*THE QUAYLE QUESTION: There was a time when the establishment press-i.e. Washington Post columnist David Broder-was not at all squeamish about challenging presidential candidates with sweeping questions about marital fidelity.
On March 15, 1998, former Vice President Dan Quayle, a prospective candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2000 campaign, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." After host Tim Russert opened the questioning, Broder abruptly hit Quayle with this query: "If you run for President in 2000, would you expect to be asked whether you've ever had an extramarital affair?" Quayle said, "I presume that that question's going to come up now because of Bill Clinton."
*BRODER'S BROWBEATING: When Broder thought he had the conservative Republican Quayle in the crosshairs, he just wouldn't let the issue go. He hit Quayle with a very cute line of questioning-asking if Quayle himself thought the press should ask blanket questions about extramarital affairs.
Asked Broder: "Do you think it's a proper question to ask of a candidate?" Answered Quayle: "No, I don't. But it's going to come up and I expect it to come up and the people will have to deal with it accordingly." Asked Broder: "Why do you think it's not a proper question?" Answered Quayle: "Are you going to ask that of every vice presidential candidate, every congressman, every senator? I just do not believe that that is an appropriate question that you ask a presidential candidate."
*ANSWER IS 'NO': But Quayle's declaration that it was an inappropriate question seemingly had no impact on Broder, who just kept pressing the issue. Said Broder: "Do you think marital fidelity has anything to do with qualifications of high office?"
Answered Quayle: "Yes, to some extent, I do. . . . But, no, I'm going to get the question, everyone's going to get the question, the press is going to ask that question and I intend to-I'll address it right here. The answer in my case is no."
*SAY WHAT? Broder was rendered virtually speechless by Quayle's unequivocal denial that he had ever had an affair. The vaunted political correspondent could only say: "Mm-hmm." With that Broder fell mute, and Tim Russert resumed the questioning.
*KERRY'S DENIAL: But the David Broder-style storm troopers of the establishment press went A.W.O.L. last week when the Drudge Report put out a bulletin saying that several news organizations were investigating a rumor that Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, had had a recent extramarital affair.
This time it fell to radio host Don Imus, whose program is simulcast on the MSNBC cable network, to query Kerry on the issue. Imus did not badger Kerry a la Broder. But he did get the senator on the record with a denial.
*"DEAD MAN': "Is there anything-anything-that's going to come up? For example, there's this Drudge Report about an intern-and I'm sure you've heard about it-that hasn't been reported anywhere but people are talking about it?" Imus asked Kerry.
"There's nothing to report," said Kerry. "There's nothing to talk about. I'm not worried about it. No, the answer is no." Later in the broadcast, Imus said of Kerry's answer: "He claims there's nothing there....So now if something comes up, he's a dead man. So he's not a fool."
*BUSTING FILIBUSTERS: Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah) last week indicated he may support scrapping Senate procedural rules that have allowed the Democrats to block judicial nominees, even when they have passed out of committee and enjoy majority support in the full Senate.
"Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owen, William Pryor, Carolyn Kuhl, Janice Rogers-Brown, and Charles Pickering all deserve simple up-or-down votes on the Senate floor," Hatch said February 12. "The current Senate procedural rules are being used in an unprecedented fashion to unfairly deny a simple up-or-down vote for each judicial nominee. I think it appropriate for the Senate to consider changing the filibuster rules with respect to the Executive Calendar."
*REPEAL MCCAIN-FEINGOLD: President Bush signed the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, apparently assuming the Supreme Court would strike down those parts of the law that unconstitutionally prohibited advocacy groups from mentioning the names of candidates for federal office, in broadcast media, during the election season. Last fall, however, the court let those parts of the law stand. Now, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R.-Md.) has introduced legislation in the House to repeal McCain-Feingold's ban on issue advocacy commercials. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R.-Tenn.) is expected to offer similar legislation in the Senate.
