Posted on: Saturday, March 12, 2005

Lingle urged to get Bush backing

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i congressmen are urging Gov. Linda Lingle to use her relationship with the Bush administration to secure its public backing of the Akaka bill, something they say will be the key to its passage.

The bill, which would give Native Hawaiians federal recognition as a political class, will be hard pressed to win enough votes unless the administration signals its "affirmative support," according to a letter to Lingle from Democratic Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case.

The Republican governor this week countered that the top priority rests not on winning Bush administration support but on garnering enough votes in both houses of Congress.

"From my perspective, they need to focus on their own kuleana and get this through the House," Lingle said.

Lingle cited the Feb. 15 letter, which acknowledged that the original strategy last year was to "ensure the administration's neutrality and subsequently to obtain its support of federal recognition."

However, Abercrombie and Case said in the letter that at the end of the session the Bush administration sent a signal to block a provision inserted in an appropriations bill, language acknowledging a political relationship between Native Hawaiians and the federal government that would have helped get the full recognition bill through this year.

"An open statement of support early in this Congress will assure our colleagues of the administration's position and foreclose any contradictory statements at a later time, particularly at key decision-making moments," they said in the letter.

Lingle said her White House sources were unaware of any such signal being sent and that the whole push for White House backing is an effort to "deflect attention from the issue at hand, to get it through the Senate and House."

Case, reached by telephone yesterday, maintained that the administration did flash a red light on the inserted language and said the governor doesn't understand how lawmaking works in Washington. Many Republican senators and representatives weigh the White House position on an issue before voting, he said.

"Nothing whatsoever will advance federal recognition faster than affirmative White House support," he said.

"The governor appears to be under the mistaken impression that the White House position doesn't matter until the bill passes," Case continued. "That's not how it works. The White House routinely injects itself in the congressional process, and Congress routinely consults the White House."

Lingle said she has had success in persuading Republican senators to co-sponsor the bill and to get Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., once a critic of the measure, to back off that position.

"It's important to point out that Senator McCain has kept his promise to keep his mind open about the bill," she said. "I've had success now, and I feel like this is a good use of my time. ... I'm going to try to help them get the votes they need in the Senate. It's a matter of first things first."

Abercrombie countered that Lingle may be putting her energy into the vote-getting campaign because she's "not able to deliver" the White House support.

"To the degree that she was able to influence Senator McCain, I say 'congratulations,' " Abercrombie said. "But she doesn't get to take a hike on her responsibility.

"She got in (as governor) in great measure because of her alleged relationship with Mr. Bush," he added. "I would suggest that a cease-fire gets called, that she turn her face in the direction of what she's supposed to take care of."

Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.