Help's a Phone Call Away

Help at the Hill...How many guys does it take to run the Gov's office? Does he need help with all his major new policies for the last few months of his lame duck governance while he travels the country? The Gov just brought back Matt Paul for the third time. He left once to go work for Howard Dean. Oops. He left again to go work for Mike Blouin. Oops. Now he's back with Vilsack.

Sorry, Gov
The Gov did offer up a way to avoid the humiliation of the first legislative override since, well, since before I was born (it's been 43 years, I'm told). He wants leaders to go for his less restrictive eminent domain bill. Repubs say, "no way." (no surprise). But even dems told me privately that this override is a done deal, despite late afternoon calls from the gov's office. It looks like the dems just want this vote to be done with, so they can get back to trying to take back the senate, and, possibly, the house in November.

R-R-R-I-N-G
Speaking of campaigning, Virginia's ex-gov Mark Warner did a quick presser with Gov hopeful Chet Culver. While he was talking, a cell phone rang. It was Mike Glover from the Associated Press. His phone always seems to ring during news conferences. Warner told the room not to worry about silencing their phones. Every time he hears that ring, he says, he thinks "cha-ching!" You'll remember in Warner's pre-gub days he made a zillion bucks when he helped found Nextel.