Post Politics Hour

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 Anne E. Kornblut was online Friday, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

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.

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.

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washingtonpost.com: Anne Kornblut will be starting the discussion at 11:15 a.m.

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Alexandria, Va.: How politically sensitive do you think Obama's recent comments about an invasion of Pakistan will make him? It seems that this could open up criticisms on both sides and have consequences during a larger campaign should he get the bid for president. Were his comments of any consequence, or more "I'm different and new" rhetoric?

washingtonpost.com: Obama Attacks Pakistan; Pakistan Retaliates (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: It seems to me that this is an open question -- and a really good one. Obama's remarks over the last week, first about rogue foreign leaders, then his speech on Pakistan, followed by the comments on nuclear weapons tomorrow, have all really given us a clearer picture of how he would act and what his world view would be as president. And his opponents are all over him -- a sure sign that they think at least some of what he has said has made him vulnerable.

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Bethesda, Md.: Hi Anne -- you've covered Hillary Clinton extensively. Do you think she saw the "cleavage controversy" coming (say that ten times fast)?

washingtonpost.com: Looks and Politics (washingtonpost.com, July 30)

Anne E. Kornblut: Great question. I don't think Sen. Clinton is surprised by much anymore -- and certainly her office knew that people were taken aback by her outfit that day -- but they made the most of it it seems, by sending out a fundraising letter on the subject. Lemon into lemonade?

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Arlington, Va.: Will the bridge collapse in Minnesota bring a call for increased transportation funding? Who in Congress would be most likely to advocate that?

Anne E. Kornblut: You've asked the right question! I was up on the Hill yesterday and already the Minnesota senators were starting to talk about asking for federal funds for this crisis; whether it turns into a larger debate over the federal highway bill is another matter.

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St. Paul, Minn.: Hi Anne -- thanks for taking my question. Here in the Twin Cities we're very much in shock about the freeway bridge collapse earlier this week. Do you see the whole issue of our crumbling infrastructure, etc., becoming a campaign issue in 2008? Or even something along the lines of "never mind spending billions on a war and building the infrastructure of another country, what about our own?"

Anne E. Kornblut: Absolutely, great question. I would keep an eye on the Sunday shows this week -- I expect all the guests will get questions about infrastructure, and I would expect Democrats to underscore that the country needs to do better building it up -- not only because bridges can collapse but also because we are still under terrorist threat. And the question of "competence" is already a huge one in the 2008 race, with everyone holding up Katrina as an example of what the Republican administration did wrong (not to mention Iraq, Walter Reed, etc.).

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Alpharetta, Ga.: Anne, in your spring piece on Mark Penn, did you ask any pollsters or look at the exit polls to test any of his assumptions? In terms of women, the female defectors tended to be married, and Gallup/CBS don't find Clinton particularly favorable relative to other Dems among them. As for Latinos, that figure is inflated, which is a problem if you're calculating out Bush's margins. Dems lost ground among Catholics and seniors. Clinton is at a disadvantage with seniors.

washingtonpost.com: Clinton's PowerPointer: With Data and Slides, a Pollster Guides Campaign Strategy (Post, April 30)

Anne E. Kornblut: A lot of questions in there! Sure, there are plenty of pollsters who challenge Penn's assumptions, especially the general election numbers that are arguably too far out to matter. But so far, at least, his primary assumptions have held out -- that she would do better with women, particularly downscale ones. We see that in our own polling.

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Wilmington, N.C.: With regard to this nuclear matter, I disagree with Sen. Clinton and agree with Sen. Obama. That being said, I have what I guess is sort of a process question about your article today. You referenced "several foreign policy experts said Obama was essentially right" and quoted Mr. O'Hanlon saying as much. If there are no "foreign policy experts" who agree with Sen. Clinton, then why does the article not state that? If there are such people, why is there no mention of or quote from them? It seemed an omission, and I was curious how one decides on such a presentation.

Anne E. Kornblut: Fabulous question. A couple of things. For space reasons, I wasn't able to include other foreign policy experts who agree with Obama. For time reasons, I was not able to survey absolutely every member of the foreign policy establishment to see if no one agrees with Clinton. More reporting on that subject is underway today. Believe me, we all wish it could be more scientific instantaneously!

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Washington: When the president was showing his deep concern regarding the growth in congressional spending yesterday, did anyone ask him about the complete lack of restraint in the past six years, and what could possibly have changed so quickly to make him care all of a sudden? Seriously, were there mutterings of pots calling kettles black in the room?

Anne E. Kornblut: This is a key point you will hear from Democrats for the next year and a half. Bill Clinton actually has a line about Democrats now being the party of both the conservatives and the liberals, since there's no longer room for fiscal conservatives in the GOP.

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New York: Do you really monitor your BlackBerry while walking on the treadmill every morning?

Anne E. Kornblut: What an intriguing question. I appreciate your giving me credit for exercising every day.

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Teaneck, N.J.: Do you believe the Democrats reap any real benefit from Harry Reid's immediate "blame Bush" statement regarding the bridge collapse? It seems to me that people are so sick of this knee-jerk reaction to every event that it might even result in a little bit of sympathy for the president.

Anne E. Kornblut: I'm interested, to tell you the truth, to see how Bush does on his trip out to Minnesota. He and Laura Bush are both going. But yours is a good question --- I'll be curious to see the answer as much as you.

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Gettysburg, Pa.: Thanks, Anne, for taking my question ... and good morning! What do you make of Obama's comments about use of nuclear weapons? I noted in another chat recently that I think he is trying too hard, and taking too many risks. Do you agree, or do you think such risk-taking is vital, if he has any hope of narrowing Clinton's lead? Speaking of her lead: isn't that really misleading, given that it is based on a national contest, unaffected by primary results? With Obama's clear lead in multiple primaries, there is every chance he will be the leader/frontrunner soon ... unless of course, he stumbles over some of these recent comments/issues. Any thoughts?

washingtonpost.com: Clinton Demurs On Obama's Nuclear Stance (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: All good questions! I agree with you on the polls -- nothing matters except the early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, in that order) at this point, and our latest Wash Post poll shows the Democrats essentially running even in Iowa. Remember where we were at this moment four years ago: Howard Dean was on the rise. That said, with the speeded-up primary schedule -- which could see voting as early as very early January -- Obama has needed to set himself apart from Clinton on some issues, and seems to think that foreign policy is a good one. His belief is that he's about change; he wants to portray Clinton as similar to the Bush administration.

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Philadelphia: Sen. Clinton's aides often point to her performance in New York, particularly upstate. But her 2000 Senate race was in a blue state, and also has some unfriendly stats -- she lost independents and white Catholics. They're the kinds of swing voters you need in a general election. While it may be plausible to win without them, you'd rather have them on your side than not. That raises some real questions about whether she's the most electable candidate.

Anne E. Kornblut: Yes, you're absolutely right, and I think there is a good case to be made that while she is electable -- she isn't the most electable necessarily. Some smart Democrats I know believe Sen. Clinton would have a hard time picking up "new blue" states such as Colorado or even Missouri, and would be left with essentially the same general election map as Sen. John Kerry in 2004. Obama supporters believe he would have an easier time expanding the blue map. And in most head-to-head polls nationally, Clinton and Obama are about the same against a hypothetical Republican nominee.

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Des Moines, Iowa: Here is my viewpoint on the cleavage issue: Because Hillary needs to brush up her female image, what better way to start a new debate about how to dress for political success than by daring to expose some "white meat"? After all, if the women think Hillary is getting picked on and that the media has a double-standard, she wins again and makes money at the same time -- wouldn't you agree?

Anne E. Kornblut: Ah, yes, the victim theory. There are some who believe -- and I am not sure yet whether I am one of them -- that Sen. Clinton does best when she is under attack. Now, the truth is, she wasn't exactly under attack over the cleavage issue. The Post's Style section wrote a clever, lighthearted piece about her outfit. But her campaign translated it into an outrage, and cast it as more attacks on Sen. Clinton, suggesting they believe she benefits from being seen that way.

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Arlington, Va.: Has anyone asked the candidates how they would prevent Iraqi oil production from going away if we pulled out? They aren't producing much now, but that likely would drop if we weren't there to protect the infrastructure, and analysts already are predicting $80-$100 a barrel sometime this year because of depleting supplies.

Anne E. Kornblut: Love this question. I intend to ask them and get back to you on another chat. Thank you.

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Fort Worth, Texas: Anne, Lots of news out there this morning on FISA, wiretapping and the law. Let me ask this straight up: has anyone in this administration testified under oath that the administration absolutely is not wiretapping or data-mining purely domestic phone calls without a warrant? And if conservatives think that it's okay to listen in to Americans' phone calls without a warrant, any idea on how their feelings might change under a President Hillary?

washingtonpost.com: Ruling Limited Spying Efforts (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: I don't know the answer to this, but I'm going to find out. I don't believe anyone has testified to that effect. But you're right -- one has to consider what the carryover laws will be once this administration ends...

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Boston: With passage (and likely signing into law) of homeland defense, lobbying reform and FISA reform bills (in addition to the minimum wage and child health insurance bills, which Bush may veto), is it harder for Bush and the Republicans to pin a "do-nothing" label on the Democratic leadership of Congress to date?

washingtonpost.com: Hill, White House Draw Battle Lines (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: Democrats worked really hard to get stuff done just to be able to make this point. Expect to hear them boasting of their accomplishments in the days ahead!

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San Francisco: How can your readers find out in advance what presidential debates will be held on what dates? This should be included in The Washington Post's coverage so that we can view these debates for ourselves.

Anne E. Kornblut: We've tried to preview most of the debates; I'll make sure our folks know that we should display it more prominently. The next debate is this Sunday -- Republicans on ABC. Democrats have their next debate in Iowa on Aug. 19, also on ABC.

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Washington: Since when is Rudy Giuliani an expert on fighting terrorists? Is anybody going to call him out on this, or does he get a pass because he was the Mayor on 9/11?

Anne E. Kornblut: Interesting question. I've already heard one of his rivals point out that it was Giuliani who, as mayor of New York, put his crisis center in the World Trade Center building, which had already been attacked once before. Expect him to face more scrutiny on this point, for sure.

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Washington: What does Nancy Pelosi do when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's all-time home run record? Her district includes the Giants, and I believe she submitted a resolution back in 2001 when he broke the single-season record.

Anne E. Kornblut: Great question! We were just discussing that last night at dinner: what will Bush do, too?

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Iowa: I saw a statement from Tony Snow that the bridge collapse was the state's fault -- maybe that was in response to Reid's statement, but Reid is the leader of a political group and Snow represents the President of the entire country. If there was inadequate funding, then there's plenty of blame to go around. None of this is much comfort to those whose loved ones died.

Anne E. Kornblut: Yes, and I agree, both sides have to be very careful not to turn this into a partisan battle. We'll see if they can help themselves.

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Wilmington, N.C.: Thank you for taking my earlier question. To follow up a bit, and keeping in mind I agree with him, why O'Hanlon? Did you call him or did he call you? As a "surge" proponent and general Iraq war policy booster, I would think he is somewhat of a fringe character to rely on for foreign policy expertise. Has his track record of almost complete inaccuracy on the big questions in the past five years not damaged his credibility?

Anne E. Kornblut: I called O'Hanlon precisely because he was a proponent of the surge - someone who might, in other words, disagree with Obama. I also spoke to Steven Walt at Harvard who essentially agreed with O'Hanlon (I believe his quote was cut for space). There are plenty of other experts to call (and I intend to). But there are few with a flawless record, especially on Iraq. Any ones in particular you'd like to hear from?

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Seattle: While I am still undecided on Obama, I do credit him with taking a stand on Pakistan and the Taliban/al-Qaeda presence there. Aren't the other candidates who are taking shots at Obama's remarks opening themselves up to questions about how they would handle that situation?

Anne E. Kornblut: Yes, and I think we'll see a lot of that in the days ahead. The Democrats are all speaking at the YearlyKos convention in Chicago this weekend, and are together at a debate in Iowa on Aug. 19; I'll be shocked if they don't all get questions on this.

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Richmond, Va.: Is it going to do John McCain any good to now change his take on immigration? What strategy can his campaign use to deflect the inevitable desperate, flip-flop and pandering charges? In short, will this help or further erode his candidacy?

washingtonpost.com: McCain Changes Course on Immigration (AP, Aug. 2)

Anne E. Kornblut: McCain has a pretty hard road ahead of him regardless at this point. I may be one of the last people in Washington who does not think his candidacy is over; that said, as you point out, he has fewer and fewer options when it comes to fixing himself on the two big issues for him, immigration and Iraq.

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Berkeley, Calif.: According to Tony Snow: "If an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions." Didn't work for the levees, but they're trying that line again, huh?

washingtonpost.com: Minneapolis Bridge, Like Many In U.S., Was 'Structurally Deficient' (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: Yes, it does have shades of Katrina, but you'll note that Bush is on his way out there this time.... Stay tuned to see how their rhetoric evolves.

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Arlington, Va.: Thanks for taking my question. With Secretary of State Condi Rice making headlines this week during her Middle East "Bridge Across Troubled Waters" tour, isn't this exposing the hypocrisy by the Democrats who continue to claim the Bush administration neither supports foreign policy nor is acting on international issues? Or do the Democrats think people are not reading your newspapers excellent coverage of the Condi-Gates road show?

washingtonpost.com: Another Tour Ends Without Solid Plans On Mideast Peace; Rice 'Encouraged' by Interest in Meeting (Post, Aug. 3)

Anne E. Kornblut: The answer I've heard to that question so far from Democrats is that it's "too little, too late." I'll be interested to see if that changes.

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Washington: Is Tom Davis a Senator come January 2009?

washingtonpost.com: Upcoming Discussion: Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) (washingtonpost.com, noon today)

Anne E. Kornblut: we'll have to wait and find out!

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Grasonville, Md.: President Bush's speech yesterday about the Minnesota bridge collapse was scantily reported, and when it was there was no discussion of his use of the speech to speciously slam the Democrats for not getting the spending legislation done already (I won't even bring up the Republicans' inability to get most of them done at all last year). Why do you think that neither the reporters nor the pundits have taken umbrage at this abominable use of a speech expressing sorrow for the loss of Americans?

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a really interesting point. Let me take it under advisement.

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Alexandria, Va.: I am disturbed by the today's article by Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman, "Hill, White House Draw Battle Lines." Both the headline and the first several paragraphs (and, alas, that's all readers sometimes look at) strongly imply ("both sides") that the two parties are equally confrontational. Further into the article, however, the authors refer to repeated examples of Democratic compromise and state that "White House officials make little effort to deny ... taking an especially hard line ... they think it will pay off politically -- especially in keeping grumbling conservatives in the fold. They also see Congress-bashing as a potentially useful political tool."

Great reporting as usual, but I wish the headline and first few paragraphs had conveyed the gist of the story: Republicans holding a hard line for political gain while Democrats show willingness to compromise.

Anne E. Kornblut: I will pass your thoughts along to them. Michael Abramowitz sits just a few desks away. Thank you for taking the time to comment on it.

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Miami: My question is about foreign policy: Isn't is it strange for Obama to be discussing what he is going to do 18 months from now? Isn't he in danger of undermining the Pakistan leader, who never had any control of the Northwestern region? How can Obama dare say he would approve of a bombing mission while at the same time he refuses to understand the threat of Saddam and his regime back in 2003?

Anne E. Kornblut: That is a good point -- and one of the tricky things for candidates as they discuss foreign policy during turbulent times. None of them wants to be seen as undermining US policy, or creating further danger. But don't we want them to tell us what they'd do 18 months from now, so we know whether we want to vote for them or not?

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Reading, Pa.: Anne: Is there a sense that Sen. Leahy actually is going to achieve anything by going after the White House and the attorney general on the attorney firings, or is it a Quixotic effort ?

Anne E. Kornblut: He certainly intends to. I can't see the outcome as yet, but it's a great question.

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Washington: If John Warner retires, will the Democrats be able to recruit Mark Warner to enter the race, or does he hold on in hopes of being vice president or running for governor again in 2009?

Anne E. Kornblut: I've been wondering that myself. I have heard that Mark Warner is itching to "get back into the game" somehow. But don't know what that means.

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Re: Barry Bonds and Politics: I wouldn't rush on this one. If the Commissioner of Baseball kept silent until the eleventh hour on the subject, what do you think people not as connected would do? Besides, there's no way Bush would make a big deal about it. After all, he was the first president since Taft to miss throwing out the opening pitch this season...

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a very good point....

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Re: Blame Bush: I don't think any "blame" can realistically be put towards the president -- though comparisons will be drawn between this and Bush's ho-hum response to Katrina. That's something he's never going to live down.

Anne E. Kornblut: I think that's true, Katrina will remain a part of his legacy. But it's interesting to see how they do things differently (or don't) this time.

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Baltimore: What are the potential repercussions from Rep. Boehner's apparent leak of classified information to Fox News? (The FISA judge's order limiting the ability of the NSA to listen to two overseas calls routed through the United States). Can Rep. Boehner be brought up on ethics charges or have his security clearance revoked?

Anne E. Kornblut: I haven't seen any move to do that to Boehner yet, but politically, it was an opportunity for Democrats to yet again convey strength. Can you imagine if Nancy Pelosi had done the same on CNN?

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