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• Wednesday, June 23, 2004 | 9:45 ET
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, and Jesse Levine
"When you obsess over elections for a living," a certain online publication led in early May, "you tend/hope to notice when certain themes and dynamics disappear, re-emerge, and evolve. Like the shift some pollsters, including NBC's own Hart/Teeter, are seeing in how voters view the economy, looking at it less from a standpoint of, 'How am I doing?' and more from a standpoint of, 'How is the country doing?'" (OK, it was us.)

"A similar shift seems to have occurred on moral values, a staple theme of recent elections which lately has been obscured by the war and the economy," First Read went on to say. "On one level, the values debate still centers on 21st-century versions of the usual social questions -- the morning-after pill, partial-birth, stem cells, gay marriage -- and observance of faith. This is where Bush is banking on the traditional GOP edge... But while Bush continues to play to his base on these stand-by issues, after September 11, the debate arguably has broadened out to, 'How is the country doing?'"

"Which is why," we suggested, "the prisoner abuse issue gives Kerry an opening to invoke values and try to level the playing field."

In short, national security isn't the only arena where Democrat Kerry is trying to even out a traditional GOP advantage. Between Abu Ghraib, stem cells, and even health care, he's trying to level things out on moral values, as well -- albeit not as emphatically or articulately. Today, Kerry talks about health care as part of the so-called middle-class squeeze, and adopts potential running mate Edwards's call for a patients' bill of rights. (All that being said, he makes his remarks in San Francisco at a union convention, instead of at a PTA meeting in some suburb.)

President Bush, meanwhile, seeks to keep his advantage on values by relying on that more traditional menu of social issues, and by recalling his compassionate conservative roots. Bush goes to Philadelphia today to make remarks on compassion and HIV/AIDS at an African-American church at 10:25 am, then headlines a fundraiser (closed press) in Villanova at 12:45 pm. Back at the White House at 4:10 pm, he participates in a ceremony for the 2004 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Kerry, in San Francisco, attends a fundraiser at 11:15 am, then delivers remarks on "strengthening America's health care system" at the SEIU national convention at 2:15 pm. (A Bush campaign e-mails reminds the press that the SEIU endorsed Dean last year and that Kerry "was the union's fourth choice for president at a September 2003 SEIU meeting.") Afterward, Kerry heads to San Jose for another fundraiser at 10:00 pm.

Meanwhile, as Kerry and his campaign show discipline in steering toward the middle, MSNBC's Becky Diamond points out that they are making no effort to manage expectations. More on this below.

June 30
The Los Angeles Times says the swearing-in of Negroponte today marks the start of a Bush Administration downshift to a lower profile in Iraq. "The change in approach illustrates how much the situation in Iraq has shifted from a political benefit into a liability for Bush." (We'd note it probably also fuels Bush campaign hopes that voters' focus moves off of Iraq and onto the US economy.)

The Times story goes on to say, "The day before the transfer, Bush will be in Istanbul, Turkey, attending a NATO summit. There has been considerable speculation that he might choose to pay a visit to Iraq before heading home, just as he made a surprise visit to troops in Baghdad at Thanksgiving. White House aides insist that the president's schedule calls for him to be in Washington on June 30... With Bush already in the region with his security entourage, it would be relatively easy for plans to change at the last minute. Still, the consensus inside and outside the White House appears to be that Bush is better off staying away from Iraq for the time being."

"Instead, aides are considering whether Bush should mark the hand-over by addressing the American people from the White House on June 30. However, he already is scheduled to make a major address from Istanbul the day before."

The Kerry campaign holds a 1:15 pm conference call for the press today with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger on June 30, "the need to garner more international support and the upcoming NATO meeting."

The values debate
The Washington Times leads its look at the Administration's Abu Ghraib document dump yesterday with Bush's memo outlining his decision "that terrorism detainees would be treated in accord with the Geneva Conventions, despite legal advice that this was not required, to adhere to 'our values as a nation.'"

The Wall Street Journal's Harwood really advances the values story: "The ongoing scandal over prisoner abuse is creating a new values debate -- threatening one of Mr. Bush's bedrock strengths. Prisoner abuse... has begun eroding Mr. Bush's standing on values." Harwood notes that "among those who have blanched at Mr. Bush's statements on torture is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a leading Republican combatant in culture wars."

"Mr. Bush can't win by breaking even on values. In a race clouded by Clinton scandals, a values advantage was crucial to his triumph over Al Gore, whose response to questions about dubious fund-raising activities was that 'no controlling legal authority' prevented them."

"The president's advisers say he won't break even. Mr. Bush's leadership after Sept. 11 fixed his image as a leader with 'moral clarity,' one strategist argues; that asset is all the more valuable in the face of savage adversaries such as those who beheaded another prisoner in Iraq yesterday. The strategist also cites the continued, Republican-friendly trend toward increased religious observance, noting 'there are more people of faith' in 2004 and thus a larger pool for the openly devout Mr. Bush to draw from."

"Other Republicans say Mr. Bush's support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, an amendment Mr. Kerry opposes, will draw a values line to the incumbent's benefit. But so far the issue -- a passionate cause for liberal and conservative activists but few others -- has made little impact. Indeed, gay marriage pales alongside prisoner abuse in the campaign 2004 dialogue over values."

The Los Angeles Times previews Bush's speech in Philadelphia today, in which he is expected to add Vietnam "to the list of countries eligible for U.S. funds to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic," and also announce "an additional $500 million in funding for AIDS prevention, care and treatment, at an African American church... Bush also is expected to call for reauthorization of the federal law that funds many HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in the United States."

"The president has often invoked the funding of AIDS prevention and treatment programs in Africa as a key element of his 'compassionate conservatism,' and the speech is likely to refocus attention on those efforts at a time when he is seeking to revive that agenda as a centerpiece of his reelection campaign."

"But Bush is likely to be met outside the church by AIDS activists and others who say the administration has proposed cutting the U.S. contribution to a global anti-AIDS fund by more than 60%."

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that "[e]ven before Air Force One lands this morning at Philadelphia International Airport, Democratic foes will start pounding President Bush with radio ads meant to muddy his message."

The Washington Times reports on Gov. Mitt Romney's appearance on Capitol Hill yesterday to tell "the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that a federal marriage amendment is needed because his state is forcing same-sex 'marriage' on everyone else... He said it's only a matter of time before lawsuits are filed in order to force other states to recognize same-sex 'marriages' from Massachusetts."

The Chicago Tribune on Senate Republican plans to hold a vote on a constitutional ban on gay marriage for the week of July 12:

"It is unclear whether supporters have the votes to push a marriage amendment through the Senate. The House has not considered the measure. Senate Democrats plan a filibuster, a parliamentary stalling tactic that can end only if 60 senators vote to halt it."

And MSNBC.com reports on the battle of the bands in the presidential election -- the Christian rockers and country acts who are backing Bush versus the pop artists and punks who are supporting Kerry -- which provides "perhaps the most entertaining glimpse into America’s Red-Blue divide."

Senator Kerry of Massachusetts
As it turns out, Kerry had lots of reasons to be in DC yesterday.

On his return to DC yesterday for the vote on the veterans' health care amendment, MSNBC's Becky Diamond, the Kerry pooler yesterday, reports that Kerry spoke on the Senate floor but did not actually get to vote. "For the press corps, it felt like one of those long primary days, arriving at the DC hotel at 2:45 am and gathering for pool at 9:30 am. The press corps had been up for call time on Monday morning at 5:40 am, and flew from Nantucket to Denver to Aspen to Denver to DC in a day." Kerry arrived on Capitol Hill at 10:47 am and was in an especially chipper mood, Diamond says, stopping at the pool stakeout to answer some questions about the day:

BD: Why did you return for this vote?
JK: It’s a particular issue that has been very critical to me. It’s very central to something I want to get done now and I think it’s important.
BD: But you’ve missed other important votes...
JK: (Cuts her off) I am going to miss and I will continue to, but, this happens to be a singularly different one.
BD: Do you have any meetings today?
JK: I’m going to have lots of meetings today.
BD: Are you meeting with potential VP picks?
JK: I will have lots of meetings today. (Smiles and walks off.)

Diamond staked out Kerry for 10 hours as Kerry tried to get his voice heard on the floor and cast his vote. The drama played out all day, she writes, as various staffers said Kerry was on his way to the floor, set to speak soon, or back in negotiations to speak. Why all the waiting? Kerry aides accused Republicans of "playing politics" with the vote. One adviser close to Kerry charged Republicans with manipulating the schedule to ensure that Kerry did not vote. Appearing to try to pre-empt criticism of Kerry’s absence from Capitol Hill, this adviser pointed out that when Bush ran for president in 2000, he was out of Texas campaigning five times as much as he was in Texas governing during the primaries, according to official calendars.

At approximately 8:30 pm, Diamond says, Kerry decided to throw in the towel -- there was going to be no vote. He arrived at Reagan airport and, after the press corps had waited on the plane for over five hours, he played a game of catch with his senior staff on the tarmac for about 10 minutes. Then he got on the plane and walked back to the press section and told reporters, "Sorry about this, everyone. If you have any complaints, send them to Bill Frist."

The Washington Post: "Kerry's camp angrily charged that GOP leaders had used procedural maneuvers to shelve the vote in an attempt to disrupt his campaign and deny him an issue he has championed. Republicans shot back that Kerry, who has had long absences from the Senate during his campaign, was using the issue to grandstand."

"At one point, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) dismissed Kerry's pleas for a vote, saying, 'Senator Kerry, who hadn't been here all year, who's missed 80 percent of all votes, parachutes in for a day and then will be taking off once again.' By the end of the day, it was hard to say who got the better of whom. The GOP maneuvers disrupted Kerry's plans, but may have succeeded in calling attention to Kerry's credentials as a combat veteran and a veterans supporter, both of which have been centerpieces of Kerry's efforts to woo voters..."

"Frist's comment about Kerry's Senate attendance understates his record. According to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly -- which the Bush campaign pointed reporters to -- Kerry has missed 89 percent of the Senate's votes this year (118 of 132) as of Monday, and 64 percent last year. This included several votes on veterans' health care issues."

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that on the campaign plane yesterday, a Kerry aide said they had gotten wind of Republicans planning to have a Senate class photo taken yesterday, and that aides suspected the photo might be used in advertising were Kerry not present.

The Boston Globe reports that while Kerry had to scrap "a $500,000 fund-raiser in New Mexico last night," his return trip "reaped other rewards for his campaign. By portraying Republicans as silencing him in the Senate, Kerry gained a useful new weapon to fight opponents who are pressuring him to step down for skipping 89 percent of Senate votes so far this year."

"In what Kerry aides said was a coincidence of timing, the senator returned to the Hill just as Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney -- the most prominent advocate of a Kerry resignation -- repeated that call yesterday during an appearance nearby to testify about gay marriage. Kerry aides said that the senator did not return here to rebut Romney's contention that Kerry was shirking his duties."

Today in Massachusetts, the Globe reports, "the state Senate is expected to consider a bill" that would call for a special election to replace Kerry should he win the presidency."Veepstakes
The Los Angeles Times ties the Senate shenanigans to veepstakes: "There is no question that Kerry's Senate responsibilities are shaping the contours of his presidential bid, including when he will announce his running mate. A senior Kerry campaign aide said that the likelihood of a Senate vote in mid-July on a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage will influence the timing of when the campaign rolls out Kerry's choice for vice presidential running mate. Because of that vote, Kerry will likely announce his pick in early July, or close to the Democratic National Convention at the end of the month."

The AP reports on Kerry's "brief, secretive meeting with potential running mate John Edwards on Tuesday, a spur-of-the-moment session... The two men met in the President's Room, whether they knew the name or not, an ornate sitting room just off the Senate chamber, and they declined to speak with reporters afterward... [T]he brevity of the session indicated it was less than a full-fledged vice presidential interview... 'Sen. Kerry has made clear that he wants that whole process to be quiet and confidential, which I think is the correct way to do it,' Edwards told reporters during the day. 'Because of that I'm silent.'"

The anti-war left
Gore gives a speech tomorrow at the Georgetown University Law Center at 12:30 pm in which he "will accuse the Bush Administration of intentionally misleading the American people by continuing to falsely claim a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda," per the release. The speech is sponsored by the progressive American Constitution Society. "Gore will also urge the broadcast media to further resist Administration efforts to manipulate and intimidate them, to fearlessly report the fact that there is no Al Qaeda/Saddam collaborative relationship, as the 9/11 Commission staff report has concluded."

Today marks the deadline for challenges to be filed to Nader's effort to get onto the Arizona ballot, which means Democrats file their challenge today. The Arizona Republic "confirmed that the action will be filed before 5 p.m., the deadline for challenges to nominating petitions submitted June 9."

"At the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., spokesman Jano Cabrera said Arizona's party had not asked for support for the lawsuit, but the national party stands behind the effort in principle."

Anti-Nader Democratic group TheNaderFactor.com issues a letter asking Nader "how," per the release, "he appears to be able to find unity with the Reform Party, Green Party and himself as an Independent, but cannot forge common ground with Democrats."

Nader running mate Camejo attends the Green Party presidential convention, which starts today in Milwaukee. There's still some question about how many state ballots a Green endorsement -- rather than an official nomination -- would give the ticket access to. A Green Party official told us yesterday that they're likely to confer a nomination or an endorsement at the convention but left the door open, saying "anything is possible." Hypothetically speaking, the official said, if Nader is only endorsed by the party, he may not get on many state ballots since they require an actual nomination, not an endorsement.

As far as reaction to the Camejo pick, party spokesperson Nancy Allen says: "Some feel distraught that the excellent Green, Peter Camejo, will now be running on an Independent ticket -- not Green... Others feel delighted that there will be a Green voice in the election no matter what. Personally, I can accept anything the convention votes for as long as the Green Party continues our outstanding growth."

In short, Green sources were vague and made sure to stick to the point that Nader has said he would not accept the party's nomination, but only their endorsement, and therefore the whole question of Nader on the Green ticket is moot.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previews the Green Party convention: "Democrats have expressed their worry early and often that Nader will tip the balance toward President Bush... especially if Nader is given access to the Green Party ballot lines in the District of Columbia and 22 states, including Wisconsin. California attorney David Cobb has emerged as Nader's chief rival. That drama will be resolved Saturday, when delegates vote (there was no final word Tuesday on whether Nader himself will be in town)."

Despite suggesting he might not meet with Congressional Black Caucus members yesterday after hearing they planned to ask him to leave the race, Nader did attend the meeting after all. NBC's Mike Viqueira reports that CBC members "could be heard from out in the hall screaming at Nader..., imploring him to get out of the presidential race before he costs John Kerry the election." "You can't win!" a voice inside was heard shouting. "We're fighting for what we believe in!" came another holler. One member, Del. Donna Christensen (Virgin Islands), stormed out the back door of the meeting. "Good-BYE!" she yelled over her shoulder. At one point, Viqueira says, a door opened and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) was seen pointing her finger and shouting at Nader.

Viqueira reports that Nader, caught off-camera in the hallway after the meeting, explained that he shares the goal of defeating Bush, but simply has a different strategy. He says he has already made inroads in his effort to "suppress" the Republican turnout for Bush by focusing on issues important to conservatives that are points of conflict: the deficit; the "big government" Patriot Act; "loss of sovereignty" in trade agreements; and the big-government No Child Left Behind Act. Nader called the meeting "an exciting exchange."

Bush v. Kerry: The economy
The Washington Post considers the "burgeoning election-year debate over the quality of jobs being added to the nation's payrolls. One key measure is wages." The Bush campaign says "[m]ost of the jobs created last month were in industries that pay above-average wages, including health care, construction and financial services."

"Neither side really knows much about the quality of the 1.2 million new jobs added this year because of the way the data are collected. While many more jobs were created in the service sector than at manufacturing firms, the Labor Department does not know whether a lost manufacturing job was a well-paid assembly line position or a minimum-wage janitor. Likewise, statisticians cannot be sure whether a new employee at McDonald's Corp. is flipping burgers or cutting deals in an air-conditioned office."

The Wall Street Journal notes "Democrats are losing a pillar of their 2004 campaign argument: that a weak recovery is making it unusually hard for Americans to find work. As a result, Democrats are edging away from their charges that President Bush is presiding over a 'jobless recovery,' which has been a staple of their campaign rhetoric. That argument is giving way to the line of attack that working America is suffering a 'middle-class squeeze.'"

'The shift in the economic debate is significant, because it's been unclear how economic anxieties would compete with Iraq for voters' attention. President Bush's campaign also is shifting ground to take the new situation into account, sending administration aides and campaign officials out with each new batch of employment numbers to trumpet a turnaround in a subject that not long ago was a sore point. And they have begun portraying Mr. Kerry as an economic 'pessimist'..."

"Certainly the new version of the economic debate is harder for Democrats to win. Voters are less likely to turn out an incumbent if they see the economy broadly improving, even if they still have some specific pocketbook complaints."

On Kerry's visit to Silicon Valley today, a Bush campaign e-mail charges, "Kerry's doom and gloom cannot hide the fact that America leads the world in science and technology." The Bush campaign holds a 12:30 pm conference call on Kerry and the economy with Sen. Gordon Smith.

Campaign 2004
Gone are the days when Kerry’s campaign actively tried to manage expectations, MSNBC's Diamond observes. Even in the days leading up to Super Tuesday, Kerry advisers constantly underplayed expectations keyed to poll numbers showing a surge. But yesterday, for the second time in two weeks, the campaign organized a briefing to discuss poll numbers and Kerry’s momentum -- this from a campaign and a candidate who prides themselves on ignoring polls. Senior advisers Mark Mellman and Mike Donilon talked up Kerry’s poll numbers and talked down Bush’s. Mellman told reporters "voters are becoming increasingly receptive to John Kerry and his message. The strategy that the Administration announced in March has backfired on the President at this point." Diamond says he called the decline of the President’s numbers "huge and precipitous." Mellman said there has been considerable movement among independents toward Kerry. He did not mince words, telling reporters that "the President is in a feeble political state…"

Bush senior advisor Matthew Dowd, responding by e-mail: "Race is dead even as we said it would be and continue to be. Kerry campaign seems to delight in dancing on the 50-yard line."

The New York Times pinpoints the two addresses in America that have given the most to Bush and Kerry. For Bush, it’s 865 South Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, home to an investment management firm that handles roughly $90 billion in assets; for Kerry, it’s the San Remo, at 146 Central Park West in New York, which is home to celebs like Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore, and Steve Jobs.

The AP reports on the FEC complaint filed against Democratic 527 America Coming Together by good-government groups "who argue the organization is spending illegally on its mailings."

Roll Call reports that "President Bush’s finance team has begun asking wealthy Republicans to cut checks as large as $1 million to GOP state parties in key election battlegrounds rather than steering their funds to independent groups... Officials at the Bush-Cheney campaign hope the new fundraising plan will draw in millions of dollars for dozens of 'state victory committees,' which in turn will spend the money on television advertisements, get-out-the-vote and party-building efforts for Bush and other Republicans before the November elections."

The San Francisco Chronicle covers AFL-CIO president John Sweeney’s speech at the SEIU convention yesterday, in which he blasted Bush. "‘…George Bush is simply the worst president we've ever had to deal with -- he and his cronies are as cold- blooded as bounty hunters when it comes to workers and our unions.'" According to an SEIU press release, the union will ask Kerry to be the first person to log into and join PurpleOcean.org, the first-ever Internet-based union affiliate created by the SEIU "that will link one million ‘virtual’ members from the general public interested in taking action for social and economic justice."

Downballots
The personal problems plaguing Illinois GOP Senate nominee Jack Ryan have brought him national attention. The Washington Post reports that "Ryan yesterday tried to fight off calls to quit the race after allegations by his ex-wife that he had pressured her to perform sexually in front of other people." USA Today says, "A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate said Tuesday that he will stay in the race despite allegations from his ex-wife that he forced her to go to sex clubs in New York, Paris and New Orleans and tried to get her to take part in orgies."

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune reports that "aides to the president said Tuesday they would likely begin focusing their time and efforts on more competitive races across the country until the controversy cooled."

"As Ryan made the rounds of morning talk radio in Chicago and then held an outdoor rally at the Thompson Center, his campaign sent out an e-mail encouraging supporters to send letters to newspapers and to phone radio talk shows to ‘remind them to focus on the issues’ rather than his failed marriage. The campaign also released a set of ‘talking points’ for Ryan backers to use in defending him. They characterized the disclosures as ‘the biggest bust since Geraldo Rivera opened up Al Capone's secret vault’ and maintained that the candidate ‘never broke the law, never broke one of the 10 Commandments and never broke his wedding vows.’"

•Tuesday, June 22, 2004 | 9:40 ET
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, and Jesse Levine
As Bush loses statistical ground in the war on terror in both the latest Washington Post/ABC poll and the revised State Department estimate of terrorist attacks, Kerry seeks to distinguish himself on veterans' issues and national security, but the anti-war icons on his left are also on display.

Last night, Kerry scrapped his plans to campaign in Albuquerque today in order to return to DC to co-sponsor and vote for an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would give all veterans mandatory health care funding -- and, in the process, try to show up Bush on looking out for veterans.  This marks the third time we can recall -- along with Medicare and the assault weapons ban -- that Kerry has left the trail to return to DC for votes. 

The rest of Kerry's DC schedule is TBD so of course, the veepstakes rumor mill grinds full-bore.  The Kerry pool has been called to gather at 9:30 am to move to Capitol Hill.  Given the campaign's efforts lately to try to distract the pool at times when Kerry might be conducting veepstakes business, MSNBC's Becky Diamond warns that Kerry just might "run late" this morning.  Later today or early Wednesday, he heads back out west to San Francisco to address the SEIU convention.

Big Kerry backer Ted Kennedy gives a speech at a Carnegie conference in which he will charge that the Bush Administration has set back US efforts on nuclear non-proliferation "and may very well have made Al Qaeda terrorists even more determined to find a way to make a nuclear attack on America," per an advance draft.  More: "While the Administration has focused its attention on Iraq, a country without nuclear weapons, North Korea and Iran have continued their pursuit of these weapons, and untold amounts of nuclear materials have remained under little or no security in the nations of the former Soviet Union."

Then there's Nader, whose battle with the Democratic party -- make-nice handshake with Kerry notwithstanding -- continues to escalate: Nader enters race; Democratic Establishment and Dean unify in opposition; Nader gets Reform Party support and more ballot access; Democrats plan to challenge the validity of Nader's signatures for the Arizona ballot, as First Read has learned.  The deadline for that challenge is tomorrow.  Yesterday, Nader tapped known Green Party commodity (as these things go) Peter Camejo as his running mate, giving him a real shot at a Green Party endorsement and thus, more ballot access -- though exactly how much seems to be up for debate.  Nader has said he will not seek the Green nomination but would like the less formal stamp of approval. 

So now it's Democrats' move.  As it happens, members of the Congressional Black Caucus are scheduled to meet with Nader today at 3:00 pm on Capitol Hill to ask him to quit the race, then hold a press avail at 5:00 pm.  But when asked about this at his presser yesterday, Nader seemed surprised by that news -- perhaps he thought they were going to talk about something else? -- and suggested he might not meet with them, so that is TBD at this writing.

Camejo travels to Milwaukee, where he plans to attend the Green Party presidential nominating convention which starts on Wednesday and runs through Monday.  Nader currently does not plan to attend, though his schedule for the rest of the week is largely TBD. 

President Bush is at the White House meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary at 1:20 pm and speaking at the White House Black Music Month reception at 4:00 pm.  Despite Kerry's change in schedule, the Bush campaign still plans to hold a 3:00 pm conference call for the press with conservative Democratic Sen. Zell Miller, and a veterans event in Roswell, NM.  And with Clinton everywhere today, doing Oprah and pretaping other big interviews, a debate about the Clinton economy begins.  The Bush campaign uses the opportunity to charge Kerry with having "a selective memory" on the economy because Democrats praise the Clinton economy, but certain aspects of the economy under Bush are even better.  The Bush campaign holds a conference call to discuss their new radio ad on the economy in New Mexico (where Kerry was supposed to be today) at 12:30 pm.

Nader/Camejo
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that “Camejo describes himself as an 'avocado' candidate - Green on the outside and Green on the inside - and is expected to give Nader credibility that had been ebbing among the Greens.”

Democratic anti-Nader group TheNaderFactor.com declares in a release, "By nominating Mr. Camejo, Nader puts himself one step closer to receiving the Green Party endorsement -- a prize he claimed he would not actively seek.  This should serve as a wake-up call to progressives and Democrats that the stakes are too high.  We must reach out to Nader supporters and give them a reason to join with Democrats to put and end to the destructive White House policies."

But the anti-Nader group's chief notes, "While a Green Party nomination would ensure his name on the ballot in up to 22 states and the District of Columbia, an endorsement does not guarantee this.  A Green Party endorsement could boost Nader's chances of becoming a factor in Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin" -- which is at odds with a lot of news reports suggesting a Green endorsement would give Nader broader ballot access than that.

The AP notes, "Nader also has been endorsed by the national Reform Party, which gives him access to the ballot in at least seven states, including the battlegrounds of Florida and Michigan."

"Camejo said he will recommend that the Green Party decline to nominate any single candidate and instead endorse both Nader and David Cobb, the other leading Green candidate.  Party members in each state would then decide who to place on the ballot."

The Los Angeles Times: "Nader's selection of Camejo gives further shape to a left-leaning, antiwar campaign many Democrats fear will spoil their effort to unseat President Bush.  It bolstered Nader's quest to win an endorsement from the Greens at their national convention, which begins Wednesday in Milwaukee," and "improves Nader's access to an important constituency.  A fluent Spanish speaker of Venezuelan descent, Camejo plans to campaign vigorously for Latino votes coveted by Democrats and Republicans."

"On Monday, Camejo joined in Nader's complaints about the 'two-party duopoly.'  He called Kerry 'a guy who will come in and set it up for the Bushes to come back - because the Democrats never challenge the underlying premises of what the Republicans are doing.'  Camejo said he fervently opposed the Iraq war and the anti-terrorism law known as the Patriot Act, and he noted that Kerry supported both when they came to a vote in the Senate.  On Iraq, 'Kerry's criticisms of Bush are how he's doing his policy, not what he's doing,' Camejo said."

"Asked Monday for reaction to Nader's announcement, Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer said, 'Sen. Kerry's going to continue talking about making America stronger at home and respected in the world.'"

Bush v. Kerry: National Security
The Washington Post says of its new poll, "Exactly half the country now approves of the way Bush is managing the U.S. war on terrorism, down 13 percentage points since April...  Barely two months ago, Bush comfortably led Kerry... by 21 points when voters were asked which man they trusted to deal with the terrorist threat.  Today the country is evenly divided, with 48 percent preferring Kerry and 47 percent favoring Bush."

"With fewer than 10 days before the United States turns over governing power to Iraq, the survey shows that Americans are coming to a mixed judgment about the costs and benefits of the war.  Campaign advisers to both Bush and Kerry believe voters' conclusions about Bush and Iraq will play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the November election."

"The shift is potentially significant because Bush has consistently received higher marks on fighting terrorism than on Iraq, and if the decline signals a permanent loss of confidence in his handling of the fight against terrorism, that could undermine a central part of his reelection campaign message."

"Overall the poll had mixed news for both candidates.  Bush's marks for handling the economy and Iraq both rose slightly over the past month, but his overall approval rating remains below 50 percent.  Kerry leads Bush in a three-way test that includes independent Ralph Nader and is seen as more honest and trustworthy than the president, but those surveyed question whether he has a plan for Iraq."

The Post, among others, also reports, "The State Department is prepared to announce a sharp increase last year in terrorism victims worldwide as it corrects findings that were used to boost one of President Bush's chief foreign policy claims -- success in countering terrorism.  A revised report to be released today shows a dramatic increase in both the number of deaths and other casualties, as well as a less dramatic boost in incidents, a senior State Department official said.  Still, the revised report shows that international cooperation and a new awareness of the terror threat are bringing positive results, the official said."

The AP lays out the Bush-Kerry fight over veterans' funding.  Kerry today "wants to vote for a measure that would require mandatory funding of health care for veterans, a key constituency that he's trying to win in his race against President Bush...  The president opposes mandatory veterans health care funding.  Bush campaign advisers say mandatory funding would put all veterans in the federally funded health care system, even those who have health coverage elsewhere, and would reduce the amount available to cover veterans who need the care most."

"'The administration believes it is best for veterans to maintain flexibility,' said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt.  'The mandatory approach is an inflexible one and the rigidity does not best serve veterans.'  The Bush administration has increased benefits, veterans' enrollment in VA health care and spending overall for that department.  But the administration has prohibited new enrollments of veterans with the highest earnings unless their health problems are related to their military service."

"The Kerry campaign says under the administration's policy, about 500,000 veterans are scheduled to be left out of the VA health system."

"Kerry has missed the vast majority of votes this year, including other votes to increase veterans benefits" -- five in this Congress, the Bush campaign tells us.

Roll Call says Republicans are trying to pass the defense authorization bill this week "to foment good news" to counter the car bombings and beheadings as June 30 looms.

Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe hosts a 2:00 pm conference call to "discuss congressional oversight in the developing Cheney-Halliburton scandal," per a DNC release.

Red and blue issues
On Kerry's stem cell event and Nobel laureates endorsement yesterday, MSNBC's Diamond reports that the campaign, after being asked by the press corps, said they reached out to the laureates a week ago -- which, Diamond notes, was after former President Reagan's death.  But campaign press aide Allison Dobson insisted the campaign had planned to talk about the issue of science and stem cell research last week, and that the campaign did not reach out to the scientists because Reagan died.  The Saturday after Reagan passed away, Kerry also gave the Democratic radio response about stem cell research.  Dobson said many Americans don’t understand “meddling” with science, which is what the campaign accuses the Bush Administration of doing.  Dobson asserts that people will respond to the message that “science is science and should not be compromised based on ideology.”

Bush campaign spokesperson Steve Schmidt noted for First Read the irony of Kerry suggesting science is on a decline on the day when the country's first privately funded space trip took place.

Diamond also notes that Kerry is sounding more and more like a reverend at the pulpit.  He has been projecting his voice in a stronger, more rhythmic way than in the past.  He also is stressing unity and values in his speeches more often these days than during and just after the primaries.  Kerry told the crowd at a Columbus fundraiser, “God gives us this moment… to make [life] meaningful…”  He talks more about and values lately than he has before, she says.

The Los Angeles Times says Bush's visit to Ohio yesterday was a little economic, a lot social.  "Throughout his first term, the president has steadfastly touted what he describes as his 'compassionate conservative' proposals.  These have included standards-based education reform, reauthorization of the welfare legislation that stresses turning aid recipients into workers and, most prominently, a faith-based initiatives program that would give federal funding to religious groups that provide social services.  Bush and his aides are hoping these and other issues - such as his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage - will spur a large turnout among Christian conservatives in the Nov. 2 election."

The Washington Times reports, "A new independent-expenditure group, backed by the John Templeton Foundation, is targeting what political analysts regard as President Bush's electoral ace in the hole - religious conservative voters.  Let Freedom Ring Inc. will seek contributions to help 'counter the millions of dollars being spent to attack and discredit President Bush by leftist organizations such as those supported by billionaire George Soros, Hollywood liberals and others,' said Colin A. Hanna, the new group's president."  The group claims to have $1 million in start-up money.

Another Washington Times report leads, "America's 50 million evangelicals have received a call 'to shape public policy' and expand the role of religion in public life, according to a document produced by the National Association of Evangelicals.  Still in draft form, the 12-page document, 'For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility,' says evangelical Christians have a duty to affect society 'because Jesus is Lord over every area of life.'"

"Four million stay-at-home evangelicals almost cost Mr. Bush the 2000 election, Bush political adviser Karl Rove told an American Enterprise Institute seminar in 2001.  The Bush campaign expected 19 million to turn out, he said, but only 15 million did."

Veepstakes
From the Fox News pooler yesterday: "Kerry arrived at the Aspen airport at 12:02 mountain time, and was met by local dignitaries (list available for those interested) and Hunter S Thompson.  Unsure if we have Hunter on tape.  Kerry walked over to the fence to greet a couple of cyclists and chatted about snowboarding and cycling."  Later on, "Kerry joked about VP selection, suggesting 'Vice President Hunter Thompson.'  He also said others have suggested he go to Match.com to find a running mate..."

The former president effect
The Washington Post notes that since the Clinton 60 Minutes interview didn't beat out the last game of the NBA Finals, "CBS News focused instead yesterday on the fact that its Clinton chat scored nearly 2 million more viewers than ABC News's chat with Clinton's better half, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton...  Further probing, however, reveals that 'Hillary Clinton's Journey: Public, Private, Personal, With Barbara Walters' actually beat 'Clinton Explains It All' in most key demographics, including the ex-president's target demographic: women 18 to 49."

The Wall Street Journal editorial page says of the Clinton economy, "The years have not been as kind to some of Mr. Clinton's other claims to posterity.  The economic boom of the 1990s proved to be partly a financial bubble that we now know began to burst with the stock market break in April 2000.  The growth that was real resulted less from any specific policy than from the gridlock between Mr. Clinton and the GOP Congress that kept government from doing much at all after 1994.  No period since the 1920s was as free of new federal intrusion."

A Bush campaign memo sent last night charges Kerry with having "a selective memory when it comes to economic expectations.  Today’s economy is actually stronger in many respects than the economy Bill Clinton touted during his 1996 re-election bid...  The same party that praised the strong economy of Clinton’s first term is now criticizing an economy that is at least as strong, even after the shocks of war and a recession that began before the President took office."

That said, the AP notes how, "[u]nlike Gore,... Kerry is embracing the former president's economic record and taking action to capitalize on his popularity among minorities.  And he's doing it without fear of alienating moderate voters.  Even Republicans concede that the former president isn't a drag on the Democratic ticket.  The political phenomena known as 'Clinton fatigue' seems to have run its course."

"The White House no longer considers Clinton a major Democratic liability.  A senior Bush adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the former president is largely irrelevant to the politics of 2004 because voters passed judgment on him."

Bush v. Kerry: The economy
The Washington Post says of Bush and Cheney's tours yesterday that they "took fresh news of an improving employment outlook to Ohio and Nevada, states that are considered crucial for the two if they are to continue their own employment for another four years."

USA Today: "Vice President Cheney charged Monday that the economic proposals of John Kerry would mean higher taxes that choke job growth.  In a strong attack on Kerry's economic plan, Cheney said the likely Democratic presidential nominee is preaching pessimism and ignoring growth in the U.S. economy...  Chad Clanton, a spokesman for Kerry's campaign, said: 'The only optimistic sign from the Bush/Cheney economic plan is that it's almost over.  Bush keeps promising 'the economy is strong,' but middle-class families don't feel it.'"

The paper mentions the campaigning Cheney's potential liabilities: "Cheney has stirred controversy by continuing to say Iraq had links to al-Qaeda, although the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said in a preliminary report Thursday that it found no collaboration.  Cheney said he probably knows more than the commission about such links, and commission members have asked him to share any new information.  Cheney also has been under fire for his ties to Halliburton."

Campaign 2004
A Kerry campaign source confirmed for MSNBC's Diamond that the campaign returned a check for $2,000 from Chun Yae-Jong, the recently arrested son of South Korea's ex-president.  The campaign received the check before Yae-Jong was arrested and returned it when the media brought it to the attention of the campaign.  This source also says that Kerry campaign fundraiser Rick Yi did meet with the Vice Consul of South Korea in the United States and discussed the idea of forming a Korean American Leadership Council.  Yi was not interested in forming such a committee, and per the campaign, did not meet with the vice consul as a representative of the campaign.

The New York Times writes it up, saying the incident raised the specter of the scandals in the late 1990s of foreign interests trying to buy influence.

The Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, points out that Bush and Kerry have spent a combined $272.5 million.

Downballots
The Washington Times says of GOP Gov. John Rowland's resignation yesterday, "Connecticut has voted for the Democrat in the past three presidential elections, but state Republicans think President Bush has a better chance this year.  Even before resigning, Mr. Rowland sought to protect the president from the scandal by declining a post on Connecticut's Bush-Cheney re-election committee a few months back."  But Democrats disagree.

"As for President Bush's re-election campaign, officials working for the president said Rowland's resignation is not likely to harm their efforts, which are decidedly uphill anyway, because voters don't link Rowland's travails to the president," says the Hartford Courant.  "Locally, however, those involved with the campaign acknowledged that the constant spotlight on the Republican governor's problems has often overshadowed their own work, such as during a January fund-raiser President Bush attended."

In South Carolina today, former Gov. David Beasley and Rep. Jim DeMint face off in the state's GOP Senate runoff.  The winner faces Democrat Inez Tenenbaum, the state's superintendent of education. While Beasley won the most votes in the crowded June 8 primary, capturing 37%, some analysts say it will be difficult for him to expand beyond that support because he has virtually 100% name ID, and because the third- and fourth-place finishers in the primary have endorsed DeMint.  Nevertheless, Beasley has ardent support among the state's evangelical Christians, who could help push him over the top if turnout is low.

Regardless of who wins, the general election will be one of the most competitive Senate races in November.

And the Chicago Tribune reports that Republican Senate candidate Jack Ryan's divorce papers were released yesterday, and they contain accusations from his ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan, of Ryan "taking her to sex clubs in New York and Paris, where he tried to coerce her into having sex with him in front of strangers."

"The political impact of the revelations on Jack Ryan's candidacy will play out over the next several days...  An adviser to President Bush said the revelation made it more likely the Bush-Cheney campaign would steer clear of Illinois."

•Monday, June 21, 2004 | 9:45 ET
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, and Jesse Levine
For Democrats, Halliburton is the catch-all symbol for their attacks on Bush/Cheney: alleged ties to Big Oil, placing the concerns of special interests above those of average folk, an unspoken reason for going to war, etc. 

For Republicans, Democratic presidential fundraising issues involving Asian businessmen and diplomats are just as loaded.  Think Johnny Chung, Buddhist temple, etc.  And with Clinton very much out there this week firing up his party, Republicans probably welcome a reminder of that downside to his image.

The Democratic National Committee today starts what it claims will be a week-long focus on Cheney, Halliburton "and the millions of dollars they've cost taxpayers."  The Democratic 527s actually started on this line of attack on Cheney last week.  And a related memo from the Kerry campaign charges, "The Bush White House is currently under investigation on 12 fronts, most of which deal with its handling of the war and national security matters."

However, Kerry himself has a familiar-sounding fundraising issue to contend with, though depending on GOP stoking, it may be gone by COB.  While one $2,000 check amidst tens of millions being raised is not in and of itself a big deal, the bell it rings has greater resonance.  In a development recalling the Clintons' problems with Johnny Chung, the AP reported yesterday that Kerry's campaign accepted $2,000 from the recently arrested son of the former president of South Korea, and that Kerry fundraisers met "several times with a South Korean government official who was trying to organize a Korean-American political group."  More on this below.

Today, Bush and Kerry weave red/blue issues -- Kerry on stem cells in Denver and Bush on gay marriage in Cincinnati -- in with the economy.

Kerry kicks off week two of his economy tour focused on "making America’s economy stronger through scientific discovery, technology and innovation," per campaign e-mail.  At his 5:00 p.m. Denver event today, Kerry will outline a plan to "make smart investments in science and tap into America’s sense of discovery to develop new technologies that will create good paying jobs, cut health care costs and help find cures for disease."  MSNBC's Becky Diamond says this means stem cell research -- which doesn't strike us as having much directly to do with the economy, but does align Kerry with Nancy Reagan Republicans.  Forty Nobel Prize winners endorse Kerry today, and the campaign hosts a 1:30 p.m. conference call with three of them.

Before his event, Kerry attends a fundraiser at a private home in Denver at 1:30 p.m. ET.  And veepstakes continues, with his campaign annoying the press by transparently dodging the pool reporter.  More on this below, too.

Kicking off what appears to be his own focus on compassionate conservatism, President Bush also returns to the trail today with a fundraiser and a late afternoon event -- "a conversation on compassion" in Cincinnati at 4:00 p.m.  He then headlines a Victory 2004 fundraiser at a private home in Cincinnati at 6:10 p.m., and returns to the White House at 9:15 p.m.  Bush's schedule for the week includes remarks on "compassion and HIV/AIDS" in Philadelphia.

Vice President Cheney addresses a campaign rally in Springfield, Mo. at 5:50 p.m.  The Bush campaign launches state-specific radio ads today (the Kerry campaign has yet to run any radio that we know of).

Meanwhile, the Clinton frenzy continues.  The book comes out tomorrow, when Clinton does two book-signings in New York and appears on Oprah.  He also pretapes interviews with TODAY and other shows.

And Nader announces his running mate today (insert veepstakes joke here) at the National Press Club in DC at 1:00 p.m.

Red and blue issues
The Boston Globe "Saying 'we want our voices heard' on same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and other political issues that contravene church teachings, Raymond L. Flynn yesterday launched a new effort backed by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley to mobilize Catholic voters in time for the Democratic National Convention and the fall election."  Flynn, a Democrat, is a former US Ambassador to the Vatican.

"Flynn is scheduled to travel to parishes statewide in the coming weeks, backed by O'Malley, who recently pledged 'the church's complete cooperation.'  The voter mobilization campaign occurs amid an escalating debate about the role of religion in civic and political life this campaign season."

The Wall Street Journal has a Looneyville, WV dateline for its look at how the Christian Coalition hopes to use gay marriage to revive its former grassroots might.  "President Bush today will try once again to get a political boost from promoting 'traditional marriage' with a visit to Ohio.  And the Senate is gearing up to vote next month on the constitutional ban on gay marriage that he favors.  So far, there's little evidence that such moves are boosting President Bush and his party in the nation's ambivalent political center.  But the subject is giving a shot of adrenaline to conservative Christian activists who in recent years had grown politically listless."

In his remarks in Denver today, the AP previews, Kerry "is accusing President Bush of putting his conservative ideology ahead of sound scientific research."

"In those remarks, Kerry said Bush's anti-science initiatives included limiting stem cell research; removing information about the global warming threat from a 2003 Environmental Protection Agency report; ordering changes to a report that described damage that would be caused by oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and deleting information about condoms from government Web sites."

"Kerry pledged to listen to the country's scientists and make decisions based on their advice.  He also repeated his pledge to fund new stem cell lines.  Aides said he would announce proposed increases in federal spending on science Tuesday."

"Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said the president has made an unprecedented commitment to the sciences and funding levels are at record highs.  'President Bush has an enormous investment in the National Institutes of Health and other areas of scientific research,' he said."

Veepstakes
As Kerry's search for a running mate continues, MSNBC's Diamond reports, the campaign is making his movements harder to track.  Friday’s pool-covered movements appeared to deliberately force the pool to miss possible veepstakes meetings.  A summary:

At approximately 2:21 p.m. the pool was gathered after Kerry finished his afternoon fundraiser in Washington.  The pool was held for approximately 30 minutes before leaving in the motorcade for Kerry’s campaign headquarters.  In the time the pool waited at the hotel, the New York Times reported a man looking exactly like Sen. Bob Graham arrived at campaign HQ.  The motorcade arrived at Kerry’s campaign offices at 3:11p.m.  Having missed Graham (but not knowing it), the pool began to set up its stakeout of entrances.  As this was being organized, the campaign told the pool that Kerry would be moving to Capitol Hill, and the pool was forced to abandon their posts.  The pool then sat inside campaign HQ for approximately an hour (after the campaign insisted they had to be ready to leave).  The pool missed Graham leaving and departed for Capitol Hill at 4:55 p.m. and arrived less than 10 minutes later (motorcades travel fast). 

Kerry spent approximately an hour on Capitol Hill, leaving at 6:02 p.m. and arriving back at campaign HQ at 6:10 p.m.  The pool took stakeout positions for approximately 25 minutes.  The campaign informed the pool that the motorcade would be moving shortly and loaded the pool into vans, which sat behind dumpsters that obstructed the view of the entrances.  When the ABC pool producer asked to stand outside the van simply to monitor the entrance, he was told no, as the motorcade was leaving soon.  The pool sat for approximately an hour and left at 7:55p.m.  Kerry arrived over an hour late to his last fundraiser of the evening.

The AP on the selection process: "Kerry goes out of his way to explain that he is showing 'great respect' for the process by keeping it secret, thus dignified.  His advisers refuse to talk about potential candidates, but they cough up details that cast their boss as a steady and strategic decision-maker."

"That steady-as-he-goes portrait does not always jibe with recollection of those who served with Kerry before the presidential campaign.  They say he agonizes over decisions, reaches out beyond the structure of his staff for advice and waits until the last minute to make up his mind."

The Los Angeles Times uses veepstakes to look at a President Kerry's decision-making tree.  "Those close to the senator say his decision-making is one of his greatest strengths, demonstrating thoughtfulness, intellectual prowess and an ability to broker dissent.  But because of his thoroughness, Kerry can also come across as overly cautious, some acknowledge."

The former president effect
The Washington Post observes that Clinton's memoir "and the unprecedented publicity rollout it has received put the old complaints" that the press focused too much on his personal issues and not enough on his achievements "in an odd new light.  This time, Clinton himself enthusiastically has put the spotlight on his inner life and what he describes as his psychological ordeals.  In a publicity campaign carefully orchestrated by the former president and his publisher... the official side of his presidency frequently has been reduced to a supporting role."

The Washington Post's Kurtz writes, "Bill Clinton... is in no danger of getting the Ronald Reagan treatment.  Liberal commentators, some swallowing hard, may have hailed the 93-year-old Gipper as he passed from the scene.  But there is no cultural cease-fire for the 57-year-old Democrat who left office less than four years ago."

"Some obvious caveats: Reagan, despite the Iran-contra scandal, left office a popular figure; Clinton's departure came two years after he was impeached and was clouded by his wave of last-minute pardons.  Reagan was idolized by conservative opinion-mongers; liberal commentators were more conflicted about Clinton, especially after his sex-and-lying scandal.  More important, while Alzheimer's disease had sidelined Reagan for a decade, Clinton remains a player who is actively backing John Kerry -- and has a wife in the Senate who could run for his old job."

Indeed, the New York Times says conservatives are gearing up.  Examples: David Bossie's Citizens United bought ad time in several markets during Clinton's interview on 60 Minutes to argue that the former president was responsible for failing to prevent the September 11 terrorist attacks, while on talk radio, Rush Limbaugh is calling Clinton's book "My Lie;" and even the American Spectator is cranking out articles on Clinton.

"[S]ome conservatives argue that reminders of the Clinton years may hurt Mr. Kerry, especially if public discussions of the book give Mr. Bush's allies a chance to re-direct attention toward the Clinton administration's failures in the fight against terrorism."

Bush v. Kerry: National security
Considering how both parties are trying to leverage fears of another terrorist attack to shape national security policy, the Los Angeles Times' Brownstein writes, "much of this year's election debate is pivoting on how much the world changed on Sept. 11 - and whether, in its responses, the administration has moved too far from the values, principles and strategies that guided America before."

"It's no exaggeration to say that the central issue before the voters in 2004 is whether Bush's responses to the attack - from the Patriot Act to the invasion of Iraq - represent an appropriate answer to Sept. 11 or an overreaction that has carried the nation into dangerous waters."

On Kerry, Brownstein says, "Through his support for expanding the size of the military, increasing homeland security spending and redirecting NATO toward combating terrorism, he's made clear he thinks Sept. 11 does demand important changes in America's priorities.  But in his criticism of the Patriot Act and the way Bush went to war in Iraq, Kerry is clearly signaling that he would tilt away from some of the most aggressive elements of the administration's response to Sept. 11."

Bush v. Kerry: The economy
The Wall Street Journal says of the state-by-state jobs data released last Friday: "The surge in the U.S. economy is beginning to produce jobs in battleground states where the 2004 fight for the presidency might be decided.  Employment growth isn't overwhelming; in many cases it totals only a few thousand jobs.  Still, the growth comes in some politically significant regions, such as the Industrial Belt of the upper Midwest, at a time when the Bush White House is scrambling to shift public focus away from Iraq."

"The Labor Department, which Friday released a survey of labor conditions in all 50 states in May, reported job growth last month in 10 of 12 states in which polls show President Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry... locked in seesaw fights.   Places such as Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio reported adding jobs in May.  For nine of the 10 states, it was the second straight monthly increase."

"Though some of the numbers are small, jobs are jobs, and the White House is doing everything it can to spread the word...  Mr. Bush is expected to pick up the theme today as he visits Ohio, which added 1,100 jobs in May, the Labor Department survey shows."

"Indeed, White House critics have begun to shift their attacks.  Friday, Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer said the 'core economic debate in this election is about how to make life easier for everyday families'...  A big question for Mr. Bush is whether the job growth is emerging early enough -- and strongly enough -- to make a difference with voters."

Campaign 2004
Under the headline, "Kerry Took Money From Arrested Korean," the AP reports, "Stung during the 1990s Democratic fund-raising controversy, John Kerry is returning a $2,000 check from the son of South Korea's disgraced ex-president after learning the donor was charged with tax evasion.  Kerry's presidential campaign also acknowledges that some of its fund-raisers met with a South Korean government official who was trying to organize a Korean-American political group.  That official has been sent home amid questions he was involving himself in American politics."

"The Kerry campaign said it did not know about the $2,000 donation from Chun Jae-yong or his background until informed by The Associated Press."  A Kerry aide says they're returning the check.  "Chun Jae-yong was arrested in February by South Korean authorities on charges of evading taxes on $14 million in inheritance money.  His father, former president Chun Dooh-hwan, was convicted in 1997 on bribery charges."

"Chun Jae-yong was a business partner with Rick Yi, one of Kerry's major fund-raisers in the Asian-American community.  Yi acknowledged soliciting the donation from Chun last summer before learning of his legal problems...  Yi said Chun showed him a Social Security card before making the donation to prove he was a legal U.S. resident allowed to donate to political campaigns."

"Yi also confirmed that while on Kerry fund-raising trips to California, he met at least three times with Chung Byung-man, the South Korean government's vice consul in Los Angeles and that they discussed forming a political group to organize influential Korean-Americans that would be called The Korean-American Leadership Council."

"The Democratic Party markedly increased its vetting of fund-raisers and donors in the late 1990s after the fund-raising scandal centered mostly on Asian-Americans.  More than a dozen Democratic fund-raisers or donors were convicted of federal crimes, and President Clinton and his wife, Hillary, acknowledged they used White House coffees and overnight stays in the Lincoln bedroom as rewards to lure large donations."

Kerry "has been forced on several occasions to answer questions or return donations following news reports that he accepted money from donors with unsavory backgrounds.  For instance, Kerry received $10,000 in donations in the 1990s through Democratic fund-raiser Johnny Chung after his Senate office arranged a tour for Chung at the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Chung later pleaded guilty to making illegal donations, including some to Kerry."

Roll Call reports on Ted Kennedy's expected re-emergence on Kerry's behalf at the Democratic convention: "Conversations with Congressional aides, campaign officials and Democratic consultants describe Kennedy’s public involvement for Kerry as an arc.  It began with high-profile appearances in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, then dipped as Kerry sought to broaden his appeal to moderate swing voters, and now is ready to rise once again as Democrats seek to energize their base for the fall election.'"

As Kerry stops in Colorado today, the Denver Post notes that “Kerry and the Democrats have no choice but to turn their eyes to the West.  As the region grows, it is picking up electoral votes at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest with every census.  In the 2000 count alone, Nevada and Colorado were awarded additional votes in the Electoral College, and Arizona picked up two.”  The Post also says, "The biggest wild card may be the behavior of the region's Hispanic voters.”

The AP previews Cheney’s stop in Nevada this morning.  The Springfield News-Leader says Cheney will be visiting Missouri for the 11th time since July 2001, and the fifth time this year.  “Today, the vice president will find both supporters and critics at the Springfield Exposition Center for his 4 p.m. campaign speech.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer says of Bush's fundraiser tonight,  "Guests and organizers estimate about 80 couples will attend the fund-raiser, generating about $2 million for a special Republican Party fund that will be used in battleground states like Ohio."

"Bush opponents plan to capitalize on the event's exclusiveness.  The Media Fund, an anti-Bush group, plans to air radio ads today in Cincinnati highlighting the difference between average Ohioans and those at the fund-raiser.  The Media Fund plans to raise $100 million for ads to air in 17 battleground states."

The Washington Post reports from a labor-for-Kerry organizational meeting in Erie, PA that "90 people crowded a meeting room with faded walls and warped floors.  They included steelworkers and carpenters, construction workers and assembly line crews, and people whose jobs were outsourced.  Everyone seemed excited, but serious, about being part of the earliest, biggest, on-the-ground get-out-the-vote operation the AFL-CIO has ever mounted -- with more than 100 walks in 72 cities in 16 states during the four Saturdays in June."

The AP on Kerry's weekend on Nantucket: "Kerry is a rich man who promotes the Democratic ideal that government should do more to help the poor.  He moves between both worlds, spending the past week traveling to downtrodden places like South-side Columbus, Ohio, and the affluent island playground of Nantucket...  Not since President Kennedy have Democrats been prepared to nominate a man of such riches."

Remember Air America?  The Wall Street Journal chronicles the liberal would-be talk-radio network's financial problems, suggesting that it may get back on track before election day: "Many of Air America's investors and executives say they thought the network had raised more than $30 million, based on assurances from its owners, Guam-based entrepreneurs Evan M. Cohen and Rex Sorensen.  In fact, Air America had raised only $6 million, Mr. Cohen concedes.  Within six weeks of the launch, those funds had been spent and the company owed creditors more than $2 million."

"Company executives now say the business is stabilizing.  They note that the network's early ratings have been positive, and its business plan has been restructured.  The company has received enough cash from investors to stay afloat, and it is negotiating with its creditors."

Make your vote count
From 10:15 a.m. through 2:45 p.m. today, the American Enterprise Institute hosts a forum on whether changes to voting equipment "will solve the problems or ensure an even worse disaster this November."

The Boston Globe on the growing backlash over the rush to embrace e-voting: "Despite reports of malfunctions in jurisdictions around the country, the use of 'direct recording electronic' voting machines has been growing dramatically.  In this year's presidential election, 50 million registered voters, 29 percent of the total, will be able to cast their ballots on ATM-like machines, according to Election Data Services...  That's about 2 times the number who voted on digital touch screens in 2000."

"In recent weeks, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and former Democratic candidate Howard Dean have joined those calling for more security, particularly paper-trail backup systems.  Under pressure from many of its members, the League of Women Voters abruptly reversed itself this month, abandoning its support for paperless e-voting..."

"A number of election officials and equipment manufacturers say these critics are alarmists, unschooled in the way elections are conducted in the real world."

'Meanwhile, the debate over e-voting rages in Congress, state capitals, and county offices across the country, and next week moves to Houston, where two federal panels will discuss what minimum federal standards should be established for new technologies.  The panels will make recommendations to the US Election Assistance Commission."

•Friday, June 18, 2004 | 9:30 ET
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, and Jesse Levine
In politics, timing is almost everything -- the timing of Kerry's running-mate selection, which certainly keeps him in the news during Bill Clinton's book tour; the announcement today of more positive economic data for the Administration, which could be overshadowed by the troublesome September 11 commission findings, more Abu Ghraib developments, and the apparent deadline for Paul Johnson; and the lucky scheduling of CNBC's Capital Report interview with the Vice President yesterday.

Speaking of that interview... In it, Cheney took aim at the press -- especially the New York Times -- for its "irresponsible" coverage of the 9/11 findings.  The Times defended its reporting, but interestingly (as of this writing) that defense appears only in its print edition.  The paper writes:  "The article in The Times yesterday noted that the White House said Wednesday that it did not see the commission's report as a contradiction of past statements by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, and the article reported that the White House said the administration had always been careful not to suggest that it had proof of a tied between Mr. Hussein and Sept. 11. Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director, was quoted in the article reinforcing those points."

"The Times' coverage of the Iraq-Al Qaeda issue was consistent with that of other large newspapers."

We'll see if President Bush gets as much press out of traveling with McCain as Kerry got out of dangling the possibility of having him as his running mate.  After all, the two former rivals campaigning together is pretty notable, and McCain certainly gets press when he does NOT agree with the Administration.  McCain appears with Bush when he addresses military personnel in Fort Lewis, WA at 11:00 a.m.  The two men stop at the Madigan Army Medical Center for a local press roundtable at 12:05 pm, then visit with wounded soldiers and families (closed press).  Bush and McCain then head to a campaign event in Reno, NV, where both speak at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 5:20 pm.  From there, Bush heads to Camp David for the weekend.

Laura Bush headlines Bush campaign rallies in Mayfield Heights, OH at 9:00 a.m. and in St. Paul, MN at 1:00 p.m. 

Vice President Cheney makes remarks at a fundraiser for House candidate Jeff Fortenberry in Lincoln, NE at 9:35 a.m., and addresses employees at Adam Aircraft Industries in Englewood, CO about the economy at 4:10 p.m. 

No doubt fueling the veepstakes frenzy even further, Kerry spends the day in meetings in DC, though much of his schedule today is in fact being made public: At 9:00 a.m., he goes to the Democratic National Committee where, per a DNC source, he'll film some videos for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats.  At 10:30 a.m., he has an event focusing on the minimum wage, followed by a fundraiser at 12:30 p.m.  Kerry then goes to his campaign HQ at 1:50 pm and spends the afternoon there.  He tops off the day with another fundraiser at 7:20 pm, and then heads to Nantucket for the weekend.  MSNBC's Becky Diamond reports that Kerry hopes to do some kite-surfing this weekend, and she's not sure the Secret Service is aware...

At his minimum wage event, Kerry will call for an increase to $7 by 2007.  The Kerry campaign also will release a report by labor economists showing the impact of a minimum wage increase on America's workers.  "While the Bush administration thinks our economy is good enough, John Kerry knows America can do better and that middle-class families are struggling to keep up," a Kerry campaign e-mail reads. 

The Bush campaign in a pre-sponse notes Kerry makes these remarks in between stops at his "Georgetown mansion" and his "beach house in Nantucket;" accuses Kerry of flip-flopping on the minimum wage by citing a January 25, 2004 New York Times account of Kerry wavering on whether in increase was necessary back in 1994; and asserts the "President is willing to consider any reasonable proposal that phases in an increase over an extended period of time - provided it would not place unreasonable costs on small businesses or other job creators."

Bush v. Kerry: national security
Lots and lots of coverage of Bush's insistence yesterday that there "was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda;" of Kerry's charge that Bush "rushed to war for a purpose that it now turns out is not supported by the facts;" and of Cheney's interview with CNBC's Capital Report about how "the press has been irresponsible" in reporting the September 11 commission's findings -- particularly the New York Times.

Here's the take from the Times, and here's the take from the New York Daily News, which says that Cheney insisted "that an alleged meeting in Prague between lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and a senior Iraqi agent before the Sept. 11 attacks was never disproven."

"That's untrue."

In interviews with local press yesterday, MSNBC's Diamond reports, Kerry charged at least half a dozen times that the Administration "misled" Americans about links between Iraq and al Qaeda, per the pooler.  Diamond says this line of attack is becoming a regular staple for Kerry on the trail.  At his press conference yesterday, he answered a question about the economy by turning it into a criticism of Abu Ghraib, saying, "What will not go away no matter how many jobs we create is the reality of life for most Americans all of which have gone up while wages have gone down...  And what will not go away is the impact of the loss of moral authority in the world because of what's happened in the prisons in Iraq and because of the abuses we've seen and the failure of this president to show he can lead our country..." 

In his Tuesday press avail, Diamond notes, Kerry appeared to call for an independent investigator to lead a search into the prison abuse scandal and look for answers.  (Among those he said he'd consider appointing: McCain!)   But yesterday, Diamond writes, Kerry said, "I didn't for an investigator.  Please don't write that I called for an investigator.  I didn't."  Kerry explained that he was calling for basically an independent inquiry -- not a Justice Department-level special prosecutor.

The Los Angeles Times: "Polls have found Bush's popularity dropping this spring as troubles in Iraq have grown, and some political analysts think that a small but crucial bloc of swing voters is weighing whether Kerry is an alternative.  But some Democrats have suggested that Kerry must define himself and his agenda more clearly.  He has sought to do that this week in speeches in New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan."

The AP offers this sharp observation about Kerry: "The candidate who struggled to explain his position on Iraq during the primary campaign now has a more defined message -- President Bush misled America about the reasons for war.  As his case against the president's foreign policy is becoming more succinct, his criticism of Bush's fiscal policies has become less direct as the economy rebounds."

Both the Bush campaign and the RNC are sending around past quotes from Kerry's Senate floor speech on the day he voted for the Iraq resolution in October 2002 about Saddam Hussein "supporting and harboring terrorist groups."

The AP says of Bush's stop at Fort Lewis today, "Emphasizing his wartime leadership during a Western campaign swing, President Bush is offering a morale boost to wounded soldiers and consoling grieving families who lost loved ones in Iraq.  The president defended his decision to send soldiers to Iraq and continued his offensive against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during campaign stops in Washington state."

Here's the local take from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

DNC chairman McAuliffe holds an 11:00 am presser at the DNC today to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Watergate break-in and "reveal a new secret Republican plot."

The New York Sun reports from the Silverdocs film festival in Silver Spring, MD, "A new documentary about Senator Kerry... may shed light on how he helped push opponents of the Vietnam War toward dramatic protests in the early 1970s...  In the clip" shown last night, "Mr. Kerry, a prominent leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, described how he learned what to do to get the group onto local and national television news broadcasts.  'We held a press conference to talk, to say no to the war, those people who have been used by this administration to perpetuate the war.  Not one piece of electronic media showed up.  They said, "Well, news is partly in the entertainment business.  It's not the best visual,"' a youthful Mr. Kerry complained, sounding much more like a member of the Kennedy family than he does today."

"Mr. Kerry said his group had no choice but to march on Washington."

The filmmaker is a longtime friend of Kerry's and in "last night's preview there was little to dispel the notion that Mr. Butler's film will be an homage to Mr. Kerry.  The film seems intent on stripping away Mr. Kerry's often-erudite demeanor."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reviews "Control Room," the documentary about al-Jazerra, shown at the same film festival.

Bush v. Kerry: the economy
The Kerry campaign hosts a 9:30 am conference call for the press with the group of labor economists who assembled the report the campaign is releasing today showing their version of the impact of a minimum wage increase.

Republican National Committee chairman Gillespie sends a memo to GOP Members of Congress and officials around the country today repeating his attacks on Kerry's alleged pessimism on the economy, and urging GOP candidates to "put Democrats in your state on the spot about John Kerry's pessimism and his voting record.  While talking about the good news and jobs our economy is generating -- and Republican plans to keep it growing -- generate some questions for your opponent.  Ask your Democrat opponent if they think John Kerry's promise to raise taxes will create more jobs?  Ask your Democrat opponent if they think John Kerry's support of higher gas taxes as a Senator would mean lower gas prices today?"

It looks to us like Kerry is still beating a pretty negative drum on the economy, despite his efforts to point out that he's not being pessimistic.  That said, he's now accusing the Administration of not telling the truth about the economy in the same way he accuses them of not being truthful on the war.  At his press avail yesterday, Kerry said that as president, he would "tell the truth about the economy, something they (the Administration) don't like to do.  They've proven that...  Now the truth is I believe in the American economy and I believe I know how to put us back to work...  I'm just telling the truth.  They don't like the truth because it happens to talk about what they not succeeded in doing and the President has a dismal record to run on..." 

And on whether the improvement in the economy will continue: "We're going to see more jobs in the next few months.  They will probably continue at the rate they have.  But that's not good enough.  That's the measure in this race...  The fact is the jobs that are being created are not the kind of jobs that are lifting Americans up."

Bush campaign spokesperson Steve Schmidt called Kerry's claims about rising debt in America "particularly egregious," pointing out Greenspan's comments that debt has risen because more people than ever own their own homes.  So while their debt is rising, so are their assets.  Schmidt claimed Kerry is the one who is misleading Americans.  Per Schmidt, "Kerry has concocted his own numbers because the established numbers... don't suit his needs."

The Washington Post casts yesterday's exchanges over the economy as a fight "over who is more optimistic."

Meanwhile, the New York Times writes that Bush, in Washington State last night, also tied the optimism v. pessimism theme to the situation in Iraq.  "Mr. Bush included in his speech a lengthy quotation from a 1946 New York Times article describing the occupation of postwar Germany, some two years before the Marshall Plan began pouring billions of dollars into what became a successful reconstruction... The lesson for Iraq, he said, was optimism."

"'Fortunately, my predecessors were not pessimistic people,' Mr. Bush said, adding that 'someday an American president will be sitting discussing world peace with a duly elected leader from Iraq.'"

The AP, writing off its latest poll, says voters aren't necessarily blaming Bush for high gas prices.  "The president hasn't been able to get a boost in public perception of the labor market, despite recent job creation.  But on the other hand, Bush hasn't been penalized for high prices at the pumps."

If you have to ask why this one matters...  The Wall Street Journal says the emergence of competitive new agricultural powers around the world "is shaking a foundation of America's economic might.  About two-thirds of the land in the 48 contiguous states is tied up in agriculture.  Farming and related businesses account for about 12% of U.S. gross domestic product and about 17% of American jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  America currently exports more agricultural goods than it imports, a rare bright spot in the nation's trade balance.  Half of America's annual wheat harvest is sold overseas, a trade that's expected to fetch $5 billion this year."

Veepstakes
Kerry bristled and took shots at his own staff over the leaks apparently coming out of his campaign about veepstakes yesterday, MSNBC's Diamond writes.  He told reporters at his press conference, "Don't believe what you read.  I'm not upset.  I read with amusement about aides who don't know what they are talking about with respect to my schedule because I haven't made a decision about my schedule...  If you want to print speculation, that's your choice.  I have not made a decision yet and I'm the only person who knows when I will or what direction that might take and I intend to keep it that way."

Wielding a Bush line from 2000, we'd note, Kerry also said, "...I look forward to offering America a team that has the ability to provide the kind of leadership the country deserves to cut our deficit, to put our people back to work, to make America stronger, and most importantly to restore our respect and credibility in the world.  I want to restore trust and credibility to the White House and I hope the person that I choose matches the expectations of the country of that kind of leadership people want."

Recalling MSNBC's Diamond's observations about Kerry's cautious and lengthy decision-making, the Washington Post says Kerry has been "phoning friends at all hours and reviewing vice presidential choices dating to 1932."  Per Democratic sources "inside and outside the campaign," "Kerry has privately expressed confidence that voters see him as sufficiently strong on national security, they say, but wonders whether he needs a moderate or conservative Democrat on the ticket to improve his centrist credentials.  Still, Kerry is skeptical a running mate can make a decisive difference in the election's outcome, these sources said, and is much more concerned with finding a ready-made president, though one who will not try to steal the show."

"Cheney is figuring in Kerry's thinking. Kerry has told friends he wants a strong, loyal Democrat but not a co-president.  He said that Cheney appears to have so much authority he often upstages the president, which, in turn, Kerry believes weakens the presidency."

"If any Democrat is tirelessly auditioning for the job, it is Edwards, who is giving speeches, raising money and heading campaign rallies."

The Wall Street Journal says, "Democratic insiders have settled on a betting favorite to become John Kerry's running mate: Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.  What they don't know is whether he is Mr. Kerry's favorite."

The AP: An "official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid angering Kerry, said the campaign is feeling confident enough about the senator's chances against President Bush that there may no longer be a need to nominate a little-known or unconventional candidate just to spark a Kerry comeback."

"Polls show the race is a dead heat. And the worst fears of Kerry aides -- fund-raising problems and a lack of party unity -- never materialized. Thus, a top campaign priority is to nominate somebody whose personal background and performance on the campaign trail will not detract from Kerry's post-convention message, the official said."

"The official was relating recent conversations with two senior Kerry advisers, one of whom talks almost daily with the candidate about his running-mate search. He said both advisers mentioned Gephardt and Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and Evan Bayh of Indiana as the type of "safe" candidates getting strong consideration."

"Another party official closely aligned with the campaign said Sen. Bob Graham discussed the vice presidency with Kerry two weeks ago in West Palm Beach, Fla. Kerry was in Graham's home state for an anti-terrorism address."

The Washington Times reporter who covered Edwards for the Charlotte Observer last year observes that Kerry is "picking apart the North Carolina senator's populist nomination campaign and using parts of it as his own.  Mr. Kerry is talking about optimism, keeping children close to home, the rising costs of college tuition and stopping the flow of jobs overseas - all staples of Mr. Edwards' stump speech during the Democratic primary season...  Phrases from Mr. Kerry's recent speeches are nearly identical to those of Mr. Edwards' from earlier this year."

The AP has more on the Kerry-Edwards links.  The trial attorneys known for donating to John Edwards in the past, it says, are now giving to Kerry.  "Of the roughly $74 million Kerry raised in March and April, close to $1 in every $10 came from attorneys, Kerry's most recent campaign finance reports show."

The Los Angeles Times considers the low-key Gephardt. The New York Times does the same.

Walter Shapiro lists the seemingly obvious criteria for Kerry's pick and notes that, while Bush "is unswervingly dedicated to running for a second term with Dick Cheney... it is intriguing to see how Cheney measures up to these traditional vice-presidential standards."  Shapiro writes that "in ordinary times, the question that Republicans might be asking is: Exactly what does Cheney bring to the ticket?  The vice president does not boast a large reservoir of goodwill among the electorate...  This helps explain why the airwaves in battleground states are filled with ads hammering Cheney for his implied connection to the no-bid contracts awarded to Halliburton for the reconstruction of Iraq."

"But Cheney's potential political vulnerability goes beyond Halliburton.  The Supreme Court will decide this month whether Cheney had the legal right to refuse to release the identities of the executives who served as consultants to the vice president's energy task force in 2001...  Then there is the Justice Department's investigation of the Valerie Plame case..."

Then Shapiro raises DC's favorite parlor game: "Beyond this unverified speculation, it seems plausible that Bush may be trailing Kerry by a double-digit margin in the polls after the Democratic convention in July.  And just suppose that Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, suddenly announces that health reasons preclude his running for re-election.  Impossible?  There is nothing like the specter of potential defeat to test the fabled loyalty of a president named Bush."

Red and Blue issues
The New York Times notes the intense effort the Bush campaign is making to court the Religious Right -- "urging pastors to do everything short of risking their churches' tax-exempt status to support the president's re-election... Mr. Bush's political advisers often repeat their belief ... that about four million conservative Christian voters did not vote in the last presidential election. The campaign is determined not to let that happen again."

But watchdog groups say some of this courting -- like collecting personal endorsements from clergy members - could jeopardize churches' tax-exempt status.  "'It is pushing the line,' said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics and the former general counsel to the Federal Election Commission. 'It goes to the question of, "How often can you switch hats?"'"

The Washington Times reports, "Sen. John Kerry's advisers are telling the presidential candidate to steer clear of talking about religion after running afoul of several Catholic bishops and after the campaign's new director of religious outreach was criticized this week for espousing left-wing causes.  The Rev. Robert Drinan, a Jesuit priest who served in Congress during the 1970s, says he has advised the campaign to clamp down on religious rhetoric and 'keep cool on the Communion thing'...  Meanwhile, the Kerry campaign also has sidelined its new religion adviser, closing journalists' access to Mara Vanderslice and ignoring her advice on how to appeal effectively to religious voters."

Republicans may point to this to try to counter the report about Bush asking Vatican officials for help pushing his agenda: "The campaign source also said former Clinton aides Paul Begala, John Podesta and Mike McCurry have tutored campaign operatives on more aggressively using religion to appeal to voters."

But Ted Kennedy isn't staying quiet.  The New York Post says Kennedy blasted Pope John Paul II over the growing threats to deny communion to Kerry and other pro-choice Catholic politicians.  "'This pope gave Communion to Gen. [Augusto] Pinochet,' the brutal Chilean dictator accused of murders and human-rights violations, Boston magazine quotes Kennedy as saying."

"Kennedy's jab at the pontiff comes from an interview with Boston Globe political writer David Nyhan that will appear in an issue to hit the stands in two weeks, the magazine said. The report says Kennedy made the remark 'dryly' as part of a discussion about the threats by Catholic prelates to sanction Kerry. 'In no way should the remark be construed as derogatory toward the pope,' a spokesman for Kennedy told The Post."

"'The senator has immense respect for the Holy Father and his leadership in the faith and the cause of world peace,' the spokesman added. 'The senator was simply making a general point that every one who comes forward at Mass can receive Communion.'"

The former president effect
USA Today on Clinton's 60 Minutes interview and book tour.

Campaign 2004
The Boston Globe also reports that "Congressional Republicans have expanded their attacks on Senator John F. Kerry to the House floor, using a loophole in House rules that allows lawmakers to speak about a senator during legislative session as long as the comments are not personal in nature."

"During the speeches, GOP lawmakers have called Kerry ''Hanoi John,' and accused him of everything from undermining US troops to promoting policies Republicans say would cut jobs."

"Democrats say the attacks are clear violations of House protocol and should stop. The continued attacks, they say, show a body that has abandoned bipartisan legislative debate for campaign-season attacks."

Karl Rove headlines a Florida GOP "Victory Fundraiser" in Orlando today, and Bush campaign committee chairman Marc Racicot does a Bush-Cheney '04 veterans event in Dearborn, MI. 

As Laura Bush hits the trail for the second day in a row, the Bush campaign is distributing to the press an e-mail apparently sent by the Kerry campaign in an effort to raise money and organize a counter-rally to Mrs. Bush's in St. Paul.  The e-mail solicits funds by asking recipients what level of anger they feel toward Bush: "TROUBLED: $50+; ANGRY: $100+; LIVID: $200+; FURIOUS: $400+; MAD AS HELL: $500+; BALLISTIC: $1000+...  Please consider purchasing tickets or making a contribution at the 'Angry' & above levels."

•Thursday, June 17, 2004 | 9:40 a.m. ET
From Elizabeth Wilner, Mark Murray, Huma Zaidi, and Jesse Levine
Amidst September 11 commission findings of a bigger, unrealized terrorist threat to the United States than was carried out, and of thin links between Iraq and al Qaeda, Bush-Cheney '04 goes all-out on the economy and alleged Kerry pessimism today.  We see speeches by the President, Vice President, and Republican National Committee chair, plus a campaign appearance by Laura Bush touting her husband's optimism.  Kerry's plan to focus on the economy in Detroit has been curbed somewhat by the unexpected success of the Pistons, whose victory parade forced the campaign to cancel a rally and opt instead to get Kerry's message out through a speech to execs of the state AFL-CIO.

President Bush wields the photo-oppy power of incumbency again with a Cabinet meeting at 10:05 am, providing the media with its September 11 commission-related fodder for tonight and tomorrow.  Then he switches to economic progress in front of the GOP-friendly National Federation of Independent Business at 1:15 pm, then travels to battleground Washington state for a fundraiser for GOP Senate candidate George Nethercutt at 9:25 pm ET.  A heads-up on tomorrow: So shortly after buzz about his rejection of the idea that he become Kerry's running mate, McCain travels with Bush in Washington state (Washington state having more than its share of independent voters and veterans) and in Nevada on Friday. 

Vice President Cheney gives an economic speech at NexTech Materials in Lewis Center, OH at 3:25 pm.  And Laura Bush campaigns at a Bush-Cheney rally in Fort Washington, PA at 4:00 pm.  Excerpts of RNC chairman Gillespie's speech in Milwaukee are below.

You may not have heard the boom, but media interest in veepstakes, as the process by which Kerry picks his running mate is called, suddenly exploded yesterday for several reasons: 1) Kerry was in DC and his non-public schedule included a meeting with Gephardt on Capitol Hill, plus other mentioned contenders like Tom Vilsack were around; 2) the schedule was not given to the instantly curious Kerry press corps, here in DC with nothing else to do; 3) Kerry has done an admirable (from an objective standpoint -- frustrating from a journalist's) job of keeping his selection process within a very small loop.  A Kerry aide says the campaign fielded dozens of calls about veepstakes from reporters yesterday.

MSNBC's Becky Diamond says that when asked about it, Kerry told reporters, "I don't talk about veep stuff, you know that."  As he left the Capitol, the pooler asked him, "How was your meeting with Gephardt?"  He looked at her quizzically, got into his car, and then poked his head out the window and said, "I wouldn't confirm anything."  While the campaign will not divulge information on the list or the process, Diamond notes, as the convention draws nearer, Kerry is spending more and more unaccounted-for time in DC.  He spends several ours here this morning before leaving for Detroit.  He's also spending more weekends at his homes across the country, including his wife's farm outside Pittsburgh last weekend and Nantucket this coming weekend.  

Speaking of scrutinizing every move, a Bush campaign source tells us the campaign will be going dark for "days, not weeks" when their buy on the "Pessimism" spot runs out on June 24.  "There will be a brief break in our advertising," the source says, because voters aren't as tuned in between the hubbub around June 30 and the July 4 holiday weekend.  "Our advertising plan is based on a strategic analysis of when people are paying attention."  Although this word came on the same day that the Kerry campaign announced it had raised over $100 million at a pace recently faster than Bush's (though Bush has still far outraised Kerry), the source says the campaign is in "a very strong financial position" and that money issues should not be read into this. 

Bush v. Kerry: the economy
RNC chairman Gillespie whacks Kerry as pessimistic on the economy in an address to an RNC "Victory 2004 workshop" in Milwaukee at 9:00 am, then holds a media avail.  Excerpts from Gillespie's speech: "you may have heard me say the President's critics long ago came to the cynical conclusion that what's worst for the American people is what's best for them politically.  Just this week, John Kerry commenced his "Days of Malaise Tour," trying to convince voters they are again living through the Great Depression...  This at a time when our economy is experiencing some of its strongest growth in decades..."

"The misery index, the sum of national unemployment and inflation rates, used to informally assess a nation's economic health, is at a modern day historic low for a President facing re-election.  But the Kerry campaign... created their own fake Kerry Misery Index.  John Kerry's bogus misery index makes the Carter era resemble a golden age for the middle class.  Using his analysis, Kerry's index gives Carter a better rating than Ronald Reagan, despite high inflation, high unemployment and long gas lines."

MSNBC's Diamond reports that Kerry yesterday tried to deflect the GOP charge that he's a pessimist on the economy: "When I say this I say this with a sense of optimism... it's not a sad picture... we can do better if we made a different set of choices..."

Diamond also notes that Kerry is striking an increasingly conversational, personal tone in his events this week; his after-school/child care event in Columbus yesterday was a town hall-style forum through which Kerry appeared empathetic and sympathetic while showcasing his specific plan to expand child care.  Diamond reminds us that this strategy worked well for Kerry in Iowa as voters got to know him and connect with him.  Typically, he sits in the middle of a crowd and spends the majority of time answering questions in an informal tone and setting.  (It doesn't hurt, Diamond adds, that from every camera angle Kerry is viewed as sitting in the middle of a group of people.) 

Yesterday in Columbus, OH, Kerry took off his jacket and sat in the middle of a room of about 75 people, Diamond says.  Showing his interest in people's problems, he began the Q&A session by ASKING the crowd questions, explaining, "I want to hear real stories about what this is about..."  Various people told their tales of rising child care costs and lower wages as Kerry nodded in sympathy and then offered his solution to their particular problem or question. 

A Bush campaign memo prebuts Kerry's trip to Detroit today: "Kerry's misery and pessimism tour moves tomorrow to Detroit...  reports said he planned to discuss abusive mortgage and credit card lending practices.  Kerry's attacks in this area are hollow, as the President and his administration have enacted successful initiatives to curtail such abuses.  HUD is working with the Department of Justice and other agencies to define predatory lending, and it is increasing support for enforcement...  The President's FY 2005 budget requests $45 million for home purchase and rental counseling - more than double the funding since 2001...  Homeownership news is overwhelmingly positive... homeownership recently hit an all-time high of 68.6 percent and a majority of minority families are homeowners for the first time in history."

(On homeownership, by the way, the Wall Street Journal reports, "Home builders, Realtors and others are prodding the Bush administration to rethink its plan to force Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their financing of homes for low-income people.")

The Bush campaign memo adds, "When Kerry lands in Detroit tomorrow, he'll be revisiting the site of many of his most memorable contradictions."  The memo lists the SUV flap and CAFE standards.  "If John Kerry were talking about the Pistons, he'd probably ignore the fact that they won the NBA championship and express disappointment that they didn't win their games by higher margins."

The AP says of Bush's stop in Washington state tonight and tomorrow, "No Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan has carried the Northwest, where the big population centers around Portland and Seattle... tend to overrule conservative voters in the smaller towns and cities east of the Cascade Mountains."  That said: "Both Bush and Kerry are working both sides of the region for votes...  Meanwhile, a third-party challenge from Ralph Nader could siphon off enough Democratic votes to put the two states in play."

"Kerry's campaign hopes to capitalize on the hard times that have befallen the Northwest since 2000, along with pro-business Bush environmental policies that play better in the sparsely populated dry areas than among the green-leaning voters of the western region.  Unemployment is among the highest in the nation - 6.1 percent in Washington, 6.8 percent in Oregon - driven down by the implosion of the high-tech boom and tens of thousands of post-Sept. 11 layoffs at Boeing airplane plants."

"But exactly where voters will place blame for the hard times isn't clear.  Although much of the high-tech community is solidly in the Democrats' camp, Bush has drawn support from some prominent executives at high-tech companies including Microsoft...  Meanwhile, Boeing just landed a $3.89 billion contract to build airplanes for the Navy."

Bush v. Kerry: national security
The Washington Post notes the differences between Bush's visits to CENTCOM in Tampa in 2003 and 2004: "The military audience, subdued by Tampa's oppressive heat, was not as enthusiastic as the wartime crowd Bush addressed on March 26, 2003.  And instead of lunching with the troops, as he did last year, the president mourned with the families of 10 soldiers who had died.  But he was unwavering in his optimism for Iraq as it approaches the June 30 official transfer of political authority from the U.S.-led coalition."

"Separated by 14 months, Bush's two speeches to the troops at Centcom show the shift in the issues surrounding the Iraq war since it began.  Back then, Bush spoke with confidence of Iraq's prohibited weapon stockpiles, which have not been found...  Bush also spoke of 'decency to an oppressed people' by U.S. forces compared with Hussein's government, a comparison that has been undermined in the region by the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal...  On Wednesday, Bush reminded the troops of their moral virtue."

The New York Times on the commission report: "In questioning the extent of any ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the commission weakened the already spotty scorecard on Mr. Bush's justifications for sending the military to topple Saddam Hussein."  Still: "James M. Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations... said the issue now was less whether Mr. Bush was wrong in asserting a tie between Iraq and Al Qaeda than whether he could stabilize Iraq and show progress in bringing American forces home."

In an interview with WDET, an NPR affiliate in Detroit, Kerry said the following yesterday about the commission's finding of a lack of connection between Iraq and al Qaeda: "That seems to be what we've learned in the indications from the intelligence community in the last months.  The Administration misled America and the Administration reached too far.  They did not tell the truth to Americans about what was happening or their own intentions.  And the President rushed to war without a plan to win the peace...  And I believe that the 9-11 report, the early evidence, is that they're going to indicate that we didn't have the kind of terrorist links that this administration was asserting.  I think that's a very, very serious finding."

(MSNBC's Diamond adds that Kerry conducted the NPR interview from a doctor's examining room.  The pooler who transcribed the interview said at the end that Kerry jumped on a scale.  The pooler looked at the needle and said, "That looked like around 200."  Kerry replied, "I don't weigh 200.")

The Washington Post reports, "A Bush campaign spokesman countered that Kerry himself has said Hussein 'supported and harbored terrorist groups.'  And Cheney's spokesman pointed to a 2002 letter written by CIA Director George J. Tenet stating that 'we have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda going back a decade' and 'credible information indicates that Iraq and al Qaeda have discussed safe haven and reciprocal non-aggression.'  Cheney's office also pointed to a 2003 Tenet statement calling Zarqawi 'a senior al Qaeda terrorist associate.'"

"Bush, speaking to troops in Tampa yesterday, did not mention an Iraq-al Qaeda link, saying only that Iraq 'sheltered terrorist groups.'  That was a significantly milder version of the allegations administration officials have made since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks."

The Los Angeles Times' Brownstein notes that the formation of the group Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, a group of former officials mostly identified with Democratic Administrations, "symbolizes how Bush's search for new approaches to safeguard America has triggered a backlash among the centrist foreign policy establishment."

"It also indicates that the debate over Bush's direction could provoke the sharpest realignment of loyalties on foreign affairs since the emergence of neoconservative thinkers roughly 30 years ago."

'The group's criticisms largely track those leveled against Bush in the last year by other career national security officials" like Clarke and Zinni.  "Yet Bush's insistence that old strategies, such as emphasizing deterrence of threats rather than preemptive action against them, are inadequate to meet the new challenges of terrorism has drawn support from some traditionally left-leaning voices, such as Walter Russell Mead, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank."

As Bush prepares to hit Washington state tonight, the Seattle Times says Kerry isn't the only one focusing on the veterans vote.  "Only four states have a higher percentage of veterans than Washington.  And with Washington one of 17 states both sides have identified as a swing state, veterans here become a particularly important group."  

"At a time when veterans find themselves wooed so heavily, relatively little is known about their voting habits...  In what polling is available, Bush maintains a comfortable lead among veterans.  That is true across the board with veterans from World War II and Vietnam to the more-recent years of the all-volunteer army."

Veepstakes!!!
Knight Ridder says of Kerry's meeting with Gephardt yesterday, "Kerry ignited speculation that he was approaching a decision on his choice for a running mate by taking a brief break from campaigning to be in Washington at the same time as two other potential partners, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack."

"It's unclear how long Gephardt stayed with Kerry.  He was seen entering slightly before 4 p.m.  He recorded a vote on the House floor around 6 p.m.  Among his strengths are his extensive support from organized labor, his popularity in his home state of Missouri - expected to be a key swing state in November - and his depth of experience as a veteran congressional leader.  Working against him, however, is a reputation as a bland personality whose time is past."

The AP says "[t]he meeting, which lasted more than an hour, is not the only session Kerry plans with potential vice presidential candidates in the next several days, said Democratic officials who spoke on condition of anonymity...  Officials said Sen. Bob Graham of Florida is among the Democrats expected to meet with Kerry in the coming days."

The Boston Globe clocks the Kerry-Gephardt meeting at 90 minutes.  Kerry's "aides have developed a plan that includes an elaborately staged announcement, as well as a bus, train, air, or boat tour by the duo aimed at building interest in the ticket before the Democratic National Convention...  Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, urged Kerry during a meeting last week to unveil his choice in the three or four days immediately before the convention, as a way of energizing the event, but Kerry was noncommittal, a second Democratic official said."

The New York Times: "Aides now say a decision could come by the Fourth of July holiday."

The AP says Gov. Tom Vilsack's signing of "a measure two years ago declaring English the state's official language... could hurt his chances of joining the Democratic ticket.  Iowa's English-only measure and dozens like it nationwide draw virtually unanimous and vehement opposition from Hispanics..."

Red and Blue issues
The Washington Times, following up on a Roll Call report yesterday, says "Senate Republican leaders have scheduled the Senate vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman for the week of July 12, just two weeks before Democrats convene in Boston for their presidential nominating convention."

"'They were probably trying to make it convenient for a certain senator to get back and vote,'" one Senate GOP aide says...  Mr. Kerry's campaign said he had no comment."

"Also yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Mr. Kerry for president."  We asked the Kerry campaign whether statements went out, and a campaign aide said HRC issued one: .  The campaign did not.  A Kerry aide says, "We don't always put out separate releases when groups do one."  The aide said Kerry is to be featured "in their most recent magazine and we are doing something for their website."

The Wall Street Journal editorial page warns, "For the most part, President Bush's calls for immigration reform seem to have fallen on deaf Congressional ears.  And one of the main reasons is the anti-immigrant groups on the political left that have been making inroads with Republicans.  It behooves GOP restrictionists to better understand their new bedfellows."

"The cool reaction to Mr. Bush's guest-worker proposals is the most prominent example of party division on immigration.  But it's not the only example.  The phenomenon has also manifested itself in a number of House and Senate GOP primary races, where some Republicans have teamed up with radical greens and zero-population-growth-niks to intimidate and defeat other Republicans willing to defend immigration."

Campaign 2004
Bush lends a helping hand tonight to Washington state GOP Senate candidate George Nethercutt, who's seeking to unseat Sen. Patty Murray (D) this fall.  Tonight marks the first time this cycle that Bush has stumped for a GOP Senate challenger.  Although Nethercutt trails Murray by 18 points in the latest public poll, spokesperson Alex Conant says Republicans believe this is a seat they can pick up -- if Nethercutt has the resources to compete.  Conant says the campaign expects to raise about $500,000 (yet there seems to be a surge in last-minute ticket sales, he adds).

Meanwhile, Democrats and labor activists are gathering for a "People's Picnic" near the fundraiser, where they will protest the Bush Administration's policies.  And the state Democratic Party has released a fact sheet detailing how Bush's policies have hurt state veterans.

The Washington Post on the Kerry campaign's announcement yesterday that they've cracked the $100 million mark: "The disclosure shows that Kerry led Bush in fundraising from March through May almost 2 to 1: $100.4 million to Bush's $55.2 million.  In May alone, Kerry raised $26 million compared with $13.2 million by Bush, according to calculations by CNN that Bush officials described as accurate."

"Throughout the campaign, however, Bush has outraised Kerry by an estimated $214 million to $145 million, according to FEC records and data released by the Kerry campaign."

The Los Angeles Times: "The numbers also bolstered claims by Republicans that Kerry, aided by independent groups set up by Democratic insiders, may have outspent Bush come November."

The Boston Globe reports that "[t]he Democratic National Committee is developing an ''independent expenditure' operation that would funnel party money to fund advertising in support of Kerry.  An in-house unit would not be controlled by the Kerry campaign but would work for Kerry's election; it would be able to spend unlimited funds on ads that specifically promote Kerry or attack Bush and would capitalize on a much higher ceiling on individual contributions ($25,000 to a national party versus $2,000 to a candidate committee)."

"A DNC 'independent expenditure' on Kerry's behalf could be especially helpful to him between late July, when he receives the Democratic nomination, and early September, when Bush is nominated by his party."

The Washington Times notices how "[s]ince the beginning of June, President Bush, first lady Laura Bush, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other senior administration officials have made themselves unusually accessible to the media."  As we reported earlier this week, Vice President Cheney will be doing a bunch of regional media interviews next week.

The former president effect
The Washington Post's Kurtz interviewed Dan Rather about his interview with Clinton.

Bob Novak notes that the Democratic eulogies of Reagan last week obscured how partisan his relationship with Tip O'Neill really was, how tough and politically antagonistic Reagan could be, and that it was Reagan -- not George W Bush -- who originally restricted stem-cell research.

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