Smith ditches GOP unity for Senate floor action

By Max Heuer

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2002--Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH), who lost his reelection bid to Rep. John Sununu in Tuesday's primary election, was skipping a Republican Unity Breakfast Thursday morning in New Hampshire so that he could be on hand that day to cast an important vote on the Senate floor, his staff said Wednesday.

But Smith did not vote on Thursday's first order of business, a 10 a.m. roll-call vote on the nomination of Timothy J. Corrigan of Florida to be a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. The nomination was approved, 88-0.

Smith also failed to vote in the afternoon on two amendments to the Homeland Security bill.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Smith said he would have attended the breakfast if not for key votes on the Senate floor. "Otherwise, he'd be" at the breakfast, Smith's press secretary Lisa Harrison told the Union Leader on Wednesday. "He said he would spend the rest of his term furthering President Bush's agenda on homeland security and fighting terrorism," she said.

But on Thursday, Harrison backtracked. "We called the Republican cloakroom (on Wednesday) and (officials there) just told us there were votes," she said, without specifying what the votes were on.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) attended the breakfast event in New Hampshire and flew directly to Washington, missing the early vote but making both roll calls later in the day on the Homeland Security bill.

Smith, who did not return phone calls, was driving back to Washington on Thursday morning, according to Harrison.

Gregg said he was not concerned that Smith's actions reflected any division in the party.

"Sometimes when something like this happens you've got to take some time and put your house in order," Gregg said, referring to Smith's defeat. He added that he had no doubt Smith is supporting "Sununu, the Republican party and the agenda of George W. Bush."

Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.