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W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 25, 2004&#151;<br> -- NOTED NOW

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5 days until the Republican convention69 days until election day

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With President Bush down in Crawford (but getting some visitors); Sen. Kerry in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; Vice President Cheney in the Keystone State as well; and Sen. Edwards in Ohio, there is plenty of candidate stuff to cover today.

But there is also an explosion (Note onomatopoeia: KAPOWWWW!!!) of political news — and that's not even counting the mysterious Russian plane crash, Abu Ghraib, and tons of other Iraq developments.

Not to mention the first day of school, erh, work for Joe Lockhart and Joel Johnson at the Kerry campaign. Their Trapper Keepers and Scooby Doo lunch boxes made quite an impression at the 8:15 meeting this morning, and both men were said to look not the least bit self conscious when they got an ovation at the start of the session!!

And Karl Rove on Brit Hume!!!

There is some VERY hard core stuff going on out there today. So much, in fact, of such importance, that we can't even tell you which are most likely to affect the outcome of the election — and which are just typical press-driven hype.

And/but since we can't rank them, and there isn't the time and space to get all Note-y about ALL of them, let us assure you: if you are interested in who wins the election, read each and every one of these:

1. The New York Times 's Rutenberg and Zernicke on Bush lawyer Ben Ginsberg's ties to Swift Boat Veterans (for Truth). It includes the news that Ginsberg said he started working for the group in July and that Chris LaCavita, a powerful behind-the-scenes Republican force, is helping the group with its media.LINK

2. The Washington Post 's news analysis by Dan Balz and Jim VandeHei on Kerry and Vietnam. LINK

"Privately, key Democratic strategists fear that attack ads against Kerry will undermine the Democratic presidential nominee's character and credibility, no matter whether the charges are accurate, because they dovetail with an argument Bush's campaign has tried to pound home in its advertising — that Kerry is unreliable and untrustworthy. Many of the charges have been rebutted by veterans who served with Kerry and by military records. But some Republican strategists see the potential for a backlash developing that will hurt the president. They say Bush must overcome doubts about his leadership on Iraq and the economy, and can ill afford voters concluding that he and his campaign orchestrated the attacks on Kerry by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.":

Two points the Post 's fanastic story leaves out that we still think are key:

--Kerry might be saved from some of the damage from scrutiny of his anti-war protest period because the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are too dirty to be effective messengers on that (or anything else) and they pollute the issue for anyone else to use, even the Bush campaign.

--The Kerry campaign still has the Bush/National Guard card to play, and they just might, despite Kerry claiming (sometimes) that it isn't appropriate.

3. USA Today 's Susan Page writes to the country that Cheney "broke with President Bush on Tuesday on the question of same-sex marriage" and that his "comments were remarkable on several fronts." LINK

4. The Los Angeles Times' Michael Finnegan writes that Kerry "spoke in personal terms of his Vietnam history" last night — after the network news: "It's become so petty that it's almost pathetic in a way, as I listen to these thing … ..At the Democratic Party fundraiser in Philadelphia, the Massachusetts senator responded to former GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole's statement that Kerry was only in Vietnam for four months. 'I was there for longer than that, No. 1,' said Kerry, who did not mention Dole by name. 'No. 2, I served for two tours. No. 3, they thought enough of my service to make me aide to an admiral.'"LINK

5. The New York Times ' David Kirkpatrick has excellent details about the draft of the Republican convention platform, which "takes conservative stands on several social issues that sometimes divide the party, including abortion, stem-cell research and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage." Half the platform deals with foreign policy and national security, Kirkpatrick reports, but the more controversial issue will be the expansion of legal immigration, and moderates have basically thrown in the towel on changing the direction of the party on social issues. LINK

6. The Washington Post 's VandeHei reports that Jamie Rubin yesterday retracted his statement in a Washington Post interview (LINK) that Kerry "in all probability" would have gone to war in Iraq. LINK Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times also has the Rubin retraction. LINK "His retraction was another example of the struggle by Kerry and his campaign to clarify his position on Iraq and how it differs from Bush's."

The key words that don't appear in the stories: "Teresa Heinz Kerry."

7. The New York Times ' Glen Justice reports that the Progress for America Voter Fund has received fundraising commitments for over $35 million, largely from big California Republican donors, and is going on the air in Iowa and Wisconsin today attacking Kerry's national security credentials. LINK

This suggests that there will be tens of millions more in negative ads from the right to match those already running and coming from the left through November.

8. In a story that would be our lede on an ordinary day, the Washington Post 's Jonathan Weisman details the Post 's reporting that Kerry's campaign promises "could worsen the federal budget deficit by nearly as much as President Bush's agenda." LINK

"'I wish Senator Kerry was providing a starker contrast,' lamented Leonard E. Burman, a tax policy analyst at the Urban Institute, who was a Treasury Department official in the Clinton administration. 'The [Bush] policies with respect to the deficit are insane. They have to be reversed. But it will take presidential leadership to do it.'"

To be fair, Weisman doesn't get to the little matter of Bush Social Security transition costs until the very end.

9. The Wall Street Journal calls President Bush's comments on 527s "among the worst moments of Mr. Bush's term."

"If Mr. Bush wanted the two major parties to better control their campaign messages, he could have vetoed McCain-Feingold. Some of us urged him to do so, but his political advisers whispered not to worry, the Supreme Court will take care of it. Well, Sandra Day O'Connor failed too, but in any event since when are Presidents supposed to pass the buck to judges?"

10. The New York Post wood: "Speaker of the Louse: Hastert blasts N.Y. cash quest after 9/11" was likely not the headline for which Speaker Hastert was looking. LINK "House Speaker Dennis Hastert is charging in a new book that New York lawmakers' attempts to win financial aid after the 9/11 attacks amounted to an 'unseemly scramble' for money."

The Post reports that Hastert goes on to say in his book that he felt the human tragedy side of the situation was being lost in the race to secure federal aid. Be sure to Note too the quotes Speaker Hastert attributes to Sen. Clinton (and disputed by her office) from their health care task force meetings.

As hinted above, the Republican platform committee begins its meetings in New York City today.

And a star-studded group, including 9/11 Commission leaders Kean and Hamilton, former CIA Director George Tenet, and acting CIA director John McLaughlin testify before the House Select Intelligence Committee at 9:00 am ET.

As for the candidates:

President Bush remains in Crawford.

Today, around mid-day, former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland will attempt — in a bit of political theater — to hand-deliver a letter to the president at the ranch in Crawford. The letter, signed by Democratic members of Congress who have fought in wars, demands that Bush denounce the Swiftie ads.

Note to the Secret Service: good luck.

Vice President Cheney barnstorms through Pennsylvania on a bus tour. Three events, the first of which is another town hall meeting that, apparently, isn't as scripted as some thought: 10:35 am ET in Wilkes-Barre; 1:20 pm ET in Pottsville; and 4:50 pm ET in Bloomsburg.

Sen. John Kerry spends another choice highlighting the "fundamental choice" between himself and the president, today focusing on jobs. He begins in Philly with a closed meeting with local African-American leaders and a 10:00 am ET speech to the local steamfitters. He then travels to Green Bay for a 6:15 pm ET front porch event before overnighting in Minneapolis.

Sen. John Edwards will hit largely the same themes during two events in Ohio and one in Oklahoma City. He overnights in Las Cruces, NM.

Teresa Heinz Kerry campaigns in Pennsylvania.

Today is the deadline for Ralph Nader to submit signatures to get on the Washington ballot. He campaigns in Omaha, NE and Des Moines, IA.

And don't forget Karl Rove's first TV appearance in forever: he's on "Special Report with Brit Hume" at 6:00 pm ET.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: Ginsberg and 527s:

Democratic lawyer Bob Bauer, who was recently profiled in the New York Times along with Ben Ginsberg as the leading campaign finance lawyers in their respective parties, does indeed work for both the Kerry campaign (as the coordinator of their election day poll monitoring operation) and one of the leading Democratic 527s (ACT). And, as we have said there are many close connections between top officials at many of the Democratic 527s and the Kerry campaign (not to mention donors).

There are at least two reasons the Ginsberg development matters more.

First, from a politico-media point of view, the dirty reality is that the press just cares more about Bush's ties to the Swift Boat Veterans than the Democrats' links, in part because those ties have been denied. (And in part for the exact reason Rush Limbaugh suspects … )