White House Week
When it Comes to Diplomacy, He's the First Among Equals
Senior White House officials want it known that it was President Bush--not foreign leaders, as has been rumored--who came up with the idea of giving Iran one final "test" before pressing for sanctions in the United Nations Security Council (story, Page 20). "This is actually something that the president conceived of and talked a lot about over a number of weeks," a senior Bush adviser says. During that period, Bush raised the issue with European leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush didn't want the United States to become isolated from its European allies who have been pressing diplomatically to get Iran to stop enriching uranium, the adviser says. "It was something he decided he wanted to explore with his counterparts, and he took the initiative to do that." Still, sources at the State Department insist the idea originated with their boss, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Next Up, a Wall Street Tree-hugger?
Despite the overwhelming approval of mainstream Republicans and Wall Street insiders for President Bush's new treasury secretary pick, Henry Paulson, there is a budding campaign among conservative land-rights activists to find a senator who will place a hold on the nomination. Of concern to the activists is Paulson's position as chair of the Nature Conservancy and his move to donate Chilean land owned by Goldman Sachs, which he currently heads, to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Paulson's opponents also want him to state at confirmation hearings that he is not a global warming zealot, even though the Nature Conservancy and Goldman have issued global warming warnings. The foes concede that there is little chance that the Senate will reject Paulson, which is why they are seeking a senator to place a "hold" on the nomination until the issues can be cleared up.
Might Be Time to Get Out of Dodge
Growing numbers of GOP House staffers are reaching "near panic" mode over a possible Democratic takeover of the House, say Hill sources. Many are waiting anxiously for results of this week's special election for the seat of now-jailed Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in San Diego. Cunningham's district has long been a GOP stronghold. "If the Dems win the Cunningham race, there won't be a levee big enough to hold back the flood of staffers who will head for the first job they can get," says one insider.
Yukking It Up Before a Very Tough Crowd
When Gen. Michael Hayden showed up at CIA headquarters last week for his first day of work as director, he faced a skeptical workforce looking for aggressive new leadership. Hayden wasted no time trying to defuse the controversy that arose during his nomination over his status as an active military officer. Speaking to CIA employees from the auditorium nicknamed the "bubble," Hayden sported his crisp, blue Air Force uniform. "So you can recognize me, I've decided to wear a blue shirt every day," he told the crowd, which chuckled. "I'll probably just put my name here," he said, pointing to his "Hayden" nameplate, "so you know who I am." The former deputy national intelligence director had indicated earlier that he would resign from the military only if his status caused conflict in his new job.
PHOTO OP: 9:27 a.m., June 2, the United Nations
Some think she is the White House's best ambassador, so it was no surprise that first lady Laura Bush was at the United Nations last week calling for more education to stop the spread of AIDS and touting her husband's plan for AIDS relief in Africa. Here she talks with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton after giving her speech.
With Kenneth T. Walsh, Paul Bedard, David E. Kaplan and Kevin Whitelaw
This story appears in the June 12, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.