The Note

ByABC News
December 17, 2003, 9:35 AM

W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 16&#151;<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

2:30 am: Gen. Wesley Clark testifies in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic9:30 am: President Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act, The White House9:45 am: Off-camera press gaggle with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan11:00 am: Sen. John Kerry gives a major foreign policy speech at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa11:00 am: Rev. Al Sharpton receives formal endorsements from New York Reps. Jose Serrano and Ed Towns and speaks about Saddam Hussein's capture at City Hall, New York City11:30 am.: Sen. Joe Lieberman gives a major speech about the economy and foreign policy at Electropac Co. Inc., Manchester, N.H.12:30 pm: On-camera press briefing with White House Press Secretary McClellan12:30 pm: Gov. Howard Dean speaks at a rally, Sun City, Ariz.1:05 pm: President Bush signs four bills and participates in photo opportunities for African-American history, veterans, aviation, and hometown heroes, The White House1:50 pm: President Bush signs the American Dream Downpayment Act, HUD Building, D.C.2:30 pm: Rep. Dennis Kucinich speaks to the San Francisco Bar Association, San Francisco3:30 pm: Amb. Carol Moseley Braun appears on CNN's "Inside Politics"4:00 pm: Gov. Dean speaks at a rally, Yuma, Ariz.5:15 pm: President and Mrs. Bush attend the Diplomatic Corps Holiday at the Blair House, D.C.6:00 pm: Sen. Lieberman visits diners at Martha's Exchange restaurant, Nashua, N.H.6:40 pm: Gov. Dean attends a rally, Sierra Vista, Ariz.8:00 pm: President Bush is interviewed by ABCNEWS' Diane Sawyer on a special edition of Primetime9:00 pm: Rep. Kucinich attends a fundraiser and forum with Rep. Lynn Woolsey at Dominican University, San Rafael, Calif.9:25 pm: Gov. Dean attends a rally, Las Cruces, N.M.9:45 pm: Gen. Clark is greeted by Kosovar Albanians at Logan Airport, Boston

NEWS SUMMARY

Diane Sawyer's world exclusive interview with President Bush the timing of which is described by the New York Post as akin to winning the lottery will be previewed on World News Tonight and shown in full on the ABC television network at 8 pm ET this very day.

At ABC News, we don't just wait for luck to fall in our collective laps, however we go out and make it happen.

So while you sit back and wait for this big time, primetime Primetime event starting in less than 12 hours!! you can occupy yourselves with the political world's new favorite spectator sport: watching to see if the Democrats Not Named "Dean" can use the capture of Saddam Hussein to topple a man they see as nearly as despotic and illegitimate as the former Iraqi strongman.

Today, Senators Kerry and Lieberman plan foreign policy addresses that seem more about continuing to try to dislodge Dean as they are about laying out their own visions.

While the questions being raised are intended to go to Dean's judgment, experience, and general election viability, it's not clear how this group gang-up (along with Clark, Edwards, and Gephardt) is going so far.

But you can bet that they are watching things closely in Burlington, where they feign disdain as a matter of course.

In some ways, the most frontal assault on Dean's foreign policy creds is coming from the shadows.

But the press is finally shining its flashlight on the mushrooming world of the 527s, giving that nicely named "Americans for Jobs, Healthcare & Progressive Values" a shot of sun as it rails against the perils of unregulated money and groups whose donors aren't known to the light of day.

Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times calls the group's latest anti- Dean attack ad featuring Osama Bin Laden "by far the toughest commercial of the primary election season." LINK

You can see the ad for yourself, conveniently linked from the Dean campaign website as a fundraising tool. LINK

We really, really want to see more stories on this group and who is funding it, given just how much money it's spending, just how negative its spots are, and just how closely linked its organizers are to at least a few of the Gang of Eight.

And we promise we are working on it, too.

The Washington Post 's ed board goes hard on Dick Gephardt, writing, "You'd think a statement of support for openness might carry some weight, given how many of Mr. Gephardt's fans are bankrolling the organization. Mr. Gephardt was a moving force behind campaign finance reform. His lack of interest in the subject now is telling." LINK

Note that the Washington Post weighed in on the group Saturday as well, asking whether the money behind the group is "from unions that back Mr. Gephardt but don't want to be publicly connected to this anti-Dean campaign? At least some such unions have been solicited. Or is it from a few wealthy donors who don't like Mr. Dean and perhaps are backing another one of the trailing Democratic candidates? From Republicans who want to take Mr. Dean down a few notches? There's no way for a voter in Iowa to know, not in time for that information to make a difference." LINK

As one labor donor who gave to the group told us here at The Note "the (earlier) gun ad certainly isn't what was expected and there is some disappointment about that."

Stay tuned, dear readers we promise there'll be more.

Today is also special because it is the day on which America traditionally celebrates The Day After Donna Brazile's birthday.

It's also Lieberman spokesguy Jano Cabrera's very special 30th birthday (The man doesn't act, erh, seem a day over 23 .) and the indeterminate birthday of the woman about whom Senator John Edwards (D-Robbins) tells The Note: "Our Tiger is smart, sweet and feisty as a gamecock. All of at the Edwards campaign wish her the happiest of birthdays."

As for Cabrera, Senator Lieberman tells The Note: "I want to publicly wish my Minister of Information Jano Cabrera a happy 30th birthday. I value his skills tremendously and want the world to know that if I were President today, Jano Cabrera would be in power, not in prison."

President Bush has his interview with ABCNEWS' Diane Sawyer, signs various bills and attends the Diplomatic Corps Holiday in Washington, D.C. today.

Gov. Dean campaigns in Arizona and New Mexico today.

Senator Kerry gives a major foreign policy speech in Iowa this morning and attends fundraisers in New Jersey tonight.

Senator Lieberman gives a major speech in New Hampshire on the economy that will also touch on foreign policy.

Gen. Wesley Clark continues his testimony in the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic today. He returns tonight to Boston, where he will be greeted at the airport by Kosovar Albanians.

Senator Edwards and Rep. Gephardt have no public events today.

Amb. Moseley Braun appears on CNN's "Inside Politics" this afternoon.

Rev. Sharpton receives the endorsement of two New York congressmen and speaks about Saddam Hussein's capture in New York today.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich attends a fundraiser and speaks to the San Francisco Bar Association today.

The politics of capture:

Writing on the president's news conference, David Sanger Notes the Iraqi "transition to self-governance is scheduled to begin in the summer, just months before the American presidential election. Mr. Bush, appearing buoyed by the weekend's events, announced, almost as an aside, that he would be running in that election." LINK

David Von Drehle does a news analysis in the Washington Post in which he plays Derida, deconstructing the words of President Bush and Governor Dean on the war both seeming to try to play against type. LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Harwood and Schlesinger broaden out a bit still with a Dean focus looking at what this all does to the Democrats' White House chances, through the prism of the WSJ/Zucker poll.