Is Charlie really McCain’s ‘favourite?’

It didn’t take Gov. Charlie Crist long to find the cameras in the United Kingdom. The governor gave an interview to Sky News in Britain today on the second day of a 12-day trade mission to Europe and Russia.

Sky called Crist “the man who's favourite to become John McCain's running mate” and said Crist “has refused to rule himself out of a top job.”

Well, sort of. The interview rehashes Crist’s standard statement of humility when running mate discussion starts.

“It is very flattering to be considered and even the mere mention of the question is a humbling kind of thing for someone like me," he said in the interview. “But honestly I am enjoying being Governor of Florida. It’s the best job I have ever had in my life. It is a true privilege to serve in that capacity. If others think I am worthy of something more than that, it’s for them to think about. I am not focused on it.”

Crist said he prefers a 125-mile buffer off of Florida’s coasts for oil drilling in explaining his newfound favor, (or is it “favour?”), for allowing states to decide if drilling should occur.

Crist sounded like a candidate when he ruled out any lifting of sanctions on Cuba until its citizens are free.

“I do not support lifting the sanctions on Cuba until freedom is achieved. That has to be first and foremost,” he said.

-- Joe Follick
jfollick@earthlink.net

Crist and his new fiancee to get the royal treatment

Gov. Charlie Crist sure knows how to wow his new fiancee.

Crist and his girlfriend, Carole Rome, will meet Prince Charles and Prince Andrew during their visit to Europe this week.

Crist's 12-day "business development mission for Florida's aviation, defense and climate change sectors" is scheduled to begin today in London with the governor visiting an aerospace industries "VIP dinner."

On Monday, Crist has a 30-minute meeting scheduled with "Prince Andrew, Duke of York" at Buckingham Palace.

On Wednesday, Crist has a one-hour morning meeting scheduled for "His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales," better known as Prince Charles, at the Clarence House in London. That visit might make the rest of the day, which includes a "Visit Florida Marketing Campaign Kickoff" in London, a bit anti-climactic.

Crist will meet dignitaries and business executives in Paris on Thursday before a Friday "wreath laying ceremony" at Sur Mer, the site of an American cemetery at Normandy.

After three days in the other St. Petersburg, the one in Russia, Crist wraps up the trip on July 21 and 22 with a visit to Madrid.

Rome is traveling with the governor, though not at taxpayers' expense. Also joining Crist for some or all of the trip are members of his closest political circle, including Communications Director Erin Isaac, former Chief of Staff George LeMieux, current Chief of Staff Eric Eikenberg and former counselor Chris Kise.

Crist's waning hostility toward energy companies is evident. Joining Crist for parts of the trip are Armando Olivera, the president of Florida Power & Light; Susan Story, the president and CEO of Gulf Power; and Jeff Lyash, the president and CEO of Progress Energy Florida.

Crist will be unfettered by the nettlesome Florida media. The $10,000-plus cost to accompany the governor on the entire trip was too rich for the state's newspapers, which have traditionally sent at least one reporter to accompany Florida's governors on international trips.

Conservatives pan Crist

While Crist may be getting the "royal" treatment in Europe this week, some homegrown conservatives have a dimmer view of Florida's governor -- particularly as he is being considered as a potential vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket this fall.

The latest reflection of that political angst came from Burnie Thompson, a conservative radio talk show host from Panama City, in a column he wrote for the Washington Times.

As for Crist joining Arizona Sen. John McCain's ticket, Thompson's column warned: "Don't even think about it."

Thompson, a former Air Force captain who describes himself as a "libertarian-minded" Republican who opposes "the dictates of a Nanny State," conceded that Crist's timely endorsement of McCain during the presidential primaries helped him win Florida and was a critical factor in securing his party's nomination.

He also conceded that putting Crist on the ticket "likely would deliver the Sunshine State in November."

But Thompson said he seriously questions Crist's conservative credentials, citing everything from his support for a global warming initiative to his backing of a state-run insurance company to stabilize Florida's shaky property insurance market.

Putting Crist on the ticket "would spell victory for big-government Republicanism, and a definitive departure from the virtues of small government and personal responsibility," Thompson wrote.

"In less than 18 months, Mr. Crist has socialized Florida's insurance market, hamstrung businesses with climate regulations, invigorated trial lawyers and launched costly public-works projects to stimulate the economy," Thompson wrote. "With a record like that, could a New York Times endorsement of Charlie Crist for VP be far behind?"

{CUTLINES}

Compiled from reports by Joe Follick and Lloyd Dunkelberger of the Capital Bureau.

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Could mystery Green Party candidates sway legislative races?

In the last hours before Friday’s noon deadline to qualify as candidates for state legislative races, three people each paid the $1,915.92 filing fee to enter as Green Party candidates.

Nothing unusual in that. But they entered three of the most heated races in the state for incumbents. The suspicion among some Tallahassee folks is that the candidates representing the left-leaning party were entered by Republicans solely to siphon off a few votes from the Democrats.

Green Party of Florida spokeswoman Julia Aires of Sarasota said she had never heard of the three candidates, adding that she and her fellow members would have vetted and endorsed any candidates carrying the party’s banner.

“I never heard of them,” she said. “I don’t understand this at all.”

Horacio Lemus IV entered the race defended by incumbent Democrat Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota, against Republican Laura Benson.

Anthony Joseph Mauro entered the race between incumbent Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-Palm Beach Gardens, and former state Sen. Walter “Skip” Campbell, a Democrat.

Aniana H. Robas entered the state Senate race between incumbent Sen. Dave Aronberg, R-Greenacres, and Republicans Matt Caldwell and Ed Heeney.

Efforts to contact the three Green Party candidates were unsuccessful.

Aronberg said he was surprised by Robas’ entry into the race, but had no reason to think it was nefarious.

“I know (Green Party) candidate Ralph Nader helped George W. Bush get elected, but I don’t think there was an explicit agreement,” he quipped.

Longtime Republican Party campaign consultant Rick Wilson is working for the party’s state Senate candidates. He was not aware of any Republican effort to enter Green Party candidates, but offered his own pun on the liberal party’s candidates.

“I think they basically emerge organically,” he said . “There’s no question of them taking a couple of points off the top of Democrats.”

-- Joe Follick
jfollick@earthlink.net

Hey Governor! Great job boss!

Charlie Crist? Don't bet on it

If one subscribes to the political wisdom of a popular Antigua-based online betting site, Gov. Charlie Crist has no shot at being vice president.

Bodog – www.bodoglife.com - lists 15 potential running mates for John McCain and Crist is not among them. The current betting favorite is Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at 7/1 odds followed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge. Jeb Bush is listed as a 35/1 long-shot.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is a 7/4 favorite as Barack Obama’s running mate, followed by Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and ex-candidate Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

Obama is the favorite at the site to beat McCain in November.

-- Joe Follick
jfollick@earthlink.net

Nelson asks for a delegation deal

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Florida Democrats urged the national Democratic Party on Saturday to restore at least half of the state’s 211-member delegation to the national convention in Denver this summer.

The national party stripped the party of all of its delegates after the state moved up its primary to Jan. 29 -- in violation of party rules that prohibited most states from holding a primary or caucus before Feb. 5.

Representing the state party, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said the national party’s decision was hurting rank-and-file Democrats who played no role in changing the primary date.

“These voters violated no rule. They committed no crime,” Nelson told the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. “They did not move the election date forward, the Republican Legislature did. Yet they are the ones who would be unfairly punished….They deserve to be heard.”

Nelson urged the 30-member committee, which is made up of Democratic party leaders from around the country, to resolve the delegation dispute “in a way that sends a strong signal that our party is unified.”

“There is too much at stake for us to allow this cloud to hang over us any longer,” Nelson said.

Floridians join voter protest

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Long before the national Democratic Party’s rules committee began deliberating the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegations to the national convention on Saturday morning, several hundred protestors gathered outside the Washington, D.C., hotel where the meeting was held.

The demonstration lasted most of the morning, ending only when heavy rains forced the protestors to find some shelter.

And not surprisingly many of the demonstrators were from Florida, where the national party has yet to acknowledge the results of the Jan. 29 presidential primary that was won by Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Waving hand-lettered signs, wearing slogan-laden t-shirts and chanting, the crowd -- which included a large number of Clinton supporters -- made its message clear.

“This is a democracy. Be a Democrat,” one of the shirt slogans read.
“Count every vote,” the protestors chanted, as one of the demonstration leaders urged them on with a bullhorn.

Lee Proctor, a business consultant and a minister from the Acts of Grace Ministry in Orlando, said she about 25 other demonstrators spent about 18 hours on a bus from Central Florida that arrived at 1 a.m. Saturday in the nation’s capital.

Although she is a Clinton supporter, Proctor said she came to the Democratic National Committee’s rules meeting not so much to support the New York senator but to make the case that all 1.75 million votes in the January primary should be counted. She said she didn’t like the idea of a compromise plan that would cut Florida’s delegation in half.

“All or nothing,” she said. “We didn’t vote for a compromise. We voted our votes and they should all count.”

Emily Adams, a college administrator from Miami-Dade County, said she saw the protest as way to make the case that Florida’s election system needs to change.

“This is a second or third time where we have had an election and we go to the polls in good faith and things are just messed up,” Adams said. “The system is broken and it needs to be fixed. We need to do this for the future.”

Adams, who said she got involved with a nonpartisan group called “Floridians Demand Representation” because of her 23-year-old daughter, said she would support whichever candidate emerges from the Democratic primaries _ which end Tuesday with voting in Montana and South Dakota.

“I’m a Democrat _ I’m going either way,” she said. “I just want to be convinced that all the Democrats are choosing a particular person, not the media, not anybody else necessarily.”

Brenda Chase, a Realtor from Chambersburg, Penn., who described herself as a “die-hard” Clinton supporter, said she wanted Clinton to continue to fight for her share of the Florida and Michigan delegates, even if it means taking her case to the national convention in Denver later this summer.

“Men before her have, it’s time for a woman to stand up and do it, take it all the way to the convention,” she said.

Crist: McCain trip was yummy and politics-free

Gov. Charlie Crist gushed over the cooking and social skills of Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday, but insisted that his visit to the Arizona senator’s home on Memorial Day weekend was purely social.

“It was a great weekend. Sen. McCain is a great cook,” Crist said at the Capitol on Wednesday. “He enjoys grilling out, does a superlative job of it.”

Any talk of, say, vice presidential running mates?

“No,” said Crist. “I hate to disappoint you. I didn’t expect it. It was social.”

Gee, where would anybody get the idea that McCain’s invitations for Crist, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would have anything at all to do with politics?

Crist was asked how much consideration he is giving to a possible run for vice president.

“Not very much at all,” said Crist. “I see the articles that are written too. It’s very flattering. I mean, my word let’s be honest. But my focus is Florida.

“Having the honor and the opportunity to serve as the governor of the fourth-largest state,” (Take that, Louisiana and Massachusetts!), “with almost 20 million people is extraordinary in and of itself,” Crist said.

About the most shocking thing Crist said Wednesday was that the notorious light eater may have hit the McCain feeding trough pretty hard.

“Ribs, some corn, some steak and chicken … A nice cheeseburger at a restaurant,” Crist said. “I probably ate a little too much.”

-- Joe Follick
jfollick@earthlink.net

Kreegel investigation kicks off

For the first time in recent memory, a panel of House lawmakers will investigate one of their own.

Last week, House leaders agreed to investigate a complaint alleging that Kreegel used a state worker and equipment for election purposes. The complaint was filed by a political foe of Kreegel’s, Robert Anderson of Lehigh Acres.

Anderson’s complaint claimed Kreegel directed a state employee to contact Hodges University in Fort Myers to question the background of Keith Richter, a Hodges employee and Kreegel’s primary opponent this year.

House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, said Monday that five lawmakers will form a “probable cause panel” to “look into this matter.”

The five members are Reps. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland; Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee; J.C. Planas, R-Miami; Dick Kravitz, R-Jacksonville; and Curtis Richardson, D-Tallahassee.

Four of the five House members are leaving office this year due to term limits; Planas is facing an easy re-election bid this November. Rubio asked the panel to report their findings and recommendations by June 30. Kreegel faces a wide range of outcomes, from exoneration to reprimand to removal from office.

Anderson has also filed similar complaints with the Florida Elections Commission and the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Last year, Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, resigned after a nationally-lampooned arrest for solicitation of a man in a bathroom. And Rep. Ralph Arza, R-Miami, resigned in 2006 before lawmakers could investigate his felony arrest for threatening a fellow House member.

-- Joe Follick
jfollick@earthlink.net

Twins bill passes