MONEY MATTERS
Sen. Charles Schumer, who in every way but title
— he is vice-chair of the Senate Democrat caucus — now ranks in
the top tier of leaders in the Senate, isn’t having anything to do
with Sen. Joe Lieberman. This is particularly so
as the Connecticut Democrat looks to push his Congressional ethics
reform legislation in the coming months.
Schumer, who agreed to retain the chairmanship of the Democrat
Senatorial Campaign Committee for another two-year stint, does not
want any hardcore ethics legislation passed on his watch. That’s
what he has told Senate majority leader Harry
Reid, according to Democrat leadership aides.
Last year, Lieberman co-sponsored legislation with Sen.
Susan Collins that would have established an
independent Office of Public Integrity. While the Senate ethics
committee would have oversight, the office would have had the
flexibility to investigate ethics complaints and vet filings and
lobbyist activities in the Senate. A similar bill was introduced in
the House.
Schumer was able to leverage his New York ties to the financial
markets and big business to competitively raise money with the
Republicans. According to a leadership source, he’s not sure he’d
be able to do that again under tightened lobbying guidelines.
WHO’S IN CHARGE?
The Bush Administration’s favorite Democrat, Treasury Secretary
Hank Paulson, chose not to go on the campaign
trail to spread the word about the strong Bush Administration
economy, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t traveling on the taxpayer
dime.
Lately he’s been to London and in December he intends to travel
back to China, where he will participate in the first session of
the Strategic Economic Dialogue.
This is a program he started, and which he had set up an
all-Democrat, former Clinton Administration team to run it for
him.
Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were upset by Paulson’s refusal
to campaign on behalf of the Administration, but the White House
went out of its way to protect him from too much criticism.
PERMANENT VACANCY
One reason Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
isn’t pushing hard for a Deputy Secretary of State is that she’s
happy working with former Clinton administration State spokesman
Nicholas Burns, who serves in the number three
slot at Foggy Bottom.
Much has been made that the position formerly held by
Robert Zoellick remains unfilled, but the White
House isn’t pushing very hard to fill the slot, in part because
Rice has said that she works well with Burns.
Now that Democrats control the Senate, it would be far easier to
slip Burns through the nomination process.
Rumor has it that current National Security Adviser
Stephen Hadley would like the job, but there are
questions about confirmation there. Deputy Treasury Secretary
Robert Kimmitt, who is said at one time to have wanted the Deputy
Secretary of State slot, is now said to have his eye on the NSC
slot should Hadley either move over to a new job or leave the
administration.
WAXMAN BUILDUP
Rep. Henry Waxman apparently believes in political payback, at
least when it comes to those who helped get him back into the
chairmanship of the House oversight committee. He is working with
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the group
that brought enabled and pushed the Rep. Mark
Foley scandal, to hire some of the organization’s outside
legal counsel to work on his committee. The oversight committee is
also looking to bring in some of the organization’s researchers as
paid committee staff.
