The Note

W A S H I N G T O N September 18&#151;<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—9:00 am: Representative Dick Gephardt addresses South Carolina business leaders, D.C.

—10:00 am: President Bush meets with the King of Jordan, Camp David

—10:15 am: Vice President Cheney addresses the Small Business Administration's 50th Anniversary National Entrepreneurial Conference for Women in Business Awards Breakfast, D.C.

—11:00 am: Reverend Al Sharpton addresses the New England Government Finance Officers Association, Starbridge, Mass.

—12:00 pm: Governor Howard Dean attends a garden party, Londonderry, N.H.

—12:30 pm: Senator Bob Graham attends a campaign fundraiser, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

—12:30 pm: California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante attends an endorsement rally with Equality PAC, Los Angeles

—2:00 pm: Senator John Kerry holds an environmental press event at Pace University, New York City

—2:30 pm: California Governor Gray Davis and Reverend Jesse Jackson attend a rally against Proposition 54 and the recall, Los Angeles

—3:30 pm: California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley addresses students at Santa Monica College, Santa Monica

—4:30 pm: Lieutenant Governor Bustamante attends a rally with supporters, Oxnard, Calif.

—5:00 pm: General Wesley Clark attends a rally at the Deli Den, Hollywood, Fla.

—5:00 pm: Arnold Schwarzenegger unveils his "political reform plan," Sacramento

—5:00 pm: Representative Dennis Kucinich attends a rally for St. Michael's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio

—6:00 pm: State Senator Tom McClintock campaigns against the increasing of the car tax, Anaheim

—6:30 pm: Senator Graham attends a campaign fundraiser at SkyBar, Miami Beach, Fla.

—9:30 pm: Senator Kerry attends a "Kerry Core" fundraising reception with Moby at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York City —10:00 pm: Governor Davis holds a fundraiser, Los Angeles

NEWS SUMMARY

How many times can Christine Iverson and other Republican spokespeople describe the Democrats running for president as left-wing, tax-raising, intra-party-fighting, peaceniks who are offering no solutions to America's problems?

And how many times will reporters put those quotes in their stories?

And — most fundamentally — how long with the Democratic Party play right into Ken Mehlman's hands by offering no breakthrough positive agenda that extends their criticism of the president's economic and foreign policy record to something people can believe in?

Day II of AmericansforClark is not expected to bring any new policy positions or clarity — for him or the party.

Speaking in the Washington Post , the aforementioned Ms. Iverson gets to celebrate the Clark candidacy with this rote:

"While some Republicans worry that Clark could pose problems for Bush, Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said the retired general's candidacy only 'means more noise, more discord and more Democrat-versus-Democrat disagreement on Iraq policy, taxes, trade and other issues.'"

Meanwhile, there is still plenty of Democratic conflict going on — with names being named — with some phony (and some not) fights on taxes, foreign policy, and style.

So: how much is the Democratic Establishment moving toward Clark?

The Los Angeles Times outs Rahm Emanuel, but in Bos-Wash salons, are people moving (on their own or by being herded) en masse to Clark?

The Note doesn't know, in part because everyone is scattering like frightened kittens over a little rain.

And so today's parlour game is watching to see if Clark takes flight heavenward, or never gets off the ground.

With the Wall Street Journal quoting Mark Fabiani saying that the General will stay on his corporate boards for now, we wonder what other outside income he has still streaming in.

Like, for instance, with a book coming out, does he have any more paid speaking engagements coming up? And might any of those conflict with key campaign events?

Also, when did he get his last CNN check?

As anyone who is anyone knows, General Clark is exclusively represented by Greater Talent Network for his paid talks. LINK

So if DiStaso or the Rauhs want to see him in the Granite State, they might consider doing it the old fashioned way: pay for it.

Call 'em up: 1-800-326-4211

President Bush will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan at Camp David this morning.

Vice President Cheney will speak this morning to the (deeeep breath) Small Business Administration's 50th Anniversary National Entrepreneurial Conference for Women in Business Awards Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

General Clark will be fundraising in Florida today. He is scheduled to fly to Iowa tonight.

Governor Dean campaigns in New Hampshire again today. He'll attend a garden party with supporters in Londonderry.

Senator Kerry is in New York City today. He will hold an environmental press event at Pace University this afternoon and attend a reception with his pal Moby at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum tonight.

And The Note has learned he is getting the endorsement of a(nother) Kennedy! (See our Kerry section below.)

Congressman Gephardt is in D.C. today, where he will address members of the Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina, Chambers of Commerce. According to a campaign release, he will "discuss the challenges posed to South Carolina's economy and its workers by unfair trade agreements like NAFTA and China PNTR."

Gephardt also has private fundraisers in D.C. today and tomorrow, though the campaign won't say with whom or where exactly.

Reverend Sharpton addresses the New England Government Finance Officers Association in Starbridge, Massachusetts, this morning.

Senator Graham attends a pair of Sunshine State fundraisers today in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.

Congressman Kucinich attends a rally today for St. Michael's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Yesterday, we incorrectly reported that Kucinich would attend a rally with Ralph Nader and Patti Smith on Wednesday night. That event was actually scheduled for Thursday, but it has been cancelled due to the hurricane.

Senator Lieberman has no public events today and is scheduled to travel to Chicago.

Ambassador Moseley Braun and Senator Edwards have no public events scheduled for today.

Consider this fair warning for presidential campaigns, the ABC News zoological staff, the Boston Globe 's Webmaster, and anyone else who interferes with the Googling because this USA Today headline says it all:

"Researchers find monkeys have sense of fair play, getting ripped off." LINK

And more monkeys! LINK

In the recall:

Governor Davis and Reverend Jesse Jackson rally in Los Angeles against Proposition 54 and the recall.

Arnold Schwarzenegger travels to Sacramento to "unveil his political reform plan."

Lieutenant Governor Bustamante receives the endorsement of the L.A.-based gay and lesbian group Equality PAC and then rallies at a park in Oxnard.

Tom McClintock hits the TV studios — three of them — and then stumps on a corner across from the Anaheim pond to protest the increasing of the car tax.

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley addresses students at Santa Monica College.

The Note wishes a hardy "happy birthday" to the Wirey Jackie Calmes.

Clark, the announcement:

Most everyone takes Note of Clark's finely orchestrated (signs and all) announcement in the lead — and then moves on to the myriad challenges facing Clark as he takes to the electoral battlefield. (We can't resist all the military/political turns-of-phrase, we confess with glee!)

From ABC News Clark campaign reporter Deborah Apton:

"Legions of press flocked to the Clark announcement at the Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock. Clark picked the location because the Boy's Club organization influenced him greatly as a child growing up in Little Rock, said Skip Rutherford, a volunteer with the Clark campaign and president of the Clinton foundation in Little Rock. A crew from Japan and supporters from Iowa, Texas, and Washington D.C. populated the crowd, waiting for him to announce. 'My name is Wes Clark,' he said. 'I am from Little Rock, Arkansas. And I'm here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America.'"

The Washington Post 's VandeHei found Clark's speech to be "choppy and lack(ing) rhetorical flourish"; says Donnie Fowler might run the campaign, and says of the competition:

"The other candidates are likely to give Clark time to lay out his ideas, but several are gearing up to hit him for his lack of domestic experience and his refusal to declare until only a few weeks ago that he is a Democrat." LINK

The Clark camp would have you believe that Wesley's start is Howard's End. (LINK)

Adam Nagourney lays this out, writing the General's "relatively brief announcement today — just 11 minutes long — contained unmistakable assaults on the more unconventional foundations of the Dean candidacy. From the moment he took the stage, General Clark served notice that he would not let Dr. Dean seize the advantage in drawing new voters into the system, something that has been a critical part of the Dean phenomenon." LINK

Joe Trippi kindly offers some advice in the last graph to the Clark camp on what he sees as its snake-iest potential pitfall.

And the Boston Herald's David Guarino has Dean commenting on Clark's entry, "'Wes is a good guy, he's a bright guy, he's going to make a great candidate'" and "'I'm taking a lot of flak from all the four Washington guys (in the race) who voted for the war and here we have a four-star general who takes the same position I did on the Iraq war.'" LINK

Same idea in the Union Leader: LINK

"'It's nice to have a four-star general validating my position on the (Iraq) war, as opposed to these other guys,'" Dean said.

In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before his announcement, "Clark called the (Iraq) conflict 'purely an elective war' and criticized Bush for waging it without better justification," Ron Fournier reports. LINK

"In echoes of wartime President Harry S. Truman, someone shouted to Clark, 'Give 'em hell, General,' as Clark was shaking hands with the crowd. He pumped his fist, smiled and replied, 'We're going to give them the truth, and they'll think it's hell,' which was Truman's oft-repeated response during the 1948 campaign."

Ron Brownstein (from Washington) and Johanna Neuman (from Little Rock) have Wesley Clark playing "catch up." (No pun intended there concerning Senator Kerry's financial arsenal.) LINK

"Some of those advising Clark agree the late start will probably force the campaign to make tough choices in its use of time and money. For instance, these advisers say Clark may place more emphasis on making a strong showing in New Hampshire's Jan. 27 primary than the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19. Doing well in the caucuses requires enormous organizational effort. Also, New Hampshire historically has also been more hospitable than Iowa to outsider and centrist candidacies."