The Note

W A S H I N G T O N, Nov. 20&#151;<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—4:45 am: President Bush lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, London—6:00 am: President Bush meets with Prime Minister Tony Blair, London—7:15 am: President Bush and Prime Minister Blair hold a press conference, London—8:00 am: Sen. John Kerry attends a breakfast at the Silver Slipper Restaurant, Tallahassee, Fla.—8:45 am: Sen. John Edwards discusses health care at Meharry Medical College, Nashville—9:25 am: President Bush takes part in a roundtable on HIV and AIDS, London—9:30 am: Senate convenes for legislative business—10:00 am: House convenes for legislative business—11:15 am: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun visits Cat's Barbershop, Columbia, S.C.—12:30 pm: Ambassador Moseley Braun speaks at the University of South Carolina Law School, Columbia, S.C.—2:00 pm: Gov. Howard Dean holds a town hall meeting, Henniker, N.H.—2:30 pm: Gen. Wesley Clark speaks to the Council on Foreign Relations, New York City—2:30 pm: Ambassador Moseley Braun speaks at Wilkenson High School, Orangeburg, S.C.—3:00 pm: President Bush attends a dinner at Winfield House, London—3:00 pm: Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks to the Commonwealth Club, Palo Alto, Calif.—4:00 pm: Ambassador Moseley Braun speaks at Voorhees College, Denmark, S.C.—4:30 pm: Gen. Clark tapes an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, New York City—4:45 pm: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gives a closed briefing to House members, Capitol Hill—7:00 pm: Gov. Dean attends a youth forum at St. Anselm College, Manchester, N.H. Rep. Kucinich will participate via phone from Washington, D.C.—7:30 pm: Gov. Dean attends a town hall meeting at Salem High School, Salem, N.H.—8:00 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a Kerry Core campaign event, D.C.

NEWS SUMMARY

Cable TV and the morning shows might be wacko for Jacko, and the holidays might be fast approaching, but keep your eye on Medicare, more Dean attacks, major terrorist attacks, mojo of the Bush-Cheney-Evans economy, and measuring of public opinion by the Los Angeles Times.

On Medicare:

The Washington Post 's Broder and Goldstein look at the GOP courtship of the AARP, including some hands-on POTUS involvement. LINK

While Speaker Newt gives a still-on-track Medicare bill a push LINK, the Wall Street Journal ed board comes out hard against the final deal: "Republicans are offering the certainty of trillions in new entitlements in return for the mere promise of future reform, and that's too expensive a gamble for principled conservatives to support."

Across the page, Al Hunt bashes Democratic "defector" Max Baucus, in whom he sees the very traits that has made him an attractive target for Bush White House legislative strategists from the get-go.

However the legislative process ends, Hunt's vitriol is representative of the Left's feeling of unraveling over the president's push to neutralize seniors' health care in the polling, just as he has done with education.

On Dean:

With the Democratic race defined by who can take Dean down and how, Joe Lieberman and Wes Clark, who favor more government regulation of business, assail Howard Dean for favoring more governmental regulation of business. LINK

John DiStaso has another must-read Granite Status in which he transcribes the views of a number of AARP members who left Tuesday's Bedford forum with the unique insight that Howard Dean seems smug. LINK

November and December and January are going to be a lot about Trippi/Enright/Carson telling us about how the actions of the other campaigns are regrettable, sad, desperate, Beltwayish, and unfortunate, even as Dr. Dean continues his own "contrasts" on the "issues" with his rivals, which, in Burlington, are considered neither regrettable nor sad.

On the 43 economy (read it slow and it rhymes):

Robert Samuelson writes very very bullishly about the 2003/2004 economy and the bennys that will give the CREEP. LINK

This is must-read matter, and not just for Rob Nichols.

On the polling:

Addicts will read every word of both long Los Angeles Times national poll write-ups, although the results are largely in line with what other reputable national polls have found of late about the 50-50 nation, the sources of the president's popularity, the wrong tracking, and the state of the Democratic nomination fight.

Ron Brownstein and Susan Pincus do the honors: LINK and LINK

And, we are happy to announce that Wes Clark will join the other eight leading Democratic presidential candidates on the campus of the University of New Hampshire on Dec. 9 at 7 pm ET for a debate.

Clark's team was able to move a Gotham fundraiser to the next night, so he could keep his perfect attendance record. ABC News' Ted Koppel and WMUR's Scott Spradling will question the candidates.

As for us, today is the last Note until Dec. 1, when we return tan, rested, and semi-ready.

As we suspected/predicted, many of you contacted us to express your views on our going turkey fishing, but our favorite rejoinder came from DeanforAmerica, who wrote:

Dear People at The Note:

The Dean campaign was at first distressed to learn that The Note will not publish again until December 1. After all what's the purpose of doing anything if it won't be Noted?

However, after some thought we've decided to join The Note and take some time off the campaign trail. We will be putting all of our efforts into preparing our People Powered Howard themed float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The float will feature bloggers from around the country as well as a lip sync performance of "We Can" by the Dean campaign's very own telephone hold singer, Joanne.

Our down time will give the People Powered Howard dancers time to perfect their "You've Got the Power" dance routine they will perform live on camera when the float stops in front of Macy's. (We really hope Matt and Katie like it!)

So to The Note, we say thank you for giving us the excuse to slow down and shift gears. We hope you enjoy your banana stuffing as much as we're going to enjoy our Jell-O and mini marshmallow mold. And, of course, we hope you tune in to the parade (sorry it's the wrong network) and have a People Powered Thanksgiving!

Sent via BlackBerry — a service from AT&T Wireless.

President Bush continues on in London today.

Gov. Dean campaigns in New Hampshire.

Senator Kerry is in Florida and D.C.

Rep. Gephardt has no public events today.

Gen. Clark delivers a foreign policy address — that the campaign bills as "major" — at the Council on Foreign Relations and holds a fundraiser in New York City.

Senator Edwards campaigns in Tennessee.

Senator Lieberman is in California.

Rep. Kucinich has no public events.

Rev. Sharpton campaigns in South Carolina.

Ambassador Moseley Braun campaigns in South Carolina.

While The Note spends Monday through Wednesday of next week away — Thursday eating, and Friday sleeping — there really won't be a whole lot going on in the world of politics — which is fine by us.

On Monday, there will be a Democratic presidential candidates debate in Des Moines. The candidates will be making their usual stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, with other runs expected in the mix too. We expect them to all eat well, though we're curious about what Congressman Kucinich fills up on for T-Day. Tofurkey?

Big Casino budget politics: Medicare:

The Wall Street Journal 's Laurie McGinley reports that AARP's chief is under fire from disgruntled Democrats and seniors over the group's endorsement of the Medicare bill. A group of AARP members burned their membership cares outside the organization's Washington, D.C. headquarters on Wednesday, and its president, William Novelli, is being vilified by the likes of Senate Miniority Leader Tom Daschle and accused of being a closet Republican who sold seniors out.

And it's getting more personal.

"Increasingly, the attacks on Mr. Novelli aren't about what is in the bill. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California Wednesday criticized Mr. Novelli for writing the foreword to an April 2003 book on health care by Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, who in 1995 tried to slash future Medicare spending. Democrats also have been circulating e-mails noting that Mr. Novelli in 1972 worked on the re-election campaign of President Nixon."

As the director of AARP who pushed his organization to support the Medicare legislation, Novelli is the man of the hour. The Los Angeles Times' Elizabeth Shogren has the story. LINK

The New York Times ' Robert Pear and Robin Toner report "Democratic leaders mounted a furious new attack" on the Medicare measure, "assailing the endorsement by AARP on Monday as a betrayal of the organization's members and as a capitulation to the Republicans." Pear Notes Newt's cameo at a closed-door House GOP caucus. And we Note Newt's Norquist cameo at the Wednesday Session. Trying to prevent those wayward-wishing true believers from straying from the leadership's straight and narrow is no easy job! LINK

Speaking of Medicare and the AARP, The Note has confirmed that Democratic money man and famed Austin admaker Roy Spence's firm GSD&M is producing the AARP spot with the help of production company HKM. Spence, a longtime FOB (remember that term? ah, how long ago it all seems … ), is a Lieberman backer this time around — though his wife hosted a fundraiser for The General not so long ago.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Senator Feinstein's likely "yes" vote. LINK

Al Hunt blasts Senator Max Baucus' lack of skills and backbone in setting the stage for a "fraudulent" Medicare bill. Baucus has the clout to have sent the measure back for retooling, but caved in the end. Through the lens of Medicare, Hunt flames Baucus' whole career.

Don't miss Newt Gingrich's Wall Street Journal op-ed urging conservatives to get on board the Medicare train in what amounts to an open letter saying that this may be the most important vote in any conservative's career.

Be sure to read to the end:

"Obstructionist conservatives can always find reasons to vote no, but that path leads right back into the minority and it would be a minority status they would deserve."

The Wall Street Journal ed board argues that the GOP's Medicare bill trades certain spending for speculative reform.

The Union-Leader's editorial board says "just say no" to the Medicare bill. LINK

As Republicans and Democrats wrangle over the Medicare bill, Bob Novak says it may just cut both ways, with the new bill's ''means testing'' turning out to be a tax increase for upper income senior Americans. LINK

The Washington Post 's Helen Dewar writes up Gingrich's efforts to allay conservative Republicans' fears that the Medicare bill does not tilt enough toward the private sector. LINK