Want to talk to Lorlee Bartos? Take a number

By Stan Rolfsrud
Sixteen years ago Lorlee Bartos directed the Dallas City Council campaign for Harriet Miers. She won. Now Miers is President Bush's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court -- and everyone wants to talk to Lorlee.
Little is known about Bush's selection, she's never been a judge anywhere. She's an attorney whose most recent work has been advising the president himself. Conservatives don't think she's conservative enough; liberals fear a con job.
Reporters are digging into her past and that's why Lorlee Bartos had 19 phone messages waiting for her Tuesday evening.
"I keep telling them that what I know is 16 years old," the 1965 graduate of Jefferson Senior High pleads. That won't keep them away, of course.
Leaving messages for Bartos were ABC News, the Associated Press, LA Times, The Nation, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and others that she couldn't remember in her brief note to the Jefferson Hi blog.

It's the New York Times, Lorlee
The New York Times and CBS News have already interviewed her. They were aggresive enough to find her at work Tuesday. She appeared that night on the CBS Evening News for about 15 seconds, long enough to tell a reporter that 16 years ago Ms. Miers told Bartos that she had changed her position on abortion and that she would not seek support from pro-choice groups. (Abortion is not an issue in city council elections.)
Today, Lorlee considers Miers to have a very strong anti-choice position. Bartos also has opinions on Miers' position on Gay Rights.
Information like that is important because activists, pundits and lawmakers would like to predict how Miers might vote on future questions, including the abortion decision dividing the nation.
Bartos was also quoted by CNN's John King in the Situation Room on Tuesday. He referred to an article about her in the Dallas newspaper.

Competent and professional
As a political consultant, Bartos has run a number of succesful political campaigns. She's been a Democrat since birth. In her appearance on CBS News she looked competent and professional, wearing a stylish dress and sporting fashionable eyewear. She spoke in confident tones, evoking a sense of credibility. All that in 15 seconds. Makes classmates proud.
Keep an eye on the news. The hearings on Miers will soon begin and Lorlee may be a stone that will be turned over and over.


Bonita writes:
Stan -- I had the CBS Evening News on last night while making dinner at about 5:35 p.m. when I heard the name "Lorlee Bartos." That got my attention! There she was, looking great, AND wearing her signature earrings. Good job, Lorlee. Isn't the class of '65 something? Even national TV stars.
Bonita Gilbertson