October 16, 2004 Saturday

FRED BARNES: … Down, Democratic Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota. He shouldn’t wait around for his profile in courage award. Senator Dayton has closed his Capitol Hill office until election day for fear, or so he says, of a terrorist attack.

Well, what about it, Mort, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)…

MORT KONDRACKE: Well, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I talked to Charles Ramsey, who’s the, the police chief in (UNINTELLIGIBLE)…

BARNES: Yes.

KONDRACKE: … of D.C. last week, and he said there, there are no reports that indicate…

BARNES: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

KONDRACKE: … any special threat to, to the Capitol between now and the election. And it’s significant that Dayton is the only one who’s closed his office, either in the House or the Senate.

BARNES: Now, why do you think he’s doing this? I’ll tell you why I think he’s doing it, just to embarrass Bush, to show that, to make (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that Washington’s under great threat and the Capitol is and he’s not doing a very good job of protecting America against terrorism.

Nonsense. This is going to allow all his employees to go out and work for Democratic senatorial candidates.

KONDRACKE: Well, he’s the lone, he’s the lone one…