Washington Watch for April 21

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Apr 21, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Pope, poll buoy senators

The visit of Pope Benedict XVI was the rage in Washington last week with the pontiff giving a special nod to Louisiana.

The pope gave New Orleans Bishop Alfred Hughes a silver chalice as a symbol of solidarity and recognition for the suffering that New Orleans residents have endured since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Louisiana congressional delegation members were on hand for the pope’s White House visit and outdoor Mass at Nationals Stadium.

“I am especially grateful for the pope’s words of solidarity and encouragement regarding Louisiana’s suffering in the 2005 hurricanes,” U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said in a statement. “The visit reminds us of John Paul the Great’s visit to Louisiana when we were young adults.”

U.S. Rep. Charles “Charlie” Melancon, D-Napoleonville, also on hand for the events, had attended the pope’s 2005 inaugural Mass in Italy.

“As a lifelong Catholic, I feel blessed to once again have the opportunity to be in the presence of such an important leader and spiritual figure for Catholics throughout Louisiana and the United States,” Melancon said in a statement.

Vitter and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., are expressing disappointment over President Bush’s stance not to allow any domestic spending in the upcoming $108 billion emergency war supplemental bill.

Louisiana has benefited with hurricane recovery money tucked into previous war bills. Vitter recently wrote the administration asking them to insert into the war measure $5.8 billion for levee bolstering to accelerate rebuilding to meet a 2011 target.

Landrieu, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, tore into federal Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle at a hearing last week, saying the administration is more concerned with Iraq than its homeland.

Landrieu also wants to see money in the bill to aid the criminal justice system in New Orleans in addition to new mental-health funding.

“We may not get new appropriations passed until next year,” Landrieu said. “The war was planned for — poorly planned for — but it was planned for. How is that an emergency?”