INSIDE POLITICS

McConnell’s retort

The drumbeat forSenate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s scalp continued yesterday as reporters grilled Republican leaders over the prescient timing of Mr. Frist’s sale of stock in Hospital Corp. of America Inc. — just months before it tumbled 9 percent in one day this summer.

The company, founded by the Tennessee Republican’s family, saw its stock price dive after a poorer than expected earnings report, but Mr. Frist and company officials say Mr. Frist had no insider knowledge.

Despite dual investigations into the sale by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Republicans are standing by their man, Majority Whip Mitch McConnell said yesterday.

“The leader has the unequivocal support of our members,” said the Kentucky Republican, who handled Mr. Frist’s leadership duties on the Senate floor yesterday. “We’ve taken a look at the situation. We think that he handled it correctly, and he enjoys total support in our conference, as nearly as I can ascertain.”

Asked what he thought about Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean’s typically harsh attack on Mr. Frist over the issue, Mr. McConnell tried suppressing a smile before letting loose.

“I sure hope Howard Dean never steps down as chairman of the Democratic National Committee,” he said before taking the next question.

Air shortage

Things must be getting desperate over at Air America. Plagued by scandal and low ratings, the liberal radio network last week sent out a “mass e-mail pitch” begging its supporters for contributions, blogger Brian Maloney (radioequalizer.blogspot.com) reports.

In the e-mail, Air America CEO Danny Goldbergtells supporters: “To continue this great success story and start shaping the national debate the way that right-wing talk radio does every day, we’ve got to reach into every community in this country. We know we can’t achieve this next stage of growth without significant help from you, our loyal listeners.”

Through its “Air America Associate” program, the network promises to reward fans who contribute cash “gifts” to the network with free “benefits,” Mr. Maloney explains. “For $50, they’ll send three ‘official’ bumper stickers, while $100 gets a ‘stylish’ tote bag thrown in. The sucker who has everything might choose the $250 version, including the above and an on-air thanks from one of Air America’s talk hosts.”

Big spenders

“If Democrats retake the House next year, we can mark the start of the party’s resurgence to a speech Nancy Pelosi delivered on Capitol Hill last week,” Brendan Miniter writes at www.OpinionJournal.com.

“It was there, at a press conference called to attack Republicans over their response to Hurricane Katrina, that the House minority leader actually used the words ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ in talking about government spending,” Mr. Miniter said.

“What Ms. Pelosi and a few other Democrats seem to be figuring out in the wake of Katrina is that Americans aren’t happy with their government throwing billions of dollars around with little if any accountability. Therefore, she’s laying out a legislative agenda aimed at capturing the mantle of fiscal responsibility.

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