From Pinball Wizard to King of the Hill?

The wife of Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) was going to give birth any minute, so some of his House colleagues threw a little baby shower on Capitol Hill.

There they all were one April night, eating warm spinach dip and drinking sangria out of baby bottles when a certain someone walked into the room. The esteemed members of Congress dropped instantly to the floor and began to chant, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”

It was not the mother-to-be who inspired such awe (although anyone who has carried a child for nine months knows it should have been). No, the object of their prostration was none other than . . .

David Dreier.

Who?

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At age 45, the nine-term Republican from San Dimas is in line to make history by being named chairman of the House Rules Committee. It is an assignment that holds virtually no meaning to the lay citizen, but around the House, it is tantamount to Exalted Ruler.

If all goes according to plan--meaning, if the Republicans hold on to the House in November--Dreier will become one of the most powerful people in Washington, leading the panel that controls virtually every piece of legislation that comes to the floor.

The Rules Committee is the traffic division that decides which measures go forward and how fast, how many amendments can be added along the way and how long they can be discussed. And Dreier is on the verge of being named chief--which would make him not only the youngest member ever to hold the post, but also the first Californian.

To explain how powerful this job is, one need only look back to the 1960s, when the chairmanship was in the hands of Judge Howard Smith, an alleged racist from Virginia who was opposed to a piece of civil rights legislation moving through the House. He stuck it in his pocket and went fishing, and nothing could go forward until he got back.

Perhaps the greatest advantage to sitting in the Rules chair--if you don’t count setting the national agenda--is that almost everybody in the House has reason to suck up shamelessly.

Indeed, as soon as word got around that current Chairman Gerald B.H. Solomon of New York was retiring and Dreier, as vice chair, was the likely successor, Dreier’s office started getting e-mail from members wanting to know: “Is there anything you guys possibly need?”

All of which is good not only for Dreier, but also for California, which is afflicted with permanent clout envy. Despite a 52-member delegation that is the biggest in the House, California is forever worried about keeping up with the Joneses, namely, New York and Texas.

But observers expect that with Dreier in the seat, the Golden State would no longer suffer from the Washington syndrome known as ABC--Anywhere But California--a reluctance by most states to give anything of benefit to the most populous state, not to mention one of the prettiest. (Same reason a lot of us hated the prom queen.)

“We could make sure California is treated fairly at every turn,” said Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands). “This is a first-time coup for our state.”

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Some would say all of this couldn’t be happening to a nicer guy. While Solomon was one of the original bomb- throwers--a crusty, opinionated ex-Marine--Dreier is best known for his charm.

The word most often used to describe him is dapper. His suits are from Brooks Brothers, his loafers Cole-Haan. He always carries a handkerchief in his suit pocket.

A social and economic conservative, he is a free-trade advocate and longtime proponent of lowering the capital gains tax. Colleagues call him ambitious yet affable. One of House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s closest confidants, he helped write the “contract with America,” but he might be the only member of Congress with a pinball machine in his capital office.

Slouched in a leather chair there, his feet propped on the coffee table, Dreier says Rules Committee chair is the prize he’s been waiting for. The possibility it might open to him was the main reason he decided not to run for the Senate.

“My responsibility will be to steer things, to make sure we do things in a fair and balanced manner,” he says, adding, “This is going to be great for California.”

Dreier seems not the least bit uncomfortable with the idea that most of Congress might soon seek to be in his good graces, yet his aides say he is anything but arrogant. When the audience gave him a standing ovation at a recent Republican rally in Santa Barbara, he looked around, wondering who it was for.

“No doubt about it, everybody will want to be on his good side,” one GOP aide enthused.

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Postscript: David Dreier Radanovich, 8 pounds, arrived shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday.

Just kidding! His name is George.