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NEWS SUMMARY

In the days following September 11, America found this approach and these catch phrases both comforting and motivating, and as much as members of the Chattering Class may roll their eyes over Bush's repeated use of the epithet "good man," or (for the younger chatterers) play drinking games pegged to his frequent use of the word "evildoer," all of this played a big role in sending the president's approval rating over the 80-percent mark and keeping it there.

But when it comes to dealing with the timeless ambiguities of the Middle East, this same approach just isn't cutting it.

Right now, the administration is refusing to adjust its policy course to these fuzzy realities, which means one of two things will happen: either 1) they'll stay this course until circumstances change enough that they'll have ridden it out, or 2) they'll have to change their policy.

At this writing, the administration still seems locked into Option #1, although today's news and analyses clearly push strongly toward Option #2.

So strongly, in fact, that we may even be seeing a turn on the domestic political front. It's clear that with so few voices defending the administration's position, the most partisan Democrats see an opening not just to question the president's Middle East policy, but to even quietly and tentatively begun raising the issue of the president's general competence, even extending it to whether or not the war against terror is going well.

The president remains incredibly popular, and we're not sure how focused America beyond Washington, New York, and Hollywood is on the Middle East, but the path we seem to be on here does suggest that somehow this could become a political dynamic, and maybe even an actual issue.

As indescribably horrible as the events of September 11 were, the president has had many "good" days, in the starkest political terms, in dealing with the fallout, just as Bill Clinton eventually had some "good" political days in dealing with the Middle East.

In some ways, it's the most baldly political but vital task of any White House: how do you back-time and plan for a president to have a good news cycle on a bad story? This Mideast problem isn't going away anytime soon, and right now, it's impossible to see Bush having a "good" day on it, on this current track. Beyond working toward peace, that is the problem that the White House communications and political shops have to solve.

Moreover, if these questions do wind up seeping into the overall picture of the war against terror, it might threaten the president's ability to use the war as he travels the country appearing and raising money on behalf of his party's candidates in 2002 — and keeping his own popularity high for 2004.

The debacle has yielded a handful of must-read analyses for today, starting with the Washington Post 's Balz and Milbank's look at the "blurring" of the Bush Doctrine.

The president's preferred "either-or approach has given way to a murkier reality in the Middle East, where the administration's response to the chaos — particularly regarding whether to consider Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a terrorist — has shown the limitations of doctrines drawn in the language of absolutes." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53962-2002Apr2.html )

Bush "and his advisers now must reckon with the prospect that the Middle East conflict will force a delay in, or substantial changes to, the next phase of the war on terrorism — apparently aimed at Iraq — that they have been planning for months."

"Bush's instincts to see the war on terrorism as one of good vs. evil served him well after Sept. 11 … But as he has confronted the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinians, Bush has sounded anything but certain, the black-and-white rhetoric of his war on terrorism replaced by what administration critics have described as hesitancy, inconsistency and ambiguity."

Raising the question of what this is doing to the coalition, the AP reports that "the foreign ministers and officials of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference drafted a declaration that rejected any link between terrorism and the Palestinian struggle." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53969-2002Apr2.html )

"Egypt and Jordan have distanced themselves from President Bush, worried that anger against Israel could spill over into new protests in their countries. Europeans are pressing for a faster Israeli pullout."
( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/093/nation/US_finds_little_
support_for_its_Mideast_stance+.shtml )

And it's a day to invoke the "Even Judy Keen Rule," Dan: Ms. Keen, in a USA Today piece accompanied by a big photo of a stressed-out Bush with the caption "Pressure Rising," observes, "President Bush's sure-footed handling of the war on terrorism diminished concerns about his foreign policy inexperience, but some of those questions are being revived by his struggle to manage the Middle East crisis." ( http://www.usatoday.com/hphoto.htm )

"Administration officials are resisting a leadership role that would make Bush liable for future setbacks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But they also feel a responsibility to do something to quell the violence."

Michael Gordon and Todd Purdum get the honors for Day Three of "The New York Times Doesn't Think the administration Policy is on the Right Track," splashing the front page with a relatively mild version ("struggling" is the operative word, instead of harsher terms that are only hinted at). The story cleverly suggests that Henry Kissinger is about the only one supporting the White House's current policy (very spry code for certain Times readers), but reaffirms what ABCNEWS' Martha Raddatz was emphatic about on World News Tonight: there is no sign that the administration is ready to move to a more assertive role.
( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/international/middleeast/03PREX.html )

Another Washington Post story reports on growing rumblings on Capitol Hill, not just in support of Israel, but in questioning the administration's handling of the mess. Members "say they would support more vigorous intervention by President Bush, and some are openly pushing for such action, although Democratic leaders have generally refrained from direct criticism of the president."
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53945-2002Apr2.html )

Senate Majority Leader "Daschle found a diplomatic way of suggesting more U.S. involvement. 'Vice President Cheney said on several occasions that it was critical that we be deeply engaged . . . I agree with the vice president,' he said," echoing his under-covered remarks on Monday's debut of the "new" "Crossfire."

"Other Democrats edged closer to outright criticism. The administration has demonstrated 'some inconsistencies,' Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) said last weekend. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said the administration has been 'timid and tentative' and needs to 'risk a little of its own prestige.' Lowey, like Daschle, said it's time to send Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to the Middle East."

In another must-read, the Los Angeles Times ' Brownstein rounds up conservative criticism of the White House's approach to date in a big-think piece on the Washington politics of the Middle East: "As President Bush struggles to define a consistent course in the Middle East, a chorus of leading conservative voices has begun loudly discouraging the administration from inserting itself into peace negotiations--and instead is urging the president to give Israel a freer hand to respond militarily to Palestinian suicide bombings."
( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/
la-000023864apr03.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfrontpage )

"In a series of articles over the last two weeks, conservative thinkers such as William Kristol and William J. Bennett--and leading right-leaning media such as the The Wall Street Journal editorial page and the National Review--have used phrases such as 'amateur hour,' 'moral confusion' and 'Clintonite wishful thinking' to describe the administration's recent initiatives to breathe life into the flagging Mideast peace process."

"As they do on many issues, White House aides brushed off the criticism as carping from the margins. 'I see a little bit of hubbub . . . but I don't read it as a big deal,' said a senior White House official."

"But the harsh conservative words for the administration's diplomatic efforts--particularly Vice President Dick Cheney's recent trip through the Mideast--suggest that as the bloody conflict continues, Bush will face sustained pressure within his party to accept Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's aggressive use of force."

The Washington Times writes, "President Bush, whose handling of the war on terrorism and other foreign policy crises has won broad bipartisan praise, suddenly finds himself unable to please anyone on the Middle East. Mr. Bush yesterday refused to answer reporters' shouted questions on the burgeoning violence, preferring to let Secretary of State Colin L. Powell explain the administration's evolving position for the second day in less than a week." ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020403-70615135.htm )

"In recent days, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has replaced North Korea with Syria on the list of the top three states harboring terrorists. But he, like the rest of the administration, refrained from including the Palestinian Authority on that list."

"On Monday, the president explained, much to the chagrin of some conservatives, that he is making an exception for the Palestinians because Mr. Arafat 'has negotiated with parties as to how to achieve peace.' But in the next breath, Mr. Bush criticized Mr. Arafat for not sufficiently condemning the suicide bombers who have multiplied in recent weeks."

From the ABCNEWS London Bureau: More than 100 armed Palestinian police and militia are reported to have taken refuge in the Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born. They fled there after fighting running battles with Israeli forces, who are now deployed outside the church.

Israeli forces have extended their military operations in the West Bank, with columns of tanks sweeping into the towns of Jenin and Salfit, both near Nablus. There was heavy shooting as at least 30 tanks headed for the center of Jenin early on Wednesday morning. A Palestinian woman was reported to have been killed by a bullet.

Israeli soldiers and Lebanese guerrillas exchanged fire for a second day in a disputed border area in southern Lebanon, keeping tensions high on Israel's northern front as fighting raged in Palestinian West Bank territories.

Daily protests throughout Arab world have put moderate Arab leaders under growing pressure, urging attacks on Israel and calling for an oil embargo against the United States. So far the anger on the streets has been successfully contained by the autocratic governments from Morocco to Bahrain but the Arab officials are feeling uneasy, dreading a major incident which would put them on a collision course with their angry and frustrated population.

According to the current schedule, we'll get one look at Bush today: he'll make remarks on early childhood education in the East Room of the White House this afternoon. We'll also get one look at Vice President Cheney as he headlines a fundraiser for Senator Wayne Allard (R) out in Denver.

This is what happens to a White House when it gets distracted by an overwhelming problem like the Middle East, and all of a sudden, otherwise big things fall through the cracks. Read your New York tabs and you will see that the administration is now at war with a foe more formidable than any foreign foe: Oprah is unhappy with the Bushies. Ball's in your court, Ms. Hughes. ( http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/45029.htm )

and

( http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-04-03/New_York_Now/Television/a-146405.asp )

The Middle East

Tom Friedman ratchets up the pressure for American or NATO peacekeepers. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/opinion/03FRIE.html )

The lead The Wall Street Journal editorial suggests a different tact that we suspect Rummy and others in the administration might support: the president should stay out of the Palestinian-Israeli talks, because the Palestinians can't be trusted, and solve the problem by overthrowing Saddam Hussein.

Incidentally, the Washington Times happens to report today that "Officials believe Tehran, part of what President Bush calls an 'axis of evil,' is allowing the terrorists to use the overland route to rendezvous with Middle Eastern extremist groups operating in Lebanon." ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020403-78733379.htm )

There's a smart-as-heck The Wall Street Journal story about 41 and 43 and how they feel about the region. "Mr. Bush's unwavering support for Mr. Sharon, as the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians threatens to spiral out of control, stands in sharp contrast to the bitter relations his father had with another conservative Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir. While the first President Bush saw the equally confrontational Mr. Shamir as an obstacle to Middle East peace after the Gulf War, his son sees Mr. Sharon as a kindred spirit in the war against terrorism."

"A defining moment for Mr. Bush came in 1998, when he traveled to Israel to learn about the region firsthand and had his initial encounter with Mr. Sharon, who at the time was Israel's foreign minister and gave Mr. Bush a helicopter tour of the tiny nation. According to people on the trip and those who spoke with the president afterward, the two men hit it off immediately … "

"The (trip) organizers had tried to arrange a meeting with Mr. Arafat or other Palestinian leaders, but they repeatedly were rebuffed with claims of scheduling conflicts. But when Mr. Bush and his entourage landed, the soon-to-be presidential candidate was confronted by local reporters demanding an explanation of why he was ignoring the Palestinians and, in particular, Mr. Arafat. The trip organizers tried to shoot down the implications of the questions, but it was a bitter moment."

"Since becoming president, Mr. Bush has made a point of not inviting Mr. Arafat to the White House. The president also shunned attempts by foreign allies to arrange an informal handshake between the two men on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly last year."

One more point from Balz and Milbank: "The Middle East conflict challenges another of Bush's post-Sept. 11 doctrines — that a cumbersome international coalition should not be allowed to define the mission in the war on terrorism."

And one last point from Brownstein: "Across the American political spectrum, the differences on how to deal with the crisis today are relatively narrow … But important nuances still divide the parties. Most leading Democrats have echoed Bush in viewing the Israeli West Bank offensive as legitimate self-defense. But Democrats generally believe that Bush erred by reducing American involvement in the region last year and should be trying harder now to encourage negotiations … It is precisely such an intensified diplomacy that the conservatives are urging Bush to avoid."

Budget Politics

Ah, the debt ceiling. Read on only if you care about that bit of Washingtonia. The New York Times and others chronicle Treasury Secretary O'Neill's Rubinesque fund-shifting to avoid, oh, sending the US government into fiscal default, giving Democrats another chance to carp about the tax cut — even though, as the Times rightly points out, "for all their sniping, few Democrats are advocating in this election year that the Bush tax cuts be repealed." ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/politics/03DEBT.html )

We remain amazed that Democrats think there's political mileage to be gained by complaining about the tax cut but not offering any solutions. Maybe Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean couldn't win tough elections in, say, South Dakota, with their "stop the tax cut" rhetoric, but at least they are offering up plans.

The Washington Post notes, "With lawmakers away on recess, reaction on Capitol Hill was relatively muted yesterday. But Democrats and Republicans have maneuvered for weeks to pin blame for failure to pass a debt ceiling increase on the other party." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54027-2002Apr2.html )

"[T]he move shows that Treasury officials are fast running out of room to maneuver while Congress delays a politically awkward vote to raise the debt ceiling in the middle of an election-year debate over tax cuts and deficit spending," the Los Angeles Times reports.
( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la
-000023887apr03.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Da%5Fsection )

Note that Enron supporting actor Peter Fisher, the Treasury Undersecretary, makes the The Wall Street Journal 's debt limit story.

The Economy

Even as some leading Democrats claim the economic recovery is going to be soft, and look to blame the president for that, energy prices (long a Bush/Evans/Rove concern) threaten the robustness of the comeback, says the soon-to-be-revamped The Wall Street Journal . (What WILL we do when the Washington Wire moves off Page One?)

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary

Senator Joseph Biden candidly discussed his presidential prospects during a meet-and-greet in South Florida yesterday, and implicitly explained why Bob Kerrey didn't win the 1992 New Hampshire primary.

"'I'm not sure,' he said. 'What it takes is an overwhelming desire. . . . I used to think back in the '80s that you could seek the nomination and still be the kind of father, husband, son, et cetera, you wanted to be … When you seek the presidency, it has to be total and complete focus.' He said that whether or not he decides to make the plunge will depend on whether he thinks he can win and how "'poor or well [Bush] makes about half a dozen very important foreign and domestic decisions. They will set the course for the next 20 years and are not easily reversible if we screw this up.'" ( http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/community/states/
florida/counties/broward_county/2986364.htm ) While you're struggling with your tax returns, four key leadership PACs — Tom Daschle's DASHPAC, Al Gore's Leadership '02, Dick Gephardt's Committee for Effective Government, and Joseph Lieberman's Responsibility, Opportunity and Community PAC — are getting ready to report by April 15, and we'll be poring through those disbursements and receipts for Big Clues.

Self-described "pro-business" Democrat Joe Lieberman takes a hit in Holman Jenkins' The Wall Street Journal column pushing back on the various stock option plans in Congress: "Perhaps the dumbest idea is Senator Joe Lieberman's recent proposal to use tax incentives to encourage companies to give more stock in lieu of pay to lower-downs, who would bear this higher risk without having a meaningful way to influence the share price."

"The honorable Connecticut Democrat is trying to live down his past defense of CEO stock options by promoting a 'share-the-wealth' philosophy. His plan, though, would load more of a company's risk on employees who already bear enough risk in the form of potential job loss if their company fails. Sad to say, the oft-sensible Mr. Lieberman has become one more victim of Enron neurosis, currently rampant in D.C."

The group DaschleDemocrats (-dot-org), which was formed by Daschle supporters to counter and defend him against criticism and advertising by conservative groups and just about anyone else who comes along and says something negative about Tom, has just registered with the Federal Election Commission as a 527 group (some like to call those "stealth PACs"). The group is being staffed by volunteers, so far at least, and is devoting what money it's raising to a radio ad now airing in South Dakota.

Florida Democratic Party convention

So big we're giving it its own section. Next weekend, the Florida Democratic party will host what could be its most important convention since Jimmy Carter outdrew George Wallace in a little presidential straw poll there in 1976, and what surely will be the biggest (planned) political event between now and election day 2002 anywhere in America.

At the state and local levels, the Republican governor, Jeb Bush, is the party's chief target, and, despite his high poll standing and his popular presidential brother, Democrats claim he is vulnerable. There's the ubiquitous education crisis. A budget crunch in the wake of major tax cuts. The fallout from September 11 and its impact on the state's vital tourism industry. And a Democratic party benefiting from demographic changes across the state.

Looming over all of this, of course, is the specter of the state's role in Al Gore's loss to George W. Bush in 2000, still-echoing charges of voter disenfranchisement, and anticipation of a crowded Democratic contest for the right to challenge President Bush in 2004 — with or without Gore in the race.

For symbolic, strategic, and financial reasons, Florida, along with Iowa and New Hampshire, is where any serious Democrat aspiring to run for president in 2004 must lay down early markers. And right now, five potential presidential candidates — Gore and Senators Lieberman, Kerry, Edwards, and Dodd — intend to be there next weekend.

Given what happened in 2000, it's not at all a stretch to say that Florida easily could decide the 2004 presidential election, and both parties know it. Here's our preview.

Between now and the kick-off, we'll be tracking every move by the candidates for president and governor as they jockey for position, and the national and state Democratic party's efforts to turn the meeting into a rallying cry to motivate their base for 2002 and 2004. Stay with The Note — and with ABCNEWS, and with ABCNEWS.com for all the latest and the best logo you'll see anywhere for this event.

Bill McBride took his campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination into the heart of Broward County, which is arguably more Janet-land than Janet Reno's home county of Dade.
( http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/community/
states/florida/counties/broward_county/2986020.htm )

McBride, an attorney, spoke to a roomful of attorneys, but as the writer notes, few knew who he was, which remains the underdog's biggest problem. That said, the primary's not till September.

Politics

And speaking of the Sunshine State, Blaine Harden in the New York Times front-pages a very fine piece about why the administration seems greener in Florida than it does out West. The politics of 2002 and 2004 might just have something to do with it. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/politics/03FLOR.html )

In another front-page New York Times story, David Rosenbaum looks at youngish, well-paid Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose close ties to Tom DeLay, Grover Norquist, and Ralph Reed make him a natural "target" of the paper. Nothing even close to illegal is alleged, but Mr. Abramoff's eye-popping earnings seem to be the paper's justification for the splashy treatment. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/politics/03LOBB.html )

We are drawn to one more general sentence in the piece, which we think someday just might affect politics big-time, because of the standards and ties of this Administration: "[E]ven as much of official Washington has been focused on the war in Afghanistan, efforts to beef up national security after Sept. 11 and the crisis in the Middle East, the business of lobbying has been humming along quite nicely, more out of the spotlight than usual but more profitable than ever for those with the right connections."

There aren't too many hard and fast rules in life these days, but one of them is: skip the Sunday New York Post at your peril. For various reasons, all of us did, which means that we didn't know the (obvious) answer to the question we raised in yesterday's Note: how did the Post get Bill Clinton to blurb the paper in a house ad. The answer comes from Sunday's Liz Smith column — sort of. ( http://www.nypost.com/seven/03312002/gossip/liz.htm )

The Washington Post 's Kamen reports that Rudy Giuliani's speech to the American Hospital Association's annual meeting in Washington next week will be closed to cameras, though at the request of Rudy's speaking agency, not Rudy himself. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54381-2002Apr2.html )

New York

The two best parts of Adam Nagourney's New York Times story explaining why Governor Pataki is in such a strong position for re-election, even as a Republican in a Democratic-leaning state: 1) Nagourney's macro explanation ("Mr. Pataki's formidable position these days is, in truth, as much a reflection of what even Democrats say is his adroit and largely successful effort to position himself … The elections for mayor and governor, taken together, suggest the extent to which New York has entered a postpartisan phase, at least in terms of local elections, in which party identification does not mean as much as it once did."); and 2), this scene, which requires no explanation ("At one point in the interview, he removed both shoes and chucked them halfway across his expansive office as he complained about a newspaper article that portrayed a $1.8 billion health care bill he rushed through the Legislature"). ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/nyregion/03PATA.html?pagewanted=2 )

Andrew Cuomo heads to Israel tonight. ( http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/45066.htm

We would have made this New York Daily News headline the wood of the paper: "City is in Hands of Ambidextrous Mayor."
( http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-04-03/News_and_Views/City_Beat/a-146413.asp )

California

Carla Marinucci profiles "a lighter shade of Gray" — his wife, Sharon. "'She's warm, she's cuddly, she's interactive,' says Barbara O'Connor, director of Cal State Sacramento's Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media. She calls Sharon Davis 'gifted' in 'her ability to translate public policy into ways real people can understand.' Insiders say that weapon may help boost the incumbent's appeal not only to women but also to Latinos and moderate swing voters who will wield enormous influence in the election." ( http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/04/03/MN199626.dtl )

Pennsylvania

The Washington Post , in a front-page story on the brutal Democratic gubernatorial primary between Ed Rendell and Bob Casey, puts its finger on one of the problems perhaps afflicting the party nationally: "It is as if the diverse constituencies Bill Clinton twice stitched together nationally have split asunder here … The Pennsylvania primary offers a taste of divisions among Democrats as they try to fashion a message, and an image, that will resonate with voters this fall and in 2004. Indeed, observers here believe the race may be a preview of intensifying class conflict among Democrats nationally." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54041-2002Apr2.html )

North Carolina

Democratic Senate contender Erskine Bowles has won the support of NASCAR legend Junior Johnson. One of us finds that significant. But all of us find this significant: Johnson uses the "C" word (does this quote sound a tiny bit, um, planted to you?): "'I know a lot about the Bowleses, like Skipper Bowles,' Johnson said, referring to Erskine's father, Hargrove, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1972. 'I'm also familiar with Erskine's involvement in a lot of the stuff with Clinton and the Rural Development Task Force when [Jim] Hunt was governor.'" ( http://www.newsobserver.com/wednesday/front/Story/1108713p-1106683c.html )

South Carolina

Yet another state cutting its Medicaid program due to a budget shortfall. "The S.C. Department of Health and Human Services sent warnings to 15,000 health care providers Tuesday, telling them the state will eliminate a dozen health care services for Medicaid patients … The services to be cut include podiatrists' visits, optometrists' service and prescription drugs for some blind and disabled people, HHS said … The department said the program cuts were necessitated by next year's $320 million state budget shortfall." ( http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/2988818.htm )

Missouri

In the all-important Senate wars of 2002, the stink Democrats have been trying to make over Missouri GOP candidate Jim Talent's sources of income — lobbying and teaching, for which he was paid more than many college professors — has finally reached beyond the state papers into the Washington Post . We're not sure that what Talent did was any worse than many a Republican or Democrat before him, but the ultimate effect of this has been to distract Talent and put him on the defensive. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54055-2002Apr2.html )

More touch-screen machines were tested during a county municipal election in Missouri yesterday, and they worked. But we'd note that since only eight percent of eligible voters bothered to cast ballots, it's hard to know whether the same systems would withstand a higher turnout.
( http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/2986110.htm )

Kansas City voters approved a 25-cent sales tax increase to pay for new police construction — a direct consequence, it is said, of the need to feel more secure after September 11.
( http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/2986681.htm )

Massachusetts

Looks like the Romney campaign managed to recruit a lieutenant governor candidate who could make the top of the ticket seem a little less rich-white-male-businessman than LG contender Jim Rappaport would: "just days before the party convention, Kerry Murphy Healey, the Republican state chairwoman, jumped into the race for lieutenant governor yesterday with tacit support from … Romney, who has been working behind the scenes to shape his team." One source told the Boston Globe that "Romney could endorse Healey, 41, a Beverly resident and twice-unsuccessful candidate for state representative, as early as today." ( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/093/metro/GOP_s_No
_2_race_takes_a_twist+.shtml )

"Already last night, the Romney campaign gushed over Healey after rebuffing all other comers." ( http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/ltgv04032002.htm )

Campaign finance reform crusader Marty Meehan has drawn a Republican businessman challenger who claims he'll focus on serving the district, "'instead of spending 61/2 years on campaign finance.'"
( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/093/metro/Meehan_is_challen
ged_by_GOP_businessman+.shtml )

Bush Administration Strategy/Personality

The Washington Post notes, "By calling for better preparation of young children for school, Bush is … trying to build upon his legislative success in education — an issue that is of prime interest to voters and that was the theme of one of the largest bipartisan successes of his presidency." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52478-2002Apr2.html )

Yesterday, "Bush, as he often does, also sought to draw on the popularity he has won for his handling of the terrorism crisis, rhetorically linking the war against al Qaeda with the fate of the nation's children. 'As we fight for freedom, I also understand that freedom means no child in America will be left behind,' he said. 'The new civil right in America is reading.'"

The Inky writes up the president's $1 million fundraiser, noting his increasing equivocation about the dual co-existence of Israel and the Palestinians.
( http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/2988516.htm )

The paper notes there were protesters critical of the president's Middle East policy outside the event, and they have this amazing sentence regarding GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Fisher, the man who got all that POTUS-raised loot: "His squinting face, framed by new eyeglasses and a new, surgically made hairline, was flushed."

Maureen Dowd gives a big ride to the Washington Monthly piece on polling and the Bush White House that we mentioned on Monday. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/opinion/03DOWD.html )

Ms. Dowd buys the piece's thesis: "Mr. Bush's impulse is autocratic. He wants to do what he (or Cheney & Rove) wants to do — and is desperate only to find a way to shove it down our throats. Mr. Rove polls for the magic-button phrases and rationales that will persuade the middle class to help the rich get richer and build a mandate for smog from sea to oil-slicked sea."

Although we think some of the facts and analysis in Washington Monthly piece are questionable, it is totally worth reading, and thus we offer you the link again. ( http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0204.green.html )

One thing this excellent piece leaves out, as we should have noted on Monday, is all the free polling that the White House just happens to see, beyond the stuff they buy through the Republican National Committee.

This is what happens to a White House when it gets distracted by an overwhelming problem like the Middle East, and all of a sudden, otherwise big things fall through the cracks. Read your New York tabs and you will see that the administration is now at war with a foe more formidible than any foreign foe: Oprah is unhappy with the Bushies. Ball's in your court, Ms. Hughes. ( http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/45029.htm )

and

( http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-04-03/New_York_Now/Television/a-146405.asp )

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman stood on the shore of Lake Michigan yesterday to "announce a Bush administration plan to clean up and restore the Great Lakes." Let's see, which states border the Great Lakes … ( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/093/nation/Whitman_details
_Great_Lakes_cleanup_plan+.shtml )

Reuters reports that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah will meet with President Bush on April 25.

In a bureaucratic "Where's Waldo," the Washington Post 's Broder hunts down and draws out the mystery man of the Bush Cabinet: HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54330-2002Apr2.html )

"A ripple of anxiety" is coursing through the federal agency "IG community," the Washington Post reports, in the wake of the dismissals of two department inspectors general, at NASA and at the Corporation for National and Community Service. That said, "[r]eplacements … were named quickly, indicating that the process of replacing them was well underway." "White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said there is no administration policy to replace the holdover IGs. 'There was a review of each of the agencies to find out how we could make them more effective and in some cases it was determined that we should consider new inspectors general,' she said." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54379-2002Apr2.html )

Campaign Finance

"Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and five other lawmakers filed papers in federal court yesterday in response to lawsuits brought by the National Rifle Association and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) 'to defend the constitutionality of all aspects of the new campaign finance law' … The papers filed by the McCain team state that they will show that 'by closing loopholes in current law and prohibiting clearly identifiable abuses, the Reform Act encourages renewed citizen confidence and participation in all aspects of our democracy, thereby strengthening First Amendment values.'" ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54396-2002Apr2.html )

Media

Lorraine Bracco, Rummy, Jessica Simpson, Christie Brinkley, Andy Card, SI swimsuit models, Condi Rice, Matt Drudge. The Washington Post 's Grove reports on "who's bringing whom" to the May 4 White House Correspondents' Dinner. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54282-2002Apr2.html )

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