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.

Shailagh Murray, Washington Post congressional reporter, was online Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. ET to take questions about the latest D.C. buzz and the Post's coverage of political news.

A transcript follows.

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Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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St. Paul, Minn. : Hi Shailagh -- Now that the president has had his valedictory press conference, how would you assess his overall relationship with the press? There always seemed to be a lot of tension there, with GWB (in my view), basically acting as if the whole thing were a huge inconvenience, and the press equally exasperated because he never said anything of consequence (or once he did, he basically repeated it 15 or 20 times). What do you think? Was there a better relationship by the end, or not really?

Shailagh Murray: Good morning everyone. Wow, what a crazy day here on Capitol Hill! But before we turn to the next president, let's discuss the current one.

The word that comes to mind vis a vis Bush and the press is detachment. Neither side seemed to pierce the shield of the other. Does anyone have a real strong sense of how that White House was run? Did the Bush White House actually have a media strategy? They were so insular, that many Republicans on Capitol Hill had the same frustrations as reporters, that Bush was essentially disdainful every outside force, including Congress.

I suppose someone will write a great book and all the mysteries will be solved.

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Alexandria, Va.: Why is it that the second-ranking member behind Dick Lugar for the GOP on Senate Foreign Relations is Bob Corker, who has only been in office for two years? Why aren't Republicans interested in joining this prestigious committee and engage on broader foreign policy issues? The Democratic side is filled with senators who have been there forever basically with Kerry, Dodd, Feingold, Boxer, etc.

Shailagh Murray: True, foreign relations is prestigious, but it gives you nothing to take home to voters -- like a tax cut or museum funding. But senators are on so many committees that even freshmen can become chairmen -- like Saxby Chambliss, who rose to the top of the Ag committee his first term.

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm watching the Clinton confirmation on washingtonpost.com and it seems like it's the Make John Kerry Feel Better Hour. Is he really down about not getting the nod to head the State Department?

Shailagh Murray: I have a hard time feeling sorry for committee chairmen who almost became president. But hey, look at what Joe Biden did with the job!

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Helena, Mont.: One mistake of his administration that Bush didn't mention and neither did anyone else: Terry Schiavo. This fiasco -- trying to tell judges how to rule on end of life issue -- really did the GOP and Bush in. I think the American people understood this issue better than the media, who constantly parroted the right wing mantra that Michael Schiavo went to court to get Terry's feeding tube removed when he actually went to court to have her end-of-life wishes determined (and I didn't get that from reporters, I got that from looking at the actual court filing).

Shailagh Murray: You are so right -- it was the beginning of the end for Republicans and in a sense haunts them to this day -- they never faced up to that mistake, and the way it marginalized them as a party, and have been sort of losing their way ever since.

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Seattle, Wash.: Good Morning. What sense were you getting from George W. Bush's final press conference? He seems to really deny any responsibility for the the inept Katrina response, the worsening situation in Afghanistan and the Recession. As a matter of fact, he sometimes used a mocking tone. Do you think he'll ever understand?

Shailagh Murray: How old is President Bush -- 62? That's a little old for revelations. Most people become more committed to their beliefs at that age.

As I said earlier, I'm sure we will hear some interesting perspectives on this presidency once it is over -- but they're going to have to come from the inside.

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Getting a Spine: Interesting that the congressional Democrats have finally found a president that they can stand up to. However, clueless as always, we wanted them to stand up against Mr. 22 percent, we actually support what Mr. 82 percent wants to do.

Shailagh Murray: Obama has played his cards pretty shrewdly in these early days. He is clearly not going to sweat the small stuff, like the specifics of the stimulus bill. Flattery goes a long way in Congress and if you respect the legislative role you can expect a much greater yield over the long run. What looks like conflict is actually the give and take that was normal until about eight years ago.

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Arlington, Va.: I realize this isn't a serious question, but am I the only one amused by all the photographers who crouch in front of those asking questions in any Senate hearing? I know why they are there, but seeing grown adults huddled together with cameras cracks me up.

Shailagh Murray: Actually I think about this all the time. What would my kids think if they saw me sticking my tape recorder into the face of some candidate or senator? But those photographers, they're tough. They'll run right over you to catch Hillary on the elevator before it closes.

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Tampa, Fla.: Do we have a part-time Congress?

I ask because of Sen. Voinovich's remark about not wanting to waste time on fundraising and campaigning as one of his reasons for not seeking reelection. Taking him at his word (yes, I know that's naive), doesn't this indicate a broad problem with Congress? I had read that the average member spends half their time on fund raising and campaigning.

Shailagh Murray: These days we have a Congress working overtime.

But the retirements are interesting. Note the states with competitive Senate races: Florida, Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, New Hampshire and possibly Pennslyvania. The 2010 elections are shaping up as an Obama referendum par excellence, with some of the biggest contested 08 states in play. A guy like Voinovich is looking at his age, the political and economic environment, and deciding that life is too short and he's had too good a run, to push his luck. Republicans will have to make all-out efforts to win any of these seats and I just don't think he's up to it.

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Encinitas, Calif.: Have you seen any clues about how our new president is going to control such a strong-minded set of advisors and cabinet members? He's chosen great people, but they don't exactly share General Powell's sense of order of command...

Shailagh Murray: An excellent observation. I am kind of amazed at the number of high-profile people on Obama's team, especially in the foreign policy/national security realm. And many aren't Obama insiders, so who knows how strong their loyalties will prove? That'll be an interesting subplot in the months ahead, if this economic fog ever clears.

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Baltimore, Md.: Re the Terry Schiavo posting: I agree that the circus the Republican Party created over this issue caused them grave harm. I am willing to bet it is also the principal reason Jeb Bush said no to a Senate race to replace Mel Martinez. He created a lot of potential ad footage for a Democratic opponent during that episode.

Shailagh Murray: You may be on to something.

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Princeton, N.J.: Most of us far left, anti-war, pro gay marriage, single payer, high marginal tax rates, strong regulation types strongly supported Obama. But he has appointed people who were just wrong, on the war, on regulation, on the economy, on health care, etc. Obviously we have no where else to go, but do you think our lack of enthusiasm will hurt Obama?

Shailagh Murray: Perhaps. The big test will come in the 2010 midterm elections. If folks like you don't show up, Democrats could suffer some surprising defeats.

There are big unanswered questions hanging out there that could determine how this goes. How aggressively will Bush administration actions in a variety of realms be investigated and possibly prosecuted? How will the Iraq withdrawal unfold and will there be a big showdown later this spring over war funding? How much political capital will Obama spend on his controversial climate change proposals? And what compromises will he make to push universal health-care over the finish line (BTW I actually think this could happen).

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Raleigh, N.C.: President-elect Obama already seems to have a different way of relating to Congress. For example, he amended his stimulus package because he agreed with a point that John Kerry made. How difficult will it be for Congress to get back to being a co-equal branch of government, on a sociological/psychological level?

Shailagh Murray: I said in a previous post, all indications are that Obama is not going to sweat the small stuff. But of course the stimulus is a weird bill; Congress doesn't have a lot of options for flushing money through the system quickly. I think Obama's goal was to signal to Republicans that he's open to their (mostly tax-related) ideas.

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Vienna, Va.: So amidst all the love for the president-elect, anyone else note that he and the Democratic senate leadership got rolled by Burris and Blago? They all came out and said they wouldn't seat ANY appointment. And guess what? Cave city.

Shailagh Murray: Umm, yeah. I keep confusing the Rod Blagojevich saga with a Will Ferrell movie. It was definitely the best political play I can remember. And now watch Burris win in 2010.

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Poplar Bluff, Mo.: Shaleigh, thanks for the chat. When will Senator-designate Roland Burris be sworn in and have you heard what committees he will be appointed to?

Shailagh Murray: I'm thinking small business and select committee on aging. Not really -- he'll get one decent panel but I haven't heard any specifics.

Roll Call is reporting that Burris could take the oath tomorrow.

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Florissaant Valley, Mo.: Good morning Shailagh. One item that popped briefly onto the radar screen last week was the suggestion that indeed Social Security is going to need an overhaul by the Obama team. What do you think this might consist of? Will 63-year-olds like me be grand-fathered, with any modifications aimed at the under-50s? Considering how President Bush got steam-rolled by the very thought of changing the system, what are the odds Obama and company can do better? Thanks

Shailagh Murray: Obama has more or less said he isn't interested in raising the retirement age. What he does seem open to is raising the cap on Social Security taxes -- another way of adding money to the system.

But that's not going to happen for a good long while. Even though the current morass, including the record budget deficit, makes entitlement reform all the more urgent as a fiscal issue, it's impossible to imagine politicians wading into this minefield when people already are panicked about their privately invested retirement savings.

So that's a meandering way of saying, don't worry -- at least about Social Security. Your 401(k) is another matter.

Folks, thanks for all the great questions! Take care, and I'll see you again in two weeks. Cheers, Shailagh

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