Not ready for prime time

Alicia Robinson

Here’s one thing Rep. Chris Cox won’t be watching on television --

the CBS miniseries on President Ronald Reagan that the network

relegated to Showtime after complaints from conservatives that the

program was biased and inaccurate.

Cox worked as White House counsel under Reagan from 1986 to 1988.

“It strikes at a very beloved president in the twilight hours of

his fatal illness,” Cox said of the CBS miniseries. “Worse yet, it

strikes at Mrs. Reagan, who is very much aware of what’s going on

while she’s caring for him.”

Cox said he did legal work for the first AIDS commission, which

Reagan created, and he added that the TV movie’s portrayal of Reagan

as insensitive toward AIDS victims “is just preposterous. ... They’ve

just created a different person.”

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher was press secretary for Reagan’s 1976 and

1980 campaigns and worked as a presidential speechwriter from 1981 to

1988, but he chose not to comment to the Daily Pilot on the

miniseries.

“For some reason, he just doesn’t want to talk about it,”

Rohrabacher spokesman Aaron Lewis said.

Assembly candidate lands mayoral endorsement

If political endorsements were equal to campaign cash, 70th

Assembly District candidate Cristi Cristich’s war chest would be

filling up. Cristich, a Corona del Mar businesswoman, has sent out

press releases touting her supporters; on Tuesday, she added Newport

Beach Mayor Steve Bromberg to the list.

On Friday, Cristich announced she is endorsed by the Hispanic 100,

an Orange County group of Latino community leaders.

Cristich will face fellow Republicans Chuck DeVore, Chonchol D.

Gupta, Long K. Pham, Donald P. Wagner and Marianne Zippi in the March

2 primary. They are seeking to replace Assemblyman John Campbell, who

is running for state Senate against fellow Republican Assemblyman Ken

Maddox.

Reps. get TV face time

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa congressional representatives have

been getting some important face time in the past few weeks.

Cox spoke on Nov. 6 at the 20th anniversary celebration of the

National Endowment for Democracy. His remarks, which touched on

emerging democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, preceded a foreign policy

address by President Bush.

And on Wednesday, Rohrabacher was scheduled to appear on MSNBC to

discuss how increasing numbers of casualties will affect the U.S.

occupation of Iraq, Lewis said.