Lois Romano (Julia Ewan - The Washington Post)

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 Lois Romano was online Thursday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest in political news.

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The transcript follows.

Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Lois Romano: Good morning everyone -- thanks for joining us this morning. Look forward to answering your questions.

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Gettysburg, Pa.: Is Florida moving up their primary to Janu. 29 a done deal or are the parties taking action to prevent it? Are other states going to move up too if Florida gets to? When will this insanity end?

Lois Romano: It is really insane. Not yet a done deal, but the Florida Legislature passed a measure setting Jan. 29 as the primary and the Republican governor is expected to sign the bill. There is a lot of tension about all this movement because both parties are very competitive, and having everything so close and so early does not give second-tier candidates a chance to get a "bounce" in they do well in Iowa.

The Democratic party has vowed to impose penalties if a state goes too early --  this means losing delegates.

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Richmond, Va.: USA Today had a poll out yesterday that showed Obama nearly tied with Clinton, while all the other polls show Clinton way ahead. How's a reader to know which poll is correct?

Lois Romano: I probably would look at what the majority of the polls have -- but look at all polls skeptically. You also should look at the explanation each survey has of their sample. I have seen Clinton ahead everywhere so I'm not sure what's happening with the USA Today poll.

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Seattle: So, who do you think will end up spending less time in jail, Paris or Scooter?

Lois Romano: You sound cynical about Libby's situation. It seems that he will do time even after his appeals are exhausted. The interesting thing to watch is whether President Bush will pardon him before he leaves the White House.

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Reading, Mass.: Was former Gov. Huckabee out of line during his rambling evolution response when he said: "If they want a president who doesn't believe in God, there's probably plenty of choices." Who do you think he was referring to? The Democrats?

Lois Romano: Mr. Huckabee desperately is trying to appeal to the Christian conservatives who were so vital to George Bush's success. In the process, however, he may drive away other potential supporters. I am not sure who he was referring to -- I don't know the beliefs of everyone running but the top-tier candidates certainly has let their spiritual side be known.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Which states have primaries on February 12? I ask because that may be the date that determines which of the survivors of February 5 get to continue any further.

Lois Romano: For Democrats: the District, Tennessee, Virginia.

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Boston: I really don't understand a man like President Bush, who seems to do anything he can to go against the political landscape, such as with the new, Surgeon General, he has nominated. You would think he has enough going against him on all fronts as it is. Any comments?

washingtonpost.com: Gay Groups Decry Surgeon General Nominee (AP, June 6)

Lois Romano: Well this is one of Washington's great parlor games -- trying to figure out why the president takes on so much potential controversy. He also has nominated a woman to head AID who has a controversial history -- she was forced to resign as a trustee of Wellesley because she made what some perceived to be racially insensitive remarks in a 1987 speech.

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Oakton, Va.: You're probably too young to remember, but how did George Romney address his religion during his presidential campaign? Seems like that might be a more apt comparison for Mitt Romney than what John Kennedy did.

Lois Romano: You're right, I am a little to young to know for sure -- but I just did a quick check of some sites, and it did not seem to be a big issue in the same way Kennedy's Catholicism seemed to be.

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Re: The Iowa Straw Poll: I can't imagine the people in Iowa who consider their poll important are too happy with the number of people who are a skipping it (or who wanted to -- i.e. Clinton). It sort of makes the poll less important, doesn't it?

Lois Romano: Not really -- it's still an important part of the perception of a campaign. Yes, they will not be happy, and whomever does win will get a lot of attention until someone leaps over them at the next stop.

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Chicago: Did John Edwards really accept a $55,000 honorarium from University of California-Davis for a speech on poverty, as Robert Novak says in his column today? We all know Novak lies, so I'd like to hear it from another source.

washingtonpost.com: A Contender's Worn-Out Welcome (Post, June 7)

Lois Romano: Yes, it's true. The Edwards campaign has defended it by saying the event sold tickets, so it paid for itself.

Rudy Giuliani reportedly charged $100,000 to Oklahoma State University for a speech, and media critics have asked why this was left out of most of the stories on Edwards...

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San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Do you anticipate that the cloture vote on S. 1348 "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" will pass today or tomorrow? Several news outlets are reporting that the "sunsetting" of the so-called guest worker program after five years, passed very late Wednesday night, is the deal-breaker.

Lois Romano: It could come to a vote tonight, and right now it is expected to pass the Senate narrowly. A lot of amendments from the right and left were beaten back yesterday. It's a very fragile coalition holding it together.

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Baltimore: Who's the most interesting politician you've ever met? Who's the meanest? Funniest? Just curious. I think we all like to see real people running for office. Personally, when I found out that Barack Obama used to (still does?) smoke, it made him more human. Thanks.

Lois Romano: I guess I would have to say Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson were the most interesting. Can't think of anyone mean offhand -- its their job to at least be publicly nice. I'd have to think about funny -- most of them, as you know, take themselves very seriously.

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New Boston, N.H.: Will anybody ever ask (or has anybody already asked) Bush why he declassified Valerie Plame's name as a CIA covert agent and gave it to Cheney/Libby/Rove/Armitage/Bartlett et al? It seems pretty obvious to me that he knew, given the implications of Joseph Wilson's truth mission to Nigeria, that Valerie Plame Wilson's name would be used for just such a nefarious purpose. But then, what do I know? My advanced degree is not in Bushology.

Lois Romano: He was questioned by the special prosecutor, but I am not sure we know much about what was said.

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Anonymous: Not sure how to ask this without sounding anti-religious, but it seems like the candidates are trying to out-do each other on religion. Is this still part of the "values" issue, and will it play in the general election? It seems a little uncomfortable.

Lois Romano: Yes, it is the values issue. I think multiple academic studies in recent years have shown that Americans had returned to a spirituality in their lives -- if not an organized religion per se. Part of the candidates flaunting their religion is about the direction of the country -- but not being totally cynical, I also think a number of them are truly believers.

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Pittsburgh: I've heard that Barney Frank is extremely witty.

Lois Romano: He is indeed -- in a very wry and sarcastic way.

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Vienna, Va.: Rep. Barbara Cubin was described today as an "ultra-conservative" in a news story. Can you think of a legislator who would get an "ultra-liberal" descriptor in a news story? Columns and "Reliable Source" don't count.

washingtonpost.com: Sen. Craig Thomas: After a Quiet Farewell, Finding a Successor (Post, June 7)

Lois Romano: Not off-hand, but we might do it another way to indicate their politics. We have described liberals as "unabashed," or by their votes. Don't read too much into it -- it may have been just an easy way to get a quick point across.

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Dryden, N.Y.: Dana Milbank's sketch of Club 44, Sen. Clinton's attempt to rally the under-30 set with a group of much older women was a hoot. But it did point out the obvious: Sen. Clinton's "Hear Me Roar" appeal doesn't resonate with her daughter's generation. Does the sexy, smooth Sen. Barack, who is more of a big brother, seems to have more appeal? Does Michelle Obama, who is almost young enough to be the senator's daughter have more appeal? Thanks for the chat and your feedback.

washingtonpost.com: Hillary Fever Skips a Generation (Post, June 7)

Lois Romano: I only can speak to this is personal terms -- and it may be age/generation related. I have a college-aged daughter who sees Hillary as a trailblazer for women and grasps the consequences of having a first woman president. I also have teenage daughter who is much more taken with Obama. Go figure.

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Meridian, Idaho: You looked and sounded quite good on TV a couple of days ago. I think that Giuliani's and McCain's reasons for pulling out of the Ames straw poll is not because of its lack of importance vis-a-vis the costs (cash, time, etc.) involved. Rather, I think it's because they knew they were going to be beaten soundly, and this was their best strategic response. Do you agree, Lois, or am I all wet? Thank you for taking my question.

washingtonpost.com: Giuliani, McCain to Pass on Iowa Straw Poll (Post, June 6)

Lois Romano: It's really a combination of both those factors. Why spend money and resources in a place where you likely will get beat? This way expectations are lowered dramatically and whatever they do will be spun as a success.

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Cumberland, Md.: Cloture has just failed in the Senate. What do you predict will happen now? Dems want another cloture vote at 5 p.m. today.

Lois Romano: Reid told reporters that he would pull down the bill if Republicans oppose the cloture vote.

"If the cloture motion fails, I'm not going to proceed on it at this time. Maybe at some point in the future."

Stay tuned!

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Lois Romano: Thank you all so much for joining us today -- as usual, great questions. I hope you got good answers. See you in two weeks.

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