The Note

W A S H I N G T O N September 8&#151;<br> -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—9:45 am: Off-camera White House press gaggle with Scott McClellan

—10:00 am: Supreme Court hears arguments in McConnell v. FEC

—10:30 am: Senator John Kerry addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—11:00 am: Senator Joe Lieberman addresses the AFSCME meeting, D.C.

—11:20 am: Senator John Edwards addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—11:40 am: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—12:00 pm: Senator Kerry addresses the AFSCME meeting, D.C.

—12:35 pm: Vice President Cheney makes remarks at a fundraiser for Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ernie Fletcher, Cincinnati, Ohio (open press)

—1:00 pm: Congressman Dennis Kucinich addresses the Spiritual Dimensions in Global Public Policy Series at the United Nations, New York City

—1:00 pm: Senate convenes for legislative business

—2:00 pm: Congressman Dick Gephardt addresses the AFSCME meeting, D.C.

—2:30 pm: Maria Shriver attends a fundraiser for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Redding, Calif.

—2:40 pm: Governor Howard Dean addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—2:45 pm: President Bush makes remarks on education, Nashville, Tenn.

—3:35 pm: Congressman Gephardt addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—4:00 pm: Governor Dean addresses the AFSCME meeting, D.C.

—5:00 pm: Congressman Gephardt appears on CNBC's Marketplace with Ron Insana

—5:30 pm: Vice President Cheney attends a private Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser in Roanoke, Virginia (closed press)

—6:00 pm: Senator Joe Lieberman addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—6:05 pm: President Bush attends a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser, Nashville, Tenn. (open press)

—6:15 pm: Senator Lieberman addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—6:45 pm: Governor Dean addresses a rally at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

—6:55 pm: Congressman Kucinich addresses the SEIU conference, D.C.

—7:00 pm: Maria Shriver helps to register voters at a Wal-Mart, Sacramento

—7:00 pm: Senator Edwards holds a town hall meeting, Merrimack, N.H.

—8:00 pm: Arnold Schwarzenegger holds a town hall meeting at Chapman University, Orange, Calif.

NEWS SUMMARY

History will record that one of the great inventions of the late 20th century (at least in political journalism) was Newsweek's creation of the Conventional Wisdom Watch.

That front-of-the-book feature allows the magazine to, in a breezy, graphicky, short-hand manner, encapsulate who's up and who's down (and who's going sideways) in American politics.

With so much going on over the weekend, this very day, and all week, The Note — which has an Alterian world view — is tempted to give the entire political universe sideways arrows.

Clearly, some people deserve down arrows, if for no other reason than inconsistency or obvious trouble.

We're thinking of the political press's ability to resist treating Howard Dean like the Second Coming; the foreign press's unwillingness to let California reporters ask any questions at Schwarzenegger press conferences; and all these Democratic strategists wringing their hands about how and whether to attack Howard Dean.

We are too grumpy and bewildered to bestow any up arrows just this minute, but talk to us after the SEIU meeting and tout le Washington's shock over the president's mind-blowing request for $87 billion.

And thus we bring you today's schedule and the chock-a-block full week ahead.

In the recall:

-- Absentee voting begins today in California.

-- Arnold Schwarzenegger will hold a (seemingly semi-stacked) town hall meeting in Orange County — thoughtfully planned for after the evening news broadcasts. His wife, Maria Shriver, will register voters in Sacramento.

-- Be on the lookout for the latest Field Poll numbers.;

-- Governor Davis is expected to hold his latest forum in his "Conversations with Californians" series.

The historic four-hour oral arguments on campaign finance reform are underway at the Supreme Court. It's the first time the justices have come back for a special session since Watergate.

The president visits a tutoring center and makes remarks at Kirkpatrick Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee, today. Later, he goes to a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser at the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel in Nashville. On Tuesday, the president attends a lunchtime Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida and a dinner fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale. In between those fundraisers, he'll make remarks on education at a Jacksonville elementary school. On Wednesday, he meets with the Prime Minister of Kuwait at the White House and makes remarks on homeland security at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. On Thursday, President and Mrs. Bush will attend a memorial service at St. John's Episcopal Church in D.C., observe a moment of silence on the South Lawn, and visit with wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital. On Friday, the president makes remarks at Fort Stewart in Georgia, makes remarks at a fundraiser for Mississippi gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour in Jackson, Mississippi, and makes remarks at the Power Center in Houston, Texas.

Vice President Cheney delivers remarks at a lunchtime fundraiser for Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ernie Fletcher in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also attends a private Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser in Roanoke, Virginia, tonight. He attends a fundraiser for North Carolina senatorial candidate Congressman Richard Burr on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Senator Edwards addresses the SEIU conference this morning. He heads to New Hampshire tonight for a town hall meeting in Merrimack. He campaigns some more in New Hampshire tomorrow in Bedford and Derry before coming south to address the AFSCME meeting in D.C. and go to the debate in Baltimore. He has no other public events announced for the week until Senator Harkin's Steak Fry in Indianola on Saturday.

Senator Kerry speaks to the SEIU conference and the AFSCME meeting this morning. He visits a child care center in Baltimore tomorrow before attending the debate. On Wednesday, he's in Boston with Moby. On Friday, he campaigns at Morgan State University in Columbia, South Carolina. He'll be at a tailgate in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday morning before heading to Indianola for the steak fry.

Congressman Gephardt addresses the AFSCME meeting and the SEIU conference today. He also appears on CNBC Marketplace with Ron Insana. He has no other events announced yet for the week, but he will be at the steak fry on Saturday.

Congressman Kucinich addresses the Spiritual Dimensions in Global Public Policy Series at the United Nations today in New York City. He speaks to the SEIU convention tonight in D.C. He'll be at Baltimore on Tuesday for the debate. On Saturday, he keynotes the Federated Democratic Women of Ohio's meeting in Columbus and then goes to Indianola for the steak fry.

Governor Dean addresses the SEIU and AFSCME meetings in D.C. today. He will speak at a rally at the University of Maryland in College Park tonight. He'll be in Baltimore for the debate on Tuesday, and campaigns in New Hampshire on Wednesday and Friday. He will be in Indianola for the steak fry on Saturday and campaign some more in Iowa on Sunday.

Senator Lieberman speaks to the SEIU conference today and attends a dessert fundraiser reception at a private home in D.C. today. He's in Baltimore tomorrow for the debate. He hits pairs of fundraisers in New Jersey and Florida on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, and also addresses the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City on Wednesday. He will not go to the steak fry on Saturday, but instead campaign in New Hampshire over the weekend and come back to the capital for a fundraiser reception on Sunday night in Potomac, Maryland at a private home.

Senator Graham will be in the Bronx on Friday to watch the Yankees play the Devil Rays.

Ambassador Moseley Braun will address the SEIU meeting today and the AFSCME meeting tomorrow in D.C. She will be in Baltimore for the debate on Tuesday. On Friday, she addresses the Chicago Women in Government Relations meeting at the East Bank Club in Chicago.

Reverend Sharpton was scheduled to be in St. Louis today to participate in the boycott of the public schools there. On Tuesday, he addresses the AFSCME meeting in D.C. and attends the debate in Baltimore.

Tuesday brings us the Congressional Black Caucus presidential debate in Baltimore and the tax referendum vote in Alabama.

Saturday is Senator Tom Harkin's Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa.

In the recall:

Governor Davis' campaign says he will hold a town hall meeting in Los Angeles County some time today, but they are not giving details yet.

Arnold Schwarzenegger holds a town hall meeting tonight at 8:00 pm ET at Chapman University in Orange. Maria Shriver will help to register voters at a Wal-Mart in Sacramento today. She will also attend two fundraisers today in Redding and Yuba City.

State Senator Tom McClintock does an interviews with Oakland KTVU television San Diego KFMB radio today.

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announces today where the polling places for the recall will be.

Lt. Governor Bustamante has no public events scheduled for today.

Peter Camejo will meet with third-strikers serving life sentences for non-violent offenses in South Los Angeles today.

The second gubernatorial debate takes place Tuesday morning at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles. Bustamante, McClintock, Huffington and Camejo will take part.

The Game Show Network's "Who Wants to Be Governor?" premiers Wednesday at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

The Politics of National Security:

First-blush reaction to the speech can only be said to be pretty cautionary and negative. We are forced to invoke the even-Judy Keen-rule in surveying the coverage and seeing a lot of media hand-wringing and gloom-and-doom.