-gaggers, pout and fret.

Have a nice Fourth.

Dana Milbank: Ah, at least somebody in Charlottesville loves me.

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