The American Spectator

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Washington Prowler

JORDAN AIRS
Mr. Jim Jordan may no longer be Sen. John Kerry's campaign manager, but he's still in the political game of presidential politics. Kerry, despite removing Jordan from his post, has offered him a job on the campaign at the same salary he was earning as uber manager. "It's about keeping him away from the other candidates," says a Kerry insider.

At press time, Jordan hadn't yet made a decision, though he was talking to both the Gephardt and Edwards campaigns about a possible slot. Of the two, Edwards might be the more appealing, if for no other reason than Kerry sucked up a bunch of Edwards' staffers early in the presidential race, and this would be an opportunity to play tit for tat.

Jordan would be appealing to both candidates because of his well-known penchant for wanting to go aggressive and negative against the competition.

All the same, Jordan just may take Kerry's money and sit out the rest of the season. Most campaigns are staffed up and given the breakneck pace of the coming four months, those political hacks at the top won't be willing to cede too much control of campaigns to newcomers, particularly ones from an enemy camp.

FOOD FIGHT
A month ago, when Hillary Rodham Clinton was announced as the speaker at this Saturday's Iowa Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, most of the Democratic presidential candidates cried foul. At the time it was seen as an attempt by a potential competitor to steal the spotlight on a night that the Deans and Kerrys and Liebermans viewed as their own.

To counter any overshadowing, the Kerry and Dean campaigns have shelled out about $30,000 each for placards and other signage for supporters to wave and hold during the dinner and the speeches.

Clinton doesn't have a campaign, but some supporters in the "Draft Hillary" movement are bringing "Clinton in '04" and "Hillary for President" placards to the event. Just what the Democrats didn't want to happen.