THREE’S COMPANY
Despite the hype around the Memorial Weekend gathering in Sedona at
Sen. John McCain’s ranch, only Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal is being given serious consideration
for the vice presidential nomination, say McCain insiders with
knowledge of the ongoing vetting process. And even that serious
consideration can only go so far.
“Jindal is the only one, but there seems to be general agreement
that we need him to be the best governor he can be and a leader of
the Republican Party more,” says one McCain campaign adviser.
“McCain has gotten a good look at [Mitt]
Romney as a competitor and as someone who is
running in support of his candidacy, and frankly he can’t tell the
difference. It’s been a very educational process. Let’s just leave
it at that.”
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is not considered a
serious candidate, for much the same reason as Jindal.
“People shouldn’t forget that great policy ideas that are the
strength of the Republican Party rose from the state level back in
the late 1980s and early 1990s, guys like [then Michigan Gov.
John] Engler and [then Wisconsin
Gov. Tommy] Thompson. Guys like
Jindal and Crist, and women like [Sarah]
Palin in Alaska, we need them to be the next great
party leaders long after McCain is gone,” says an RNC political
consultant.
McCain intends to hold at least two more “Sedona Getaways” with
potential McCain Administration candidates before the GOP
convention at the end of August.
PELOSI REFUSES TO MOVE ON
With Congress returning after the Memorial recess, a focus for
conservatives will be passage of the bipartisan bill that would
modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill has
already passed the Senate, and awaits House action, which has been
held up almost exclusively by House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi.
Pelosi is holding it up largely to appease far-left groups like
MoveOn.org, which have made the bill that features retroactive
civil immunity to telecommunications companies who cooperated with
federal law enforcement and intelligence investigations a must win
for this election cycle.
“MoveOn and those groups are already running ads around the
country against conservative Democrats and weakened Republican
candidates on the FISA issue,” says a House Democratic staffer, who
works for a Democrat who would be inclined to support the bill if
it were given a vote. “I don’t think people understand the pressure
we’re under.”
Passage of the FISA bill is considered imperative before the
August recess, because some ongoing FISA court orders will
otherwise expire, and thus leave law enforcement and intelligence
agencies with limited options for monitoring suspected and known
terrorists overseas.
“Democrats are essentially playing politics with the security of
the American people, gambling that they will be distracted by the
election and not care about this,” says one Republican House
leadership staffer. “We have to let the people know about the
potential risks involved simply because Speaker Pelosi wants to
keep the radical left of her party — largely Obama supporters —
happy.”
