Political Briefs
Filed Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 12:00 PM
CLAY OR CARNAHAN??? — If you were running for office and had to pick between Congressmen Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan for a leadership role in your campaign, who would you pick?
Judging from a leaked memo, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama’s people are betting on Lacy.
According to the internal campaign memo, first reported by Newsweek (but a hat tip to Jo Mannies for the local posting), Obama’s staff advised him to tell Clay that “he will be one of the main leaders in Missouri for your campaign.”
But they advised Obama “DO NOT lead [Carnahan] to believe that he will be in an exclusive role.”
Both St. Louis Congressmen got to Washington with the help of their fathers’ last names. Clay in 2000. Carnahan in 2004. Clay’s four years of seniority may be what Obama’s people are focusing on. But some may argue that the Carnahan name is more valuable for any Democrat looking for votes across Missouri.
BURKE DISSES CLAIRE? — Fresh off of dissing singer Sheryl Crow, Archbishop Raymond Burke seems to have a new pro-choice Missouri woman to practice his passive aggressiveness on.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s people are pointing Burke’s way after the Missouri representative was un-invited as the commencement speaker at St. Joseph’s Academy, where her daughter is graduating later this month.
“It was a special opportunity because my daughter is one of the graduates. I’m disappointed that the archbishop has made this decision,” McCaskill said in a statement.
But Burke’s people say it wasn’t him. They say the decision was all St. Joseph’s.
DR. DOCTOR — Respected newsman Tim Russert of NBC’s “Meet the Press” (remember when PubDef was on “Meet the Press”?) and Dr. Henry Givens, president of Harris-Stowe State University, are among the six men and women slated to receive honorary degrees from Wash U this month.
Russert will deliver the Commencement address and receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Givens, who already holds a Ph.D., will add another doctorate to his wall when he gets his honorary doctor of humanities degree.
ABC News broadcaster Paul Harvey; David C. Farrell, the former CEO of the May Department Stores; William S. Sly, M.D., chairman of SLU’s Dept. of Biochemistry; and Shirley M. Tilghman, Ph.D., president of Princeton University, round out the list of overachievers.