Post Politics Hour

washingtonpost.com's Daily Politics Discussion

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, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest in political news.

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.

Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Lois Romano: Good morning everyone -- thanks for joining us today. Lots of news swirling around to discuss so we'll get going.

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Washington: Good morning! A few months ago I asked Chris Cillizza about leading potential vice presidential pickups for 2008, and like many people, he said Mark Warner was high on the list. If Warner decides to run for the Senate seat being vacated by John Warner, does that effectively take him off the table as a possible choice? Could he pull a Joe Lieberman and run for vice president and the Senate at the same time, or would that pretty much be impossible as a non-incumbent?

Lois Romano: Given that Warner is not already a sitting U.S. Senator, it would be impossible for him to run for two new posts at the same time. Although he would enter the Virginia race as a very strong candidate, it is going to be a very competitive race -- Republicans are going to pull out all the stops to hold on to that seat. I would think if he runs for the Senate, he effectively gives up the opportunity to be a vice presidential contender.

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Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: So, Fred's the man announcing his entry from a sitting position on a taped TV show. It doesn't get much more exciting than that! What color is his pickup truck this time around? Is "Down-home" Fred actually going to work up a campaign, or is he going to lazily camp out on his shady front porch and wait until the Republican nomination drives over to anoint him? When President Fred announces afternoon naps as official Federal policy, he'll have my nodding support. Thanks much.

Lois Romano: Well, this was more of a statement than a question, but you have addressed what many are wondering: Is Thompson ready to really work for the job? We heard about the turmoil in his campaign, his wife and yes, his truck. So now it is time for voters to hear from the candidate. The next few weeks will be key for Thompson because expectations are so high -- a difficult position. Voters don't want gimmicks at this juncture -- they will want to hear what he can offer that the others cannot.

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New Brunswick, N.J.: The more I think about it, the more I wonder what Craig has to lose by fighting to stay in the Senate. The voters can vote him out next year if they want. What's the GOP going to do to him that they haven't already done? Seriously -- what, materially, could they do to him?

washingtonpost.com: Audio: Craig Voicemail Hedging Resignation Decision (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 6)

Lois Romano: He may not have anything to lose, but his party does. Having him remain in his seat guarantees on ongoing story at a time when the Republicans don't need anymore bad news. It's a distraction. Every turn of the wheel in the story will be reported, to the delight of Democrats.

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Chicago: Thanks for taking questions this morning. I watched the GOP debate last night and was fascinated by Sen. Brownback's answer (though not Sen. Brownback himself, who seems to be extremely charismatically challenged) to the gay marriage question. He said that an anti-gay marriage amendment was needed because in countries where gay marriage has been legal, out-of-wedlock birth rates have increased. Statistically, out-of-wedlock births have increased in the Scandinavian countries and Holland but Brownback's argument seems to be a classic "post hoc ergo proper hoc" logical fallacy (event A occurs after event B, so event B must have caused event A).

Just on its face it seems bizarre to blame anything involving in- or out-of-wedlock births on gay marriage, which does not necessarily result in any births at all. Second, an event does not "cause" a trend if the trend pre-existed the event. The nonmarital birth rate in the Netherlands has been increasing exponentially since the 1970s. It galloped up in the 1980s, and continued that gallop in the 1990s and the new millennium. The rate doubled between 1982 and 1988, doubled again between 1988 and 1997, and is on the way to another doubling. These are significant increases, but registered partnerships -- not to mention same-sex marriage -- came right in the middle of this demographic trend.

Using Sen. Brownback's reasoning, allowing two races to marry in the U.S. contributed to the rise in the divorce rate in this country. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws barring different-race marriage in 1967, and American divorce and cohabitation rates went up dramatically after that. Sorry to make this post so long, but I really think Sen. Brownback needs to be called on his attempt to justify his opposition to gay marriage.

washingtonpost.com: A Surge of Support For War in GOP Debate (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 6)| Liveblogging at The Fix

Lois Romano: Thank you for your insight.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Although I'm a moderate Democrat, I was really impressed with Rep. Ron Paul in last night's GOP debate. In rebuttal to Mike Huckabee's statement that honor in Iraq is more important than the saving face for the Republican Party, Paul's statement ("How many more need to die in order to save face?") was truly a profile in courage as a Republican in 2008.

Lois Romano: Ron Paul is more of a Libertarian than a Republican. I don't believe he ever had supported funding for combat.

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Arlington, Va.: The Craig thing is a bit more complicated now, but if he had just kept his guilty plea (to whatever he was charged with) as is, why would the Senate ethics committee be investigating? Wasn't it just a misdemeanor? Surely there are other senators that have pled guilty to misdemeanors?

Lois Romano: That is Craig's argument -- that it not in the committee's jurisdiction. But the committee's position is that it can investigate any potential misconduct.

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Rockville, Md.: Did Couric's visit to Iraq for CBS Evening News made any impact on our views? I thought it much better than I expected. No "Dan Rather in the foxhole" that I expected. What do they say on the Hill?

washingtonpost.com: Iraq Tour of Duty Holds Surprises, 'No Heroics' for CBS's Katie Couric (Post, Sept. 4)

Lois Romano: I think the only report that matters now on the Hill right is the greatly anticipated report by Gen. Petraeus -- which will give assessment of the conflict. What Katie saw will have little impact on the process.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: I recall reading about the unusual but dignified presidential campaign announcement by Sen. John Kennedy, who announced in Washington. Indeed, in our tours of the room, tour guides mention this historic announcement. In recalling this, I note that things have changed. So, is the key to find out which talk show host has the highest ratings and announce on that talk show host's program that one is running for president? Will second-tier candidates be relegated to the 1 a.m. talk shows, and the leading candidates wind up on Leno?

Lois Romano: I think the idea is to find a venue that the press can't step on -- a straight shot to the viewer/voter. Hillary Clinton announced on her Web site, in a video taped from her living room; cameras could cut not cut away, reporters couldn't shout questions. In Thompson's case, he obviously wanted to reach as many people as possible while portraying himself as just a regular guy.

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Arlington, Va.: Is Brownback about ready to throw in the towel? He seems redundant with Huckabee -- who also has the biblical viewpoint on the social issues, yet has proven to be a much more skilled politician about it.

Lois Romano: I don't know what his plans are. Usually, these guys stay in until they run out of money, hoping they catch fire. Huckabee and Brownback likely do appeal to the same constituency. Huckabee has proven to be a very engaging candidate.

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Idaho: But the committee's position is that it can investigate any potential misconduct. Didn't Feinstein already "rule" that the Senate Ethics Committee is going to take up the matter? Case closed. Will the hearings be aired on C-SPAN? I sure hope so!

Lois Romano: Barbara Boxer and John Cornyn lead the committee, and they have issued a joint letter saying they will investigate.

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Anonymous: "I think the only report that matters now on the Hill right is the greatly anticipated report by General Petraeus -- which will give assessment of the conflict." Why do you think that is the case? It strikes me the other two reports released this week are exponentially more reliable and informative, so why is Petraeus's "the only report that matters"?

Lois Romano: Because it is the report that the politicians will latch onto and the media will emphasize. I don't mean to suggest the other reports are not important -- I think everything will be considered as a whole -- but the Petraeus report likely will create the most fanfare.

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Westcliffe, Colo.: Larry Craig -- the gift that keeps on giving -- has how many lawyers? Is that what's meant by getting lawyered-up? How many lawyers does an innocent man need, anyway? An innocent man -- Craig already pleaded guilty. So why all the lawyers for a done deal? By the way: What actual punishment did law enforcement in Minneapolis impose on Craig?

Lois Romano: He paid a fine and was given one year probation. My understanding is that he has two lawyers: one is an expert in congressional business, and appears to be dealing with the Ethics Committee, while the other is a well known criminal lawyer who likely is working on whether the plea agreement can be revisited or thrown out.

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Charlottesville, Va.: When I read the police report I thought this guy (Sen. Craig) had to go, but after hearing the audio of the police interview, I thought maybe the Senator had been framed, that he should fight it. But he is facing a far more difficult fight for this than Congressman William Jefferson (a Dem) who was caught icing $100,000. It appears to me that Jefferson is under the radar for a far worse crime than Craig; the press should be all over Jefferson. We all have heard before -- and now more recently with the current problems of Sen. Craig is having -- that there is a double standard on how a member of the GOP is treated by the press vs. how a Dem is treated when there are legal problems. Do you think there is a double-standard?

Lois Romano: No, I don't think there is a double standard, but sex-related scandals do seem to get more attention. I think in Sen. Craig's case there is a looming question about why a guy would plead guilty if he wasn't guilty.

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Sewickley, Pa.: On the subject of what Craig has to lose, I'm wondering if authorities in Minneapolis would pursue the underlying charge of solicitation if he were successful in withdrawing his guilty plea on disorderly conduct? I wonder what a trial might expose with respect to looking for gay sex in public restrooms, i.e. cues, signals, etc. Would authorities be able to subpoena Craig's computer records to see if he has looked at Web sites that direct users to public places for anonymous gay sex?

Lois Romano: I think if he were able to withdraw his plea, anything would be fair game. Minnesota could chose to go to trial, but if they did so it would be a circus -- and it's not clear they have enough evidence to get a conviction.

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Salinas, Calif.: Hi Lois. As reported this morning by Peter Baker, Mitt Romney and John McCain were falling over each other at last night's GOP debate to make the bigger claim that "the surge is working." With regards to the supposed Republican top-tier candidates, is this the case of desperate gamblers doubling down on a losing hand in an effort to stop a horrible losing streak? Do the Republicans really think that the American voting public cares whether the "surge is working" if continued political instability in Iraq keeps our troops at risk and prevents them from coming home?

Lois Romano: I think that their comments reflect the input they are getting from their internal polling that likely shows the Republican base continues to support the president. And they also are gambling that if they win the party nomination, at some point there will be credible evidence presented that the surge is working as they face the general electorate.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: By the way -- since when can you just "withdraw" a guilty plea? That seems insane, that you could take a deal, plead guilty, let a month pass so the state can lose track of witnesses and misplace evidence, then show up in court and say: "Whoopsie, changed my mind, I'm not guilty now. Try me."

Lois Romano: Experts are indicating it would be pretty tough indeed. But I am not a lawyer.

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Warrenton, Va.: Given Thompson's experience and charisma as a TV and movie star, wouldn't he have an advantage in terms of projecting his personality on TV over a candidate such as Hillary Clinton? Do many voters, both men and women, actually judge candidates based on their personality -- and hence presumed credibility -- as projected on TV? I believe this sort of thing began with the Kennedy-Nixon contest back in 1960. Thank you.

Lois Romano: Voters judge a candidate on many things -- and how they project leadership is certainly one of them. We haven't seen enough of Thompson in his role as presidential candidate to know just how much "charisma" he will project, but voters are very smart -- they want more that just charm, they want experience, strength, leadership, trust.

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Libertarianism: Can you please shed some light on Libertarians? Is their ideology closer to that of the Republicans or Democrats? I would think the former, as the Libertarian point of view is that government should stay away from legislating what we can and can't do, unless the behavior constitutes a threat to public safety. However, Ron Paul's stance aligns with the Democratic party. Is Paul an anachronism, or is a desire to leave Iraq reflective of Libertarianism is general? Thanks Lois.

Lois Romano: Here's the party's official Web site. It can tell you more than I can about the fundamentals of its beliefs.

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Washington: It would seem the ethics issue with Sen. Craig is not whether he did or did not commit a misdemeanor, but if he did slip the cop his Senate business card. If that was an attempt to "get out of jail free," wouldn't that be a huge ethics violation?

Lois Romano: I'm sure they will look at that among other things. But how direct was he? Did he say "you can't do this because I am a U.S. senator"? Did he violate the ethics code by merely presenting the officer his card? These are all questions lawyers on both sides will try to answer.

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Arlington, Va.: The sloppy lack of follow-up from television interviewers is very frustrating. I don't remember who it was, but they were asking Romney about his statement regarding the comparison of his sons working his campaign and service in the war. Romney again skillfully recanted that comparison, saying "there is no comparison" and praising the troops. All well and good, but the original question then remains -- why is it not a problem that he supports this war as a critical struggle for the country, yet does not urge his five sons to serve their country?

Lois Romano: It is very hard in these debate formats to get in every question and every follow-up, but by at least throwing out the questions it raises other questions that will be posed to the candidates on an ongoing basis. I would be surprised if Romney isn't posed that exact question again and pushed to answer it.

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Lois Romano: Thank you all for being here. I'm sorry if I didn't get to your question. Please try one of us again.

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