White House Reporter Michael Abramowitz.

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 White House reporter Michael Abramowitz was online Tuesday, May 15, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

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The transcript follows.

Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Anonymous: The White House is apparently standing by Paul Wolfowitz. Have there been any rumblings by conservatives regarding Wolfowitz's actions? I understand he was still married when he moved to get his girlfriend promoted. Is he still married?

Michael Abramowitz: My sense is that conservatives, in the sense of movement conservatives, are still standing by Wolfowitz and see him as the victim of people out to get him because of his role in the Iraq War. I am unaware of his current marital status.

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Boston: Attorney General Ashcroft interrupted his Russian trip to announce his arrest. News and cable filled weeks of time on his nefarious "dirty bombs." He is one of the few American citizens we know about that has ever been held without charges and without a trial. The Supreme Court remedied that situation. The U.S. had to back down on its sensational and fear-mongering accusations. Why is it that the Padilla trial is not front page news?

washingtonpost.com: Al-Qaeda Cited Often As Padilla's Trial Opens (Post, May 15)

Michael Abramowitz: Now that I am no longer an editor, I can't answer for why stories get played or not played on the front page. There are usually more stories that merit front page play than the six slots The Post gives to stories on the front page. In this case, I suspect the story was in the mix for front-page consideration, but I would imagine the determination (and I am not sure) was that there was not enough new information about the case here. I also note the story was not on the New York Times front page either.

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North Carolina: I frequently hear the Democratic candidates pledge to improve the economy. We have almost low unemployment. The stock market is at a record high. Inflation is under control in spite of fuel increases. GDP and GNP are growing at a nice rate. Am I missing something or are they playing on an American public buying whatever it is they are selling?

Michael Abramowitz: I think you raise an interesting point: by many traditional indicators, the economy is doing reasonably well. I am not sure this is the issue that has as much traction for the Democrats as the Iraq war.

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Alexandria, Va.: Do you really think President Bush cares what congressional Republicans think about Iraq? As long as they keep voting against overriding his vetoes, he can do whatever he wants. I don't think 60 Republicans are going to start siding with the Democrats.

Michael Abramowitz: I do think he cares about what they think because I am not sure he can depend on them to sustain his vetoes in perpetuity. There's a huge amount of evidence that Republicans are on the verge of shifting on the war unless the so-called surge starts showing results by sometime this fall -- September is the date a lot of people are talking about. I also think if the surge does not work, you will see the president shift policy before Congress forces him to.

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Elma, N.Y.: What about Sen. Hagel's recent comment that "a credible third-party candidate for president would benefit the United States" and that he planned to decide by late summer about whether to run for president himself? Is Iraq a powerful enough issue to make an independent run viable given that Dems are running on that issue? And will a Hagel run hurt Republicans or Democrats more?

washingtonpost.com: Hagel Continues Flirtation With Independent Bid (washingtonpost.com, May 14)

Michael Abramowitz: I think there is room for a third-party candidate this year, someone like Hagel or Bloomberg. I think there is some hunger for someone who might be able to rise above the partisanship of our politics today. My guess is as good as yours as to whether he hurts Democrats or Republicans more -- my guess is that he would really be seen as an anti-war candidate, so that would suggest he hurts Dems more. But outside of war and peace issues, he is pretty conservative -- so that could also take votes from the GOP nominee as well.

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Reston, Va.: Hi, Michael. Thanks for taking questions. Are moderate Republicans more satisfied than conservatives with the current field of candidates? If so, by how much? If the field stays the same, are moderates more likely than conservatives to turn out for the primaries this time?

Michael Abramowitz: Interesting question. Our polling department tells me that according to our most recent poll (in April) moderate Republicans are more dissatisfied with the current GOP field than conservatives. About 55 percent of self-described moderate Republicans say they are satisfied with the field of candidates, compared to 71 percent of conservative Republicans. I would caution you that the sample size is fairly small. I don't know the answer to your last question.

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New York: What do you think Gonzales's chances are now?

Michael Abramowitz: I think he stays -- that's the indication from the White House. They want to ride this out.

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Atlanta: Is it just me, or does it seem that all the terror alerts (yellow, orange, red, etc.) have stopped since the 2006 elections? Has the White House or Homeland Security made any explicit decisions about this? Or, to be a bit paranoid, will the terror alerts start again as we get closer to the 2008 elections as a way to frighten/rally the base?

Michael Abramowitz: It's not just you. My understanding is that the Homeland Security department quietly has walked away from issuing these terror alerts (we are stuck on orange) because they did not see them as that useful. I think it's possible they might revive it at some point, but I don't expect it.

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Re: Economy: By almost all statistical measures the American economy is doing great, maybe the best in history. That's great for me (financial advisor) great for C-level corporate execs, great for money managers. That leaves out the other 99 percent of the population who (except for 2006) have not seen pay increases to go along with rocketing earnings and C-level salaries. In addition to not getting a taste of all that economic goodness, people are scared about their jobs and their employers loyalty. You should be too Michael ... I saw a California news site recently advertised for a local beat reporter ... and they placed the ad in Delhi!

Michael Abramowitz: I think you raise another explanation about why the economy is still an issue even though some indicators suggest it is doing well. I should have included it. Thanks.

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Oxford, Miss.: With regard to Hagel, I think you're right that he hurts Dems on the anti-war front, but if McCain is the Republican nominee Hagel will siphon a huge amount of support away from him. Hagel basically has the credibility of McCain in 2000 -- he's a thoughtful, straight-talking conservative, Vietnam-vet maverick who's not afraid to buck his party. McCain has given up a lot of that ground by kowtowing to Bush and Co. on the war.

Michael Abramowitz: Thanks for another take on the Hagel question.

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East Aurora, N.Y.: What's your take on the seemingly insurmountable breach between the two political parties. Dems simply despise the GOP these days. The GOP -- though licking their 2006 wounds -- seemingly couldn't care less what Dems think. I've never seen partisanship this raw and frayed. What gives?

Michael Abramowitz: I wonder what will happen after we get a new president. George Bush is such a polarizing figure that I think it is difficult for there to be genuine bipartisanship -- even if Bush were to accept everything the Democrats offered, people would still hate him. I suspect that polarization might endure if Hillary Clinton is elected. Someone like Obama or McCain might be able to get beyond that.

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Washington: What are some things we should watch for in tonight's GOP debate?

Michael Abramowitz: As my colleague Dan Balz wrote today, I suspect that a lot of the attention will be on Giuliani and how he handles the question of abortion after kind of fumbling it in the last debate. With 10 candidates on stage, it will be another situation where there's little opportunity for anyone to make a big impression. I am sure the candidates in the so-called lower tier, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback or Jim Gilmore, are going to be angling to figure out how to make a splash and try to move out of that tier.

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North Carolina: There seems to be some huge concern (or joy) on the left that Rudy is pro-choice. As a conservative, I am often asked how would I deal with this. Well -- and I can't speak for all conservatives -- given a choice between Rudy and any of the Democratic candidates (who are also all pro-life and had a fit with the partial-birth abortion ban) I would chose Rudy, who is by all other standards more conservative. Ironically, it appears that it is the Republicans who actually are the "big tent" party in this regards. Show me the pro-life Democrat.

Michael Abramowitz: Well, Harry Reid considers himself anti-abortion, as I understand it -- though I am sure there are those who will disagree with that self-assessment. The polls suggest that many people in the GOP agree with you and can accept Giuliani despite his position on abortion -- because of what they consider his strong record on terrorism and improving New York.

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Third Party: I think anytime the issue of a potential third presidential candidate running is discussed, you should include the incredible amount of work and money that would have to be involved to get a third candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. Until I hear that someone is expending that effort, it is all hot air and just wishful thinking. I read that Michael Bloomberg is looking at committing $1 billion for a potential run in 2008 -- he'd better get started now to send people around the country circulating petitions to put him on the ballot.

Michael Abramowitz: You are absolutely right -- and the issues you raise suggest how hard it would be for a third-party candidate to win. I was just saying that Bloomberg or Hagel would make things interesting and, I think, would be able to run credible campaigns.

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Oklahoma City: The Gallup poll today puts Congress's approval rating at 29 percent with Bush at 33 percent. Gee, maybe the left will now call for impeachment of Congress? Not hardly ... but this cannot bode well for the Dems, can it?

Michael Abramowitz: I have not seen that poll, but you definitely are starting to see stories about the difficulties Democrats are having passing legislation. My colleague Jonathan Weisman had a good one a week or so ago. I do think its a little early for a full assessment, but the Democrats are definitely under pressure to show that they can govern as well as criticize Bush. That's why I still believe you might see some bipartisan signing ceremonies at the White House before the administration is over.

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Re: Tonight's Debate: You think there will be any follow-up to the evolution question from the last go-round?

Michael Abramowitz: I have no idea -- but that might be an interesting exercise.

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Richmond, Va.: Can you explain to me again why Giuliani is the "putative front-runner for the GOP nomination"? He is a liberal Republican whose "values" are very different from those who generally vote in primaries; his past personal and present corporate life is littered with scandal; a lot of credible people in New York involved in 9/11 dispute his so-called leadership during that time; and his temper tantrums are legendary. So, is it that Giuliani is the anti-every-other-Republican candidate, or is it that people who vote in primaries haven't learned about the real Giuliani (and the other candidates are doing a poor job of defining him) or is it that primary voters really like this guy?

Michael Abramowitz: My own sense if that there is not one clear frontrunner, but several candidates (Giuliani, McCain, Romney) that have a plausible path to nomination -- and several others (Thompson, comes to mind) who might put themselves in that position.

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Seattle: A quick Google reveals the following: In the mid-1960s Wolfowitz met anthropologist Clare Selgin Wolfowitz while they were both studying at Cornell University. They married in 1968, had three children (Sara, David, and Rachel), separated in 2001, and, according to some sources, were divorced in 2002, though, according to other sources their marital status appears to be uncertain. Do they have that site blocked at The Post?

Michael Abramowitz: We don't have that site blocked. All I can say is Clare Wolfowitz has not answered questions about this -- and my colleagues have been unable to find any divorce records.

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Rochester, N.Y.: How does McNulty's resignation affect the status of the Gonzales investigation? Will we start to see more coverage of this issue now?

washingtonpost.com: Justice Dept.'s No. 2 to Resign (Post, May 15)

Michael Abramowitz: We've been doing an awful lot of coverage of this issue in the past few months -- and I suspect you will see more of it.

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Helena, Mont.: In response to North Carolina, it seems that conservative Republicans have the hardest time of any in the electorate to vote for anyone other than the Republican candidate, regardless of who he is or what positions he takes. The independents swing back and forth, even pretty liberal Democrats will vote for a Republican.

Michael Abramowitz: Just passing this on.

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Arlington, Va.: The combination of Sen. Leahy's threat to put holds on any prospective Justice nominees and the Vacancies Act that has limitations on how long an Acting can serve in a position may be enough to smoke Gonzales out of his position because, after all, the administration still has a Department to run.

Michael Abramowitz: This is an interesting point. I suppose the Democrats could try to use their power to confirm to press the administration, and the department does have a bunch of people in acting positions. I don't see the White House caving, though -- and I suspect they figure they can get through the rest of the term. The truth of the matter is that they have a problem with Justice Department leadership even if Gonzales goes. They would have to fill the top two positions, and that would take some time.

Thanks again for all your questions. Talk to you in a few weeks.

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