—7:00 am: Senator Joe Lieberman appears on Today show
—8:30 am: Democratic Leadership Council leaders hold press conference, Philadelphia
—9:45 am: Senator John Edwards unveils his health care plan, Manchester, N.H.
—10:15 am: New Democrat governors hold roundtable session, Philadelphia
—11:15 am: Senator John Edwards holds a town hall meeting in Laconia, N.H.
—11:20 am: President Bush addresses National Urban League annual conference, Pittsburgh
—11:30 am: DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe leads press conference to mark one-year countdown to start of 2004 Democratic National Convention, Boston
—12:00 pm: Vice President Cheney attends private (closed) fundraiser in Columbia, South Carolina
—2:30 pm: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun attends the United Steelworkers of America Leadership Conference, Pittsburgh
—5:15 pm: National Urban League presidential candidate forum, Pittsburgh
—7:00 pm: Senator John Kerry meets with teachers and Congressman Roger Wendt, Sioux City, Iowa

NEWS SUMMARY

On this week's sweltering Monday (in much of the nation, as the weatherman says … ), there will be political precipitation a-plenty, and we will try to track it all for you with your Super Duper Doppler 9000 Early Warning Political Radar Network. Trademarked.

Among the planned events we know about:

1. The main event is in Pittsburgh, where the National Urban League will hear from President Bush, his Secretary of Education, and seven of the nine announced Democratic presidential candidates. LINK

2. Senator John Edwards unveils his health care plan in New Hampshire.

3. Senator Lieberman uses his planned "Today" show appearance and a turn in the Senate Radio-TV Gallery to blast his own party and the president on Iraq and national security.

4. The Democratic Leadership Council meets in Philadelphia to plot how to bring the party back to the center, with plenty of governors, including Bill Richardson.

5. The Democratic National Committee holds a press conference in Boston to unveil its diverse (but semi-controversial) 2004 convention team (including the very same Bill Richardson). LINK

6. Vice President Cheney is in South Carolina raising money, as part of that impressive Bush-Cheney fundraising effort. LINK

7. And whatever the latest developments in the California recall may be.

TOP FIVE NEWSPAPER STORIES:

1. Jonathan Weisman's Washington Post opus on the Democratic candidates and taxes. LINK

2. The Wall Street Journal on Andy Card.

3. The Boston Globe 's huge convention team on what Boston and the DNC have left to get done in a year. LINK

4. State budget crises are prolonging the national economic malaise, per the New York Times . LINK

5. Ron Brownstein thinks the civilized political world is crumbling. LINK

MOST IMPORTANT WEEKEND STORIES:

1. A New York Times Saturday op-ed explaining why the Democratic nominee might be late in coming. LINK

2. Saturday's Los Angeles Times on how the time pressure of the recall election threatens to turn this into what they call a "Florida type situation deal" down at the pool hall. LINK

3. Mike Allen and Dana Milbank gave Dr. Rice one of the most negative clips of her career in Sunday's Washington Post look at her Niger role and her standing. LINK

4. Glen Johnson in the Saturday Boston Globe on the candidates who vacation with their families. LINK

5. Dan Balz on Joe Trippi. LINK

MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL DYNAMICS:

1. Does any Democratic candidate break through this news cycle in Philadelphia, New Hampshire or Washington?

2. How does President Bush do in Pittsburgh?

3. Who jumps into the California gubernatorial recall race?

4. Who gets the first interview with Dr. Rice? What does she say?

5. Does the establishment media begin to focus on the "right wing" or "chaos" angles to the exclusion of the "direct democracy" and "job performance" angles in the recall?

In today's California recall news:

-- Political strategies begin to emerge from all interested parties in the recall.

-- GOP field gets a little more crowded, but still no decision from Arnold.

-- Environmentalists denounce the recall at a press conference today.

-- The Davis campaign goes on the attack for controversial remarks made by Darrell Issa's campaign manager regarding Michael Huffington's sexual orientation.

President Bush will address the National Urban League annual conference several hours before any of his potential successors. New RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie is expected to attend the conference with the president. Tomorrow, the president meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the White House. His economic secretaries (Snow, Chao and Evans) will be in Wisconsin on Tuesday and in Minnesota on Wednesday for what's dubbed the "Jobs and Growth Tour." The president will deliver remarks on the 38th anniversary of Medicare at the White House on Wednesday. He has no public events scheduled yet for Thursday, and hopefully that will let him get to bed early for the big Cabinet meeting on Friday morning.

Vice President Cheney will attend a luncheon fundraiser at the home of supporter Gayle Averyt, former chairman of Colonial Life Insurance Co. The $2,000 per person event is by invitation only and closed to the press.

Seven of the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls are expected to participate in the National Urban League candidate forum at 5:15 pm: Senator Edwards, Governor Dean, Congressman Gephardt, Senator Lieberman, Congressman Kucinich, Ambassador Braun, and Reverend Sharpton. Each candidate is expected to give a 3-5 minute statement, followed by two questions by moderator George Curry, executive director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service.

While the presidential aspirants are in Pittsburgh, the Democratic Leadership Council will hold its "National Conversation" in Philadelphia. Governors Janet Napolitano, Ed Rendell, Bill Richardson, Kathleen Sebelius, and many other New Democrat state and local officials are expected to attend. At a press conference this morning, DLC leaders laid out issues they hope the election will turn on — and gave a feel for how they'll phrase the agenda. Mark Penn had some really interesting new polling data, which everyone will see shortly.

Senator Edwards unveils his health care plan this morning in Manchester, New Hampshire. Edwards will bookend the unveiling with a tour of Child Health Services in Manchester beforehand and a town hall meeting afterward in Laconia. On Wednesday, Senator Edwards meets with the 21st Century Democrats Youth Leadership Development Program.

Senator Lieberman was on the Today show this morning, trying to triangulate on foreign policy. His jobs tour touches down in South Florida on Tuesday.

Senator Kerry campaigns in Iowa today and tomorrow. He visits New Hampshire and his own Massachusetts later in the week.

Governor Dean campaigns in California on Thursday and in New Hampshire and Maine on Friday.

Ambassador Braun attends the United Steelworkers of America Leadership Conference in the afternoon before heading to the Urban League candidate forum today. She will be in D.C. tomorrow to meet with the 21st Century Democrats Youth Leadership Development Program and attend a ClintonGoreAlumni.org meet and greet.

Senator Graham and Congressmen Kucinich and Gephardt have no other announced events for the week yet.

Reverend Sharpton campaigns in Dallas today. He will be in New York City tomorrow for the funeral services for Councilman Davis.

July unemployment figures will be released on Thursday.

Politics of national security:

Despite the White House's steadfast assurances of confidence in her, the administration's handling of the flap over intelligence on Iraq and Niger may indicate much more about the role of National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice in shaping foreign policy — and what she knew, didn't know and should have known, The Washington Post 's Mike Allen and Dana Milbank wrote Sunday. LINK

"'It's implausible that the national security adviser would be too busy to pay attention to something that's going to come out of the president's mouth,'" one former NSC official told them. "Another official called it highly unlikely that Rice did not read a memo addressed to her from the CIA. 'I don't buy the bit that she didn't see it," said this person, who is generally sympathetic to Rice.

Ron Brownstein (biding his time before he big-foots on the recall) had a Los Angeles Times piece yesterday that was three parts "Bush risk credibility over Niger flap" and one part "here are the inconsistencies in the White House story to date." LINK

Tom Beaumont had a mighty fine Saturday Des Moines Register story on how the Democratic presidential candidates are now united in going after the president on Iraq. LINK

Gary Martin of the San Antonio Express-News did the same thing on Sunday. LINK

The AP's William Mann writes, "The Bush administration should make public the fact about Saudi Arabia's complicity with terrorists rather than worry about offending the kingdom, lawmakers said Sunday." LINK

The Wall Street Journal ed board writes, "Coming as this does at the dawn of Presidential campaign season, no doubt it's naive to hope this report wouldn't be sifted for its political rather than national security implications. Already the finger pointing has begun. Democratic Presidential wannabe Bob Graham sees it as evidence that the White House is covering up Saudi Arabia's lack of cooperation, while former Democratic Senator Max Cleland seems mostly interested in using the civilian 9/11 panel he sits on to get revenge against the White House for his Senate defeat last year. And this argument that President Bush has underreacted to 9/11 comes at the same time Democrats say he's overreacted to Iraq."

California recall:

Why have Republicans done poorly in the Gray Davis era?

1. They have nominated too many social conservatives who couldn't talk themselves around their issue positions.

2. Fought among themselves.

3. Said and did things that gave the Davis attack machine an opening.

4. Suffered from a registration disadvantage. (35.2% of registered voters are Republican; 44.4% of registered voters state their affiliation as Democrat.)

All of those were on display on a sleepy Sunday (yesterday), when the Davis operation convened an attack conference call to respond to this, from Sunday's Los Angeles Times: LINK

"(Issa campaign manager) Taylor also took a shot at Michael Huffington, the 1994 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. Huffington, a wealthy former congressman who lives in Brentwood, released a statement Friday that he might run for governor as a moderate. Taylor said Huffington, who is openly gay, was not a serious candidate."

"'I just have the feeling voters aren't going to embrace the first bisexual gubernatorial candidate,' Taylor said. Minutes later, Issa's communications director, Jonathan Wilcox, said Taylor's remark about Huffington had been 'reckless.'"

"'Might I ask you not to print that?' he asked."

There's very little room for error in a 77-day campaign. No time for a listening tour during which you can make early gaffes that the voters (if not the opposition and the media) will likely forget.

Therefore, the attack conference call came as no surprise. Per the L.A. Times: LINK

"Though Issa's communications director immediately called Taylor's comments reckless and asked that they not be published, members of Gov. Gray Davis' anti-recall campaign organized a conference call Sunday afternoon in which members of the gay-rights community lashed out at Issa."

"'Gay baiting has no place in any campaign, no matter what the circumstances,' said Seth Kilbourn, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, a nonpartisan organization that supports lesbian, gay, transsexual and transgender rights. 'The fact that Darrell Issa has injected this ugly message into this campaign is, I think, a disturbing preview of things to come.'"

Jodi Wildermuth of the San Francisco Chronicle places Mr. Taylor's controversial remarks and the Davis camp's reaction to them in the larger context of the Governor's need to rally his base.LINK

"The entire effort to recall Davis has plenty of anti-gay overtones, said Eric Bauman, a spokesman for the main anti-recall organization. A number of conservative, religion-oriented groups have said that Davis' record of support for gay issues is reason enough to recall him, and Issa was a strong backer of the 2000 drive to outlaw gay marriage, which was passed overwhelmingly by California voters."

San Francisco Chronicle Q&A on all things recall. LINK

The New York Times ' Charlie LeDuff does quite a nice job capturing the circus that is the California recall.LINK

"Such is the state of politics in California. A mudslide of money and movie stars."

"'It would be funny if it weren't for the fact that the future of the largest state in the union is at stake,' Patty Lombard, a working mother and Democrat from Los Angeles, said."

"Interviews around Southern California with Democrats, Republicans and independent voters reinforce what the polls show: There is little love for Mr. Davis, the two-term governor, who has an approval rate around 20 percent. But that is where the consensus ends and the disorder begins."

Yesterday, MoDo did recall, and stretched her reportorial legs. LINK

Susan Rasky, a journalism lecturer from Berkeley, delivers an op-ed asserting the recall election could be a political scientist's dream … . the classic campaign.LINK

"It's not that these predictable pitches don't pop up in an ordinary election campaign. They do, but usually as window dressing for a strategy that takes the base for granted and is really aimed at swing or independent voters. Political professionals who run campaigns are so skilled at slicing and dicing the electorate that a candidate's positions often amount to pablum. That has always been true for Davis, a cautious centrist by nature."

"This time, the Democratic base, in all its colors, is the campaign, because Davis must rack up a majority of votes to keep his office, while those seeking to replace him can win by capturing only a sliver of the electorate."

California recall, Gray Davis and the Democrats:

Martin Kasindorf explains in USA Today why Gray Davis could very well emerge victorious on October 7. The combination of a budget agreement, self-imploding GOP, and the Racial Privacy Initiative aiding turnout could all play to Mr. Davis' advantage.LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Dan Morain writes up the large sums of money about to be raised and spent in the recall campaign.LINK

"Gov. Gray Davis, the candidates who hope to replace him and groups with an interest in the outcome of the Oct. 7 recall election probably will spend $50 million, and perhaps twice that much, between now and the vote, according to campaign consultants and experts."

Gary Delsohn also takes a look at Gray Davis' ability to raise cash for the recall in today's Sacramento Bee. However, Mr. Delsohn points out that it may not be as easy as it has been in the past for the prodigious fundraiser.LINK

"Sources close to the governor and some of his top fund-raisers cite a number of obstacles Davis has to overcome on the money front."

"Some big givers who've contributed to him in the past are said to be hedging their bets, waiting to see how the polls look and whether other Democrats declare their candidacies by the Aug. 9 filing deadline."

"Others who wrote big checks to Davis for the 2002 campaign have complained in private that they felt slighted because Davis never called and personally thanked them for contributing."

More Delsohn:

"And while organized labor, particularly public employee unions, have made it clear they'll be there for a Democratic governor they believe has been good to them over the years, at least two powerful unions are holding back."

Sunday's Los Angeles Times looked at the tactics and strategies for all the camps involved in the recall, in a bit of Joe Mathews must-readom, that includes Dan Schnur saying the campaign might be uplifting. LINK

Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle let Carla Marinucci run wild, with Terry McAuliffe claiming the recall was a national matter, and vowing "that all nine Democratic presidential candidates, as well as 'President Clinton, Vice President Gore . . . anyone who is needed will be willing to assist' embattled Gov. Gray Davis in his attempt to retain his seat." LINK

The Associated Press' Tom Chorneau explores the contours of Gray Davis' personality.INK

"Joseph Graham 'Gray' Davis has shaped California policy for almost 30 years, but he remains an enigma to voters. That mystery, created by his detached style and often rigid personality, helps explain how the 60-year-old Bronx native could become the nation's first governor to be recalled in 82 years."

Robert Salladay does similar work in the San Francisco Chronicle and reveals how the "bengal tiger" came to be.LINK

Mattier & Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle report that all of Gray Davis' troubles began with the energy crisis.LINK

California recall, the GOP field:

The San Francisco Chronicle has all the details on Saturday's pro-recall rally in Sacramento. LINK

Huffington v. Huffington??!!! LINK and LINK

Schwarzennegger has a history in film of (to lapse into the vernacular) dicking people around — meaning, deciding things late, per a great story in Saturday's Los Angeles Times. LINK

Time Magazine's Matt Cooper asked Senator Kennedy if he had yet seen Terminator 3.LINK

"I haven't seen Arnold's latest. He's a brilliant actor, but what makes Republicans think he could do well in politics? Of course, it's hard to argue with Arnold when you're hanging upside down by the ankles."

The classy Megan Garvey wrote about talk radio and the recall yesterday. LINK

California recall, chaos theory:

Saturday's Los Angeles Times looked at how Los Angeles County (like all the others in California) is going to have to really struggle to get ready for the recall election. LINK

California recall, the budget:

The California State Senate passed a budget deal late Sunday night. The outcome in the Assembly is far less certain.LINK

Sunday's Los Angeles Times turned Brulte and Burton into pan-historic figures for getting a budget deal. LINK

Big Casino budget politics:

The Wall Street Journal 's Shailagh Murray looks at the corporate tax breaks advocated by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas — which includes a corporate income tax cut to 32%.

"Coming on the heels of similar measures in both the House and Senate, the addition of Mr. Thomas's blueprint to the mix spells good news for businesses. Despite some lawmakers' misgivings about his plan's price tag, at least some of the ideas stand a fair chance of catching on. As is, the package likely would be too costly to pass the Senate, and faces trouble even in the House."

Key graf from the Times story on budgets:

"Over the past two years, the states have gradually cut between $20 billion and $40 billion — no one knows exactly how much — from their spending. Billions more in cutbacks are coming in the fiscal year that started July 1. In California alone, a tentative budget deal will presumably require the state to rid itself of at least $8 billion in current spending, with the cuts likely to fall most heavily on education and aid to the poor." LINK

The USA Today ed board writes, "As Congress struggles to pass a prescription-drug benefit under Medicare, seniors might be surprised to learn that lawmakers approved such coverage once before." LINK

… and Congressman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) responds, "When fashioning a final compromise bill, Congress will not break the budget limits it has imposed on itself. Certainly, any prescription drug bill must also include modernizations that will place Medicare on a sound financial footing as the baby-boomer generation begins to retire." LINK

Bush-Cheney re-elect:

Bob Novak says "the House of Representatives defied President Bush on two important issues [FCC media size/drug re-importation] — and did so by big margins" so "the political omnipotence of the Bush White House has been exaggerated. It also pointed to the pitfalls of arrogance."

And he chronicles a "litany of irritations" ranging from unreturned phone calls to just plain alleged smugness. LINK

"With the quiet days of August preceding the early start of the presidential campaign, this might be a good time for the president's team to engage in a little self-analysis and even self-criticism. On the contrary, indications from the White House suggest that last week's defeats were considered relatively unimportant and of no great concern. Arrogance is a difficult trait to correct."

The AP's Scott Lindlaw writes, "President Bush is making a rare appearance before a group that represents black Americans, part of an effort to build ties to a demographic group that overwhelmingly voted against him in 2000." LINK

Meanwhile, the AP's Deb Riechmann reports that NAACP leaders are still seeking a meeting with the president. LINK

The rhetoric at the RNC meeting in New York reminded us yet again how much the Republican Party in the Bush 43 era is about the (good) man.

Speaker after speaker talked about the party in terms of "George Bush Republicans" and his "leadership" of a "team" that is building a better, safer America. Comparatively little was said about the issues that unite them, with the Notable exception of defense.

But beyond national security, the issues that DID get mentioned within the cult of personality are just as likely to be ones involving a BIGGER federal government (education — in which Washington is asserting more control with NCLB — or Medicare — in which the White House wants to create a huge new federal entitlement expansion).

And when Terry Nelson and Ken Mehlman asserted that they were building the most organized presidential campaign of the modern era, no one snickered; imagine any of the Democratic campaign managers suggesting such a thing.

The Washington Post 's Rebecca Dana steps inside the world of college Republicans — and the D.C. convention this weekend where 1,000 college sophomores, juniors and seniors gathered to gain inspiration for the future of their party. LINK

"'Somewhere in this group is the next Karl Rove,' said the current Karl Rove during a speech at the black-tie kickoff banquet held Friday evening."

Bush-Cheney re-elect, the money:

The Charlotte Observer's Morrill and Bell looked at the presidential fundraising wars in the Carolinas, and guess who is gonna win? LINK

Bob Novak reported Sunday:

"As the drive to recall California Democratic Gov. Gray Davis hits high gear, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney will return to the Golden State for August campaign trips. President Bush will make a two-day visit to California, speaking in San Diego on Aug. 14 and in Orange County on Aug. 15. Vice President Cheney will go to Sacramento on Aug. 6 and return to the state for a Los Angeles appearance Aug. 12. The Bush administration has not been enthusiastic about the Davis recall, and its agents in California discouraged the effort. With the issue to be decided Oct. 7, however, Bush and Cheney probably will have to support the recall."

The Charlotte Observer reports that for as much success Edwards has had fundraising in the Carolinas, Bush and Cheney have been quite impressive as well. LINK

The Washington Post 's Jim VandeHei looks at the Republican members of Congress nearing the coveted "Ranger" status for Bush-Cheney '04. LINK

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary:

It's the taxes, stupid. After years of cowering behind the idea of raising taxes to pay for programs and services, the Democratic presidential candidates are introducing tax hikes into their economic plans, the Washington Post 's Jonathan Weisman writes. LINK

Wary of revving up the Mondale wagon, most of the Democrats are talking carefully about "rolling back" some of the Bush tax cuts or raising taxes on only wealthy Americans while on the stump. And they're framing their plans in the context of slamming the president's economy.

Republicans are dying to talk taxes, pulling out the "economic growth vs. tax-and-spend" comparisons and openly challenging Democrats.

The presidential hopefuls are evidently following the advice of Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who Notes that voters' anger over taxes doesn't stem from their own taxes, but the idea that corporations are getting away with evading their responsibilities.

The Washington Post 's David Broder read the Greenberg memo on taxes this weekend. LINK

"The conventional wisdom is that taxes are a loser for Democrats, a subject they should avoid," Broder writes. "Someone may decide it's time to challenge the theory."

In an interview with the AP's Mike Glover, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee stressed "electability" and said that August's AFL-CIO meeting "probably will do nothing more than set a date for member unions to vote to decide if they want to endorse. An endorsement requires the backing of unions representing two-thirds of the AFL-CIO membership." LINK

When will the Teamsters endorse?

The Washington Post 's Dan Balz provides a curtain-raiser on the Democratic Leadership Council meeting in Philadelphia, where the establishment organization is looking to gin up enthusiasm for their message in 2004. LINK

"'Of course we're worried about where the party may be heading,'" said DLC founder Al From, asserting he had no regret about taking on former governor [Howard Dean]. 'Look, Howard Dean has run a very good campaign,' he added. 'The question for Howard Dean is whether it's a sustainable one.'"

"Still, the DLC, once an insurgency against the party's liberal establishment, finds itself as the established centrist organization that is having to fight for its position and its policies inside the party."

Mark Z. Barabak wrote Saturday about how the Colliding in the Democratic nomination fight is beginning again, although still long distance, not face to face. LINK

Of all the spin that was offered up in the Glen Johnson Sunday Boston Globe story about the Democratic candidates vacationing with their families in Iowa and New Hampshire this summer, the piece that is as over-the-top as it is ostentatious is that of Chris Lehane. LINK

And the word "Dean" is nowhere to be found.

John Schmid of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looked at why the Democrats are pushing health care in Sunday's paper. LINK

Helen Kennedy of the New York Daily News quoted the usual suspects of women pollsters writing yesterday on the need for the Democratic presidential candidates to appeal to single women. LINK

She then trashed the house of journalism with this: "An unscientific survey of single gals finds Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and retired Gen. Wesley Clark winning the Democratic cuteness primary."

Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times wrote about Senators Graham and Edwards running for two offices at once yesterday. LINK

"Presidential hopeful John Kerry held a slight lead over Howard Dean, and Joe Lieberman has lost ground in a poll of likely voters in the New Hampshire Democratic primary," the AP reportes Satuday.

"The survey, released Friday, also found a significant jump in the number of undecided voters, from 19 percent in April to 30 percent in July, reflecting the wide-open race and absence of a clear front-runner. Kerry had 25 percent support to Dean's 19 percent while the third New Englander in the race, Lieberman, was at 6 percent, a drop from 11 percent in June for the Connecticut senator. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri was third at 10 percent, according to the poll by American Research Group of Manchester, N.H." LINK

Roll Call 's Ethan Wallison and Paul Kane have a less-than-it-seems story about "left-leaning" groups "mulling early endorsements in the Democratic presidential contest … "

"At the head of the line are key Democratic stalwarts such as the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood that have traditionally shunned such a step … "

"'We've never had something like this,' said Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, referring to Bush. 'This isn't the second coming of Reagan. This is something much, much darker.'"

The League of Conservation Voters doesn't yet know whether it will endorse during the primaries. Planned Parenthood is looking to pick a candidate after Iowa and New Hampshire. The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League will wait.

"'We don't endorse in primaries,' said David Seldin, NARAL's spokesman. 'There are nine pro-choice candidates, all of whom would be far better than the current president.'"

Roll Call reports that Edwards, Braun and Sharpton will participate this week in a summer lecture series for young staffers and interns sponsored by 21st Century Democrats. (Kucinich spoke during the inaugural lecture last Wednesday).

Seven of the nine Democrats were invited to speak. Excluded were Graham and Lieberman, candidates "that haven't been showing up at Progressive events throughout the summer," (21st Century Democrats spokesperson) Hirschfeld said.

Ah, to have joined Rick Berke in Birmingham for the Jeff Yarbro/Tyler Chance nuptials.

Kerry:

Although he has been working closely with the Kerry campaign since spring, only now is the Bos-Wash shop making it clear that former Gore/former DLC/former Gore-endorsed California assembly candidate/former Speaker Hertzberg/former ABC News Political Unit Andrei Cherny is joining the campaign as a policy development adviser and speechwriting director. LINK

The man with the made-up last name — former Speaker and current Los Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa — endorses John Kerry. LINK

Vanessa Kerry canvassed the Seacoast. LINK

Check out the photo the Union Leader used on the web to illustrate its running of the AP wire on Ken Mehlman's Saturday speech. Gephardt:

Dick Gephardt's missed Head Start vote — the Republicans passed their plan by one vote — is about the toughest missed vote of any of the candidates who are incumbent members of Congress has missed so far. LINK

Jane Norman Noted it in the Sunday Des Moines Register . LINK

Matthew Quinn of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Matt Gephardt's story inspiring his dad. LINK

The South Carolina weekend trip got decent coverage. LINK

Roll Call 's Ed Henry writes up a back-and-forth between the Dean and Gephardt campaigns over who is the real dog lover under the header: "Anti-War, Anti-Dog?"

Roll Call 's Stu Rothenberg calls Gephardt's return to the issue of trade "a smart move" but wonders whether it will be enough to "solidify his position in the top tier of candidates."

"With" Edwards' "candidacy still grounded and the three other most serious candidates more on the 'free' than 'fair' side of the trade debate, Gephardt is hoping the one major policy difference that divides the Democratic field will be enough to boost him to the party's nomination."

"The problem for the Missouri Democrat is that the nomination seems more likely to be decided by style and résumé rather than substance."

"If the Democrats choose their nominee primarily on that criteria, Gephardt is in trouble."

Roll Call 's Henry reports that a man "identifying himself as 'Mr. Delgado' called the Gephardt campaign's New Hampshire office. The caller asked whether the Democrat would be attending this week's National Urban League conference in Pittsburgh, giving the impression that he was with the league."

"Given the fact that the caller's phone number had a '703' area code, the Gephardt aide grew a bit suspicious and decided to pass the phone number on to campaign advisers in D.C."

Henry "later dialed the number and quickly found out that the caller was actually Tony Delgado, an aide on the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, who was trying to dig up information on Gephardt's travel plans."

"'Rule one in the opposition researcher's handbook is, 'Don't use your direct line,'' cracked Gephardt spokesman Erik Smith."

Dean:

From Anne E. Kornblut's RNC meeting story:

'''Conspicuously absent from their attacks is Howard Dean. Eddie Gillespie goes to bed every night praying for the Howard Dean campaign,' Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan said," just raising a few thousand dollars more for Howard Dean. LINK

The AP's Will Lester curtain raises the DLC meeting, with From & Reed saying mean-but-less-mean-than-before things about Dr. Dean, just raising a few (hundred) thousand dollars more for him. LINK

Dean, we are told, called into a special anti DLC rally put on by Philadelphians for Dean, one of many non-Dean Dean organizations out there.

Campaign manager Trippi is responsible for the latest Dean money-raising idea: matching tonight's expected Bush-Cheney haul via an Internet drive over the weekend. (As of 7 am today, Dean had raised $259,000). www.deanforamerica.com

Graham:

Senator Bob Graham is a genuinely nice guy who's readying for combat, Notes the Washington Post 's Manuel Roig-Franzia in Sunday's profile. LINK

"After decades of carefully leveraging the Power of Nice, Graham has developed an edge. The man who consoled his political foes after defeating them, who hired his opponents and cultivated friendships with his opposites is suddenly, and unrepentantly, turning combative."

"The metamorphosis fits snugly into the political narrative Graham is building as he bids for the Democratic presidential nomination. He has shed his nice-guy image in his criticisms of President Bush's handling of homeland security."

What Graham knew about the dangers of terrorist attacks and what he saw in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 inspired him to seek the presidency, he said.

Lieberman:

Senator Lieberman was on the Today show this morning. Some highlights:

COURIC: "Why do you have serious questions about the president's leadership at this juncture?"

LIEBERMAN: "I want to restate the basic point which is that the war in Iraq was a just war and the world is safer with Saddam out of power. Certainly, the Iraqi people are freer if have more to look forward to than they did under him, as the news report just suggested. But the lack of planning for post-Saddam Iraq by the Bush administration and their very unclear handling of the 16 words in the State of the Union threatens to give a bad name to what was really a just war. I am also troubled with members of my own party, most of whom in Congress and in fact throughout the country supported the war against Saddam, who now seem to be raising so many questions that they are leaving the impression that they don't think this was a just war. I want to come back and restate that case because I am convinced it was."

Later …

COURIC: "About the campaign, after six months no clear Democratic front-runner has emerged. Why haven't you made more of a splash? You had the most name recognition at the beginning of this, and yet people said you haven't had much of an impact in this race, particularly at a time when President Bush at this moment seems vulnerable?"

LIEBERMAN: "Well, it's early. And most Americans are not focused on the race. I feel good about the progress we've made and the support we've received. I am standing for something. I'm an independent-minded Democrat who knows how to bring security to the American people but also, most importantly, to bring back prosperity here in America and return a sense of fairness and integrity to the White House that certainly seems in recent months to have been missing. I will feel very good as we are poised for the next six months leading to the beginning of the actual campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond."

The AP's Lester deadline-writes:

"Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman said Monday the Bush administration's lack of planning for a post-Saddam Iraq and its unclear handling of intelligence claims threaten to 'give a bad name to what really was a just war.'" LINK

"The Connecticut senator said on NBC's 'Today' show that he is also troubled with members of his own party, many of whom supported the war, 'who now seem to be raising so many questions that they're leaving the impression that they don't think this was a just war.'"

"Lieberman said the U.S. military didn't move quickly enough to secure sites where weapons of mass destruction were being made."

His Iowa leadership change got a Saturday Des Moines Register headline, one of only three Tom Beaumont stories from that day. LINK

"The Senate this week rejected a series of Democratic-led efforts to boost homeland security funding, with some proposals losing on close votes in which Joe Lieberman and some other presidential candidates could have made the difference," the Hartford Courant's Lightman reported Saturday. LINK

Edwards:

John Wagner reports in the Raleigh News & Observer that the thrust of the new health-care plan John Edwards will propose is directed toward children. LINK

The AP's Nedra Pickler also previews Senator Edwards' health care speech. LINK

The Edwards campaign says this sentence is imprecise:

"Children not covered by private insurance would be enrolled automatically in government plans when they are born, enter school or visit a health clinic."

Parents would retain the option of enrolling the child in private insurance, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri. Only if they decided not to would the S-CHIP program would kick in.

Edwards told an audience on Sunday that he has wide appeal and can beat President Bush, according to Wagner. LINK

And Edwards is also working to increase recognition in Iowa, Wagner reports. LINK

Soledad O'Brien lobbed a few softballs at the Senator on AM this am.

Tom Beaumont's Sunday write up of John Edwards' Saturday in Iowa had a tough voter quote on national security credentials. LINK

A New Hampshire voter who heard Senator Edwards in New Hampshire Sunday said the candidate was "what we need." LINK

Kucinich:

Congressman Kucinich wants to bring the troops home and then cut 15 percent from the Pentagon's budget. LINK

Todd Dorman wrote in the Sioux City Journal on Kucinich's visit to Iowa Sunday promoting his ideas for such things as new New Deal policies, universal child care and pulling out of NAFTA. LINK

Boston:

First task for the looks-like-America DNC convention all-star team: stop the racial infighting, as previewed in yesterday's Boston Globe . LINK

And on Rod O'Connor's to-do list: lunch with Leonard Alkins (ASAP). The full team includes Bill Richardson, Alice Huffman, and of course, Stephanie Cutter.

A very smart woman — book editor Ashbel Green — wrote a Saturday New York Times op-ed explaining why the front-loading of the Democratic nomination calendar is just as likely (Ms. Green and The Note believe is MORE likely) to lead to a late nominee than an early one. LINK

Beantown scrutinizes its cab drivers in advance of next summer, to make sure they "have no links to terrorism, lapsed immigration papers, or serious criminal records." LINK

Welcome, delegates: the front page of the Boston Globe says violent crime is up in the city. LINK

Iowa:

99 Red Ballons; 99 Iowa counties. LINK

New Hampshire:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Scott Shephard had a lovely look at Peterborough, New Hampshire's role in the primary process over the weekend. LINK

BCRA:

The New York Times calls FEC commissioner Scott Thomas the "stand-out commissioner on the F.E.C. who wants to clamp down on abuses" who is "to be removed in a stunning decision by the leaders of his own Democratic Party." LINK

Which is an interesting sentence to some in the campaign finance community, who recall Thomas's involvement in several cases that eventually led to looser regulations governing issue ads, soft money,. and coordination.

And what about a 1997 Times editorial calling Thomas's record "unexciting"?

Politics:

USA Today 's Susan Page presents an in-depth analysis of a new poll showing that "public attitudes toward gay people are in the midst of a transformation." LINK

Here are some useful definitions differentiating gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships. LINK

Brainstorming for replacement mid-season network sitcom pilots? USA Today 's Jayne O'Donnell offers this zany combo: "She's a liberal consumer advocate who's been fighting with car companies since she headed highway safety in the Carter administration. He's a Republican committee chairman who is as likely to side with industry as trash it." LINK

Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times keys off the recall to declare American politics completely devoid of civility.LINK

"From the House impeachment of Bill Clinton on a virtual party-line vote, to the routine use of the filibuster by both parties to block nominations in the Senate, to the recall election now confronting California Gov. Gray Davis, the boundaries of civilized behavior in the political world are crumbling."

"If there was ever a Geneva Convention in politics — a set of rules that governed even the fiercest combat — it has lapsed. The only rule is that there are no longer any rules. In American politics, we now live in an age of total war."

Texas Democrats sent the GOP redistricting plan packing — for now, Reuters reports. LINK

The Palm Beach Post has a nice overview of the Florida Senate race sans Graham. LINK

From a window-shopping Googling monkey hanging around hear the RNC meeting over the weekend with his eye on Dr/Sen/Leader Frist:

"The Senate majority leader came to New York on Friday to do more than deliver a speech to the RNC. He took a detour from The Waldorf and stopped by Oxford Clothes on tony 57th Street (between Park and Madison)."

"He walked right in and began shaking hands inside the small, proper clothier, according to a salesman who remained impressed by Dr. Frist's presence one day later."

"But it wasn't only the good doctor's down-home, warm Tennessee handshake that delighted the flock of habadachers. It was what Frist left behind: An order for two custom, hand-made silk suits."

"When a still-excited salesman was asked for Frist's suit size, he demurred, saying it was a custom fit, but the Senator was in fine shape. There was no word on Frist's tab, but off-the-rack blazers listed north of $2,000. It was unclear whether Frist stepped into Prince Charles' shirtmaker next door (Turnbull & Asser). Now we know why Dr. Frist — and his staff — are so darn natty."

The Clintons of Chappaqua:

The Boston Herald's David Guarino reports that Senator Clinton "could join the race for president as the New Hampshire front-runner — but former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean would be her toughest competitor, a new Herald poll shows." LINK

Roll Call 's Mark Preston writes up DSCC and DCCC plans to "seek extensive assistance" from Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Media:

Roll Call 's Ed Henry reports that come September The Washington Post 's David Broder will return to the day-to-day Hill beat for the first time "since his five-year tenure in the late 1950s with Congressional Quarterly."

"He will take over the beat from Jim VandeHei, who has been covering Congressional politics with Senate correspondent Helen Dewar and House correspondent Juliet Eilperin since moving over from the Wall Street Journal ."

"VandeHei is now heading out on the road to cover the presidential campaign for The Post , where Broder will join him in January along with top Post writers Dan Balz and Thomas Edsall."

Bush Administration strategy/personality:

The Wall Street Journal 's Jeanne Cummings profiles Chief of Staff Andy Card.

Cummings writes, "Vice President Dick Cheney and political strategist Karl Rove gather far more attention, but the Iraq damage-control exercise illustrates the important role played by the little-noticed Mr. Card. He has tightly centralized power inside the White House's West Wing and constructed a nearly leakproof system to shield the president from scandal and distraction — keeping secrets from the media, Congress and even cabinet members until Mr. Bush decides to reveal them, if ever."

More: "On the surface, Mr. Card, a former transportation secretary in the first Bush administration, doesn't appear to have nearly as much power as some of his predecessors, including John Sununu, chief of staff for the first President Bush. Mr. Card was Mr. Sununu's chief deputy, until the current president fired Mr. Sununu on his father's behalf because he was attracting too much attention with his autocratic style."

"That experience appears to have prompted this President Bush to install an important check on Mr. Card's power: insisting that a handful of senior aides have open access to the Oval Office, withot getting Mr. Card's permission."