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, Jan. 22, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in politics.

The transcript follows.

Get the latest campaign news live on washingtonpost.com's The Trail, or subscribe to the daily Post Politics Podcast.

Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

____________________

Buffalo, N.Y.: The White House has been rather quiet regarding the Republican primaries -- is this because of a genuine discretion, unwillingness to back someone who might lose, or a recognition that a White House endorsement actually might be a net negative? Or is there some other reason? Should we expect to start hearing endorsements from various individuals before the dust settles on Feb. 5?

Michael Abramowitz: Good morning everybody. I am back from the Mideast this week and looking at a lot of questions about the primaries! I will do the best I can.

The White House has been quiet, as you suggest, but this does not seem too surprising to me. There is no sitting vice president running, and the Republicans field is very unsettled -- with no obvious candidate of the party. So the president is going to be sitting it out and focused on what he can get done in the next year. I don't expect this posture to change until the GOP has a clear nominee, and then it will be interesting to see whether that person ties himself to Bush or not.

_______________________

Garden Grove, Calif.: What is the conventional wisdom about what Obama and Clinton, respectively, need in a running mate? What names are being bandied about for each?

Michael Abramowitz: I don't think there is an obvious conventional wisdom. You would think that Obama might look for a more experienced politician, someone like Tom Daschle, to provide some sense of gravitas; on the other hand, perhaps he might want to accentuate the appeal of his candidacy by picking another fresh face, like Kansas Gov. Sebelius.

Who Clinton might pick is a similar crapshoot: Names I have heard include Wes Clark, Dick Gephardt, Tom Vilsack and Obama himself, but I don't think anyone really knows at this point.

_______________________

Washington: Will The Post break down before Feb. 5 where the different candidates expect to run competitively for Super Tuesday? Especially on the GOP side where, because problems with money and/or organization, no one besides maybe Romney would seem capable of having a national operation to contend nationwide.

Michael Abramowitz: I am sure we will have exhaustive coverage of this issue in the next two weeks. I think you are right that only a few of the candidates -- Clinton, Obama, McCain perhaps -- will be able to run the kind of national campaign the day requires ... and the others still in the race are going to have to figure out how to deploy scarce assets effectively. I already see that Huckabee, for instance, is looking to focus on Georgia.

_______________________

Abingdon, Md.: I don't think I have ever seen so many "debates" in my life as I have this election cycle. Do you think that when the parties finally have their nominees, those two candidates (and maybe even a third) will continue holding debates in this fashion -- or will the handlers try to keep the debates few in number, as has been the case in the past?

Michael Abramowitz: I think once we have the two nominees, debates probably will stop until the fall, when you will have the traditional two or three debates we now expect for the general election.

_______________________

San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Good morning. John Edwards must be frustrated about the state of his campaign right now. Do you think he remains convinced that he may still have a long-shot chance at the nomination, or is he positioning himself for a vice presidential nod? What are the odds that either Clinton or Obama would pick him?

Michael Abramowitz: I am sure you are right: It does feel increasingly like a two-person race on the Democratic side. I imagine Edwards is thinking carefully about where he might win on Super Tuesday, and will be focusing most of his assets there. I sort of had assumed (for no particular reason) that he eventually might endorse Obama, but he certainly seemed to come to Clinton's rescue at points in the debate last night.

_______________________

Annandale, Va.: It seems McCain won in South Carolina for one of two reasons: Either the religious right was split between Huckabee and Thompson, or the citizens were apologizing for going for Bush seven years ago and this was their mea culpa. Your thoughts?

washingtonpost.com: McCain Beats Huckabee in S. Carolina; Clinton and Romney Win in Nevada (Post, Jan. 20)

Michael Abramowitz: By the way, my colleagues Chris Cillizza and Shailagh Murray had a piece in Sunday's newspaper handicapping the early veepstakes; a couple of names I neglected to mention were Evan Bayh, Edwards and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

On your question about South Carolina: My sense from looking at the exit polling is that McCain did benefit from the fact that there were several conservatives who split up the self-identified conservative vote. So, his strong showing among more moderate voters helped propel him to victory. It will be interesting to see whether the same formula will also work in Florida, which is only open to GOP voters. (Unlike South Carolina)

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Veepstakes: Let the Speculation Begin! (Post, Jan. 20)

_______________________

Rochester, N.Y.: How do our current economic woes affect the presidential race? Does it help Clinton because of the economic prosperity of the first Clinton administration? Does it hurt Republicans who are advocating more of the same -- huge tax cuts for the wealthy, minimal regulation, no health care for the unemployed, etc.?

Michael Abramowitz: That's a great question. Only a few months ago, it seemed like this might be more of a foreign policy election, but the economy has come back with a vengeance. My gut feeling is that this may benefit Clinton, for the reason you mention and also because she seems to do better among lower- and middle-income voters, who are particularly susceptible to the swings in the economy. But that's just a guess.

_______________________

Washington: Is this stimulus package actually going to accomplish much or is it just an attempt to placate fears about an economic downturn among the public? Also, if I had to bet, I would say most Americans would end up using their tax rebate to, say, pay down debt (as Americans don't save any more), and that's not going to boost the economy.

washingtonpost.com: As Congress Talks Stimulus, Labor Leaders Worry They Won't Have a Voice (Post, Jan. 22)

Michael Abramowitz: It really is hard to know the answer to this. Part of it depends on what Congress and Bush actually end up doing. My sense from talking to a few experts is that it may be a little late to craft something that can rescue the economy from where it was headed anyway.

_______________________

Bremerton, Wash.: What a Debate! Should we call it the "Myrtle Beach Massacre" "The Malice at the Palace" or the "Brawl on the Beach"? Either way, I think each candidate may have lost about a million votes in the general election for the lack of decorum (except maybe Edwards). Do you think this will continue through the entire primary season, or will just be for South Carolina?

Michael Abramowitz: I sense the candidates will almost certainly be whipsawed between fierce attacks and kindness. It was interesting to me that the second part of last night's debate seemed much more civil than the first part: perhaps Clinton and Obama felt things went too far early on and tried to calm things down.

_______________________

Minneapolis: Can you please explain why it is taking the White House so long to get clear on whether there are any of its emails missing and whether they can be recovered?

washingtonpost.com: White House Has No Comprehensive E-Mail Archive (Post, Jan. 22)

Michael Abramowitz: I have to say this is a pretty good question. I have been on the road for the past two weeks, so I am not sure exactly where things stand. But the White House has yet to offer a definitive statement about how many e-mails are missing, and this issue has been percolating along since last spring.

_______________________

Helena, Mont.: Anyone talking about privatizing Social Security and using those funds in stock market now?

Michael Abramowitz: Ha! That idea has been dead for a while, but it may be even deader now.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Sigh ... the Clinton destruction machine is methodically dismantling the Obama campaign. But doesn't her heartless, soulless style risk turning off core Democrats -- and even firing up the good ol' Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy to vote in droves? After she demolishes Obama, who's really excited about Hillary? I'm very concerned that the Democrats are setting us up to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Al Gore, John Kerry -- at various points, they were locks to win the presidency -- just like Hillary. But now the war in Iraq is taking a Republican turn. Am I wrong to be worried, or will the economy flushing down the toilet be enough to force a change?

Michael Abramowitz: I would expect the Democrats to come together after the primaries, whomever the nominee is and however hard the feelings are. I certainly agree that this will be be a very close general election, but I always expected that. It does appear that the war in Iraq may be going better from the point of view of the White House and Republicans, but I don't think that is registering with most voters, who still see the war as a mistake.

_______________________

Olney, Md.: Did the squabbling between Clinton and Obama last night further distance themselves from Edwards in a two-man race, or do you think it helped raise him as the clean, alternative candidate?

Michael Abramowitz: I think this is possible, but my sense is that it will still be hard for his candidacy to get traction now, absent some game-changing event in the next week or two.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Sir: Regarding your recent trip to the Middle East with the president, what are the rumblings in the background? Did you observe a more hospitable U.S.-Arab relationship, and do you think these Arab leaders will help the Palestinian region end the Hamas conflict? Do they each understand that this will be a major blockage toward the roadmap to peace, and that they need the Arab neighbors to get involved now? Thank you for taking my question.

Michael Abramowitz: Ah. A question I actually know something about! Thank you.

I think the atmospherics of the trip were good, in the sense that I think the Arab countries Bush visited were very pleased to see the president. Certainly relations appear to be more cordial than they have been in the past few years. But I am not sure the Arab countries will be doing much to help the U.S. president at this point. I was struck by the answer the Saudi foreign minister gave at a news conference with Rice in Riyadh, when he was asked whether his country would do much to reach out to the Israelis, as Bush has asked. He basically said they have done all the reaching out they need to at this point, citing the Saudi peace plan of several years ago. So there is politeness but not the prospect of major changes until there is a new president.

Thanks again for all your questions. See you again on Super Tuesday!

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.