n his first day back at work after attending the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Governor Paul Cellucci announced that he'll hit the road again late this week or early next week to attend the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.
Cellucci said he is going to provide the Republican viewpoint as a surrogate for his presidential candidate, George W. Bush.
''It's going to take a good Republican public servant to keep a constant watchful eye on the Democrats during their convention,'' said Cellucci press secretary John Birtwell.
But the announcement was instantly seized upon by Democratic Party officials as evidence that Cellucci has lost interest in his State House job and is hoping to land a position in Washington should Bush prevail in the November election.
''It doesn't take a genius to figure out the man is not focused on his job,'' said state Democratic Party executive director Mark White. ''We asked for the governor's schedule a year ago, and have never received it, and the reason is that he is never at work.''
Cellucci, meanwhile, appeared to adopt a compassionate conservative's approach when asked to assess US Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, who has been selected to run as Al Gore's running mate.
''Lieberman's a real straight shooter,'' Cellucci said, adding that the Connecticut senator appears to be ''a solid choice.''
