Novak, Buchanan: McAuliffe Safe Till Convention

Two top conservative commentators predicted on Sunday that Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe's job is safe until the party's convention in July.

In his Sunday column, columnist Robert Novak said Kerry has no intention of pulling the plug on McAuliffe "for the time being." But team Kerry wants McAuliffe to watch his words more closely.

The Kerry camp is said to be tired of McAuliffe's verbal free-lancing on strategy, especially his decision to keep talking about President Bush's National Guard record. The move ended up creating unwanted scrutiny of Kerry, with some Republicans now demanding to see medical records that prove Kerry's three purple hearts were legitimate.

Despite the rift, Novak assures, "McAuliffe's job appears to be safe at least through the party's national convention in Boston this summer."

After that, however, the party chairman handpicked by Bill and Hillary may be handed his walking papers, says fellow conservative Pat Buchanan.

"Terry McAuliffe will not survive the convention in Boston," Buchanan predicted on Sunday's "McLaughlin Group."

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