UNTINGTON, W.Va. - Not surprisingly, Representative J. Joseph Moakley plans to skip the George W. Bush rally in his South Boston district tonight. But that didn't stop Moakley from questioning the choice of venue: the Murphy Memorial Skating Rink.
Moakley, who recalls approving public funds for the skating rink during his days as a state legislator, said he is ''surprised'' that Bush would use a public site for a partisan rally.
''I was surprised when they told me it was happening,'' Moakley, a Democrat, said in a telephone interview yesterday. ''I was very surprised they would use that for a political rally. ... It's an MDC ice rink.''
The Bush campaign, which often stages rallies in public venues such as courthouses and public schools, was unbowed by Moakley's remark.
In a clear dig at Vice President Al Gore, who is hosting his post-debate party at the Park Plaza Hotel, Bush campaign spokesman Scott McClellan said, ''I can't think of a better place for the governor to highlight his real plans than in front of real working people at a public hockey rink in South Boston.''
Bush will arrive at the South Boston rally by water taxi immediately after the debate. His enthusiasm for campaigning in Boston is somewhat unexpected; Bush acknowleges he has no chance in the city or in the state of Massachusetts, and had initially hoped to leave town right away.
That made culturally conservative South Boston an easy choice of neighborhood for Bush's post-debate event, which he scheduled only after realizing it was unrealistic not to spend the night in town. But Moakley, who has represented South Boston for decades, expressed doubt that the Republican nominee would make any headway there.
''I don't know if he'll be on thin ice there or not,'' Moakley said.
And either way, he said: ''You won't see me there. As hospitable as I am, I just have other things to do at that time.''
