Human Events: Capital briefs

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Capital briefs

* McCAIN'S LAST HURRAH?: Although a number of his enthusiasts privately talk about a second presidential run ("after Al Gore beats Bush," one presumptuously told HUMAN EVENTs) and they have already set up a new political action committee for him to head, Sen. John McCain himself seems to have concluded this was his one and only shot at the big prize. In a post-campaign profile in the Washington Post, the Arizona senator is quoted as telling his eldest daughter that he would not try for the presidency again. "if I was 43 or 53, it might be different," McCain is quoted as saying on March 3, shortly before his final performance on Super Tuesday. "But I'm 63, a pretty old geezer. I can't see starting over with town meetings of 20 people." * McCAIN FOR VEEP? McCain may be saying he's ruling out a run in 2004, but many of his supporters are not looking that far ahead. They're working hard to get him the No. 2 slot on the ticket this year, even though right now George W. Bush is definitely not interested and most conservatives would be depressed by a McCain selection. But McCain backer Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard is still optimistic, telling Chris Matthews on "Hardball" March 9 that I still think the most likely outcome is a Bush-McCain ticket." Of course, Kristol also thought McCain would win the GOP nomination.

* BUSH NETTLES GORE: Pleasing his supporters, George W. Bush has not hesitated to respond sharply to Al Gore's statements and attacks, which are certain to come almost daily now that the primary season is effectively over. When Gore sent him a congratulatory e-mail after the March 14 primaries pushing campaign finance reform, Bush wrote one of his own: "I hope you will encourage the White House and the Department of Justice to release all records and photographs relating to the investigation of fundraising abuses by you and your administration.... New campaign finance laws are needed. What is even more important is the duty of public off icials to obey the existing laws, and I'm afraid your own record does not inspire confidence."

Not only that, Bush said, but "in your note, you did not mention the matter of compulsory union dues being used to support political candidates-a violation of worker rights." Then Bush concluded, 'Thank you for your e-mail. This Internet of yours is a wonderful invention."

NO McCAIN CONCESSIONS FROM BUSH: The two New York Times reporters who interviewed George W. Bush for a front-page story last week were clearly annoyed that the certain GOP presidential nominee indicated he was making no concessions to defeated rival John McCain. "He didn't change my views," Bush told the Times during an interview at the governor's mansion in Austin. Asked whether McCain had affected his positions or given him any new ideas, the Texan responded: "No, not really."

Pressed further by the Times about McCain's candidacy propelling record turnouts in several primary states, Bush replied, "Well, then how come he didn't win?" When the reporters wouldn't give up and noted that polls showed his tax-cut plan had not caught on with voters, Bush said, "May I make something really clear to you, once again? I don't care what the polls say. I don't."

RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK: Desperate to avoid the indignity of becoming the first President to be stripped of his law license while in office, Bill Clinton is seeking to postpone his disbarment hearing. Not surprisingly, he found a loophole as time ran out last week. Arkansas court rules allow "an extension of reasonable length" and Clinton lawyer David Kendall wants an extension until 30 days after Clinton leaves office. The hearing became automatic April 12, 1999, when U.S District Judge Susan Webber Wright found Clinton in contempt of court for lying under oath during a sexual harassment deposition.

* ANOTHER GOP HOUSE? In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable abatement of gloom-and-doom among Republicans over possibly losing their six-seat majority in the House this fall. A newly released CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll of likely voters shows that Republicans now lead Democrats in the generic House ballot by 49% to 45% nationally-a change from January, when the same poll showed Democrats in the lead for the House by 46% to 44%.

* PROPAGANDA FAILURE: Despite decades of intense efforts by the media and the education and scientific establishments, Americans just won't give in on teaching creation to children. A poll commissioned by the far-left People for the American Way Foundation found that 79% of Americans want creation to be taught in the public schools. But they don't mind having the dominant scientific theory taught, too: 83% of Americans want evolution taught alongside. However, only 30% of Americans think that creation should be taught as a scientific theory. Half want it taught as a religious belief.

* JUDICIAL ACTIVISM: In a decision that may have an impact on the presidential race, with George W. Bush favoring school choice and Al Gore dead-set against it, a state judge last week decided that Florida's new far@ reaching voucher program somehow violates the state constitution. Circuit Judge Ralph Smith based his decision on a provision of the state constitution passed by voters in 1998 that says only that the state must provide an "efficient, safe, secure and high-quality system of free public schools."

How were vouchers a violation of this? Because state money helped some students to be educated in private schools, said Smith. "The ruling is a travesty," Clint Bolick of the Institute for Justice, who has fought for vouchers around the country, told the Miami Herald. "These children were trapped in failing schools and the private schools fulfill the state's constitutional guarantee of a high-quality education." Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R.), George W.'s brother, predicted that higher courts would reverse the decision.

* CHINA'S DUAL REALITY: In a major speech last week, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.) boldly broke with the Clinton Administration's defeatist, Beijing-pleasing rhetoric. "Whatever utility the 'One China' diplomatic fiction might have had 25 years ago has been erased by the new reality. There are, in fact, two Chinese states. One, the Republic of China on Taiwan, is free, democratic and a welcome member of the family of nations. The other, the People's Republic of China, is not free, not democratic and a threat to the security of us all."