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Issa's Recall Effort Is No Surprise in D.C. "The scuttlebutt everywhere was why invest in Darrell; he's going to leave and go to the Senate," Issa recalled. He worked hard to prove otherwise, angling to land a seat on the prestigious Energy and Commerce Committee. Turned down once as a freshman, he tried again in January, delivering to the steering committee not a run-of-the-mill letter, but an impressive, high-tech CD-ROM presentation, one copy for each of the 33 members. "It wowed them," a senior House aide recalled. But four months later, it was not the Senate that had attracted Issa's eye, but the statehouse. Sighting a weakened governor and a nascent recall campaign, Issa gave the effort money, legitimacy and life, and gave himself another shot at the statewide office he has always craved. Yet, when asked last week why he wants to leave Congress before his second term is through, Issa seemed taken aback by the question. "Nobody said I want to leave Congress," he said, even though he's made clear that he would risk his seat for a crack at the governorship. "I gave up the career I had happily followed for 20 years to get into government service. Not everyone is going to view it this way, but participating in the voters' opportunity to have the recall and make the decision on whether the state can trust the governor is a meaningful and good thing to do, or I wouldn't be doing it." The reaction in Washington to his newfound passion has been mixed. Some in his party, tired of the Democrats' long reign in California, see Issa as a deep-pocketed savior. According to Issa, Rep. Wally Herger (R-Marysville) — who has signed the recall petition himself — recently quipped: "I don't know if I would put my million there, but I'm proud of you for putting your million there." Other colleagues rib him that taking on Davis is costing the equivalent of one Learjet. But some believe Issa has put his personal interests before the party's. A wounded Democrat in office in 2006 could serve the GOP better than a Republican incumbent forced to raise taxes, cut services or both to offset a $38-billion shortfall. The White House has declined to embrace the recall effort, its silence seeming to signal ambivalence. At a recent California fund-raiser, President Bush acknowledged Issa as a distinguished guest but made no mention of the quest for which he is currently best known. "The downside is the recall is a distraction from the president's reelection," said Don Sipple, a Republican media strategist. "The upside is, it could signal the resurgence of the Republican Party in California, and that would be a good thing for the president." In California's congressional delegation, emotions are tense to say the least. All 33 House Democrats recently signed a letter denouncing the drive. According to Issa, Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel) walked right up to Issa and said, "It's wrong and you shouldn't be doing it." When Issa declined an invitation to a televised debate on the matter with Sherman Oaks Democrat Brad Sherman on a weekly Washington shout-fest, Sherman retorted: "I would have said he chickened out, but that would be unfair to poultry." Even some in Issa's own party have expressed misgivings, among them Rep. Mary Bono of Palm Springs, who is no fan of Gray Davis, but is not sure that a divisive recall is in the best interest of the state. All of which creates a somewhat strained climate for Issa.
"It's not uncomfortable all the time," he said. "That's one of the things I enjoy
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