INSIDE REPORT
ROBERT NOVAK

MCCAIN AT CPAC

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. John McCain's managers, fearing an unfavorable reaction at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, wanted to precede his speech with a video of Ronald Reagan praising McCain. Talk show host Michael Reagan, the late president's son, offered his own video criticizing McCain. David Keene, chairman of the sponsoring American Conservative Union, turned down both.

Keene also rejected a plea from the McCain camp for 10 conservative supporters to be seated on the dais. Instead, McCain settled for an opening speech by former Sen. George Allen of Virginia and an introduction by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma - both conservatives.

Allen asked for five minutes, was given two minutes and actually talked for over 10 minutes. After McCain left the rostrum, he apologized to Keene for presentations by Allen, Coburn and McCain exceeding the allotted time.

SHRUNKEN STIMULUS

The negotiated settlement Thursday of the Senate standoff over the economic stimulus package acknowledged failure of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's intensive lobbying of retiring Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia. Warner would have been the necessary 60th vote to close debate and permit Senate action on the Republicanopposed bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee.

Warner, an 80-year-old fifth-termer, occasionally crosses the aisle to vote with Democrats. Reid stressed the Democratic bill's benefits for veterans to Warner, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, a former secretary of navy and a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Even if Warner had agreed, however, Reid could not immediately collect 60 senators because the two Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, were on the campaign trail and absent from Washington.

BERKELEY VS. MARINES

Conservative Republicans are trying to force a congressional vote on Berkeley City Council efforts to close the U.S. Marine Corps recruiting office in that city and provide special access for the CodePink radical antiwar group.

Rep. John Campbell of California promised to introduce the "Semper FiAct" to rescind all federal spending for the city of Berkeley and transfer those funds to Marine Corps recruiting. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina announced he is planning similar legislation.

The very liberal Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents Berkeley, did not endorse the City Council's anti-Marine resolution but vowed to fight any effort cutting off funds for the city.

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