The Note

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 28&#151;<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—7:30 am: Senator Joe Lieberman speaks to the Concord Chamber of Commerce, Concord, N.H. —8:30 am: Congressman Dennis Kucinich attends an "Eggs and Politics" breakfast, Bedford, N.H.—9:30 am: Senate convenes for legislative business—9:40 am: Off-camera White House press gaggle with Scott McClellan —10:00 am: Senator John Edwards meets with Appanoose County Democrats, Centerville, Iowa —10:15 am: President Bush meets with the president of Romania, White House —10:30 am: Congressman Kucinich speaks to preschoolers, parents, and teachers at Mont Vernon Kindergarten, Mont Vernon, N.H. —10:45 am: Governor Howard Dean attends a campaign rally at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. —11:00 am: General Wesley Clark delivers a speech on health care, Durham, N.H. —11:15 am: President Bush holds a news conference in the Rose Garden, White House—11:30 am: Senator Edwards meets with Monroe County Democrats, Albia, Iowa —11:30 am: Congressman Kucinich speaks to students at St. Anselm College, Manchester, N.H. —11:35 am: Senator Lieberman takes part in a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital presidential candidate forum, Lebanon, N.H. —11:50 am: Congressman Kucinich has lunch with students and faculty at St. Anselm College, Manchester, N.H. —1:00 pm: Senator Lieberman attends the grand opening of a local campaign headquarters, Lebanon, N.H. —1:30 pm: Congressman Dick Gephardt delivers a health care policy speech, Des Moines —1:50 pm: President Bush signs the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, White House —4:30 pm: Senator Edwards holds a town hall forum on health care, Las Cruces, N.M. —6:00 pm: Senator Edwards meets with Hispanic community leaders, Las Cruces, N.M. —6:00 pm: President Bush attends the Iftaar Dinner with ambassadors and Muslim leaders, White House —6:00 pm: Congressman Gephardt meets with Story County Democrats, Ames, Iowa —6:00 pm: Senator John Kerry attends a house party with supporters, Plaistow, N.H. —8:00 pm: Senator Kerry attends a house party with supporters, East Kingston, N.H. —8:30 pm: General Clark attends a fundraiser with New York Young Professionals for Clark, New York City —8:30 pm: Congressman Gephardt meets with Hamilton County Democrats, Webster City, Iowa

NEWS SUMMARY

Daily political journalism doesn't leave much time for introspective contemplation.

It takes an agile mind (and bosses who revel in your big-foot status) to occasionally step back and write something that is bigger than just, say, "Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes brought his message of hope, growth, and opportunity to Davenport, Iowa, today, promising to end 'the corruption of the Clinton years' through a flat tax system."

With Johnny Apple trying to find the best scallion pancake on three continents, the biggest of big feet this cycle belong to a handful of diverse white men from various publications and media — and two of the best weigh in today with major pieces that explain why — even in a 50-50 nation, and even with today's Iraq Quagmire stories filled with quotes more-41-than-43 — the Democratic presidential nominee TBD remains an underdog.

Brownstein's Los Angeles Times must-read makes two main points: LINK

a. Howard Dean's success on the Iraq issue is driving the field to the "left" on war and peace.

b. Howard Dean's success on the war is allowing that issue to dominate the debate, crowding out anti-Dean attacks from Gephardt and Kerry on entitlements and taxes that, in a "normal" election year, with a "normal" target candidate, would be doing serious damage to Dean's chances.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal , television pretty boy Alan Murray does some Karl Rove code breaking, pointing out that from Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt on the left, to Joe Lieberman on the right, Democrats have all placed various body parts in the president's trap on tax cuts (although, since it is a family newspaper, Murray restricts himself to "feet").

Murray says that "as long as economic policy remains up front, Mr. Bush will be driving," because the deficit doesn't cut as an issue, and the Democrats "are all stuck peddling responsibility and sacrifice, an unpleasant alternative to Mr. Bush's cash on the barrel."

And we are less than 48 hours away from the Gauzy Growth figures of the 3rd quarter that will change the presidential race as we have known it.

Students of history — including Bill Clinton — will recall that the image of Democrats as weak on defense and in favor of tax increases was a big part of what kept the party out of the White House for many years.

And the "values" piece, believe you us, is on the way too.

Still, there IS that Iraq stuff.

With a presidential news conference laid on this morning, the White House hopes to deal with the Iraqi issue with POTUS force, and, presumably, deal with the unpleasantness in the morning papers.

"The White House strategy, one senior official noted, depends heavily on choking off those funds, guns and explosives so that the Hussein loyalists are gradually starved of resources. 'To look at the plan,' the senior official said, 'the starvation effect should have started a few months ago. It didn't — and that's something to worry about,'" quotes the New York Times ' David Sanger. LINK

"'I am not happy with the kind of information we are getting,'" a "senior intelligence official" tells the Washington Post 's Milbank and Ricks. LINK

As for the inside game, The Note can't resist touting two personnel moves within the Democratic firmament that are H-U-G-E.

(Journalist) Michael Kramer to the Clark campaign.

Academician David Morehouse to the Kerry campaign.

More on both below.

President Bush meets with the president of Romania this morning, and will hold a Rose Garden press conference at 11:15 a.m. He will also attend a bill signing ceremony for the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act. Tonight, he attends a dinner with ambassadors and Muslim leaders.

General Clark gives a speech on health care at the University of New Hampshire this morning. He then heads to New York City for a fundraiser with young professionals.

Senator Kerry attends a pair of house parties in New Hampshire.

Governor Dean campaigns in Boulder, Colorado.

Congressman Gephardt campaigns in Iowa.

Senator Lieberman campaigns in New Hampshire. Hadassah Lieberman campaigns in South Carolina.

Senator Edwards campaigns in Iowa and New Mexico.

Congressman Kucinich campaigns in New Hampshire.

Reverend Sharpton is in New York City with no public events.

Ambassador Moseley Braun is in Chicago with no public events.

ABC News Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary:

At least two candidates are giving health care policy speeches today, and we're sure that at least a few more will utter the words "health" and "care" at some point today (in no particular order). Everyone please read Julie Appleby's report in USA Today where she writes, "Health insurers announced deals Monday that if approved will consolidate coverage for about 46 million U.S. residents — nearly 27% of all those who have private health insurance — under two companies." LINK

The Concord Monitor and washingtonpost.com announced Monday that they will cosponsor a week of Web chats beginning November 3 with all of the Democratic presidential candidates confirmed to participate so far except General Clark.

According to a release, "Each participating candidate will appear individually for up to 60 minutes, and will answer questions submitted by washingtonpost.com and concordmonitor.com users and selected by a washingtonpost.com moderator." You can find the schedule here: LINK

Dean:

Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr. backs the "straight-talking" Howard Dean. LINK

Dean supporters expect an upcoming endorsement from Jackson to broaden his appeal with black voters according to the Chicago Tribune's Jeff Zeleny and Rick Pearson. LINK

Dick Morris thinks Howard Dean is likely to be the Democratic Party's nominee next year. If Mr. Morris' prediction proves prophetic, he says it will be less about money and image and more about Dr. Dean's ability to win "the activist primary." LINK

Dean supporters prepare to welcome their candidate to Jacksonville next Monday. LINK

The California Teachers' Association and the painters' union endorsements made it into the Los Angeles Times today. LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Jonathan Roos reports on Dean's endorsement from the Painters. LINK

From ABC News' Dean campaign reporter Marc Ambinder:

"With 3,000 active Iowa members and 1,000 retirees, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades may not be a match for the potent union coalition that Dick Gephardt is building in Iowa. But IUPAT, will try to match Gephardt's numerical strength by setting an ambitious shoe-leather goal."

"'We might be only one-tenth of that crowd,' said James Williams, IUPAT's president, of Gephardt's union endorsements in the state, 'but our feet on the ground means a lot of us will be out there.'"

"Williams told ABC News said the union has pledged to devote to Dean's election a quarter of a million activist days. That, for a union with less than half that number of members."

"IUPAT endorsed Al Gore in 2000 and Bill Clinton in 1992. Three years ago they were a ubiquitous presence at Gore events around the country, surprising other unions with their political aggression, and even received an internal AFL-CIO award for it. But they've never endorsed this early, Williams said."