The Note
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NEWS SUMMARY
There are two kinds of people in America: those with a direct role to play in the prison abuse scandal and those without one.
Most Note readers are in the first group, but for the 61 of you who aren't, here's a handy guide to what we are all doing:
Gang of 500: Taking one glancing look at the new Gallup numbers and issuing a collective swoon, "THE PRISON ABUSE SCANDAL IS HURTING THE PRESIDENT'S POLL NUMBERS!!!! THE PRISON ABUSE SCANDAL IS HURTING THE PRESIDENT'S POLL NUMBERS!!!!"
Anchor bookers: Looking for the mother of all gets — the first (teary) interview with a pictured abuser, explaining the moment and pointing fingers upward.
The Kerry campaign: Trying to take maximum political advantage of the prison abuse scandal without appearing to try to take maximum political advantage of the prison abuse scandal.
White House officials: Resigning themselves to "this" — the incessant questions, the way it infects EVERYTHING, the distractions, the unexplored practical and psychological implications on the nation, the world, and the president's election-year schedule (including those foreign trips).
Investigative reporters: E-mailing DOD sources, looking to bust something open.
Congressional staffers: Wondering when their bosses will realize that being portrayed in the media as demanding to see photos that involve sexual acts is, well, sort of odd.
Pentagon officials: Saying the right things (mostly) on the record; leaking like a sieve off the record and on background.
Bush campaign staffers: Hoping for a return to issues under the president's control.
Fox News Channel executives: Dialing back the use of the abuse photos and attempting to put them in context.
White House speechwriters: Doing a lot of research.
Rush Limbaugh: Continuing to throw whatever he can up against the wall and waiting to see what sticks like a brand new Wacky Wall Crawler.
Broadcast network executives: Wondering how much more of these events should be taken live to the full network.
Tad Devine, Mike Donilon, Mark McKinnon, Russ Schriefer, and Stuart Stevens: Reminding themselves of the old adperson's adage: "All human beings were born to do three things: eat, breathe, and critically judge advertising."
Focus group mediators of all stripes: Trying to decide whether to show the photos to the groups, or just talk about them, and asking about opportunity, responsibility, and community.
Donald Rumsfeld: Secretly considering resigning, or having no plans to resign whatsoever.
The Iraqi people: Letting their hearts and minds wander every which way.
The late night comics: Having a field day.
The book publishers: Scheming at Michael's and the Four Seasons about when to pull the trigger (and with whom).
Today, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone and others testify before a two-part Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
President Bush begins a three-day focus on education, traveling to Van Buren, Ark., to speak about the No Child Left Behind Act.
Sen. Kerry continues his focus on health care, touring a family health center and speaking in Louisville before attending a fundraising luncheon there. Later Kerry participates in a campaign rally in Jacksonville, Fla., before flying to Orlando.
