Republican National Convention
N.Y. protester knocks detective unconscious

By Seattle Times staff and wire reports

Verbal gaffe by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

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The detective, William Sample, was briefly knocked unconscious and was hospitalized with head injuries that were not life-threatening. His assailant escaped and was being sought by police.

The unrest occurred a day after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Manhattan for a march that was largely peaceful despite fears of violent clashes with police.

Yesterday's protest began when a crowd of several thousand outside U.N. headquarters negotiated with police to march to Madison Square Garden despite not having a permit. Police proposed a route to a permitted protest area, and demonstration leaders accepted.

As the march came within two blocks of the Garden, police officers began setting up barricades and clashed with protesters who tried to break through them. At least 10 arrests were made.

Applause for Ohioan who beat McDermott

U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, got a hero's welcome from Washington Republicans yesterday. It's not anything Boehner has done as chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

No, he's the guy who two weeks ago won a 6-year-old lawsuit against U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle.

A federal judge ruled McDermott "participated in an illegal transaction" when he leaked to the media an illegally recorded phone call involving former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Republican leaders.

"It happened to be my phone conversation that was intercepted," Boehner said. He said he spent $642,000 "trying to bring one man to justice."
 

Nethercutt on stage for entire 2 minutes

Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, took the largest stage of his political career yesterday when he addressed the Republican National Convention in New York.

Nethercutt, the first of six GOP candidates for U.S. Senate to address the delegates, did not mention his opponent, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.

But in a two-minute speech, he repeated his challenge to debate Murray. "Over the next four days, we will lay out a vision and then we will welcome a debate," he said. "I ask that our opponents meet us and debate the very important issues of the day."

That statement brought swift reaction from former King County Republican Chairman Reed Davis, also vying for his party's nomination. Nethercutt has refused to debate Davis, and party insiders insist Nethercutt has a primary victory in his pocket.

"We've been calling for a debate with George Nethercutt for four months," Davis said. "He won't even sit for an editorial-board review with me. He's refusing to engage."

Although Davis recently won an endorsement from the Vancouver Columbian newspaper, Nethercutt's spokesman dismissed Davis.

"We're running against Patty Murray. It's a foregone conclusion," said Alex Conant.

Bloomberg makes grave mistake

With a verbal flub that made close listeners cringe, Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed a buzzing, inattentive and still-thin crowd of Republican delegates yesterday.

During his brief speech, the municipal host and Republican for the past three years, alluded to the fact that he and Gov. George Pataki had "laid the tombstone for the site of the Freedom Tower" in Lower Manhattan. He clearly meant to say "cornerstone."

But his overall point was also audible: that New York City, as a capital of finance and model of ethnic meshing, has more than survived the attacks on the World Trade Center.

He urged those attending the convention to visit the city and "take it all in ... from Brooklyn Heights to Bay Ridge" and from "Coney Island to Chelsea." He said delegates should ride the Staten Island Ferry and enjoy the view of the Statue of Liberty.

Convention doesn't suit his business

Small-business owners are among the Republican Party's staunchest backers.

Not Tony Ashmawi — at least not this week.

He is holding a special "Annoying Republican Convention Sale" at his Manhattan clothing store. Business is down about 30 percent in an already normally slow August as many city residents and workers left town rather than deal with convention-related security snarls.

"This week, it's probably the worst," lamented Ashmawi, who has been in business on Eighth Avenue since 1979.

Even Wall Street was quiet: The New York Stock Exchange recorded its second-lightest trading volume of the year. Friday was the lightest.

Staff writers David Postman and Alex Fryer and Times news services contributed to this report.