Post Politics Hour

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Washington Post national political/Washington Sketch columnist Dana Milbank was online Friday, July 14, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest in political news.

Read the latest Washington Sketch: The Ex-Speakers Speak With One Voice on the Sorry State of Congress, (Post, July 13, 2006)

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The transcript follows.

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Dana Milbank: Good morning, dear reader. It's been a banner week for the Axis of Evil. North Korea seems to have escaped punishment for its missile test, Iran is confident it can do the same in a deadlocked Security Council, and Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria are all vying for the seat on the Axis of Evil that Iraq is vacating as it occupies itself with sectarian warfare. Oil is around $78 a barrel today. Anybody out there have any good news?

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Syracuse, NY: Let's get down to the nitty gritty. This pesky Middle East

situation and G-8 summit isn't preventing President Bush

from doing his daily two-hour mountain bike ride is it?

Dana Milbank: I sense cynicism, Syracuse. As Andy Card once said, the president exercises so he can be more lean and fit as he battles the terrorists. I was worried that he took a trip to Dunkin' Donuts recently but was relieved that he only ordered a black coffee.

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Laramie, Wyo.: When I looked over the Plame-Wilson filing from Thursday, I noticed that any money they happened to win in their case would be given to charity. That being noted, what are the chances the Washington Post will still run quotes from unnamed administration sources accusing them of doing this for merely 'personal gain'? I'm going with 90% as the place to start the over/under

Dana Milbank: My sources indicate we will continue to run such quotes.

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Winnipeg, Canada: Is anyone aware of Donald Rumsfeld's whereabouts just before the Bombay bombings? His itinerary took him suspiciously close. Then he arrived in Baghdad, and another violent incident took place. Is he the Clark Kent of terrorism?

Dana Milbank: Look out, Winnipeg. Rummy's next trip to Seoul has him routed through Canadian airspace.

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Anonymous: Any insight into whether Prosecutor Fitzgerald is winding down or regrouping for more indictments?

Dana Milbank: An explosion of questions about Wilson-Plame-Novak-Fitzgerald. It is an encouraging sign that the American public is able to keep its composure at times of international crisis.

Novak says he takes Fitzgerald's repeal of his vow of silence as evidence that his sources won't be charged, and the various releases Fitzgerald is giving indicate an investigation that is winding down.

And for this reason we scandalmongers should all be grateful to the litigious Mr. Wilson.

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Fayetteville, N.C.: At a reported rate between 55 and 60, the question is does the president do anything but exercise.

Certainly leaving Lebanon alone after the Cedar Revolution seems to have borne ill fruit.

Is the new kinder, gentler, wait for the UN a true philosophy change or a way to stop critics from accusing him of chasing after battle? It still seems like all paths in their accusations lead to Iran.

Dana Milbank: I assume you're talking about heart rate, not approval rate, Fayetteville.

It seems doubtful the newfound patience with the U.N. for North Korea and Iran has anything to do with a change of heart. It's an exhaustion of all other options -- most notably the military one.

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Washington, D.C.: Your chats are worthless.

Dana Milbank: Thank you.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Does anyone think that your answers on these chats are funny, interesting, or at all worthwhile?

Dana Milbank: Anybody else?

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Bethesda, Md.: I found it interesting that the Post chose to report today on the front page that one of the two Israelis who died in the Haifa bombing was drinking her morning coffee, but never mentioned what any of the 47 civilians who were killed in the Beirut bombing were doing when they were killed. By personalizing the tragedy of one side and not the other in this conflict, The Post sends a message about the relative value of human life.

Dana Milbank:

Actually the coffee drinker wasn't in Haifa. But to the larger point, I suspect it's a matter of whether such details are available. Nobody who read the fine cover story in last Sunday's Outlook section would think we're ignoring the suffering of civilians in Iraq, for example.

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Your Chats: Dana-

I am "anyone else" and YES you are funny. A few chats ago, I laughed out loud at several of you responses. So far today, I haven't but I'm still holding out hope for a good laugh.

Dana Milbank: Thanks, mom.

People are so mean that I don't feel funny today. Sorry.

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Baltimore, Md.: I love your chats. Those who say you aren't funny are big poopyhead meanies.

Dana Milbank: This is promising. We now have 'scandalmonger' and 'poopyhead' in the same online chat. Please send other suggestions.

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Marion, Pa.: Is Congressman Hoekstra mad at the CIA, the White House, or threats to his extra-Congressional privileges?

Dana Milbank: Privately, the House Intelligence chairman is mad at the White House for keeping him out of the loop on all kinds of yet-undisclosed new snooping programs. Publicly, he is mad at the leakers and the press for exposing his private anger.

The truth is Congress showed some muscle for the first time this week with its Gitmo hearings, its threat to reject the Haynes nomination, and Specter's small concession from Bush on the NSA. But I wouldn't count on it lasting.

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Out here: Dana, have you ever seen a bigger train wreck than the Katherine Harris campaign? Please comment.

Dana Milbank: Fortunately, there is a way out for the congresswoman: They need somebody to handle the recount in Mexico.

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Kitty Hawk, N.C.: Man- grumpy people today on a Friday.....

Any chance that the U.S. can influence the events in the Mideast? Seems like the Bush Administration has made us non-players in that region....

Dana Milbank: Yes, we are all very grumpy. I blame Syria and Iran but they insist Hezbollah is acting alone in making us grumpy.

You're quite correct on our powerlessness in the Mideast, but why stop there? Seems everybody -- North Korea, Russia, China -- feels comfortable ignoring us these days. Seems they can smell rotting power. But that's not entirely a bad thing; we might get better at soccer, like the Europeans.

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Dana Milbank: Oops. Just spent 15 minutes writing a long, serious answer, and, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, the whole thing disappeared from my screen.

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Dana Milbank: Sorry folks -- technical troubles here are preventing me from opening up questions to respond to. Will see if I can reschedule this.

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