Morning Show Wrap, by ABC News Political Unit

N E W Y O R K, September 2, 2004 &#151;<br> -- A product of Noted Now and The Note

Evening Newscasts Wrap

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ANALYSIS:

No news on the morning shows. Clinton dishing campaign advice to Kerry crept into coverage of Clinton's heart surgery.

Joe Lockhart, with his ties to Clinton and Kerry, was interviewed on ABC and CBS.

The shake-up on Kerry's campaign staff got lots of attention.

The assessment of Kerry's campaign was dire across the board. CNN's Bill Schneider, for example, said the Kerry campaign "needs a rescue operation."

But Schneider was positive about Kerry's turn towards domestic issues a turn that, according to Joe Lockhart on ABC, "starts today."

LEADS:

All three nets led with hurricane coverage.

JOE LOCKHART ON ABC & CBS:

Joe Lockhart told Claire Shipman on ABC that "we fully expected the President to get a 7, 8 point bounce – that's what happens." (He did not say why that did not happen for Kerry). Echoing a charge from the latest Kerry ad, Lockhart hit Bush for talking about getting health care costs under control the night before "his government" announced a hike in Medicare prices. Lockhart charged that Bush has "no sense of reality" and that "reality is something people feel" in their jobs, in their health care, and in their schools that are "not performing." "That starts today," Lockhart said, referring to the new focus on domestic issues. Lockhart said morale is great in the Kerry campaign and that the new additions are simply a part of a "large operation" becoming a "huge operation." Lockhart said Kerry and Clinton talked about issues, the state of the country and presidential debates.

On CBS' Early Show, Joe Lockhart talks about Clinton. He says Clinton was pretty nervous when he first went in for the angiogram, but he has taken the last couple days to learn about the process and he feels better about it now. When asked how much Clinton will be missed on the campaign trail, Lockhart notes he will certainly be missed, but if the doctors tell him to take 4 weeks off, he will take two….He notes that Sen. Kerry called Clinton on Friday to wish him well. Though neither the former President nor the Senator had sufficient time to talk, they went over a wide range of issues including the bad state of affairs under Bush and the upcoming debates. Kerry was deeply appreciative to Clinton for taking the time to talk.