Actual convention news is slow today, but you still need some good Friday reading, this being Leap Day and all. One of our friends at GOP Convention Strategies, Scott Cottington, was National Journal's The Hotline's consultant of the day:

Check out a bit of the Q & A, it's a must-read for political junkies:

      What was your first job?
      Family grocery store starting when I was 7 or 8. I'm good at sweeping, bagging iced chickens, breaking bulk stuff down into retail packaging, and making change in my head. And sweeping.
      What is your proudest moment professionally?
      I've never had an Oscar moment like a presidential win or a Thune/Daschle or Nethercutt/Foley night. The closest might be when I've helped defeat incumbents or won in tough open seats. But there are lots of times -- win or lose -- when I've done a good job and my client or my teammates see it and appreciate it. Those are good.
      What one event in a candidate's past would pose the biggest problem in a campaign?
      I signed on once with a kidney transplant specialist running for Congress -- one of those great humanitarian/multi multimillionaire story lines. Turned out he was $80,000 behind on his child support for a 5 and an 8 year old. That sort of thing will put a cramp in the effort.
      If you could be in any other line of work, what would it be?
      An architect or a builder.

      Negative campaigning -- good or bad?
      It's fine if it's accurate. Robust democracy includes clean shots. People should cowboy up a little and quit with the sanctimony.
      Where is your happy place?
      Fishing is good.
      What is your favorite restaurant to meet clients?
      I'm not too up on DC trends. The Capitol Hill Club has been reliable and profitable -- plus I'm not a member and they buy. Mancini's in St. Paul is a great joint -- come out here and see us during the GOP Convention. I also have fond memories of the Tune Inn.
      What campaign (past, present or future) would you most like to be a part of?
      Maybe Reagan 1980, which I got to watch from the NRSC -- especially now that I know more about the historical significance of that moment. 1960 Nixon/Kennedy was pretty interesting because I grew up in the duck and cover era. 2008 may ultimately be seen as very pivotal. I'm more interested in elections where there's a lot of the line and less interested in the personalities of the candidates. Other elections from further back were at least as significant but I don't have the personal connection.
      What is the ideal number of clients to have at one time?
      Six to eight is a good number if half of them are incumbents cruising along to easy reelections. 2006 was supposed to be like that.
      What firm/individual who does your kind of work for the other party do you respect the most, and why?
      I always liked Tom Baker and thought he was a class act but haven't talked to him in years. Is he still around? Say hi to him.
      What is the first section of the newspaper you read?
      Monday through Saturday -- the front section. Sunday -- the funnies.
      If you could only watch one news show, what would it be?
      I'm a print person and find TV news really unsatisfying because it's all style and motion over content. But I appreciated Peter Jennings for his delivery -- up and dry like a Canuck James Bond.
      We're ending this feature with a question posed by the last interviewee. This is from Wampold Strategies' Merv Wampold: Would you ever take on a campaign that runs counter to your ideals or is there one particular issue that excludes a potential client?
      I don't like to work with dishonest or disagreeable people and at this point in life I don't have to. I do confine my work to the GOP side with the occasional Independent if there is no GOP option in the race. I'm conservative philosophically, as are almost all my clients, but I'm also comfortable working with those less conservative if I think they're intellectually sound. I've also concluded that government institutions aren't lessened by a wide range of philosophy but strengthened.
      Pose a question for the next interviewee.
      What are you doing, with all your knowledge and experience and influence, to steer the political discussion away from the cheap tricks and short cuts and symbolism and more in the deeper waters of serious give and take on the issues?