Democratic speech writer Bob Shrum's intraparty enemies in California complain that he took time off from Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign to write Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's inaugural address.
Shrum is not only a longtime personal friend of Schwarzenegger but is known to have been appalled by the campaign waged against him in the recall election by ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.
Outgoing San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and other Democrats joined Schwarzenegger's transition team without being criticized. However, Shrum has collected California foes, thanks to his participation in the bitter 1998 primary for governor won by Davis.
DOLLARS FROM HALEY
Mississippi Gov.-elect Haley Barbour made a quick trip to Washington Tuesday to raise money for his old friend Mitch Daniels, the former Bush budget director who is running an uphill campaign for governor of Indiana.
Barbour was host of a fund-raiser for Daniels at the Caucus Room, a downtown Washington restaurant partially owned by the former Republican National chairman and winner of the recent Mississippi election. Daniels led in the polls when his probable opponent was former Democratic National Chairman Joe Andrew. However, Democrat Joe Kernan became the favorite when he succeeded to the governorship upon the death of Gov. Frank O'Bannon and became a candidate.
A footnote: Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, joining the Republican fund-raising circuit, will appear in Richmond, Va., Monday at a reception for Rep. Eric Cantor. A $1,000 donation is the price of getting a photo taken with Fleischer, a career congressional aide before entering the White House in 2001.