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B O S T O N, July 26, 2004&#151;<br> -- NOTED NOW

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The Democratic convention begins today35 days until the Republican convention99 days until election day

NEWS SUMMARY:

Things we will know by midnight tonight (or, maybe not … ):

1. Where the balance will be from the Boston podium between Kerry/good, Bush/bad.

2. How much attention the national press will give to the BC04RNC pushback in Boston and on the road with Vice President Cheney.

3. If Bill Clinton remembers how to give a big speech and command the stage (Just kidding about that one.).

4. Where the various convention-eve flaps will fall on the distraction scale, on the continuum between Dick Morris' toe sucking and Jack Kemp's support for the gold standard:

A. Teresa Heinz Kerry's "shove it" comment

B. John Edwards' returned campaign contributions

C. Christie Vilsack's op-ed

D. John Kerry's nuanced explanation to David Rogers in the Wall Street Journal of why he threw his ribbons and not his medals

5. How big Stephanie Cutter's raise will be for the front page photo in USA Today of Kerry smiling at the Red Sox game.

6. Whether Terry McAullife has any new jokes (or not).

7. The approximate number of times per day from the podium the words "strength," "safe," "strong," and "secure" will be uttered. Not to mention "respected."

8. Whether Rod O'Connor remembers to smile.

9. Whether Al Gore's tone is statesman-like or moveon-ish.

10. How quickly the CNN control room will realize that their anchors can't hear a bloody thing on the floor when the going gets loud.

11. If Boy Scouts are booed. (Or anyone booed inappropriately. )

12. If Bill Clinton has more to say about Kerry in 2004 than he did about Gore in 2000.

13. If Vince Morris's "HRC trys out for 2008" New York Post lede gets written by noon.

14. Are we able to summarize, in one paragraph, what the Kerry-Edwards plan for America's future actually is?

15. How many hours it took for the press to render all 20 portapotties unusable.

16. How many cable outlets chafed at the 24-hour notice they need to give in order to book David Wade.

17. If self-respecting print reporters have tired of writing about bloggers with even fewer readers than they have.

18. If we prefer being asked "Do you have any ABC pins?" to "Where are the best parties?"

19. How well the air conditioning works inside Fleet.

20. What the new ABC News/ Washington Post poll says tonight.

Today at noon ET, ABC News Now, our new, 24-hour news service, premiers on broadband, digital cable, and the Web. Join Peter Jennings and a gaggle of special guests for gavel-to-gavel coverage, and you will want to be there. ABC News Now is your all-access pass to the Democratic National Convention. For more information, click here: LINK

If for whatever reason you STILL don't understand how you can get ABC News Now, we, again, recommend the exceedingly clear and entertaining Robert Krulwich streaming video piece that you can launch and watch from that page.LINK

And if you want the best, up-to-the-minute convention news, tidbits, and insight, log on to Noted Now: LINK

Democratic National Convention: Teresa Heinz Kerry:

Here is the exact quote that Teresa Heinz Kerry used during her speech to the Pennsylvanian delegates, which later prompted a question by a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial writer.

"We need to turn back some of the creepy (long pause) un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that have come into our some of our politics … "

One take: She is talking about politics in general and is NOT directly referencing the Bush campaign when she makes this statement.

Another take: it's convention week — she's obviously referencing Bush.

The editorial reporter is Colin McNickle.

Here's a verbatim transcript, courtesy of ABC's Jan Simmonds:

McNickle (Tribune editorialist): (inaudible) … Un-American activity? You mentioned un-American?

THK: No, I did not say that.

M: What did you mean?

THK: I did not say that (pointing finger at reporter).

M: Well, what did you say?

THK: I did not say that.

M: I am just asking what did you say.

THK: Why are you putting those words in my mouth?

M: I thought you said something about being un-American?

THK: No I did not say that.

Later, Ms. Heinz Kerry returns.

THK to M: Are you from the Tribune Review?

M: Yes I am.

THK: Of course. (turns away quickly)

M: Come here. (taping her on the elbow)

THK: (Turns back to reporter) Understandable. You said something I didn't say, now shove it …

Marla Romash, Mrs. Heinz Kerry's chief spokesperson: "It was a moment of extreme frustration, aimed at a right-wing rag, that has consistently and almost purposefully misrepresented the facts when reporting on Mrs. Heinz Kerry."

Mrs. Heinz Kerry's remark speaks for itself, but to put the events in context, you should keep in mind that the journalist in question — McNickle — is an editorial writer for the extremely conservation Pittsburgh Tribune Review — which is owned by Hoover board member and Heritage trustee Richard Mellon Scaife.

The Washington Post has written of him "Scaife and his family's charitable entities have given at least $340 million to conservative causes and institutions--about $620 million in current dollars, adjusted for inflation. The total of Scaife's giving--to conservatives as well as many other beneficiaries--exceeds $600 million, or $1.4 billion in current dollars, much more than any previous estimate." (May 2, 1999)

Scaife's paper, you will recall, wrote a lot of negative stories about the Clintons during Whitewater. It is an unambiguously right-leaning paper (think Washington Times ).

The AP has it … LINK

The Boston Herald has it … LINK

But… the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gave it little attention … On the newspaper's webpage there was only a link to the AP story on the subject. More interesting: McNickle makes no mention of the confrontation in his convention blog; his last posting at 6:53 pm discusses the unseasonable cool weather in Boston. LINK

So this whole thing is a hill of beans — or a brilliant Romashian ploy to keep Fox News occupied throughout the day.

Questions that remain: Why did Mrs. Heinz Kerry say what she said and what did she mean? What will she say when asked about them? And how emotional is the phrase "un-American"?

Hillary Clinton this morning defended Mrs Heinz Kerry's remarks on CNN.

The morning shows:

The morning shows led with Kerry's first pitch and the Democrats' first day of their convention.

Kerry's First Pitch: Lots of Coverage But Not Entirely Positive:

Dan Harris began ABC's coverage and led with the "cheers and jeers" Senator John Kerry received at Fenway last night.

NBC's coverage of Senator John Kerry's first pitch at Fenway was negative. In the opening headlines, Katie Couric, who is dating Sox co-owner Tom Werner and who was also in attendance at Sunday's game, said, The Senator got a "mixed reaction" last night when he threw out the first pitch. In her package, Campbell Brown said it was "not an ideal reception" with "some of the crowd greeting Kerry with boos."

Coverage of the pitch was more positive on CBS' "Early Show." CBS' Cynthia Bowers described Kerry's first pitch as part of the Democrats' "master plan." CBS showed Kerry with the headset on at the game saying, "I'm glad to be here. This is so much fun."

Teresa Heinz Kerry: "Shove It."

On ABC's "Good Morning America," Dan Harris prominently featured Teresa Heinz Kerry's "shove it" comments though he was careful to note that the comments were made to an editorial writer of the conservative, Mellon Scaife-owned Pittsburgh Tribune.

CNN put up a graphic of the statement released by the Kerry campaign about the "shove it" statement: "This was sheer frustration, aimed at a right-wing rag, that has consistently and purposefully misrepresented the facts in reporting on Mrs. Kerry and her family."

Asked about THK's "shove off" comment on CBS' "Early Show," Senator Clinton said Mrs. Kerry, "Wants to do what she can to change the direction of the country. I think people understand that."

On CNN's "American Morning," Senator Clinton said of THK's "shove it" comment that "a lot of Americans will say, 'You Go Girl.'"

Democratic National Convention: Kerry-Edwards 2004:

Dan Balz on Boston's positive message … or so KE04 hopes:LINK

Adam Nagourney and David Rosenbaum: LINK

Marc Sandalow: LINK

Boston cackles with excitement: LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's John Harwood and David Rogers look at Kerry's aim to persuade those who show little interest in politics that he's the man who can make the country safer and help the economic status of Americans.

David Rogers of the Wall Street Journal (a/k/a translator of politicans who are vets) offers a look at how his service in Vietnam shaped Senator Kerry, and gives yet another (newish-to-us-sounding) explanation — furnished by Kerry — of why he threw away his ribbons and not his medals as he protested the Vietnam War: his boyhood friend, Richard Pershing, who died in Vietnam.