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 congressional reporter Shailagh Murray was online Monday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m. ET .

The transcript follows.

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

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Shailagh Murray: Hi everyone, what a week! Let's get right to the questions.

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Takoma Park, Md.: Why, whenever a woman comes into a position of power, is there a description of who designed her outfit? Unless we'd like to start talking about who designed our ties and shoes, it might be about time to stop reporting on what they're wearing and pay more attention to what they're saying?

Shailagh Murray: A good starting point on the Pelosi subject. I also find this trait among my fellow scribes to be annoying. It's definitely legitimate to talk about clothes or anything appearance related, if there's something exceptional to say. For instance, if she were constantly changing her hairstyle.

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Chicago, Ill.: How much does it help Murtha in his attempt to be House Majority leader that Pelosi said she will support him in his bid? And who is responsible for the committee leadership positions? Is that voted on by members?

Shailagh Murray: Pelosi is extremely loyal to Murtha because he is one of the architects of her rise in the House. She couldn't ignore his candidacy. I think House Democrats realize that, and will take her letter of support in that spirit.

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Wilton, Conn.: Shailagh -- Many thanks for taking my question...which is: Why would Ms. Pelosi take the enormous risks inherent in selecting Hastings to run the House Intelligence Committee?

With the opportunity to seriously refurbish public perceptions about the Dems strength on national security, appointing someone who has been impeached by the Senate seems to be tantamount to shooting off your foot. Your thoughts?

Shailagh Murray: She will not select Hastings. He can't do intel and keep his seat on rules, and he won't want to give up rules. My understanding is that she is looking at Silvetre Reyes of Texas for the intel job.

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Avon Park, Fla.: Is it safe to say that Virginia is now officially a purple, swing state and not a red state anymore? I base that not only on Jim Webb's win this year but on the fact that Democrats have won two gubernatorial elections in a row. That to me is a sign of a strong Virginia Democratic party.

Shailagh Murray: It's never "safe to say" anything in politics, and for that we're all very grateful. But to your point -- Virginia is clearly a gateway state for Democrats.

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Rolla, Mo.: Against all wise punditry, the Democrats were able to seize congress without a "unified plan for Iraq." Now, of course, that is the first question out of the box by the same people. Voters were frustrated with the administration and the war, and wanted to send a message. I don't think they expect the Democrats to produce miracles.

Shailagh Murray: Well put from Rollo. I think voters were telling Congress to wake up and act like an equal branch of government.

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Tampa, Fla.: Re: Joe Lieberman:

How does the political landscape look for the '08 Senate campaigns? How many GOP Senate seats will be contested in '08 vs. Dem seats?

I ask because Lieberman evidently is threatening to join or caucus with the GOP if he's not happy with the Senate Dems. If, say, more GOP seats are open in '08 because of retirements (Warner of VA? Specter of PA?) than Dem seats, the Dems could face a more favorable playing field than they did this year. If so, could the Senate Dems threaten Lieberman by telling him that he better hope the Dems don't increase their majority in '08, because if they do, they'll go out of their way to make life miserable for him?

Shailagh Murray: I hate to admit that I'm already thinking about 08, but, well, the numbers are pretty intriguing. If I recall, 21 Republican Senate incumbents will face voters in 2008. There could be some big retirements -- Pete Domenici possibly, John Warner -- and a lot of good states are in play, including Colorado and Minnesota. I imagine Lieberman is looking at the same map.

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Anonymous: Thanks Ms. Murray for hosting this chat, I'm very impressed with your knowledge of the issues impacting Speaker Pelosi's choices for the Intelligence Committee.

It seems to me Baker's Iraq Study Group is DOA unless he has some magical way of persuading the Shiites to negotiate with the Sunnis.

Shailagh Murray: Thanks. On the study group report, I'm not sure the recommendations per se matter as much as the fact that they may finally provide a bipartisan foundation for moving forward. At least, that's what many people in both parties are hoping.

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Clifton, Va.: You need to remember that in the last two races for governor in VA the idiot Republicans nominated a far right candidate for governor. Someone a little more to the center would have stood a better chance against Kaine and Warner. Allen barely beat Robb if I remember correctly. And Webb is almost as conservative as Allen. So Purple state not. Look at the voting patterns in the state. there is huge divide between Nova and Rural Va. The Republicans in VA if they select a quality candidate for gov or Senate have a chance. Davis has a chance for Warner's seat. Should be an interesting race between tow NOVA's for Senate in '08.

Shailagh Murray: Here's a well informed voter Virginia resident weighing in on the purple issue. I would note, though, that Webb is not almost as conservative as Allen. On many domestic issues, he seems like a pretty typical Democrat.

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Reply to Takoma Park: I think Nancy Pelosi attracts undue attention to her clothes by virtue of choosing to wear a designer wardrobe (as well as reports that her husband selects it for her). If she instead wore simple but tasteful off-the-rack clothes, I suspect far less attention would be paid to this aspect of her identity. Might this case be comparable to all the flak Katie Couric has drawn (especially the first few weeks) for her attire as news anchor? I don't seem to recall people ever tossing such brickbats at, say, the estimable Margaret Warner or Gwen Ifill over at the PBS "News Hour"!

Shailagh Murray: Nancy Pelosi is not a flashy dresser. Her clothes are simple and tasteful, and so what if they're expensive? Why shop at Filene's when you can afford Barney's? Does that make you more virtuous somehow? Tons of people drive cars they can't afford, or max out their credit cards to redo the living room. I don't see the crime here.

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Alaska!: Just wondering if you've heard any rumblings about Ted Stevens (Sen.-R). He hasn't been looking too well recently ("The Internet is a series of tubes!"), and now he's lost his powerful committee chairmanship. Is he likely to step down in two years?

Shailagh Murray: Since when did practical considerations inform a senator's decision to retire?

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Chicago, Ill.: Connecticut is a very blue state. Didn't Lieberman say all along that while he was running as an independent he would caucus with the Democrats? Didn't he win because he got most of the GOP vote but also a big chunk of the Dem vote? How many of those Dems would have voted for him had he said he might caucus with the GOP? What are Conn.'s recall procedures?

Shailagh Murray: I didn't want to say the word recall, but since Chicago did...

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Burlington, Vt.: We're all pretty proud of ourselves up here to have elected Bernie Sanders to the Senate. Any thoughts on how well he will be able to get along with his colleagues given his reputation for being a fire-breathing bomb thrower?

Shailagh Murray: Without a doubt, Bernie Sanders is huge added value to the Senate. Anyone who thinks outside the box and doesn't wait his turn for 18 years is welcome, in my book. He'll be the Democratic Tom Coburn.

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Washington, D.C.: Yes, Virginia is a purple state. Where pundits are wrong, however, is in suggesting that this is something new. -Five- of the last seven governors of Virginia have been Democrats. The Old Dominion has long been hospitable to moderates from both parties. Virginia is a centrist state.

That said, it certainly has leaned GOP at the Presidential level; but the increasing clout and blue trend of NoVA may be making it truly competitive.

Shailagh Murray: It's important to make a distinction between states like Ohio and states like Virginia. In the former, I think it's legitimate to debate whether Democrats were lucky or are on to something. States like Virginia are more dynamic -- their populations are changing. We're not talking about a bunch of blue collar Reagan Democrats who may or may not be coming home.

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Pittsburgh, Pa.: Hi, Shailagh, thank you for taking questions. What did you make of the the Allen concession extravaganza? I lived in Virginia for twenty years (outside of Richmond)and the whole spectacle with an introduction by John Warner and the football thing struck me as odd. How 'bout you?

Shailagh Murray: My read was George Allen wants to keep his options open and decided to go out on the highest possible note.

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Rockville, Md.: If you had 100 points of credit to split among R. Emmanuel, H. Dean, and C. Schumer for last week's outcome, how would you distribute?

Shailagh Murray: Credit for why Democrats won? I'd give half the points to Bush and split the other 50 between Rahm Emanuel and Chuck Schumer. No, actually I'd give a few more points to Rahm, because 18 months ago nobody thought the Democrats had a prayer of winning the House back.

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Washington, D.C.: Shailagh, Any word on the nine undecided House races? Are any more likely to switch party than others?

Shailagh Murray: Democrats are pretty confident that Deborah Pryce will end up winning. And the Simmons recount is today. Otherwise, I haven't heard for many surprises.

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Toledo, Ohio: From where I sit, one of the voters' primary demands was that both parties get their acts together and govern in a truly bipartisan fashion. Speaker-to-be Pelosi has made noises that that is what she intends to do.

What do you think the odds are that will happen?

Shailagh Murray: Right now, the odds look pretty decent, but we'll see how Bush handles the State of the Union and how smoothly budget season unfolds. That's when the rubber hits the road.

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New York, N.Y.: In your split of the Democratic win credit, you neglected any mention of Howard Dean (and his 50-State Strategy, which was discounted early on by Rahm/Schumer) and the Netroots. Why is that?

Shailagh Murray: Because I wanted to incite the blogs. You know, because they're so supportive of all of us.

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Washington, D.C.: Good morning!

I caught Michael Steele, along with Donna Brazille, on C-Span yesterday. He indicated the possibility of RNC Chair was open to him. Is this wishful thinking on his part, or has the national party actually reached out to him? Given the way he distanced himself from the party during his campaign, would this be a mistake on the RNC's part?

Shailagh Murray: It's unclear whether the Steele bid is serious not. This is not an image or idea job, it's an organizing and fundraising job. I don't think Steele has a long resume in either field, but then, maybe Republicans will decide to really shake things up -- and he would definitely do that.

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Lieberman: I haven't seen any evidence that he's "threatening" to caucus with the Republicans. He has -repeatedly- said he's going to caucus with the Dems and is referring to himself as an I/D (Independent Democrat). And the Dems aren't "threatening" him either. They're making him the chair of Homeland Security.

Shailagh Murray: All Democrats want is for Lieberman to apply the same energy to his committee chairmanship, that he has to cultivating his independent mystique. He's got a very important job.

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Re: Webb as conservative as Allen: Why do people keep saying this? This is simply not true. At Webb's rally last Monday in Alexandria he talked about voting against Ballot initiative 1 (ban of same-sex marriage and unions). He's also talked repeatedly about raising minimum wage (something conservative are loathe to do) and he's talked A LOT about class divisions. He's also pro-choice. Webb's social stands are more libertarian, if not democratic.

Shailagh Murray: More on Webb.

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New York, N.Y.: Good morning, Shailagh. In Dan Balz's analysis piece today, Ken Mehlman said the GOP should not become 'the party of the wall,' referring to the right wing's stance on immigration, which hurt them with Hispanic voters. Isn't he, along with Karl Rove, an architect of the GOP's division politics, in which candidates in border states were encouraged to go anti-immigrant to make the election local? And what about their obsession with gay marriage, which hurt them in general? Thanks for taking questions.

washingtonpost.com: Midterm Election Leaves Political Landscape Blurry , ( Post, Nov. 12 )

Shailagh Murray: When you play us vs. them, you always need a them. Something for our fallen Republican brothers and sisters to reflect upon: you can only alienate so many people. The "party of the wall" indeed. Build too many walls and you're lost in a maze.

Take care everyone. See you in two weeks. Cheers, Shailagh

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