McCain's top FL money bags

George W. Bush had his Rangers and Pioneers, and John McCain has his "Innovators" (who have raised at least $250,000)  and "trailblazers" (at least $100,000). Among the Arizona senator's top bundlers, here are the Floridians:

At least $250,000: Brian Ballard, Tallahassee; Manuel Kadre, Miami; John Moran, Palm Beach; Scott Rothstein, Fort Lauderdale. At least $100,000: Charles Cobb, Jr., Miami; John Dasburg, Miami; John Donahue, Naples; Marty Fiorentino, Ponte Vedra Beach; Alfred Hoffman, Jr., Fort Myers; Harry Sargeant, III, Gulf Stream; Glenn Steil, Sr., Bonita Springs

Gov. spends day with president

As Buzz types this, Gov. Charlie Crist is riding in a limousine with President George W. Bush.

The governor is attending RNC fundraisers with the president and the two will tour the Blount Island Marine Terminal together, Crist's spokeswoman confirmed.

This could be some of the longest one-on-one time the two have had since Crist became governor.

Relations between their advisers had been tense, due to a 2006 snub, when then-candidate Crist skipped the president's rally in Pensacola right before the election, a decision that angered Karl Rove.

Bush to visit Jax and West Palm Tuesday

President Bush will attend two fund-raisers and make a speech on trade in Florida on Tuesday.

He starts in Jacksonville where he'll attend a private Republican National Committee luncheon and make a speech on trade policy at the Jacksonville Port Authority. He then visits West Palm Beach for a quick fundraiser before flying back to Washington.

First Lady to visit Everglades

First Lady Laura Bush will visit Everglades National Park on Wednesday to promote her First Bloom initiative, which seeks to restore plant life.

First she'll plant native plants with the park's Junior Rangers, then visit the Anhingha Trail near Royal Palm. There she'll speak about a new National Parks Foundation essay contest called "Turning a Leaf," which is aimed at highlighting ways that kids can help preserve the environment.

Most popular and unpopular pols in FL

Check out the favorabilty/unfavorability ratings on a recent Florida House Democrats' internal poll obtained by the Buzz:

Hillary Clinton 50 fav/48 unfav; Barack Obama 59 fav/32 unfav; Charlie Crist 69 fav/14 unfav; George W. Bush 41 fav/56 unfav; Mel Martinez 45/27; Bill Nelson 59/18

Wexler's impeachment push

Nearly 100,000 people have signed up so far on Robert Wexler's online petition site promoting impeachment hearings for Dick Cheney: "Our constitution mandates that the House of Representatives hold vice presidents and presidents accountable when they commit high crimes. Serious and substantive allegations have been made against Dick Cheney,'' says Wexler.

It may not lead to hearings, but it's turning Wexler into a darling of the angry left netroots.

Gonzales leaves little to chance at UF speech

Controversial former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is getting paid $40,000 to speak for one hour Nov. 19 on the topic "Living Legal History: Working with the White House, Department of Justice and Supreme Court," according to the contract reviewed today by Gradebook.

Gonzales is requiring that his talk and the Q and A session to follow be taped "to avoid the possibility of misquotations or contextually misleading quoted remarks" -- protection against the pesky press, we presume?

He originally sought to exclude any press that didn't have written permission from the Greater talent Network, which negotiated his appearance, but UF nixed that, insisting on "reasonable access by the press."

UF brings in former AG Alberto Gonzales

UF administrators earlier this fall postponed the campus-funded speech by assisted suicide advocate "Dr. Death" Kevorkian until early next year, hoping to work out their police officers' 'issues' with Tasers. But in just a couple of weeks, they'll welcome an even more high-profile, potentially controversial speaker: just-resigned U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

UF's student government is paying Gonzales $40,000 in student fees to give a speech on campus Nov. 19. A Houston attorney in the 1980s, he served as then-Gov. George W. Bush's general counsel and eventually became Texas' secretary of state.

Congress smacks down Bush veto on Glades money

Congress this week sent President George W. Bush the most stinging rebuke of his administration so far, as some of his most loyal partisans joined in voting to override his veto of a massive water and environment bill that directs billions of dollars toward the restoration of the Everglades as well as continued recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

The Senate voted Thursday to override the veto, 79-14, far more than the two-thirds majority needed to overturn Bush’s veto. That followed a resounding 361 to 54 vote in the U.S. House Wednesday. Together the two votes turned the $23.2-billion Water Resources Development Act into law, despite Bush’s objections to the cost.

The bill, which has been in the works for six years, directs $1.8-billion toward the Everglades restoration project, which has stumbled because of the lack of promised federal funds. Florida members of Congress -- including some Republicans who had never before bucked a Bush veto -- praised the bill’s passage as a key to getting the massive environmental reengineering project back on track.

“It took Congress six years to pass it and a misguided president one day to try to kill it,” said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.  “Fortunately, common sense prevailed.  Everglades restoration now will receive a much needed boost.”

--Wes Allison and Craig Pittman

Wexler: Impeachment time

“Vice President Dick Cheney and the Bush Administration have demonstrated a consistent pattern of abusing the law and misleading Congress and the American people. We see the consequences of these actions abroad in Iraq and at home through the violations of our civil liberties,” Wexler said. “The American people are served well with a legitimate and thorough impeachment inquiry. I urge the Judiciary Committee to schedule impeachment hearings immediately and not let this issue languish as it has over the last six months.”

Jenna Bush is coming...

...to Books-A-Million in Brandon Thursday to sign and hawk her book, Ana's Story.

Hollywood hits Tallahassee

Adams Street in Tallahassee was mobbed Monday morning. But the usual lobbyists and lawmakers scene was replaced by a film crew. In this scene, reporters crowd Al Gore's chief of staff, Ron Klain (played by Kevin Spacey) and Gore attorney David Boies (Ed Begley Jr.), on Adams street in front of Andrews restaurant.

The HBO movie "Recount" drew a number of stargazers who witnessed the real 2000 recount. "As far as I remember, there wasn't much happening in this area," said Wade Bishop, a producer for the City of Tallahassee watching the filming on Monday who worked for a CBS affiliate during the recount.

The crew filmed inside the Florida Supreme Court on Sunday, and Buzz hears that Justice Barbara Pariente stopped by and introduced herself to the actress who plays her. "Recount" will be filmed in Tallahassee through the end of the week. (Photo: Wade Bishop.)

Bush vetoes bill to restore Everglades

As expected, President Bush today vetoed a bill from Congress that was intended to revive the flagging Everglades restoration effort and help with post-Katrina reconstruction in Louisiana.

Bush Administration officials have said the $23-billion Water Resources Development Act is too expensive. But the bill passed Congress in September by a wide margin --  81-12 in the Senate and 381-40 in the House. That means there were far more votes for the bill than the two-thirds that would be required to override a presidential veto.

As a result, Congress is expected to hand President Bush his first-ever veto override early next week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House is scheduled to vote on the override Tuesday, and he expects enough Republican support for the override to pass. No date for the Senate vote has been set yet.

Jeb on 'putrid' politics

"I can't watch the news, as a brother who loves my brother," said Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush. "The food fight has to stop, and there needs to be a restoration of civility."  More here in the Mobile Register.

They're in trouble now

The Hillsborough County District 47 Democrats at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday voted to approve a resolution to impeach President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Group member Nancy Greenlees said the symbolic vote is not "partisan or vindictive" but intended to restore the country to the "traditions of our representative democracy" and stop the "unconsitutional usurpation of power by the executive branch." Plans call for sending the resolution to other Democratic organizations in the hopes that they will add their names to it and forwarding it to Congress.

Poll: Allen should tough it out

A Schroth, Eldon & Associates poll for Democrats in Rep. Bob Allen's Space Coast district yields some interesting results. The survey was done as Democrats prepare for a possible race in this open 2008 seat, and asked voters whether Allen, who faces a misdemeanor charge of solicitation involving an undercover police officer, should stay in the House or resign. (Allen insists he's staying put).

The District 32 poll asked voters to agree or disagree with the statement that Allen should stay in the Legislature "until his guilt or innocence has been determined by a jury." A bare majority of 51 percent agreed with the statement, 38 percent disagreed, and 11 percent were not sure. The poll registered a 46 percent disapproval rating of Allen, the same as for President Bush in this solidly Republican district.

The survey was conducted of 300 voters on Aug. 25-27 with a MOE of +/-4.5 percentage points.

On Gonzales, Putnam sounds more like Nelson than Martinez

Mel Martinez: "Alberto Gonzales is an honorable man whose life history speaks volumes about what’s best about America. ... Alberto Gonzales has conducted himself always with honesty, dedication and integrity. He is my friend and he is a good man. He and his family have my thanks for their sacrifice for serving during difficult times, and my best wishes for the future."

Bill Nelson: “We have an urgent need to restore credibility at the Justice Department.  My hope is President Bush’s new pick will take politics out of enforcing the law.”

Adam Putnam: “The Department of Justice now has the opportunity to benefit from fresh leadership. What the American people need right now is an effective, independent Attorney General who will be undistracted in his or her efforts to enforce our laws, secure our borders, and vigorously prosecute the war against militant Islamist jihadists.

FL Poll: Hillary up 20, Rudy up 16

Strategic Vision's 8/10-12 poll of 1,200 likely Florida voters (moe +- 3). R's: Rudy Giuliani 34%; Fred Thompson 18%; undecided 16 % Mitt Romney 10%; John McCain 8%; Newt Gingrich 3%; Tom Tancredo 3%; Mike Huckabee 3%. D's: Hillary Clinton 40%; Barack Obama 20%; John Edwards 16%; Undecided 10%; Bill Richardson 9%; Joseph Biden 3%; Christopher Dodd 1%; Dennis Kucinich 1%.

71% approve of Charlie Crist's overall performance, 37 percent approve of President Bush's and 20 percent approve of Congress's job performance. 53 percent approve of Bill Nelson and 43 percent Mel Martinez

Sen. Martinez on PIP, Rove and early primaries

Sen. Mel Martinez, while stressing that he didn't want to "meddle" in state politics, told the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce today that "it would be a real step backward" if Florida leaders let no-fault auto insurance lapse. Noting that he had spent a good chunk of his legal career "collecting PIP benefits and suing insurance companies when they didn't pay them,'' Martinez called PIP "a very important component on health care in Florida."

Obama coming back to Tampa Bay

Fundraisers for the Illinois senator on Sept. 30 are to be hosted, in Tampa, by Tom and Linda Scarritt (he of the state Ethics Commission) and, in St. Petersburg, by Tim and Donna Main. Mr. Main is Jabil Circuit CEO and president and a past contributor to George W. and the Florida GOP.

Going green in a red state

It positions Crist nicely as an un-Bush, and more and more Republicans will have to do that," Larry Sabato said of Charlie Crist's new environmental initiatives. "If you're a Republican like Charlie Crist, do you want to be the next Gov. Schwarzenegger or the next George W. Bush?"

One of Crist's predecessors, Bob Graham, warned that the governor is close to overstepping his authority. Using an executive order to revamp the state's energy policy, rather than trying to get a law passed by the Legislature, "might push the envelope," warned Graham, a Democrat who served two terms as governor before being elected to the Senate. He could not recall another instance where a governor tried to make such a major policy change using an executive order.

More here.

Gus Bilirakis, stepping out

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a freshman from Palm Harbor, today became the first (and, so far, only) Republican member of Congress from Florida to lambaste the president's decision to commute I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's two and a half-year prison sentence.

Libby was Vice President Dick Cheney's chief staff. He was convicted earlier this year of perjury in the Valerie Plame spy case.

"I do not agree with President Bush's decision to fully commute Lewis Libby's prison sentence," Bilirakis said in a statement. "While commutation is perfectly within the President's constitutional discretion, Mr. Libby was tried by a jury of his peers and was convicted of a felony.

"The fact that Mr. Libby committed this crime while serving as a public official makes it all the more egregious. Excessive or not, Mr. Libby's sentence should be respected."

This just in: Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow, the third-ranking House Republican, has added his piece, backing the president on this one: "I agree with the decision -- especially in light of the fact that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald admitted he knew before Libby ever testified the leak was committed by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage."

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, declined through a spokesman to comment. The Buzz hasn't yet heard back from the Bay area's other GOP House member, C.W. Bill Young of Indian Shores. A spokesman for Mel Martinez said the senator was on vacation.

Sembler pleased with his president

Mel Sembler, the St. Pete developer who headed the Libby Legal Defense Trust, is happy with President Bush's decision to commute the sentence of Scooter Libby.

Sembler told the Washington Post that he got the good news when he returned to St. Pete from a fundraiser.

"I was most pleased with my president," he said.

Adios, Republican stronghold

There are ominous signs for the Florida GOP when it comes to the state's fastest-growing ethnic group. Consider:

• When Democrat Bill McBride lost his bid for governor in 2002, he won just 36 percent of the vote in one of Miami-Dade's most heavily Hispanic, reliably Republican state House districts. Last year, McBride's wife and fellow Democrat Alex Sink was elected chief financial officer and carried 53 percent of the vote there.
• In Florida's virtually tied 2000 election, overwhelmingly Republican Cuban-Americans made up about 75 percent of Florida's Hispanic electorate. Today? More like 40 percent.
• Jeb Bush in 2002 performed more than 7 percent better in Central Florida's Osceola County, with its booming population of non-Cuban Hispanics, than Charlie Crist did in 2006. More here.

Wrong year, Rudy

At least 250 enthusiastic supporters turned out to see Rudy Giuliani tonight in Hialeah, where we counted at least 11 TV cameras taking in his assurances that he loves Cuban-American spirit, frequently eats the food, hates Fidel something fierce, and intends to spend a lot of time campaigning in Florida. One weird thing: He kept talking about campaigning for W in Florida just before the 2001 election. Repeatedly, he cited his campaigning for Bush among Cuban-Americans in south Florida on the Sunday before election day in 2001.

Our guess? He's so used to invoking 9/11, his mind defaults to 2001. For hizzoner's sake, though, we hope he doesn't plan his campaign so it peaks in 2009.

FL Bush bundlers on sidelines

Underscoring how Jeb Bush's departure from Tallahassee has changed Florida's political scene, an overwhelming majority of President Bush's top political fundraisers in Florida are sitting on the sidelines so far in the 2008 presidential race. Of the 54 Floridians who raised at least $100,000 for Bush-Cheney in 2004, only 10 have given to any Republican contender to succeed Bush, a St. Petersburg Times review found. More here.

Who are the Bush-Cheney '04 Rangers and Pioneeers who have donated to or are supporting '08 candidates?

Giuliani: William Scherer; Romney: Al Cardenas, Mark Guzzetta, Gary Morse, John Thrasher, Robert and Nancy Watkins; McCain: Charlie Cobb, Marty Fiorentino, Ned and Stephanie Siegel; Milton Wallace; Richardson: George Zoley

FL's targeted U.S. Attorney

In November, U.S. Attorney Greg Miller flew from his home in Tallahassee to Washington to accept a prestigious award from the U.S. Justice Department. A few days later, his name appeared on a list with eight other U.S. attorneys who were candidates to be fired, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post.

Miller was shocked and at a loss to speculate why: "We had no ongoing investigation of government corruption," he said. "We always have sensitive investigations, and we never know when someone is upset." More here.

Fighting over the war-fighters

If a freshman member of Congress wants to challenge his president at a time of war, this is probably as good a reason as any: In explaining President Bush's opposition to the defense bill that passed the U.S. House on Thursday, the White House took direct aim at a provision first pushed by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, to give U.S. troops a 3.5-percent raise, instead of the 3-percent raise favored by the administration.

Bilirakis, a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, first proposed the 3.5-percent pay raise in a stand-alone bill in January. Congressional leaders rolled the heart of his bill into the annual defense bill, which passed the House overwhelmingly Thursday -- and which the president opposes.

The White House directly criticized the pay raise, among other things, in explaining its opposition. "The additional 0.5 percent increase above the President’s proposed 3.0 percent across-the-board pay increase is unnecessary," the administration's statement of policy says. "When combined with the overall military benefit package, the President’s proposal provides a good quality of life for service-members and their families."

That extra 0.5-percent will cost the government an extra $7.3-billion over the next five years, the White House said.

But Bilirakis contends the government should do more to address the disparity of pay between the military and the private sector. Top congressional Democrats also have taken the offensive on the matter, sending Bush a letter Friday urging him not to block the pay increase. You can read the full Statement of Administration Policy on the defense bill here.

"This small step is the least we can do, especially during wartime, to ensure that our uniformed men and women are being properly compensated for their sacrifices," Bilirakis said.

Fit for a Queen

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez was one of the lucky few invited to attend a black tie dinner with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Tuesday night before the royal couple flew back to England.

The Queen held the dinner at the British Embassy in honor of the President and First Lady. The Washington Post reports that guests included "members of his cabinet and political and cultural VIPs who British Ambassador Sir David Manning hoped might amuse the queen" including the former President Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Alan Greenspan and Sens. John Warner, Dianne Feinstein and Martinez.

Martinez, who didn't have the greatest week trying to broker a compromise over immigration reform, told reporters on Wednesday: "I had dinner with the Queen last night. That was cool."

Bush to visit MacDill Tuesday

The White House announced that President Bush will visit Tampa on Tuesday for meetings at Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. Bush will receive a briefing from CentCom officials and speak to a conference of military leaders. He will fly back to Washington Tuesday afternoon.

President Bush to visit South Florida

President Bush will visit South Florida this weekend. He'll speak at a Republican National Committee luncheon at a private home in Key Biscayne Saturday afternoon and will then deliver the commencement address at Miami-Dade College in Kendall.

Heckuva job Albertie

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite is unimpressed with the way President Bush is standing by embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in the controversy surrounding fired U.S. attorneys. "I see this as another, "Good job, Brownie,' " said the Brooksville Republican, referring to former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, in a taped interview for an upcoming Political Connections on Bay News 9. "It's almost like the president has an intense loyalty to the people he appoints. In this case, though, I think it's misdirected. ... I would like to see Mr. Gonzales admit his mistakes and/or step down."

Also Newt Gingrich balks at national cat fund idea. More of today's print Buzz is here.

The invisible RNC chairman

In Mel Martinez's first 2 1/2 months as general chairman of the Republican National Committee, Florida's junior senator has been far less involved than even he expected. There have been no press releases, only a handful of fundraising calls and few meetings with supporters. He took his first out-of-state trip for the RNC just this week, introducing President Bush at a Los Angeles fundraiser that brought in $2.3-million.

More here.

A third term for W!!!!

The former Democratic challenger to CW Bill Young often laments that she didn't get more respect from those of us in the MSM. But Samm Simpson doesn't help herself sending us an urgent e-mail with an article about Dick Cheney saying the administration may challenge the 22nd Amendment to stay in office beyond 2008.

"I've been concerned about this for a long time.   Spread this around.  We can't let this happen,'' Simpson wrote in her e-mail to a bunch of journalists and Bill Nelson, and Rep. Young.

Uhm, Sam? The date of that "article" was April 1. The byline is Philip McKrack.

Martinez helps Republicans bring in some cash

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez helped the Republican Party raise a whopping $2.3-million at a Los Angeles fundraiser headlined by President Bush and hosted by Bush Pioneer and investment banker Brad Freeman.

Martinez, general chairman of the Republican National Committee, introduced Bush and hosted a dinner for about 25 of the guests later Wednesday night. On Thursday, Martinez met with individual supporters, lunched with actor Andy Garcia and 24 executive producer Manny Coto and hosted a Hispanic event in the evening.

Martinez's wife, Kitty, and their youngest son accompanied him to California. The two went to a taping of American Idol. Tomorrow, the family will visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. "What every good Republican should do," Martinez told the Buzz.

Martinez goes to Hollywood

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez will attend a Republican fundraiser with President Bush tomorrow night at a private home in Los Angeles. It'll be one of his first duties as general chairman of the Republican Party.

Bush will go directly to his Crawford, Texas ranch for vacation after the event while Martinez stays in California for a series of closed-door meetings. One will be with fellow Cuban-American, Andy Garcia, one of Hollywood's few Republicans.

Rove: Young may retire

A PowerPoint presentation by Karl Rove's office was made public in a House oversight hearing, and it lists Republican U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young as a member who may retire, making his seat - along with Sarasota Republican Vern Buchanan's - as among the most vulnerable for Republicans to defend. Democrat Tim Mahoney's congressional seat, no surprise, is listed among the top 20 GOP targets for 2008.

UPDATE: Young said he has not spoken with Karl Rove or anyone else at the White House about whether he will retire. He said the fact he was mentioned in the slide show (along with many other senior members) probably reflects the simple fact that he's 76 years old and has previously considered retiring. He said Friday he did not have a timeline to make a decision about whether he will run again in 2008. "The truth of the matter is that usually I don't make a decision until some time in an election year."

Bilirakis stops in at the White House

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, was one of the few members of Congress to attend the celebration of Greek Independence Day Friday afternoon at the White House.

"Greek Americans have really enriched our culture and enriched our nation's heritage. They're a lively bunch, as you know -- but an important group of people in our country, and that's really what we celebrate here," President Bush said. "We celebrate our friendship with the nation of Greece."

Bush, who welcomed many Greek dignitaries in the East Room, also took  the opportunity to thank "Greek Americans who wear the uniform of the United States."

Cobbs solid for McCain

A couple of well-connected Jeb supporters, Chuck and Sue Cobb, are backing John McCain.

They have deep roots in Bush World. Chuck was appointed ambassador to Iceland by the first President Bush and Governor Jeb Bush appointed him to be chairman of the Florida Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Sue Cobb was President George W. Bush’s Ambassador to Jamaica.  More recently, Jeb named her Secretary of the Florida Department of State.

George P joins Navy Reserve

George P. Bush -  son of Jeb, nephew of W, and perhaps Ch. 3 or 4 of the Bush dynasty - has joined the Navy Reserves. The Politico has it here.

Gators go to the White House

President Bush honored the national football champion Florida Gators at the White House this afternoon, recognizing both their athletic and academic achievements as well as their volunteer work.

He began his speech with one of his usual jokes about his younger brother, Jeb. ("So you might remember one of my family members held elected office in Florida. I hope he's found work.") And then he poked fun at himself. (You might remember, all the pre-game polls said you couldn't win. So much for polls.")

Hundreds of people attended the outdoor ceremony including several members of Congress (Sen. Bill Nelson, accompanied by his son, Billy, and Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Adam Putnam, among others), UF President Bernie Machen and Carolyn Roberts, chairman of the Board of Governors. The team gave the President a number 43 jersey and a football.

One family, two parties

Amusing story in the Washington Post about the Mica brothers - Dan, a former Democratic congressman and John, a Republican congressman - and how they often get mistaken for each other.

One of the many funny tidbits in the story was when former President Bush asked Dan Mica "Are you you, or are you the other one?" at a White House reception.

Full story here

Bon Appetit

The National Governors Association is in Washington this weekend for its winter meeting, and the President and First Lady are honoring the governors at the White House tonight.

While most governors were accompanied to the dinner by their husband, wife or child, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist brought along chief of staff, George Lemieux. (What happened to the woman he was supposedly seeing?)

Other guests included members of President Bush's Cabinet, the head of the Office of the Managment and Budget and the director of the Office of National Control Drug Policy.

Why Jeb matters

The Washington Post names six people nationwide whose endorsements in the 2008 presidential race will really count. Former Gov. Jeb Bush makes the list. Check it out here.

Jeb makes an appearance in DC

More than 500 people came out to hear former Gov. Jeb Bush give a speech at the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit in Washington on Saturday. It was Bush's first public appearance since leaving office.

Bush spoke for about 25 minutes about what he described as his successes in Florida, including changes in education and healthcare policy and his practice of vetoing "turkeys" or legislators' pet projects. Afterward, he took some questions -- many of which focused on immigration.

He spoke frequently of his brother -- President George W. Bush -- and said he would not criticize him for the Iraq war or anything else. "I love him,'' he said. "I trust him and I believe in him. You should too."

The crowd adored Bush, applauding often and giving him a standing ovation. Afterward, he was mobbed by people who wanted his autograph or to pose for a photograph with him.

Sights and sounds from the State of the Union

When President Bush came to the Capitol Tuesday night to give his State of the Union address, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow was one of the lawmakers selected to escort him into the House chamber. Sen. Mel Martinez, the new head of the Republican Party, who had changed into a TV-friendly red tie for the occasion, sat in one of the front rows, just behind Bush's Cabinet and the stoic Supreme Court justices.

Most members of the Florida congressional delegation were present as were Katherine Harris and Joe Scarborough, who are allowed back on the floor as former members. Dressed in a black suit, Harris was greeted warmly by several former colleagues, some of whom she invited back to her Capitol Hill townhouse. Missing was the man who beat her in November, Sen. Bill Nelson, who was home sick.

Among the guests sitting in the House galleries were Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, who last year was ejected because she was wearing a T-shirt supporting the troops. She was back again, with the T-shirt, sitting not far from Laura Bush, Lynne Cheney and actor Michael J. Fox, but there was no incident.

Almost-Congresswoman Christine Jennings, who is still fighting her slim loss to Vern Buchanan in the Sarasota area, was the guest of Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California who wanted to “highlight the gross injustice of election problems” in the disputed election.

Buchanan didn't pay any attention to Jennings -- calling her his "favorite constituent" -- and instead reveled in the ceremonial aspects of the night. "To be a blue-collar kid from Detroit, you'd never think it's possible," he said before leaving to meet Martinez and their wives for dinner.

Jennings will attend State of the Union

Democrat Christine Jennings will be the guest of U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California at President's Bush State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.

"I greatly appreciate Rep. Tauscher's invitation," Jennings said.  "Election reform will be an important issue during this session of Congress, not just for the voters of Sarasota, but for the entire nation. We must end the crisis of confidence that surrounds our voting systems."

In a press release, Tauscher's office said the invitation was to "highlight the gross injustice of election problems" in Florida's 13th congressional district. 

"I have invited Christine to attend the State of the Union because she should have a seat in Congress. Period,'' Tauscher said. "The Democratic Party, the people of the Florida's 13th Congressional District, and everyone who cares about our democracy should not and will not rest until we can ensure that every vote cast in every election in this country is actually counted." 

Support for W.

It's no suprise that Mel Martinez ranked 9th among Republican senators in voting most often with President Bush in 2006. But Florida's other senator, Bill Nelson, wasn't too far down on the list either.

Nelson ranked 7th among Democratic senators, according to Congressional Quarterly, our sister publication which compiles the annual list. He voted with Bush 60.3 percent of the time; Martinez voted with him 92.4 percent.

Among Republican House members, former Rep. Katherine Harris came in 3rd (100 percent) and Rep. Allen Boyd came in 13th among Democrats (61.5 percent)

Poll: 51% Approve Nelson's Performance

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's foray to Syria may not have won him any accolades from the White House, but Floridians don't seem to have a problem with it.

A new Quinnipiac Poll released Thursday shows the Florida Democrat with a 51 percent approval rating, besting both Republican Sen. Mel Martinez at 42 percent and President Bush at 38 percent approval rating.

The poll also shows that Floridians love their Wal-Mart and politicians might want to be careful about bashing the retail giant.

To read the entire poll, Download quinnipiac_poll_122106.doc

Groups opposes Martinez as RNC head

English First, a group active in this year's congressional immigration debate, opposes Florida Sen. Mel Martinez's bid to become the leader of the Republican National Committee.

President Bush asked Martinez to serve as RNC general chairman but he still must be voted in by members at a meeting Jan. 20.

Martinez, the first Cuban-American elected to the Senate, has been criticized for months for his stance on immigration reform which would allow many of the nation's illegal immigrants to eventually become citizens.

English First created a website to motivate the Martinez opposition.

Bush, Martinez meet in the Oval Office

Mel Martinez sat beside the President in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon as Florida's junior senator was introduced as Bush's choice to lead the Republican National Committee.

President Bush spoke glowingly about his friend and former Cabinet member as news photographers captured the moment. Martinez smiled and held his hands in his lap while his chief of staff John Little and statewide director Matthew Hunter stood across the room with White House staffers including Karl Rove.

"Mel Martinez represents what I believe our party stands for, and that is his parents put him on a plane to come to the United States from Cuba because they love freedom. That was Mel's first taste for the beauty of liberty and freedom,'' Bush said. "And he worked hard, started with little, and ended up being here, the United States senator from Florida, and the honorary chairman of our party. He's going to be an excellent spokesman for the Republican Party."

Afterward in the driveway of the White House, Martinez spoke to reporters about the job ahead of him and how he made it clear to Bush that he would not let his job as senator suffer while taking on the added RNC duties.

Martinez talked of promoting the party while not being an attack dog (like Howard Dean?) and insisted he would not favor one GOP candidate over another in the 2008 presidential election.

We in Florida have seen Martinez campaign frequently with his friend and pesidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, (who quickly issued a press release praising Martinez' new job) but Martinez said those days are over.

I-4 won it for Crist

There are two ways to spin Gov.-elect Charlie Crist's seven-percentage-point win over Jim Davis last week:

---Crist and the Florida GOP are so strong that they managed to overcome a Democratic wave across the country and still win the state's biggest political prize by 340,000 votes.

---Republicans spent a record-shattering more than $50-million on Crist - roughly four times what the Democrats spent for Jim Davis - and couldn't keep a little-known Tampa congressman from the best Democratic gubernatorial showing in 12 years.

Both assessments are partly true. Slice and dice Florida's electoral map from Tuesday and you'll see lessons, and ominous signs, for Democrats and Republicans alike. Full column here.

More details from Pensacola

President Bush encouraged the 10,000 supporters at the Pensacola Civic Center Monday afternoon to vote for Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Tom Lee and Charlie Bronson (all of them noticeably absent) and then referred to Katherine Harris once, though he never looked her way.

Bush called Crist “experienced and compassionate” and then mentioned Harris in passing, saying “while you’re in there voting for Charlie, vote for Katherine Harris for the United States Senate.”

Just this weekend, Harris insisted she would be sitting on stage alongside Bush at the rally. (Remember this: "They called, invited us to come and said we’d be on stage,” she said.)

Instead, Harris who said she rearranged her entire schedule the day before Election Day, sat in the stands with her husband, Anders Ebbeson, clutching his arm. She briefly addressed the crowd more than an hour before Bush arrived.

Bush was joined on stage by First Lady Laura Bush, brother Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, Bush’s former housing secretary, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, who represents the Panhandle. Also on stage were state legislators and Carole Jean Jordan, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

“It’s not a matter of where you sit but where you stand on the issues,’’ Harris campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Marks said.

Crist in Karl Rove's doghouse

The controversy over Charlie Crist dissing President Bush won't go away. White House political adviser Karl Rove made it clear he wasn't happy with Crist's decision to snub President Bush's Pensacola visit, thus likely ensuring that the controversy will be the talk of cable TV pundit shows Monday night.

Rove pointedly asked what event Crist was at that would rival the expected crowd of 10,000 at the president's election-eve event.

Crist was working the crowd at a popular Delray Beach restaurant, Lox Around the Clock, when he was asked about Rove's criticism.

"We just wanted to be all around the state of Florida today," Crist said. "I'm very pleased that the president is here. Glad he's come to our state. But I've got to get around Florida."

Crist is hitting eight events in six TV markets. The goal of his strategists is to get his face on as many evening newscasts as possible. But as he waved signs at a Fort Lauderdale intersection, TV reporters from Miami stations kept asking about the president's visit.

One reporter asked Crist is he's still supporting President Bush. "Of course I am," Crist said. "I think he's a great man and a great friend."

-- Steve Bousquet

Harris Stuck in the Stands at Bush Event

Katherine Harris may be the only statewide Republican candidate to trek all the way to Pensacola Monday to see President George W. Bush. But that didn't get her much.

As she sat in the stands with her husband, Bush mentioned her from the stage and encouraged the crowd of 10,000 to also vote for the four other missing statewide candidates: Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Tom Lee and Charlie Bronson.

Who did make the stage with the President: A slew of local state lawmakers, Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, First Lady Laura Bush, RPOF Chairwoman Carol Jean Jordan, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller.

--Anita Kumar

No Crist, no sweat

Aboard Air Force One today, on the way to Pensacola, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked about Charle Crist. From the transcript:

Q: What about Crist? Is that -- do you regard that as a snub?

SNOW: No. Look, he says he wants to go around and go for votes around the state. The President is going to be campaigning for Charlie Crist today. He will mention him in the speech, and he's also going to be talking for other candidates. You've got to keep in mind, these events are not only important for revving up Republicans who are in the vicinity, but people all around the country are now looking at these speeches and looking at these events, and they're getting a sense of the energy of the crowds, but also the emerging clarity of the difference between Democrats and Republicans, especially on taxes and terror. And the President will be making those points.

But the other thing he's going to be doing is making it clear that even though you've got choices, there are also positive reasons to be voting for Republican candidates, and he'll be making the same general argument today in Florida, Arkansas and Texas.

Crist annoys White House

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- The White House did not hide its irritation Monday at Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist for ducking President Bush at a campaign rally in the Republican friendly Panhandle.
Crist said he considered the Pensacola area so firmly in his camp that it made more sense to campaign elsewhere in the state as the race to replace outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush tightened.
On a tarmac in Texas where the president boarded Air Force One for the trip east, Bush political strategist Karl Rove mockingly questioned what kind of alternate rally Crist could put together that would rival the expected 10,000-person crowd that Bush was expected to draw at the Pensacola Civic Center.

More here.

Harris talks about Clinton, Bush and the future

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris spoke to some reporters (but alas, not the Buzz) at the Ruskin Seafood Festival Sunday afternoon. Here are some of the highlights.

--On former President Bill Clinton's remark from a rally with Bill Nelson that Harris can't "refuse to count or disqualify enough votes to win on Election Day."

"I guess he’ll just have to wait and see on Nov. 7," she said.

--On attending President George W. Bush's rally on Monday:

"They called, invited us to come and said we’d be on stage,” she said. "That's all I know."

--On what she might do if she loses:

“Don’t see it as an option,” she said.

Crist won't meet the president

Republican nominee for governor Charlie Crist will not travel to Pensacola on Monday to be with President George W. Bush on the final day of the campaign.

Crist said the decision was forced by a need to be in different areas of the state where his race with Jim davis is much closer than it is in the panhandle.

"We're doing very well in Pensacola," Crist said. "We've got to fight for votes in the other parts of the state."

Davis' campaign accused Crist of being afraid to appear in public with a president whose popularity has sunk dramatically over the war in Iraq.

The Davis campaign also noted that six weeks ago Crist appeared with president Bush at a GOP fundraiser in Orlando that raised $3-million.

"It appears that money can actually buy Charlie's love," a Davis spokesman said.

Crist's Chief of Staff George LeMieux said he made the decision Sunday that for reason of time, not politics, Crist needs to be els