Post Politics Hour
washingtonpost.com's Daily Politics Discussion

Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post National Political Reporter
Friday, October 12, 2007 11:00 AM

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, Oct. 12 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

The transcript follows.

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Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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An Inconvenient Emotion: So, how jealous is Bill Clinton now that Gore has a Nobel Peace Prize and he doesn't?

washingtonpost.com: Gore, U.N. Body Win Nobel Peace Prize (Post, Oct. 12)

Anne E. Kornblut: Ha! Good question. I would venture to say that Bill Clinton has had a lot of success in his life -- starting with being the president for two terms -- not to mention the potential of a return stay at the White House. But it is a real honor for Gore, and I am sure he will enjoy his moment in the sun.

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Fairfax, Va.: Now that Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize, if he decides to run for president will any of the large Clinton, Obama and Edwards contributors come over to his side, or are they locked-in?

washingtonpost.com: Channel '08: Draft Gore Movement Gets Creative (washingtonpost.com, Oct. 12)

Anne E. Kornblut: I'm still highly doubtful that Gore will run, but it's a good question. Contributors can, of course, give to more than one candidate, and I expect that if Gore were to run some would. A lot of his main advisers have gone into private business and are uncommitted at this stage, so he potentially still could build a team. But like I said -- I just don't see it. I am prepared to be proven wrong!

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Washington: Hi Anne! Thanks for chatting. Is the Romney campaign starting to run into trouble? He already has had to spend millions of dollars of his own money after some lackluster fundraising and he's seen some slippage in New Hampshire polls while not being able to move up in South Carolina despite putting a lot of resources into that state.

Anne E. Kornblut: The Republican field is just all over the place; I think it's too early to say that Romney really is slipping or in trouble (and he certainly has done well in Iowa). But you're right, he still has work to do.

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Draft Tipper: One reason Al Gore will not enter the 2008 Democratic race is that he reportedly believes that the Clinton machine is unstoppable. This doesn't mean he couldn't be nominated by the likes of the Green Party. Because the Clintons' scandals partly were to blame for Gore's loss in 2000, do you think he'll endorse Hillary, endorse someone else (like Obama or Tipper) or remain quietly on the sidelines?

Anne E. Kornblut: We all are wondering the exact same thing. The tensions between the Gore camp and Sen. Clinton are fairly well known, and I suppose I'd be surprised if he endorsed her; he did, after all, go with an outsider (Howard Dean) last time and has built his reputation post-vice presidency on his work away from Washington, lessening his connections to Sen. Clinton further still. But all that said, it's October, and we have yet to see this campaign's October surprise. So stay tuned.

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Rockville, Md.: What will the prize do for Mr. Gore? I remember that Kissinger won one, too.

Anne E. Kornblut: For starters, I expect it will re-ignite a lot of talk about whether he will run for president, as it already has here. And he wins a big pile of money, though I gather he already has said he will donate it to an environmental charity. Beyond that ... we'll have to see.

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McLean, Va.: Greetings AEK, from your home "town." So, one of the new issues this week is that we can't recognize the Armenian genocide because Turkey is our friend and we can't hurt their government's feelings. Anne, give me a break! I am no fan of the Iraq invasion and not an Armenian, but wasn't Turkey the country that refused to let our troops enter Northern Iraq in 2003 thru their border thus costing the U.S. time, lives, and money? Isn't Turkey bombing Kurdish rebels inside Iraq right now and threatening to have their military enter Iraq ASAP? Some ally! I'll take a resolution that at least records an immoral massacre over political expediency anytime.

Anne E. Kornblut: Which is, I gather, why we saw the resolution. ... Thanks for the comment.

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Washington: How can angering the Turk, whose airspace much of the supplies going to our troops in Iraq must transit, be good politics? The Democrats won't get our troops out but will make their mission more difficult: are Pelosi and Reid brain dead?

Anne E. Kornblut: And here is the opposing view...

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Washington: The New York Times is reporting that Walter Mondale will endorse Sen. Clinton. That doesn't make much sense to me -- it doesn't seem like it will help either of them. I would think that she is far too conservative to suite his taste, and for her part, the endorsement could be used to paint her in the general election as more liberal than she actually is. I already have heard conservative pundits making (from their point of view, unfavorable) comparisons between them. So why would he back her rather than Obama or Edwards? Is this an example of prominent figures within the Democratic establishment, blindly lining up behind the presumed frontrunner, so as to assure themselves a seat at the table if the expected happens?

Anne E. Kornblut: We saw this phenomenon in the 2004 election cycle as well -- a cascade of stories about endorsements that, in the end, meant little (most of them, as you recall, went to Howard Dean). So your question is a good one: Why do they bother? For the endorsers, beyond expressing heartfelt support for a candidate, it is a chance to be relevant during the process. In some cases it's about getting a seat at the table, but for most elder statesmen types it is more about getting involved again during an exciting political moment.

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Arlington, Va.: Many voters from Michigan are really, really upset about the Democratic National Committee's decision to disqualify their primary and disenfranchise their party members. What are the party and individual candidates planning on doing to calm/pacify/appease these voters? (My mom said that if nothing changes, she'll leave her presidential vote blank come next November.) With an unpopular governor and one-state recession, don't the Michigan Democrats need all the help they can get?

washingtonpost.com: Mich. Primary Move Splits Democrats (Post, Oct. 9)

Anne E. Kornblut: This is the great subplot of the election this year -- the shifting calendar. DNC members, of course, would say that Michigan should not have moved its primary earlier in order to respect the existing process (in which Iowa and New Hampshire go first). I don't have an opinion either way, of course, but it sure has made planning complicated for the campaigns, who even now don't know when the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary will be; voting might start as early as December. Good question.

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Richmond, Va.: With Thompson's rather lackluster performance in many stops, but lack of a huge mistake in the debate, can you explain why he is still in second place behind Giuliani? Is it that the other candidates just don't have enough of "it" for the Republicans to like?

Anne E. Kornblut: Like I said earlier, the Republican field really still is in flux, and Thompson seems to be one of the beneficiaries of it. His name recognition/fame certainly don't hurt him, but you're right, his performance hasn't been spectacular yet. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing him in more debates.

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Re: Whether Al Gore will run: Don't forget that not that long ago, Hillary said she wouldn't run, either.

Anne E. Kornblut: Hm, I don't remember her saying that any time after 2004, but you're right -- these guys all "never say never" for a reason.

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Abingdon, Md.: Given this administration's penchant for secrecy, how difficult do you imagine a transition team will have it in the event that Dems take control of the White House? Might there be a desire to hold back on information (which they were reluctant to hand over to a Democratic Congress) for any number of reasons, not the least of which might involve future litigation?

Anne E. Kornblut: Sure, and this is always a question from one administration to the next. I expect that if a Democrat were to win, we'd see a lot of early digging, and a lot of resistance from the previous administration -- not just for legal reasons but also for historical legacy purposes.

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Rockville, Md.: Will Gore endorse Clinton? If she thought it were worth it, I expect her to do what ever it takes to get his nod. She makes determined look like the force that can not be stopped. Right now, anyway.

Anne E. Kornblut: I'm sure she would appreciate the endorsement ... but they have a rocky history, so it would not surprise me if he did not.

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An Inconvenient Timing: Some people have asked why the Armenian genocide resolution is being introduced now. I say it's because the last surviving witnesses to the massacre, who were small children then, are now in their mid-90s. And, sad to say, nobody gets to live forever. Your thoughts?

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a really interesting hypothesis. I'll post it so everyone can see.

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Anonymous: If Obama or Edwards had a lead as huge as Clinton's in Michigan, would they still blow off the Michigan primaries?

Anne E. Kornblut: A good question. I suppose I would doubt it.

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Not in Iowa: Why can't the primaries be all on one day? It seems unfair to have Iowa, New Hampshire, and those other states influence how the rest of the states vote. It creates a domino effect. What if the presidential election happened the same way as the primaries?

Anne E. Kornblut: There are so many proposals being floated these days -- I'll add this one to the list. The idea always has been for there to be a rolling process, so that smaller, less well-known candidates could have a shot in affordable, manageable states such as New Hampshire and Iowa. A national primary conceivably would end up being waged in California and New York, essentially handing it to the best-financed campaign. But as we've seen, the current system has left a lot of voters dissatisfied as well. Thank you for the question.

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Bowie, Md.: With (Tommy) Thompson dropped out, is there a single Republican presidential candidates who ever has held a position in the Bush (the younger) administration?

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a good question, and I think the answer is no.

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Portland, Ore.: Hi Ms. Kornblut. You and your colleague Dan Balz seem to be taking some heat on your piece on Sen. Clinton implying that she was vague about torturing prisoners. Reading the complete transcript gives an entirely different impression and suggests that she's quite resolute in objecting to it -- "bright line" and following the Geneva Convention. This was not your finest hour. Your response please? Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: Clinton Cites Lessons of Partisanship (Post, Oct. 10)

Anne E. Kornblut: Thanks so much for giving me a chance to clear this question up. We asked Sen. Clinton what she would do, upon taking office, about special interrogation methods that currently are being used -- extreme measures the Bush administration does not necessarily classify as torture, such as waterboarding or sexual humiliation. We asked, would she immediately suspend all such measures? Conduct a 60-day review? And her response was simply that she opposes torture, which of course is also the current policy. That is why we described it as being vague -- not on torture, but on special interrogation methods.

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Anonymous: "It's October, and we have yet to see this campaign's October surprise." Thanks for reminding me that we have another year to go. I vote (even in primaries, even in off years) but I don't volunteer for candidates and I don't give money or raise money. And I live in Maryland. Even more than usual, people like me feel like the selection of the major party candidates is out of my control. The major parties will have completed their choices by the time I vote in the primaries. Is there any movement for how to change the system in 2012? National primary day? Regional primaries? Smoke-filled rooms? A lot of us feel left out. (Maybe that's intended?)

Anne E. Kornblut: This is going to be a huge issue for the parties to tackle after 2008, I suspect. (And believe me, I can empathize: I started covering the campaign about a year and a half ago). Any suggestions? What would you recommend?

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Arlington, Va.: Could Gore, learning from his 2004 mistake of endorsing Dean and then watching him implode in Iowa, instead tell the Democratic presidential candidates that he will support whoever wins the primary and that he would be willing to serve in their administration in a capacity where he could focus on global warming -- meaning, putting him in a position to focus on his passion where he could do the greatest good without him having to run for office again?

Anne E. Kornblut: That's a really interesting idea -- now that he is so much more of an elder statesman, will he rise above the political fray? We will find out.

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Anonymous: I watched Hillary on Fox Sunday with Mike Wallace's boy, and at her barn appearance in New Hampshire. Later I watched on her on Olbermann. The more I see of Hillary, the more chameleon-like she appears. Her posture, temperament and tone change according to where she's appearing.

Anne E. Kornblut: Here's one person's observations.

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Henly, Texas (about the same size as Crawford): Does "Swift Boating" still pay dividends, anyway? It seems to be the broad consensus that the Republican/right-wing attack on the 12 year-old SCHIP participant was so baseless as to qualify as "Swift Boating." Your paper and a number of others have done an excellent job of laying out the facts on this one (and that the Frost family is precisely the category of family intended to benefit from SCHIP). Yet it seems that the perpetrators of the attack have succeeded in planting unfounded seeds of doubt with much of the public, and that few if any of them are to suffer from their misdeeds. Maybe it is impossible (and unadvisable) to take the computers and servers away from unprincipled bloggers intent on doing harm, but shouldn't someone of the stature of the Minority Leader of the Senate be held to account for his blatant attempt to mislead?

Anne E. Kornblut: Is Henly anywhere near Crawford?. I'm going to just go ahead and post this ... interesting observations.

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Cynic: Don't Iowa and New Hampshire apply a filtering process that excludes African Americans and other demographic minorities? And despite denials, aren't the parties glad?

Anne E. Kornblut: It is true that those states have fewer minorities, which is why South Carolina and Michigan and Nevada all have been moved up, to a certain extent. But I have to say, now that I've spent a lot of time in both places, the voters are extremely well-educated about politics and the candidates, and for the most part ask terrific questions. So it is also easy to see some of the merits of the current system.

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Anonymous: Reports say Bernie Kerik is going to be indicted. Does this hurt Rudy or in an odd way boost Rudy's appeal?

Anne E. Kornblut: What would the odd way be?

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Washington: Dear Anne: Just wondering how you think members of Congress -- both right and left, not to mention the likes of commentators Lou Dobbs (who called the Turkish Ambassador a blubbering idiot) -- would say if the Turkish Parliament passed a resolution decrying the "genocide" perpetrated by the U.S. government on the American Indians"? Methinks there would be a lot of denial, chest-thumping and railing that the Turks -- with their bloody history -- had no right to pass such blatantly distorted historical judgments.

My point is not to defend the Turks ... it seems historically accurate to call it a genocide against the Armenians ... but it does seem a lot like a waste of time (is this all the Congress has to do just now), awfully patronizing in the worst sort of way, and ultimately meaningless while putting an important strategic relationship under serious pressure. Oh, by the way, you hearing of any effort in Congress to live up to, acknowledge and apologize for the genocidal reality of Post-Columbus settlement of the "new world"?

Anne E. Kornblut: I am so glad everyone is weighing in on this today.

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Washington: Can you please answer this ... what does global warming have to do with peace? This man made a movie, of which parts are scientifically false, and then starts a business out of it (carbon offsets) ... then he goes around the world leaving a bigger carbon footprint in one month than most people do in two years? What does this have to do with peace? What about the people in Burma, China and Cuba who are in jail? This is laughable.

Anne E. Kornblut: I've gotten several questions along these lines. I honestly have no idea what the requirements for the Nobel Prize are, so I will post this in case anyone else does.

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Nobel Schmobel: I ask in all seriousness, does the Nobel Prize matter that much domestically? Will it silence certain critics? Does it play in Peoria? I suspect, cynically, that the same blowhards who railed against Gore in the past will find some way of denigrating the Nobel Prize and continue to rip Gore. What bothers me most is that so many people take what they say seriously as compared to taking the Nobel Committee seriously.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another one...

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Falls Church, Va.: Love your chats! Were you one of the reporters who received the email from Sen. Mitch McConnell's office pimping the Frost/SCHIP story? You know they're on the losing end when they attack a 12-year-old. What next, the Revenge of the Snowflake babies? Is this the best way to talk about SCHIP?

washingtonpost.com: E.J. Dionne Jr.: Meanies And Hypocrites (Post, Oct. 12)

Anne E. Kornblut: Snowflake babies ... funny. Thanks for this.

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Pittsburgh: Another plausible reason for the timing of the Armenian genocide resolution: the increasing proliferation of Holocaust deniers, including Iran's Ahmadinejad recently on the high-profile world stage. Hitler used the Ottoman Empire's genocide against Armenians as a textbook case, including noting how quickly the world began forgetting the atrocity.

Anne E. Kornblut: And another...

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Princeton, N.J.: I think the only campaign funds allowed should be public. Why should I have more influence on elections than someone poorer? Why should a friend of mine whose income was $1,700,000,000 be able to use his money to keep his tax rate lower than mine? If it takes a constitutional amendment, so be it.

Anne E. Kornblut: A lot of people, like you, are frustrated. We'll have to see if all these candidates who claim to support public financing will enact it if they win...

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Reading, Pa.: Anne: Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Iowa didn't really start to have any major impact until the 1976 race.

Anne E. Kornblut: That is correct, with Jimmy Carter. It has been important ever since.

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San Francisco: Anne, are there any real changes to our national voting system(s) that will make the next presidential election a relatively clean and representational occasion?

Anne E. Kornblut: The parties are discussing ways to change the primaries and the calendars, but so far it's hard to envision what major changes might happen. Any suggestions?

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Boston: I'm a little confused about Gore's prize. What does talking about global warming have to do with peace?

Anne E. Kornblut: And here is another question on this...

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Washington: Re: The question about what global warming has to do with peace -- if you look at the statement that went along with the award the committee explains this pretty clearly. And as to Gore's film being scientifically inaccurate, I think it would be better to say that his reporting of scientific hypotheses was accurate for the time but the general scientific consensus has continued to evolve (as science tends to do). I think Gore made it clear in the movie that he was not reporting facts but very likely hypotheses -- and the subsequent science is more alarming, not less.

washingtonpost.com: The Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 (Norwegian Nobel Committee, Oct. 12)

Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you for this thoughtful comment.

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Anne E. Kornblut: Thank you all so much for all your questions today! Look forward to many more in two weeks. Have a wonderful weekend, all.

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