The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> RADIO BUG br> Norman Pattiz has been one of the most visible Clinton holdovers working in the Bush Administration. Never heard of him? No reason you should have. But as a board member of the agency that oversees such entities as Radio Free Europe, Radio Marti and the station that beams the American perspective into the Persian Gulf, he's perhaps the most influential Democrat in Washington. And evidently he wants to stay that way. /p>

While Pattiz hasn't given a dime to President Bush, he has spread his money around to just about every Democratic presidential candidate, perhaps in hopes he can hold on to his job at the radio stations. It's not like he doesn't have a day job. Pattiz is the CEO of Westwood One Radio, the second biggest national radio network and developer of programming. Thus he has cut checks totaling $9,000 to Sen. John Edwards, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman.

Pattiz is said to be thorn in the side of the scant Republicans working on the international broadcasting board, as well as a glory hound for the hard work of the Bush Administration. During the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pattiz made sure he was the star of a CBS News report on how the Bush Administration was attempting to improve America's image in the Middle East through radio broadcasts.'

"You'd think he was a Bush guy," says a Republican Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer, which has oversight over the broadcasting board. "But he's a liberal Democrat. He is someone we should have to worry about. When his term is up, Bush should push him out."

Pattiz, apparently is banking -- literally -- on the Democrats pulling off the 2004 upset to save his job on the side.

p> DAILY EVANS br> Secretary of Commerce Don Evans is one of President George W. Bush's best friends. He helped engineer the bold fundraising and campaign financing model for the 2000 race that is once again revving up across the country. And he has helped get the President victories on Capitol Hill of late. Evans, in short, is becoming the heavy lifter everyone thought he would be out of the gates of the administration.

topics:
Business, Iraq