Inside Politics

Daschle’s hug

“How bad has it gotten for Democrats at summer’s end: A paid TV advertisement from Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, President Bush’s top congressional foe, features the South Dakotan hugging and embracing President Bush,” Matt Drudge writes at www.drudgereport.com.

“While Democrat Party officials of all stripes descend on New York City to blast the president, Daschle has quietly purchased airtime in his home state for the minute-long campaign commercial — a commercial insiders have dubbed: ‘Bush Hug,’” Mr. Drudge said.

“Daschle faces a tough campaign against South Dakota Republican challenger John Thune.

“‘This is delightful,’ laughed one Republican official in New York yesterday. ‘Senator Daschle now concedes supporting the president can score him votes in the fall.’”

Not long ago, Mr. Daschle denied filmmaker Michael Moore’s comment that he and the senator hugged after the Washington premiere of Mr. Moore’s Bush-bashing movie.

No McGreevey suit

A former aide who says New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey sexually harassed him said yesterday he will not sue the governor, the Associated Press reported.

The governor’s resignation announcement was sufficient admission of his wrongdoing, Golan Cipel said in a statement written in Hebrew and released yesterday by an Israeli public-relations agency. Mr. Cipel is in seclusion with his family in Israel.

Mr. McGreevey announced Aug. 12 that he is a homosexual and would resign from office because he had an extramarital affair with a man, whom administration sources have identified as Mr. Cipel.

Although the Democratic governor has said the relationship was consensual, Mr. Cipel insisted that he had been sexually harassed and pressured by Mr. McGreevey while he worked as an adviser.

Backing rescinded

The St. Petersburg Times rescinded its endorsement of Mel Martinez in today’s Republican Senate primary in Florida, accusing him of “hateful and dishonest attacks” on fellow Republican Bill McCollum.

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