ABC News' The Note: First Source for Political News
W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 15, 2004—<br> -- NOTED NOW
TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET)
FUTURES CALENDAR
Morning Show Wrap
Evening Newscasts Wrap
48 days until Election Day15 days until the first proposed presidential debate20 days until the proposed vice presidential debate23 days until the second proposed presidential debate28 days until the third proposed presidential debate
NEWS SUMMARY
Sen. John Kerry tackles the economy this morning before the Detroit Economic Club — in what his campaign is billing as the single most important speech about the economy he will give this fall, as he continues to struggle for ways to command the national stage — not to mention the news cycle — with just 48 days left.
While the campaign preview makes clear that address does not include a single new proposal, most Americans don't have the foggiest idea what John Kerry's plans on the economy are, and today is the first/last best chance to try to change that.
Meanwhile, Democrats are all hot and bothered by the first White House briefing in a long time — the absence owing to the long-standing White House tradition of not holding the "daily" event when the president is on the road. And this president has been on the road a lot lately.
The last briefing was Aug. 9 — the topic of the day was Ahmed Chalabi — and that just so happens to be the last day Kerry spoke to the press about something other than how long it's been since he spoke to the press.
In Detroit, Kerry will criticize President Bush's "Excuse Presidency," saying that Bush is not taking responsibility for his choices but is a victim of circumstance, offering, according to the campaign, "a treasure trove of excuses to avoid moving the economy in the right direction, refusing to admit that his failed record is the result of his failed policies."
Kerry will lay out his plan to create jobs, offer middle-class tax cuts, lower energy and health care costs, cut the deficit and restore economic confidence.
(Incidentally, the latest ABC News-Money magazine poll shows that Americans are rating their personal finances better than they have in more than two years.)
The Bush campaign will trot out campaign manager Ken Mehlman and policy director Tim Adams in a mid-morning conference call to respond.
Keeping in mind, however, the tenuous balance between economic issues and foreign policy, Kerry called in to Don Imus' show this morning and slammed the president on Iraq and his plan for security and democracy in the region. Kerry said the people who have to run elections in Iraq need greater time to establish security. "I think it is very difficult to see how you can distribute ballots in" places like Fallujah and Ramadi and Najaf "without having established security. I'm not sure the president is being honest with the American people about that situation either."
But the "keep it simple" advice doesn't seem to have sunk in either. As for his plan to improve the situation in Iraq, Kerry said "the plan gets more complicated every single day" because President Bush has not listened to the advice that he and others have given him about enlisting the help of the international community.
Kerry was on Imus a long time and the host asked his usual excellent questions, but nothing else approaching news was committed (although GOP oppo operatives will pick over the Sen.'s post-service Vietnam-era remarks quite quickly and thoroughly).
Kerry hasn't visited Michigan since early August and is clinging to a slight lead in the polls despite particularly bad jobs numbers in the state: an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent, down from 7.5 percent since last July but nonetheless 25 percent higher than the national average of 5.4 percent, and the loss of nearly 200,000 jobs (167,000 in manufacturing) since Bush took office.
When "Kerry speaks to the Detroit Economic Club this morning about his plan to bolster the American economy, it will be the first time in six weeks that he's been in Michigan," the Detroit Free Press reports. "Michigan and its 17 electoral votes are still in play, but there are subtle and concrete signs that the Bush and Kerry campaigns are putting more of their time and money elsewhere as Kerry seems to have an upper hand in the state." LINK
After his speech, Kerry rallies Madison, WI (2:00 pm ET) and speaks to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington at 8:15 pm ET.
President Bush has a mostly low key day and will also deliver a speech to a Hispanic audience when he hosts a Hispanic Heritage Month concert and reception at the White House at 3:05 pm ET. Before that, he speaks in a closed-door session to the Joint Candidate Committee appreciation luncheon at 12:05 pm ET and poses for a photo with the Director of the National Science Foundation nominee at 2:55 pm ET.
But the most Noteworthy event in Washington today (other than, of course, former DC mayor Marion Barry's election to the D.C. Council) is the first meeting of the 9/11 Working Group, which ABC News' Luis Martinez reports is responsible for examining options on how to improve the nation's intelligence gathering, including recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission.
Following its closed-door session, group leaders Sens. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell will hold a press conference.
Sens. Lieberman and Collins unveil their own intelligence legislation at an 11:00 am ET press conference.
Elsewhere, Jenna and Barbara Bush hold their first open press campaign events, visiting three different Students for Bush phone banks at schools in De Pere, Oshkosh, and Milwaukee at 12:35, 3:05, and 5:20 pm ET, respectively.
And Sen. Edwards is in West Virginia and Ohio and his wife Elizabeth Edwards holds two health care events in Iowa.
President Bush and the National Guard: the politics of the documents:
No one knows where the twin tracks of this story (documents real or not and, if not, who made 'em up?) are going.
A wrap of ABC News reporting: LINK
On "Good Morning America" today, ABC News' Brian Ross reported that CBS News did not disclose that anyone disputed the authenticity of the Bush National Guard document when, in fact, some had disputed the document's authenticity. Ross closed by saying that another expert says the documents are forgeries although they do reflect the opinion of the commanding officer. Ross described it as an effort to make a "good story better."
From Ross's piece last night on World News Tonight: "Two of the document experts hired by CBS News now say the network ignored concerns they raised prior to the broadcast of 60 Minutes II about the disputed National Guard records attributed to Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who died in 1984."
"Emily Will, a veteran document examiner from North Carolina, told ABC News she saw problems right away with the one document CBS hired her to check the weekend before the broadcast."
"Will says she sent the CBS producer an e-mail message about her concerns and strongly urged the network the night before the broadcast not to use the documents."
"But the documents became a key part of the 60 Minutes II broadcast questioning President Bush's National Guard service in 1972. CBS made no mention that any expert disputed the authenticity. "
"CBS continued to strongly defend the authenticity of the memos, which it used as evidence that Bush received favorable treatment while he was in the Texas Air National Guard," writes the Washington Post 's Howie Kurtz. LINK
"CBS News Senior Vice President Betsy West said last night: 'As far as I know, Linda James raised no objections. She said she'd have to see more documents to render a judgment.'"
"As for Will's account, West said: 'I'm not aware of any substantive objection she raised. Emily Will did not urge us to hold the story. She was not adamant in any way. At one point she raised a concern about a superscript 'th,' which we then discussed with the other experts we hired to examine all four of the documents we aired. We were assured the 'th' was consistent with technology at the time, an assessment that has since been backed up by other experts.'"
Bob Schieffer says his network needs to offer more public proof that the docs are real. LINK
The Los Angeles Times editorial page says simply: "CBS News was had." LINK
The blog set up to chronicle this controversy, www.rathergate.com (LINK), is urging concerned activists to fax CBS affiliates across the country.
A bevy of New York Times reporters have this: "CBS has refused to say how it obtained the documents. But one person at CBS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report in Newsweek that Bill Burkett, a retired National Guard officer who has charged that senior aides to then-Governor Bush had ordered Guard officials to remove damaging information from Mr. Bush's military personnel files, had been a source of the report. This person did not know the exact role he played." LINK
Pete Slover of the Dallas Morning News was among the first reporters to reach Lt. Col. Killian's former secretary and spoke with her at length. She thinks the documents themselves are forgeries but suggested they might have been based on real, handwritten memos that existed in 1972. LINK
USA Today 's Moniz and Drinkard Note Marian Carr Knox's claims and spoke to a colleague of Killian's, Richard Via, who agrees with them. LINK
Continues Jim Rainey of the Los Angeles Times:
"CBS spokeswoman Sandy Genelius greeted Knox's statements with mixed emotions. While suggesting that Knox was wrong about the authenticity of the memos, she was pleased that the one-time secretary corroborated their content." LINK
"'While we do not believe that she is a documents expert . . . it is exceptionally noteworthy that she supports the content of our story."
"White House officials could not be reached for comment, but earlier in the day the Bush administration made its strongest statements yet rebutting the memos. Aides said Bush had recently reviewed the documents and told them that the memos did not reflect the nature of his relationship with Killian."
Rainey also reports that Dan Rather called Ms. Knox's home yesterday.
Rowan Scarborough of the Washington Times writes that the memos "do not follow guidelines mandated in Air Force regulations, which the officer had followed in documents that are known to be authentic."
"Air Force manuals on proper memo-writing, which date back at least to 1965, say no period should be placed after an officer's abbreviated rank. Thus, in signing a memo, the "Lt" in the rank of lieutenant colonel is not supposed to have a period at the end." LINK
