Washington Week

Each week, the country's top reporters join moderator Gwen Ifill for an in-depth discussion of the week's top news from Washington and around the world. The longest-running news and public affairs program on PBS, "Washington Week and National Journal" features journalists -- not pundits -- lending insight and perspective to the week's important news stories. Now, Ifill brings "Washington Week" online.

Ifill was online Thursday, June 5 at 3 p.m. ET to take questions and comments.

The transcript follows.

Ifill is moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." Ifill spent several years as a "Washington Week" panelist before taking over the moderator's chair in October 1999. Before coming to PBS, she spent five years at NBC News as chief congressional and political correspondent. Her reports appeared on "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw," "Today," "Meet the Press" and MSNBC. Ifill joined NBC News from The New York Times where she covered the White House and politics. She also covered national and local affairs for The Washington Post, Baltimore Evening Sun, and Boston Herald American.

"Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal," airs on WETA/Channel 26, Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. ( check local listings).

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Gwen Ifill: Hello everybody. ... Thanks for joining me a little later than usual, but I bet we have a lot to chat about.

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Sao Paulo, Brazil: Hi Gwen. I hear from time to time, including on your show, that Hillary might be staying in the race in case "something happens" to Obama. But let's assume Hillary does get out, and something does happen to Obama. Wouldn't she be the party's obvious choice to replace him? Thanks.

Gwen Ifill: Well, as I type this, it looks like Sen. Clinton will be exiting stage left this coming Saturday. At the same time, many of her supporters are trying to keep things stirred up by campaigning (pressuring?) for her to join Sen. Obama's ticket.

Early indications are that the Obama folks are planning to take a deep breath and decide this vice presidential thing at a time and place of their choosing. Wasn't that the language Obama used to describe Clinton's likely exit?

In the meantime, expect a lot more names to be floated in the next few weeks. We can't help ourselves.

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Mountain View, Calif.: I can find nothing about the results of the Democratic primary recounts in 80 New York city districts, including several heavily African American districts where all votes were recorded for Clinton and zero votes were recorded for Obama. Do you or your panelists have an update? Thanks.

washingtonpost.com: Count All the Votes! (ABCNews.com, Feb. 17)

Gwen Ifill: I have not heard anything about this, but in general, recounts only seem to garner attention when they are likely to change the outcome of a close race. Things were not terribly close in Senator Clinton's home state. If you really want to know, I'd check the New York Secretary of State's home page...

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Decorah, Iowa: Some have suggested Sen. Clinton for the first opening on the Supreme Court. Would her colleagues in the Senate vote for her confirmation?

Gwen Ifill: As long as the Democrats still hold the Senate majority, a Democratic president nominates her and senators continue to grant each other the deference they customarily do ... I can't imagine she would not be confirmed.

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Minneapolis: President Bush appears to be forging ahead on a multi-year security agreement with the Iraqi government. Could, or would, Sen. Obama derail this with a public or back-door message that he won't be bound by the agreement if elected?

Gwen Ifill: Like everything else related to national security and foreign policy matters, I suspect the answer to this question wholly depends on the situation on the ground.

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San Francisco: Has a Presidential candidate ever had such a diverse vice presidential selection panel as Barack Obama does? Do you think Caroline Kennedy might pull a Dick Cheney and recommend herself to Sen. Obama?

Gwen Ifill: Do not be confused by vice presidential selection panels -- this decision is entirely up to the candidate.

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Reno, Nev.: Gwen would you please tell your viewers that at the Nevada State Democratic Convention, the total was Obama 14 and Hillary 11? She only won this state by about under 1,000 votes. She won Clark County; Obama won the whole rest of the state. So our 25 delegate votes go mostly to Obama. And by the way, I am over 65, white, and an Obama supporter. Go Obama!

Gwen Ifill: Ah, but will Nevada go blue in November? That is now the operative question.

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Atlanta: I ask you this because you seem to be overly objective in your responses (a lost art): The Clinton campaign in the end resorted to tactics that only alluded to ripping the party apart more so than bringing the coalition together, with the former leader of the Democratic National Committee no less leading her campaign. What are the key fractures or splinter groups within the Democratic Party? The Democrats seem to be every one for themselves -- a couple of big money-raisers, a token chair, and some old-school respected folks. As a Democrat, I really see no agenda/focus, and a simple "capitalize off the Republican failure" approach.

Gwen Ifill: There are plenty of fractures, many of which were on full view last Saturday at the televised Rules and Bylaws meeting. Obama is counting on Democrats to coalesce around him once faced with the alternative, but can he get independents to climb aboard too? With McCain as the Republican nominee, that may matter more than internecine Democratic warfare. (At least he can wish...)

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Topeka, Kan.: Did you read the June 3 Richard Cohen column, and if so, what did you think of it? P.S. -- I continue to appreciate your enlightened, objective journalistic style, and keep Washington Weekly at the top of my "must watch" list. Thanks!

washingtonpost.com: A Campaign to Hate (Post, June 4)

Gwen Ifill: As Richard himself noted, he has a jaundiced eye. I do not.

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New Albany, Ohio: I heard the Democratic National Committee is nearly out of money. How critical is the role of the DNC in helping the Democrats win a solid majority in the House and Senate? Will the money start to flow to them now that Sen. Obama is the candidate?

Gwen Ifill: To the degree that a strong Democrat is the party's nominee, that helps the Democrats' moneywise. Jeanne Cummings, one of our regular Washington Week panelists, says it better.

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Carrboro, N.C.: I voted for Sen. Clinton in North Carolina's primary -- happily so. Now I shall be voting for Sen. Obama in November -- again, happily so. I, however, am extremely frustrated at those women who will not vote for Sen. Obama because they feel Sen. Clinton was denied the nomination. Will they please explain to me why it makes more sense to write her name in during the general election, to vote for Sen. McCain, or not to vote at all than to vote for Sen. Obama. Do these women want to guarantee four or eight more years of Republican Supreme Court and other judicial appointments, and continuing the war in Iraq? I'm a 57-year-old white male who is baffled by that. Thank you.

Gwen Ifill: I think we ought to wait and ask them again when it is time to actually choose.

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Atlanta: Just heard the announcement that you're coming to Atlanta on June 20. I'd like to know more about how I can attend. I really would look forward to seeing you in action in person. Thank you for all your contributions to this wonderful station, Gwen!

Gwen Ifill: Check out all our upcoming road shows right here.

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Philadelphia: It does not seem to me that Senator Clinton really wants to mend fences with Obama, despite announcements about Saturday and suspending her campaign. I have been knocking my head against the wall about what she has to gain by remaining insurgent. I tune in to Washington Week as often as possible.

Gwen Ifill: If I have learned anything from this campaign, it is that things change. We are only 48 hours past Obama clinching the nomination. I expect things will change again.

Thanks for watching -- and if you can't catch us live, please record us!

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San Francisco: You mention Nevada -- what do you think about the Obama campaign's idea of this being an entirely map-changing election, with polls showing him close in states such as Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi? The massive voter registration drives, combined with African Americans motivated to vote for Sen. Obama for president, might put some formerly entirely red states in play, the campaign says. Do you think this is plausible?

Gwen Ifill: That is certainly the Obama plan.

Here is how I think of it: One year ago (or even five months ago, prior to Iowa) would I have considered it plausible that Obama would be the nominee today? If you can guess the answer to that -- and it isn't hard -- you will know why I long ago stopped judging plausibility.

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Baltimore: Why is Obama hesitant to accept McCain's invitation to participate in some simple town hall meetings with regular people rather than debates with reporters asking the questions?

Gwen Ifill: I don't know that he is hesitant at all. His spokesman said the idea had appeal, and I gather it is under discussion in some form.

And as a former debate moderator, I have to ask: Hey, what's wrong with reporters asking the questions? No, please don't answer.

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Kensington, Md.: There were a flurry of reports in the past week about the threat that white women who were Hillary supporters would either not vote in the general election or vote for McCain if Sen. Obama was nominated. While this might be true for a select group of such women, are we really talking about a large bloc of voters? Why would the majority of white pro-Hillary women vote for McCain -- who is the antithesis of what they supposedly believe in? Was this just a scare tactic by the Clinton campaign?

Gwen Ifill: I would not call it a "scare tactic" -- there are just some really unhappy Clinton supporters out there. It's up to Obama (and to Clinton) to make sure they are not still unhappy in November.

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Dubuque, Iowa: Hi Gwen. I am curious about some claims that sexism has hurt Hillary's chances in the democratic race. It didn't make sense to me, and seemed only like another excuse from her campaign. As a political junkie (at least this year!) and female professional, I feel like I should have noticed a bias like that. Most recently Karen Tumulty from Time magazine reiterated those claims on Washington Week and apparently was convinced by some. She mentioned that Clinton has been portrayed by the media in a "blatantly sexist" way. I would love to hear some examples of what she is referring to, as it would be so disturbing to me if the media really had behaved in such a way. What do you think? I appreciate you and your panel members' objectivity and thoughtful reporting. Thanks.

Gwen Ifill: The point Karen was making was that there are unquestionably examples of overt sexism in this campaign (Hillary nutcrackers on sale in airports, etc.). There also have been examples of overt racism (T-shirts of Obama as a monkey holding a banana) But there is a separate question: Did the sexism cost her the election?

It is hard to break through glass ceilings without getting a little bit cut up by the shattered glass.

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Simi Valley, Calif.: Hello Gwen. What do you make of Ron Paul's strong finish to his campaign (double-digit results in the past few primaries). Why wouldn't the Republican Party want to reach out to these enthusiastic, conservative voters?

Gwen Ifill: I am not completely convinced that Paul's supporters are Republicans. Wasn't part of his appeal that he was not aligned with a major party?

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San Francisco: Hello, Gwen, it's great to have you chatting again! What's your opinion of John McCain's proposal for 10 lightly moderated Lincoln-Douglas-style debates this summer? Do you think the networks can get away from the glitz and controversy they injected into the primary season?

Gwen Ifill: More information is always good. We get a little too caught up in worrying about how that information is delivered; people are pretty smart.

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Fairfax, Va.: Now that your panel wont have the primary "horse race" to focus on, will you devote yourselves to reporting on the comparative positions Obama and McCain have taken and plan to take on specific issues, such as appointments to the FCC or its policy on allowing corporations to own both newspapers and broadcast media in the same market? Or is it still too soon to inform the voters on the issues that actually will affect their lives and the viability of our democracy?

Gwen Ifill: As always, we will discuss many issues -- just keep in mind, one person's version of issues that affect his or her life may differ from another's.

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Philadelphia: Obama has named Caroline Kennedy to the panel that is evaluating his VP choices. While she's part of a political family, she never has served in any elected office. Is she qualified to handle this type of responsibility?

Gwen Ifill: None of the three people appointed to Obama's advisory committee have held public office. Is there something about Caroline Kennedy that disqualifies her?

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Angola, Ind.: Everyone has been hammering away at Sen. Obama regarding his vice presidential selection. Many have said he should make his choice quickly, yet no one seems to be badgering Sen. McCain as to why he hasn't decided on his vice president yet. Sen. McCain already has had about a three-month jump on this process. Many pundits say he will not do so before Sen. Obama makes his choice. Perhaps he is a man who makes decisions very slooowly, and it will take him an additional three months to decide.

If Sen. Obama decides within a month or two, he obviously is a candidate who is quicker in the decision-making process. To be fair, any time there is speculation regarding Sen. Obama's vice presidential selection, there also should be the same speculation/discussion regarding Sen. McCain. He should be asked over and over again if he will select Romney, just as Obama is asked if he'll select Clinton.

Gwen Ifill: I have an idea: Why don't we let each candidate decide at his own pace? Then we could all take a little vacation.

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San Francisco: I got the feeling from last Friday's show that the Scott McClellan book hit a nerve with reporters because they felt like they'd been "had." Do you think this book will have any effect on future relationships between reporters and government officials?

Gwen Ifill: Uh, we were had. I think that was the point of the book.

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Alexandria, Va.: Why is everybody talking about "something happening" to Obama? McCain is much older and was a POW -- he would seem to be a greater risk than Obama.

Gwen Ifill: I don't know why.

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Seattle: Good Afternoon Gwen, and thanks for sticking to your promise of having this chat. McCain has challenged Barack Obama to 10 "Town Hall"-style debates this summer. I would love to finally see a debate where there is no 90-second buzzer, which later gets edited down to a five-second sound-bite endlessly replayed on the cable networks.

What I would like to see is a substantive debate on issues that would affect myself and my family for the next four years -- Maybe not so far as the 30-minute responses of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, but something that I will use to make an honest comparison of the two (instead of flag pins). As a moderator, what do you think could be done to foment this kind of debate?

Gwen Ifill: I have to say, I am not sure what the candidates mean when they propose these freestyle forums, or whether they will in fact be more informative than moderated debates ... but maybe it's time to see. Wouldn't it be funny if we ended up begging for the moderators to return?

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Sinking Spring, Pa.: Why don't reporters, in the interest of full disclosure, tell readers/viewers which candidate they themselves support? This is just as important, if not more so, than financial interests, which they now disclose. By the way, my husband says Gwen was born for this job!

Gwen Ifill: Your husband is obviously a learned man with impeccable taste, but I will still not tell him how I vote.

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Panama City, Fla.: I agree with McClellan's view that the press has been too easy on the Bush administration -- the press's job is to print the truth, not simply report administration spin. Your comments? Do you think what happened to Helen Thomas affected the toughness of the questions the White House press corps asked?

Gwen Ifill: As someone who once covered the White House, I only can say that what comes out is only as good as what goes in. Reporters who suspect they are being lied to from the White House podium have to find another way to do the job. Fortunately, I can name a lot of folks who do.

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McCain vs. Hillary: I wanted to vote for Hillary. Because I "declined to state" my political preference, I was denied the ability to vote for her in Maryland during the primary. However, when McCain last ran for president, I was one of the independents who supported him. My regard for Sen. Clinton, and her abilities, drove my desire to vote for her this year.

If she is not the Democratic candidate in November, I may be one of those who votes for McCain over Obama. If Obama is able to convince me between now and November that he has the experience, judgment and strength to be our next president, I will vote for him. If the election were today, however, I would vote for McCain, based on his service to our country and his proven ability to work with both parties.

Gwen Ifill: Ah, but the election is not today, is it? I suspect a whole lot of voters are only beginning to pay attention to the choice they will make in the fall. A lot will happen between now and then. Of that, at least, I am sure.

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Portland, Ore.: Gwen, you rule! Big fan here. On a non-political note, how is Jim Lehrer doing? Many of us out here are wishing him the best.

Gwen Ifill: Thanks for asking. Jim Lehrer is doing terrifically, and we are looking forward to his return to the anchor chair.

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Gwen Ifill: You chatters are terrific. Thanks for coming out to play.

We're going to have a great program tomorrow -- check your local listings for "Washington Week." Our roundtable will include Dan Balz of The Washington Post, Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times, Gloria Borger of CNN and US News & World Report and Michael Duffy of Time Magazine -- an all-star team, I'm sure you will agree.

See you then.

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