Campaign Notebook
President rejects call to tap oil reserve

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / AP First lady Laura Bush flexes a muscle yesterday in response to a question from "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, who asked her if she exercises.

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He also renewed his criticism of Congress for failing to pass his energy proposal.

Gas prices this week average more than $2 a gallon for the first time.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and others favor pressuring the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which cut production in March and April, to boost its output to meet demand. Others want to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an idea Kerry has not endorsed. Kerry has said new contributions to the reserve should be slowed to ease petroleum supplies.

The White House has insisted there are no plans to tap the reserve, which was created for emergencies.

"We will not play politics" with the stockpile, Bush said. "That petroleum reserve is in place in case of major disruptions of energy supplies to the United States. The idea of emptying the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would put America in a dangerous position in the war on terror. We're at war."

No one has advocated "emptying" the 660 million-barrel reserve, equivalent to more than two months of imports, as Bush said. A group of Democratic senators has introduced a resolution calling for the release of 1 million of barrels of oil a day for up to 60 days, arguing that would force down gas prices.

Oregon's Wyden blocks FTC chief's confirmation

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Wyden is blocking the confirmation of the next head of the Federal Trade Commission until the agency toughens its stand on oil-industry practices that the Oregon Democrat blames for increasing gas prices.

Wyden yesterday placed an indefinite hold, which is a procedural block, on the nomination of Deborah Majoras to the government agency that is responsible for monitoring anti-competitive and anti-consumer business practices.

He acted after meeting with Majoras to discuss his dissatisfaction with the agency and with Majoras' failure to promise she would aggressively investigate anti-competitive practices in the oil industry.
 
First lady tells Leno they read the papers

LOS ANGELES — First lady Laura Bush appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" last night and surprised the comedian when she told him that reading newspapers is a daily ritual in the White House.

In response to a question about what her typical day is like, Mrs. Bush said, "We get up really early ... about 5:30. He goes in and gets the coffee, and we drink coffee and read the newspapers. That's been our ritual our whole married life." (When pressed, she said they read the papers in bed.)

Leno, looking dubious, told her he'd made a lot of jokes about the fact that the president once said he didn't read newspapers.

"He really does read the newspaper," the first lady said. "Just not the reporters that follow him. He says he doesn't want to be mad at 'em the next day. Also, because he was there at the event, so he doesn't need to really read their coverage of it."

Leno mostly steered clear of serious topical issues.

Bush campaign denies claim about backing Florida oil drilling

WASHINGTON — An environmental group charged in a new television advertisement that President Bush supported new oil drilling off Florida — a claim his re-election campaign denied.

The 30-second commercial is financed by the League of Conservation Voters, which has endorsed Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The ad began airing Tuesday in the Tampa and Orlando markets, as well as in Washington.

The Bush administration supports exploratory drilling in many areas. But in Florida, which narrowly gave Bush his winning margin in the 2000 election, the Interior Department in 2001 scaled back a plan for oil and gas production in the eastern Gulf of Mexico begun by the Clinton administration.

The action barred drilling within 100 miles of the state coastline.

The environmentalists contend that oil and gas rigs more than 100 miles offshore still would threaten the state's beaches. They also argue that a Bush-backed energy bill in Congress would take further steps to expand potential gulf drilling.

Companies urged to help boost supply of poll workers

RICHMOND, Va. — The head of a new federal voting commission wants corporate America to help with the shortage of Election Day poll workers by giving employees the day off to work at the polls.

DeForest Soaries, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, said the decreasing number of poll workers is an "emerging crisis."

"I believe that corporate America has got to support letting people off from their jobs without having to take a sick day or vacation day to help you on Election Day," Soaries told a conference of Virginia state and local election officials.

Also ...

President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, 22, will work for their father's re-election campaign after they graduate from college this month, first lady Laura Bush said yesterday.