The Note

ByABC News
June 21, 2004, 10:08 AM

W A S H I N G T O N, June 21, 2004&#151;<br> -- NOTED NOW

TODAY SCHEDULE (all times ET)

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NEWS SUMMARY

Ten political questions to which you should want the answers:

1. What will the first post-Reagan ABC News/Washington Post numbers say tonight at 6:30 pm ET on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings?

2. Will the Bill Clinton and Michael Moore PR machines dovetail or clash?

3. Will any swing voters enter their polling places in November with the words "Halliburton," "Guantanamo," "Wilson," or "Dukakis" on their minds?

4. Will John Kerry choose from the Edwards/Gephardt/Vilsack list, or someone NOT from that list?

5. Which article more caught Karl Rove's eye: the USA Today story on how Clinton could impact the race for Arkansas electoral votes, or the Washington Post story about the mobilization of union foot soldiers in Pennsylvania?

6. Are the people in charge of compliance for the fundraising of Kerry campaign and the DNC re-looking at their procedures this Monday morning?

7. How much obsessing will NSC spokesguy (and People magazine "hot" bachelor) Jim Wilkinson do about the kicker quote in Al Kamen's column? ("'The guy is a PR genius. The fact that he could convince anyone that he is remotely hot is an impressive achievement,' said one Bush adviser.")

8. Just exactly when, FPPO, is that 9/11 report coming out, and, as Bill Safire points out, whatup with the commissioners acting like their staff is footloose and fancy free?

9. What does Jim Dyke think of the pure comedy of John Kerry going from Nantucket to Aspen?

10. Which gold medal-bound Olympic athletes are from swing states and who do they support for president?

Today, President Bush travels to Cincinnati for a 4:00 pm ET conversation on compassion and marriage in poor communities and a 6:10 pm ET fundraiser.

Sen. Kerry launches a week focusing on the economy and scientific research with a 5:00 pm ET Denver speech sandwiched between Aspen and Denver fundraisers.

Earlier, Vice President Cheney speaks about the economy in Henderson, Nev., at noon ET and then travels to Springfield, Mo., for a 5:50 pm ET campaign rally.

Ralph Nader announces his running mate at 1:00 pm ET at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

Along with Matthew Dowd and Susan Pinkus, we eagerly anticipate the release today of the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll on Iraq and politics.

This afternoon the Senate debates the defense budget bill -- the final vote is expected tomorrow.

We'll watch and wait to see if John Rowland is Connecticut's governor by day's end. LINK

The rest of this week . . .

On Tuesday former President Bill Clinton's book, "My Life," is released, and he appears on "Oprah" and signs books in New York. President Bush is at the White House and Sen. Kerry is in Albuquerque and San Francisco. Prison guard Lynndie England has an Article 32 hearing in Fort Bragg, N.C. for allegedly abusing Iraqi detainees. Teresa Heinz Kerry campaigns in Miami, and Laura Bush holds an online chat.

On Wednesday President Bush speaks about compassion and AIDS in Philadelphia and awards the Medals of Freedom at the White House. Among the recipients: journalist Robert Bartley, actress Doris Day, church leader Gordon Hinckley, make-up magnate Estée Lauder, and golfer Arnold Palmer. Pope John Paul II also received his medal in a previous ceremony. Sen. Kerry addresses the SEUI convention and holds a fundraiser in San Francisco, and Teresa Heinz Kerry campaigns in Orlando and New Orleans. In Washington, Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz and Joint Chiefs Chairman Myers testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and from New York, former President Clinton appears on "Good Morning America" and "Today Show." The Green Party's national convention begins in Milwaukee, Wis., and lasts until Monday, June 28. The Greens will nominate their presidential candidate on Saturday night. And in Washington on Wednesday, the liberal and press elite get a screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

On Thursday President Bush is down, Sen. Kerry speaks at the AFSCME convention in Anaheim and attends a fundraiser in Los Angeles, and prison guard Sabrina Harman has her Article 32 hearing in Baghdad for allegedly abusing Iraqi detainees.

On Friday President Bush travels to Ireland for the US-EU summit, Sen. Kerry is in Ohio and attends a fundraiser in New York, "Fahrenheit 9/11" opens nationally, and Sen. Edwards and Gov. Vilsack speak at the Iowa state convention Friday night and Saturday morning.

"My Life":

The Washington Post's John Harris looks at the two-books-in-one approach of "My Life," and Notes that Clinton's almost obsessive look at the demons and triumphs of his personal life may not exactly be the stuff of history. LINK

"The memoir and promotional campaign have revived an issue that Clinton and his aides often confronted while he was president: How much should Clinton give vent to his personal grievances and feed the insatiable public curiosity about his private life? As president, Clinton usually -- though not always -- decided that doing so was against his political interest. As author, he and his publisher have decided that their interests lie in revelations about adultery, marital crisis and coping with the adult consequences of childhood dysfunction."

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz Notes that Clinton "is in no danger of getting the Ronald Reagan treatment." LINK

Particularly from book critics. On Sunday, Michiko Kakutani said of "My Life": "The book, which weighs in at more than 950 pages, is sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull -- the sound of one man prattling away, not for the reader, but for himself and some distant recording angel of history." LINK

Time magazine's Joe Klein and Michael Duffy talk to former President Clinton about "My Life": the lessons he learned, the accomplishments of his presidency, his feelings about Ken Starr, plans for his funeral, his "60 Minutes" interview, and succeeding in politics. Clinton: "I think the great trick to a successful run in politics is to have both what you've called the wussy-mommy qualities and the macho-tough qualities. If you're only one or the other, you're going to get into trouble." LINK

USA Today's Kathy Kiely looks at how the Clinton book blitz can help Sen. John Kerry's presidential run - in former Gov. Clinton's home state of Arkansas, a battleground state this year. "Many political observers here think the only way Kerry can beat Bush in Arkansas is to recruit Clinton as his surrogate-in-chief." LINK

The New York Times' Kirkpatrick comes to no conclusions about the book's impact on campaign 2004, but explores how Clinton detractors are prepared to remind readers, listeners, and viewers what they didn't like about Bill Clinton. LINK

This graf doesn't seem to have made it into the print edition but does appear in the online version of the story:

"A spokesman for Mr. Clinton's publisher, Knopf, declined to comment. The spokesman, Paul Bogaards, has acknowledged in the past that he and Mr. Clinton's advisers convened for daily conference calls to plan the promotional campaign to defend against potential attacks by his enemies as well as to try to reach his fans. But Mr. Bogaards declined to discuss specifics."

The Boston Globe's Stockman acknowledges that whatever anyone thinks about the former President's memoir, "the interviews and excerpts from the book also offer a psychological profile of a complicated man who has had years to reflect on the mistakes and successes of his presidency." LINK

The Boston Herald ed board Notes that the Clinton publicity blitz is "just the antidote liberals need to the weeklong remembrances that honored conservative icon Ronald Reagan." LINK

USA Today prints a mini cheat sheet to presidential memoirs: LINK

The New York Daily News plays up Clinton's comments regarding Chelsea in its recap of the "60 Minutes" interview. LINK

On Sunday, the Washington Post's John Harris previewed President Clinton's book and "60 Minutes" interview, focusing on Clinton's somewhat confusing views on the war in Iraq, siding with President Bush for confronting the dangers there while questioning his motivations and timing. LINK

The New York Post's Clinton coverage today includes a look at Clinton's would-be career as a doorman at the Plaza Hotel, LINK his missing the signs of his brother's cocaine addiction, and a preview to an allegedly heated moment in an upcoming BBC interview LINK.

Iowa politicos chime in on what they hope to read. LINK

In more important Clinton news, plans for his Little Rock Presidential Park have been unveiled, including "statues of Harriet Tubman, a fisherman, and an eagle soaring from under a rock" according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

The Wall Street Journal's Greg Hitt notes the favorable job numbers in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Watch for economic gains to be a theme in Bush-Cheney '04 campaign ads in six battleground states where President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Sen. Kerry are traveling this week, reports The AP's Nedra Pickler.