UPI's Capital Comment for Dec. 16, 2002

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Capital Comment -- Daily news notes, political rumors, and important events that shape politics and public policy in Washington and the world from United Press International.

Battle on the bayou...

Recriminations abound in GOP circles following Republican Suzie Terrell's defeat in the Dec. 7 runoff election. Democrats are trumpeting Sen. Mary Landrieu's re-election as proof the party is alive and well, crediting strong black turnout as one of the reasons for her win -- but that is only part of the story.

What has gone unreported is the GOP collapse in two areas where Terrell should have run stronger -- Acadiana and in the state's 5th Congressional District.

Acadiana, those parishes where the dominant culture reflects the French ancestry of many of its citizens, came up short for Terrell by close to 20,000 votes. Some analysts say Landrieu's successful exploitation of the sugar issue played a part in that but that her obvious French ancestry played an even bigger role. Most analysts suggest Terrell's single biggest problem was the simultaneous runoff in the state's 5th Congressional District where Democrat Rodney Alexander defeated Republican Lee Fletcher, former top aide to retiring U.S. Rep. John Cooksey by a wide margin. Cooksey, who was bested in the November senate primary, refused to endorse Terrell and sat out the runoff.

In an odd bit of political symmetry, Fletcher's defeat also came at the hands of a Republican colleague who finished out of the money in the November primary. Former U.S. Rep. Clyde Holloway endorsed Alexander in the runoff because the Democrat was more pro-life than the Republican. Holloway's endorsement ended up in a pro-Alexander campaign ad which some say swung the election to the Democrat -- and helped depress GOP turnout in the district, handing the senate seat back to Landrieu.

Spy type guys...

The White House has named former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean as the new chairman of the 9/11 commission while the appointments by congressional leaders continue. On Monday, House Speaker Denny Hastert, R-Ill., announced his two appointees to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks: former Illinois Republican Gov. Jim Thompson and former Reagan White House counsel Fred Fielding.

Thompson, the governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991, is wrapping up service as leader of an investigation into corruption inside ULLICO, an insurance and benefits company whose board includes many prominent American union leaders. Fielding served as President Ronald Reagan's counsel from 1981 to 1986 and is a senior partner at the Washington law firm Wiley Rein and Fielding. The 10-member commission includes four members appointed by Democrat congressional leaders along with the vice chairman, former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana. Senate Republicans have already named former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., to the commission and a second appointment is expected later this week.

Race to the gavel...

House Resources Committee Chairman Jim Hansen's, R-Utah, retirement has set off a scramble that has four committee members vying to replace him. The most senior Republican in line to take the gavel is H. James Saxton of New Jersey, widely viewed as a liberal on environmental and property rights issues and, as a result, out of step with many of his party colleagues.

Competing with Saxton are Tennessee Rep. John Duncan, who has the support of some of the smaller property rights groups, and Californians Elton Gallegly and Richard Pombo, who is consider the frontrunner.

As head of the Western caucus, Pombo generally takes a "no holds barred" approach to issues important to him and is known as a strong advocate of the interests of landowners. Some Capitol Hill insiders caution that his elevation is not yet a done deal -- in a four-way contest for the chairmanship anything could happen.

Stamp of approval...

William H. Young, the new leader of the 305,000 member National Association of Letter Carriers, is calling on congress to reform postal laws and regulations. The union's new president is promising to "bird-dog" the new presidential postal reform commission, saying that its recommendations to "save the Postal Service or bury it."

"We can no longer ignore the technological, economic and political pressures the Postal Service will face in perhaps a decade or less," he said. "To do so would be irresponsible." Young acknowledges the continued existence of the U.S.P.S. is threatened by way the Internet and other electronic alternatives are drawing consumers away from first-class mail as well as from the competition from private overnight delivery services -- that are adding 1.7 million new delivery points to the system every year -- "So we end up delivering less mail - or certainly less profitable mail - to more places... And if that isn't enough, we're hamstrung by laws and regulations that simply don't work in the 21st century."

Personnel notes...

Margaret 'Ducky' Hemenway takes over the defense portfolio for the Senate Republican Policy Committee in early January for new chairman Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona. Hemenway currently with Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., is considered one of the most influential GOP staffers on defense issues on Capitol Hill.... Mike Catanzaro, a former political reporter for columnist Robert Novak, is joining the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works as director of communications when the GOP majority takes over... former U.S. "drug czar" Gen. Barry McCaffrey, has been named chairman of public relations giant Fleishman-Hillard's new homeland security practice... Cathy Martin is being bumped up inside Vice-President Dick Cheney's office. Martin has been named Assistant to the Vice-President for Public Affairs, replacing Mary Matalin who is leaving... Ray Gifford, currently the chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, has named president of the Progress & Freedom Foundation, replacing current president Jeff Eisenach, who steps down Feb. 1.

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