The Note
W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 4—<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):
—8:30 am: Sen. Joseph Lieberman discusses protecting children, Monadnock Early Learning Center, Peterborough, N.H.—9:30 am: Off-camera White House press gaggle with Scott McClellan—10:00 am: Sen. Lieberman discusses protecting children, The Adult Learning Center, Nashua, N.H.—10:10 am: President Bush meets with the King of Jordan, Oval Office—10:15 am: Rep. Dennis Kucinich eats breakfast with local students and activists, Brueggers Bagels, Ann Arbor, Mich.—10:30 am: Gen. Wesley Clark speaks with Nashua residents, Daniel Webster College, Nashua, N.H.—10:55 am: President Bush signs the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, White House—11:45 am: Sen. John Edwards meets with Marshall County Democratic activists, Marshalltown, Iowa—12:00 pm: Gov. Howard Dean attends a fundraiser, Renaissance Dallas Hotel, Dallas—12:15 pm: Rep. Kucinich speaks to a panel of local student activists and joins striking Borders Bookstore workers, Ann Arbor, Mich.—12:30 pm: On-camera White House press briefing with Scott McClellan, White House—1:00 pm: Sen. Edwards meets with Grundy County Democratic activists, Grundy Center, Iowa—1:00 pm: National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers release their State Fiscal Report, D.C.—2:00 pm: Amb. Carol Moseley Braun speaks to the Women's Leadership Program at George Washington University, D.C.—2:15 pm: Sen. Edwards holds a roundtable discussion with Black Hawk County Democratic activists, Waterloo, Iowa—2:35 pm: Rep. Kucinich addresses supporters walking from Maine to California, East Lansing, Mich.—4:30 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a town hall meeting at La Familia Health Center, Santa Fe—5:00 pm: President and Mrs. Bush participate in the Pageant of Peace, D.C.—5:00 pm: Former President Bill Clinton and Jim and Sarah Brady attend a fundraiser for the Brady Bill's 10th anniversary, D.C.—5:30 pm: Gen. Clark attends a fundraiser featuring Better Than Ezra at Club 1223, D.C.—6:00 pm: Gen. Clark attends Woman's National Democratic Club Reception, D.C.—6:00 pm: Amb. Moseley Braun meets with the DC State Democratic Committee, D.C.—6:30 pm: Rep. Richard Gephardt speaks to the media, LIU regional office, Sacramento—6:45 p.m.: Rep. Kucinich joins Sen. Russ Feingold to address the Gamaliel Foundation's Rolling Thunder assembly, Milwaukee—7:30 pm: Gov. Dean attends a fundraiser, Chicago—8:45 pm: Sen. Lieberman speaks at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture Annual Dinner, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York City
NEWS SUMMARY
It's Thursday, and thus time for our regularly weekly look at how the two major party frontrunners are doing.
George Bush:
Pluses: a growing economy; Democratic infighting; Democratic failure to pass the Brownstein test on foreign policy.
Minuses: those left 527 groups look like they might be as potent as Jim Dyke warned us they would be.
Howard Dean:
Pluses: (for the addicted) a Zogby poll showing him with a mammoth Granite State lead; the Washington Post says he is consolidating D.C. Establishment support, including alleged Clinton friendliness; Deborah Orin makes today "Jews hate Kerry" day; Joyce Aboussie's mastery of the circular firing squad.
Minuses: the Boston Herald brilliantly unmasks some of the secret records rhetoric; having Larry Klayman and Richard Cohen against you is not a great place to be in American politics.
President Bush meets with King Abdullah, signs the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and participates with Mrs. Bush in the Pageant of Peace.
Gov. Dean attends fundraisers in Dallas and Chicago today
Senator Kerry has no public events but attends the Heinz Awards in Pittsburgh this evening.
Rep. Gephardt speaks to the press in Sacramento today.
Gen. Clark campaigns and fundraises in New Hampshire and Washington, D.C. today.
Senator Edwards campaigns in Iowa and New Mexico today.
Senator Lieberman discusses protecting children in New Hampshire and speaks to a Jewish foundation in New York City today.
Ambassador Moseley Braun speaks and holds meetings in Washington, D.C. today.
Rev. Al Sharpton is in New York rehearsing for Saturday Night Live.
Rep. Kucinich meets with students and activists in Michigan and addresses the Rolling Thunder assembly in Milwaukee.
The Dust-up in Durham:
Did you hear about the biggest thing to hit Durham since sliced bread?
On Dec. 9 at 7 pm ET, ABC News and WMUR will host a debate in Durham, N.H., on the campus of the University of New Hampshire, with all nine Democratic presidential candidates.
As many of you know, when all else fails (like logic, objectivity, and integrity), The Note thinks with its stomach, which sometimes works as an advantage and sometimes not.
But when it comes to escaping the joyous cold and wintry mix of December in New Hampshire, The Note thinks that food, like politics, is a good thing. (Professor Sabato, please don't sue us for copyright infringement … in the spirit of the holidays and all.)
Based on our own experiences and thanks to some on-site scouting from some friends of The Note, here are some recommendations for dining in Durham and nearby townships. Just as there are must-reads most days in The Note, there are of course must-eats in New Hampshire.
We hesitate to say that there are any must-drinks, acknowledging The Note's commitment to promoting non-alcoholic social programming in compliance with our double-secret probation.
If you're looking for a good meal:
--Three Chimneys Inn: Your best bet in Durham; the prime rib is shockingly good, and you've got a pretty good chance of running into Andy Smith if you're lucky. Open 11:30 am — 9:00 pm, menus available online at LINK
--Acorns: Think: fine dining for college professors.
If you're looking to talk to the locals:
--Young's Restaurant and Coffee Shop: The local diner.
--Murphy's Tin Palace: Irish pub where the college kids drink. Locally brewed Red Hook.
--Durham House of Pizza: Exactly as it sounds.
--Aladdin's Pockets: Syrian-owned joint tucked away in the corner of the Durham Laundromat on Main Street.
If you're looking for a greasy hamburger:
--Late Night Lunch Truck: No one seems to remember the name … go figure … this is the most fun local food story. Possibly the most worthwhile food stop in Durham.
It's worth the 15-minute drive to Portsmouth where the food, drinks, and people are a little more colorful.
If you're looking for a good meal and a good glass of wine:
--Radici, 142 Congress St. Penne Gorgonzola is good. LINK
--Jumpin Jays, 150 Congress St. The Gloucester Wolf Fish, dirty style, is awesome, LINK
--Lindbergh's Crossing, 29 Ceres St. The seared rare tuna appetizer is the best in the state. LINK
--Pesce Blue, 103 Congress St. For the more trendy among us, try the house specialty Grigliata Mista if you are hungry. LINK
If you're looking for a local beer, a hamburger, and some good music: The Press Room, 77 Daniel St. The Dark and Stormy is a local favorite here.
If you are looking for a place to have more than one beer: The Portsmouth Brewery, 56 Market. Beer and light food, LINK
If you are looking for a place to have more than one drink: Poco Diablos, Ceres St. Margaritas are more than adequate; nachos are decent.
If you need late-night food or some coffee and a greasy breakfast: Gilly's, Fleet Street (in the trolley car). Open until 3 am, best local flavor. There's also the Friendly Toast, 121 Congress. The peasant breakfast is amazing.
If you need some strong coffee and a bagel: Caffé Kilim, 72 Daniel St. The Turkish coffee will get you moving.
Here are some other must-eats around the Granite State:
--Bonta, Hampton: Rumor is, ubermover and shaker/Fisher Scientific CEO Paul Montrone built the place specifically to have great Italian food close to home. It was a smart move. Fantastic.
--The Korean Place, Manchester: Best-kept food secret in the state; open Wednesday-Sunday, cash only.
--Cotton, Manchester — The single most-frequented restaurant by New Hampshire campaign staff. On any given night you will run into at least one table of campaign folks, and probably Will and Meryl.
--Richard's, Manchester: Needs no introduction.
--Baldwin's, Manchester: The new kid in town seriously aiming for "best in the state." A bit more modern/trendy than Richard's, they have a solid all-around menu.
--Suddenly Susan's, Manchester: The friendliest lunch counter and best sandwiches in New Hampshire.
--Keene Fresh Salad Company, Keene: Worth the drive to Keene, and that's saying something.
--Bedford Village Inn, Bedford: It actually achieves the "cozy and elegant" that so many try for. The Chicken scaloppini is a great way to fight off the chill of a winter New Hampshire night.
--Thompson House Eatery, Jackson: The best food north of the Lakes.
--The Crystal Quail, Center Barnstead: You gotta love a place that quotes David Broder on its Web site, praising its food. Reservations required; only three tables, off a dirt road, bring your own wine.
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:
There is optimism at the Bush-Cheney '04 headquarters over the latest economic numbers, New York Daily News' DeFrank reports, as "surging stock market, low inflation, rising consumer confidence and robust economic growth have prompted Bush's campaign managers to conclude the economy will prove a political asset to Bush — despite a huge net decline in the labor force since 2001, especially in manufacturing jobs."
DeFrank notes a change in President Bush's rhetoric on the economy: "For more than two years, Bush has been defensive about the economy. In recent stump speeches, however, he has turned more bullish."LINK
The Bush Cheney '04 folks have announced Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle will chair their re-elect efforts in her state, with
Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona backing her up, and Kauai's and Maui's mayors among the honorary chairs.
The Hill's Jonathan Kaplan reports on the bad blood between GOP lawmakers and party leaders, stemming from the Iraq reconstruction bill and the Medicare legislation. President Bush became personally involved in the internal battle while lobbying Congress on the Medicare bill:
"Well-placed sources said Bush hung up on freshman Rep. Tom Feeney after Feeney said he couldn't support the Medicare bill. The House passed it by only two votes after Hastert kept the roll-call vote open for an unprecedented stretch of nearly three hours in the middle of the night.
Feeney, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives whom many see as a rising star in the party, reportedly told Bush: "I came here to cut entitlements, not grow them."
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