ModBee

Frosty reception awaits Condit

By MICHAEL DOYLE BEE WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Ceres Rep. Gary Condit returns to Congress this week to face the political music.

It could be a dirge.

Struggling to recover from a disastrous August, Condit's most prestigious committee assignment is in jeopardy. His Democratic Party leaders are chastising him. His congressional colleagues seem altogether impatient with a running story that drowns out their preferred message.

And the drumbeats are likely to grow even more ominous, as 535 members of Congress return after Labor Day to face a media horde primed with "What about Condit?" questions. With so many microphones being waved about, ever more vivid comments become inevitable.

"He's radioactive," said Larry Sabato, a professor of government at the University of Virginia, and "it's going to accelerate once you have a critical mass of politicians and a critical mass of press, all in one place. It seems to me he will become even more of the focus."

Congress typically is a backslapping kind of place, particularly after an extended break like the August recess. But Sabato, author of books including "Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics," said Condit cannot expect that colleagues will "greet him like the prodigal son."

Already, even before the House of Representatives resumes work Wednesday, the backstage buzz is much more about Condit's potential retirement timing than about any possibility of political recovery.

"He'll get private sympathy, but very few kind words in public," Sabato predicted of Condit, who has been heavily criticized for remaining silent about his relationship with Chandra Levy, the intern whose disappearance now extends into a fifth month.

Rep. George Radanovich, a Mariposa Republican who has worked closely with Condit and still values his past contributions, agreed that "it's going to be a lot harder for Condit" once Congress returns.

"If I were in his position, I would leave," Radanovich said. "My guess is there will probably be a couple more people who come out saying he should resign. A lot of people are wondering if he's going to last the term."

Mike Lynch, Condit's chief of staff, insists that the congressman is planning for "business as usual" as Congress returns. He has several bills in the hopper, involving issues like Western power regulation and tax credits for agricultural conservation, but fast action is not likely.

Lynch said Condit also believes that "what should be the focus" is the declining federal surplus and what that means for government spending.

But based on his experiences since May, Condit also expects something much different than a focus on public policy.

"The media overreaction and frenzy have been the hallmark of the past four months," Lynch said.

Condit's Washington-based administrative assistant, Mike Dayton, ruefully agreed that the media attention will remain hot and heavy.

"We'll have TV cameras, I'm sure, following our every move," Dayton said on CNN's "Larry King Live" last week. "It will be more of the same."

Some lawmakers in particular could play crucial roles as the week unfolds.

Several political observers, including Sabato and some veteran Democratic Party activists, independently identified Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California as a lawmaker to watch.

Feinstein did not view Condit's widely criticized interview with ABC's Connie Chung, according to her staff, but she has previously made clear her dismay over Condit's actions. Her stature among California politicians gives her words extra weight, as was demonstrated when USA Today put her criticism of Condit on the front page.

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt is another opinion-leading lawmaker to watch. He, like Feinstein, is likely to be asked repeatedly for fresh comments on Condit. Gephardt's spokesman, Erik Smith, said that so far Gephardt has spoken to only a few colleagues about Condit, but the top House Democrat already has indicated that he plans to bring up the issue when everyone reconvenes.

"I do not believe (Condit) was candid and forward," Gephardt told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following Condit's Aug. 23 television interview. "I think it fell way short. It all adds to the general perception that politics are no good and politicians are a bunch of bums."

Gephardt suggested that Condit's sensitive position on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence could be in question as a result. The committee is considered important not because of the individual power it bestows -- much of its work is secret -- but because membership is a sign of leadership trust.

Losing the committee seat would thus be interpreted, fairly or not, as a sign that the leadership had lost trust in Condit. As described by one informed congressional staffer, however, positions on such select committees aren't unilaterally yanked by party leaders.

Instead, leaving the select committee becomes a joint decision.

Democrats say they have not seen any poll numbers suggesting that Condit's problems have translated into bigger image woes for the party. However, key officials such as Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe have grumbled that the Condit story distracts from the party's message on issues like the budget surplus. Within the California Democratic congressional delegation, members are voicing their opinions behind the scenes.

Condit himself has always taken pride in his willingness to stand up to party pressure, going back to his days in the California Assembly, so it was not clear what influence these other Democrats will have on his ultimate decision.

"One thing Gary's demonstrated over the years is he doesn't really give a (expletive) about what the Democrats say," Condit's political consultant Richie Ross said two weeks ago on ABC's "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts." "I mean, that's not going to be part of the equation."

And then there are people like Lisa Fouser, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom from San Diego whose voting crosses party and ideological lines. Fouser lives far from Condit's district, but in following the Levy case, she is ready to weigh in on Condit's political future.

"We will be following what happens to Mr. Condit," Fouser said. "Should he decide to run, we will financially support the campaign of whoever runs against him."

Fouser knows Condit only by dint of a reputation established over the past four months. A Californian who has known him for much longer, California Farm Bureau Federation President Bill Pauli, said he hopes Condit can continue to be "a strong advocate and voice for agriculture."

At the same time, as he anticipates the return of Congress, Pauli said he could not predict how the congressman will cope in the new Capitol Hill environment.

"It's difficult for any one of us to (know) what his problems will do to his ability to function at a high level," Pauli said.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2001