Washington Whispers
The Book on the Mormon Problem
The big debate is finally here: Will Mitt Romney's Mormonism kill him in the mainstream Christian-voting GOP presidential primaries? We think we've got a source who knows: conservative pundit and radio host Hugh Hewitt. "He, and the country, definitely have a 'Mormon problem,'" Hewitt tells us, "but not an insurmountable one." In a new book out in mid-March, Hewitt takes an in-depth look at Romney's life. And for Regnery Publishing's A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney, Hewitt even quizzed the former Massachusetts guv. His conclusion: "I don't even think it will be the biggest obstacle in his path to the Republican nomination." He did find a major hurdle, he teases, "though I will wait until publication in early March to discuss that."
On the Court: Two Down, One to Go
The White House is still holding out hope that it will have a chance to name a third justice to the Supreme Court and cement its conservative tilt for generations to come. "We need one more on the Supreme Court," says a Bushie who was instrumental in getting Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito aboard. But with Democrats now running the Senate, pushing another conservative through might be hard. "That will be the battle royal, " says the insider. Meantime, the White House is seeking to add 17 more U.S. Circuit Court judges before leaving town in 2009. "This is our biggest legacy," says the official. And rightly so: Almost 30 percent of federal judges are Bush picks, he says.
Mom's Spy on the Campaign Trail
Not that she really has to worry about her Baptist minister husband, but Janet Huckabee has her own spy traveling with GOP hopeful Mike Huckabee. And the truth is the former Arkansas governor couldn't be happier. "It puts him at ease," says his 24-year-old daughter, Sarah, "and the rest of the family at ease, too." Since he announced, the former Education Department aide has been stuck to her dad, "doing whatever they want doing," she says. It's a good deal for both, she says. "I keep an eye on him, and he keeps an eye on me."
Paul Bedard's blog is at www.usnews.com/whispers
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