Case wants Lingle
to lobby BushThe congressman wants to
get support for the Akaka bill
Hawaii's Republican governor, Linda Lingle, should call President Bush to seek his support for the native Hawaiian sovereignty bill, says Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
In an interview yesterday, Case recommended that Lingle push the so-called Akaka bill when Congress goes back into session next month. Noting that Lingle has tried to move the bill along, Case said she must now personally lobby Bush.
The measure was introduced this year by U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and is also supported by Hawaii's senior senator, Daniel Inouye.
In response to Case, Lingle, who met with Bush administration officials in February to urge support of the Akaka bill, said Case was violating an agreement she had with Hawaii's all-Democratic congressional delegation not to politicize the measure.
"It is certainly not helping the situation; it is giving a false picture to the people of Hawaii, and the false picture is that it is just the president that needs to be talked to," Lingle said yesterday.
Case contends that Republicans, who control the U.S. House and Senate, are waiting for direction from the Bush White House and are not likely to act until they get a sense of how Bush feels on the issue.
"She has the ability any time she wants to pick up the phone and call the president and say, 'Mr. President, I am not sure what your administration believes about this bill, but I will tell you that as governor of the state of Hawaii, I want this bill and we in Hawaii want this bill,'" Case urged Lingle to say.
The freshman congressman said Lingle should tell Bush she needs the Akaka bill to pass. He said Lingle should tell Bush, "As a Republican, I need this politically because I promised during the campaign that people should vote for me because I had an in with you and could deliver for Hawaii when the chips are down," Case said.
Lingle, in response, says the congressional delegation had asked her to keep "the administration neutral while they would take care of moving the bill to a vote in both the House and Senate."
"I took them at their word, and the executive level has stayed neutral in D.C.," Lingle said.
Lingle says Case's remarks are diminishing the state's efforts to get the sovereignty bill passed.
As more federal lawsuits are brought regarding the participation of native Hawaiians in federal programs, state and federal leaders say the Akaka bill becomes critical to preserve Hawaiian programs.
Lingle plans a second trip to Washington next month and will ask key GOP senators to support the bill.
After talking to members of the Bush administration, Case says, he thinks the White House is divided on the issue of native Hawaiian sovereignty.
If Lingle is able to convince Bush to support the bill, it would help her in coming elections, Case predicts.
"She gets to say two things: first, 'I was able to pull this off for you'; second, 'I said I could deliver and here is the proof. When Hawaii needs something, I can deliver,'" Case said.
In contrast, Case warned, if Lingle does not deliver, opponents would be in position to use that against her when she runs for re-election in 2006.
Case, who lost in the Democratic primary election for governor last year, says he is not presently considering another run for governor in three years.
