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HILL TO HILL. President Bush has nominated Christine Hill to be assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs for congressional affairs. Hill, who is deputy assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs at the Veterans Affairs Department, formerly worked on legislative and intergovernmental affairs for the Base Closure and Realignment Commission. She’s also worked as a legislative assistant on military issues for Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C. Hill is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.

SPICING IT UP. Keith Spicer, who was co-chairman of the 2006 campaign of freshman Rep. David Davis, R-Tenn., is working as a senior adviser for Phil Roe, who is challenging Davis for the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s 1st District. Spicer is a former chairman of the Republican Party in Sullivan County, Tenn.

JOB REFORM. The Reform Institute has signed up Mark Delich as its director of research and policy. The native Arizonan was most recently a professional staff member at the Senate Commerce Committee under Commerce ranking member Ted Stevens. Delich came to the committee about four and a half years ago under Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after graduating from Arizona State University. “My wife now and [had] both graduated, and we weren’t really sure what we were going to do. We were thinking of moving to San Diego,” he recalls. “And we were actually sitting on the beach and somehow decided to move out to D.C.” Delich’s wife, Kristi, now works at the National Building Museum. He and his wife both played in the Congressional Softball League for the No Talent Az Clowns. The Reform Institute is an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit research group formerly affiliated with McCain. Its government and politics advisory committee includes Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former Sens. David Boren, D-Okla., and Bob Kerrey, D-Neb.

This article appears in the April 26, 2008, edition of National Journal Daily.

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