Naked City

Austin American-Statesman Capitol bureau chief Ken Herman goes to Washington next month but not, as earlier rumors predicted, to work for the George W. Bush White House. Herman will cover the new administration for the Statesman as part of a temporary, six-month assignment in the D.C. bureau of the daily's parent company, Cox Newspapers.

Herman, 46, is known as the quickest wit in the Capitol press corps, often provoking guffaws with his cleverly worded questions. At the same time, some of his colleagues have privately criticized Herman for going too easy on Bush during the campaign, particularly when other leading state reporters, such as The Dallas Morning News' Wayne Slater and the Houston Chronicle's R.G. Ratcliffe, were filing harder-edged stories with an investigative slant.

Apart from the perceived friendliness between Herman and Bush, however, Herman is generally well-respected among his peers, for both his wicked sense of humor and his insight into the workings of state government and politics. He has covered both arenas since 1979, as a reporter for the Associated Press and the now-defunct Houston Post. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native joined the Statesman in 1995.

"Ken has earned a shot at coverage of Washington," wrote Statesman editor Rich Oppel in an e-mail about the appointment. "He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning pro who has covered Bush since Bush's first gubernatorial campaign. And he and Jena Heath (a Washington-based Statesman correspondent) have been regulars on the campaign trail from the very beginning.

"With his appointment," Oppel continued, "we increase to two the American-Statesman's staffing in Washington. Both Ken and Jena, who joined us a year and a half ago from the Raleigh News & Observer, will have broad responsibilities. With Bob Deans of the Cox national staff, both will share coverage of the White House, the Bush Administration in general, and Capitol Hill -- to the extent that news there affects our readers."

The Statesman's Capitol bureau is undergoing other changes as well. Carlos Sanchez has been promoted to state editor, overseeing 12 reporters and editors. He replaces Debra Davis, who is on a leave of absence after having a child, according to the Statesman's announcement in last Saturday's editions.