—5:00 am: President Bush takes part in a ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace, London
—8:25 am: President Bush delivers remarks at Whitehall Palace, London
—9:30 am: Senate convenes for legislative business
—10:00 am: House convenes for legislative business
—11:00 am: Reverend Al Sharpton speaks at the College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C.
—11:00 am: President Bush participates in a wreath laying ceremony at the Grosvenor Square 9/11 memorial, London
—11:25 am: Governor Howard Dean addresses the National Congress of American Indians, Albuquerque
—11:30 am: Senator John Edwards speaks to students at Western International High School, Detroit
—12:00 pm: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun speaks to the Black Law Students Association at American University, D.C.
—1:45 pm: Senator Joe Lieberman holds a press availability at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas
—2:20 pm: General Wesley Clark holds a press availability in Boston, Massachusetts
—2:30 pm: Reverend Sharpton speaks at Vorhees College, Denmark, S.C.
—3:50 pm: President Bush attends a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, London
—4:00 pm: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers deliver a closed briefing to senators, Capitol Hill
—4:30 pm: Reverend Sharpton speaks at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, S.C.
—4:45 pm: Governor Dean meets with teachers and supporters to discuss education, Davenport, Iowa
—6:00 pm: Ambassador Moseley Braun attends a reception with the Coca Cola Company, D.C.
—6:15 pm: Reverend Sharpton speaks at Morris College, Sumter, S.C.
—7:15 pm: Governor Dean attends a campaign rally at Carver Aero Airport, Davenport, Iowa
—8:00 pm: General Wesley Clark appears on "60 Minutes II"
—8:00 pm: Reverend Sharpton attends a rally at Jehovah Baptist Church, Sumter, S.C.

NEWS SUMMARY

Howard Dean's self-proclaimed desire to re-regulate American business (as chronicled by Jim "Diamond Jim" VandeHei LINK); Dean's position on Iraq vis-a-vis President Bush in a general election (as Noted by Dick Morris LINK); and Dean's panoramic cultural and secular liberalism and how it would play in Midwestern general election battleground states (as opined by Harold Meyerson LINK) — together, all would be good leaping off points to talk about BC04/RNC salivating and Democratic hand-wringing over Dean Inevitability.

"Would be" on this day of relative calm after yesterday's storm, except The Note is more focused on what annoying meeting runners call "housekeeping matters."

Starting tomorrow at 11 am ET, we are going to be working our Easy Bake Ovens overtime, trying to make the perfect banana stuffing for our Thanksgiving turkey.

We will all dine, avec thankful Googling monkeys, in the giant shed we have built on DeSales Street to hold all the interns we are going to be taking on after yesterday's want ad.

But that means that tomorrow's Note will be the last one you will get until December 1.

Before anyone sheds any crock tears over this — remember, beyond the stuffing, we have other stuff to do, including various book indexes to write, various candidate books to read; the big Dec. 9 New Hampshire Democratic presidential debate to prepare for; and a prototype of the ABC News Political Unit Michael Jackson Note to finish ("Wednesday 11/19 ABC Michael Jackson Note" is how it starts — after that, we are a bit stuck).

So, feel free (as we know many of you will!) to tell us what you think about this being your second-to-last November Note, but consider the decision more inevitable than Howard Dean's nomination.

President Bush is London.

Gov. Dean campaigns in New Mexico and Iowa.

Senator Kerry has no public events scheduled for today.

Rep. Gephardt has no public events today.

Gen. Clark campaigns in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts today.

Senator Edwards campaigns in Michigan today.

Senator Lieberman campaigns in Las Vegas.

Rep. Kucinich has no public events today.

Rev. Sharpton campaigns in South Carolina.

Ambassador Moseley Braun campaigns in D.C. today.

The politics of gay marriage:

Adam Nagourney examines the impact of the Massachusetts decision on the '04 race, writing that for Democrats, it raises "the unwelcome prospect that next year's presidential contest will be fought, at least in part, on the kind of cultural issues that have repeatedly put them at a disadvantage over the last 20 years." LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Jake Schlesinger writes that "the culture wars just went nuclear," and looks at the sticky wicket both parties find themselves in, given "that either party either party could try to use it to portray the other as out of touch with the mainstream."

Note the Democratic presidential hopefuls' rather clumsy attempts yesterday to talk about civil rights and rights to equal treatment while backing away from talk about gay "marriage."

"That is a distinction that Republicans think they will find easy to blur, especially if Democrats are forced to oppose a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexuals," Schlesinger writes.

If Republicans don't overplay their hand, they could play the issue to their advantage, given the Pew Research Center poll released yesterday that showed 59% of Americans opposing gay marriage, and 32% favoring it.

USA Today 's Susan Page writes that the issue looms huge for '04 crowd. LINK

Elizabeth Mehren of the Los Angeles Times writes, "In its sweeping 90-page decision, the court exceeded previous rulings by reformulating the conventional definition of civil marriage 'to mean the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others.'" LINK

The Los Angeles Times' David Savage delivers a news analysis exploring the legal barriers (such as the Defense of Marriage Act) that stand in the way of Tuesday's Massachusetts court ruling from throwing open the door to gay marriages across the country. LINK

The Boston Globe 's Joanna Weiss collects the Democratic candidates' various opinions on same-sex marriage and civil unions. LINK

The Boston Globe 's Anne Kornblut Notes that, following the Massachusetts ruling, "many GOP strategists reacted with glee: In their view, the decision handed President Bush a powerful election-year issue, one destined to further divide the two parties along cultural lines." LINK

Bush said yesterday that he will work with the Congress to "defend the sanctity of marriage," reports the Washington Times . LINK

The Washington Post 's Charles Lane reports that the Bay State's recognition of same-sex marriages will rapidly test the strength of laws in other states. LINK

ABC Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary meets "independent expenditures"

GOP consultant Frank Donatelli, Bush recount lawyer George Terwilliger and Republican consultant Craig Shirley have joined forces to bring in big bucks to support President Bush's re-election bid — and counter the fundraising efforts of billionaire George Soros, the AP's Theimer reports.

"The three Republicans are asking the Federal Election Commission for advice on whether their plans are legal under the new campaign finance law. LINK

The Hill reports that Chairman Robert Ney is threatening to subpoena six top-fundraisers from Democratically aligned interest groups. LINK

AP has more on soft money contributions. LINK

The FEC is set to adopt new legislation that would deregulate political action committees. LINK

The land of 5-plus-2-equals-7:

A group of Dems whose names you folks watching closely will recognize has sent a letter to House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney saying it will neither attend nor testify at a Thursday hearing on "involvement in and activities on behalf of" 527 organizations . Those signing include Steve Rosenthal, Howard Wolfson, Cecile Richards, and Ellen Malcolm.

Their professed reason for saying no to Congressman Ney's invitation? Partisan politics — they say that is what this hearing is all about.

"We do not believe that the Committee has a legitimate purpose in undertaking an open-ended inquiry into ongoing core First Amendment-protected activities of private political groups. The dangers of such an inquiry are particularly acute when six of the eight organizations that we understand to have been asked to testify share political views and objectives opposes to those of many, if not most, of the Committee majority."

The letter goes on:

"The appearance of partisan political purposes was powerfully reinforced yesterday when the Republican National Committee held a teleconference with reporters to attack a number of our organizations … This coordination of timing between a legislative committee and the national committee of a political party will leave many with little doubt about the intended purpose and effect of your Committee's 'hearing.'"

Stay tuned for the next round … And Note the fact that with BCRA still in the courts, just about no one knows what is legal and what is not.

Big Casino budget politics: Medicare:

It's the candidates vs. the Medicare bill! Rachel Swarns covers the AARP forum and the group's lobbying effort on behalf of the Medicare legislation. LINK

The New York Times ' Rosenbaum and Pear Note "the bill's sponsors scrambled all day to shore up support from conservative Republicans who fear that the measure does too little to transform the federal insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and from moderates in both parties who worry that one of the most popular programs ever devised by the government will be undermined." LINK

Hey, they like it! The New York Times opposes Senator Kennedy and rules the Medicare prescription drug bill to be "worthy of passage" before Noting the fiscal "train wreck" the measure could cause in this age of deficitsasfarastheeyecansee. LINK

The Washington Post 's Amy Goldstein and Helen Dewar report, "A few conservative House members announced their opposition to a $400 billion bill to revamp Medicare yesterday, blurring the prospects for congressional leaders and White House officials who hope to enact the measure in the next few days." LINK

In the Washington Post , the American Prospect's Robert Kuttner writes that the Bush Administration's "Medicare bill is a calculated first step toward ending universal Medicare in favor of vouchers." LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook looks at the need for Congressional leaders to shore up support for the Medicare legislation from the conservative wing of Congress. LINK

"House Republican leaders are grappling with the opposite problem confronting their Senate counterparts. Party leaders in the Senate worry about a filibuster by liberal Democrats who believe the bill provides too little for the elderly."

"In the House, GOP leaders are laboring to stem defections by conservative Republicans who only grudgingly voted for the original House bill — which passed by a single vote … "

"The Republican Study Committee, an organization of the House's most conservative members, plans to meet today to discuss whether the bill is a glass half empty or half full."

David Rogers and Sarah Leuck write pointedly in the Wall Street Journal that "the Medicare debate has shifted to the Bush administration's advantage" and Note that the threat of a filibuster "is receding." And if the Republican base and moderate Democrats line up, at least optimistic Senate staffer said it could pass today.

The GOP's twin Medicare bills have Democratic lawmakers in a bind, reports the Hill's Geoff Earle. LINK

ABC Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary meets Big Casino budget politics:

The Washington Post 's Ceci Connolly reports on the Democratic criticism of the AARP's endorsement of the Medicare bill. LINK

The Boston Herald's David Guarino writes, "Waving his stethoscope as a defense, Democrat Howard Dean yesterday tried to fend off claims he wants to dump seniors from Medicare and gut prescription drug benefits." LINK

The Boston Globe 's Glen Johnson Notes that AARP was booed by its own members at its own debate. LINK

More in our Medicare section below.

ABC News Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary:

Dean Broder writes in a very clear-eyed fashion about why all the sky-is-falling rhetoric over Busta Caps is overblown. LINK

Broder's celebration of Ruth Marcus' dogged pursuit of the outing of bundlers warms The Note cockles.

The Washington Post 's Harold Meyerson writes that "with the continuing rightward gallop of the South, the Democrats are going to have to perform near-perfectly in the swing states of the Midwest." LINK

John Harwood was at the forum yesterday too, and calls it "a rare, live-fire test of the instincts and agility of the six leading Democratic candidates." How'd they do? OK. But it was Dean who "showed off three political strengths that, if he can survive Medicare attacks from primary rivals, will help him contest Mr. Bush on the issue next fall."

First, he's a doctor; second, he was a governor who dealt with serving up health care and benefits; and third, he's an outsider. That said, Mr. Rove isn't exactly sweating yet.

Lloyd Grove got Alexandra Pelosi to size up the Democratic field, and profess, yet again, her dislike for President Bush. LINK

Dean:

The Washington Post 's Jim VandeHei writes up Dean's Tuesday night speech down the road from Enron, where he called for "re-regulation" for large corporations. LINK

Dick Morris sees the administration's new Iraq strategy as the possible demise to Howard Dean's general election campaign. LINK

Howie Kurtz writes about Dean's ad attacking Gephardt on the Iraq war resolution. LINK

So do the Boston Herald's Noelle Straub and the Des Moines Register 's Tom Beaumont. LINK and LINK

The Register's Jonathan Roos gives a full-blown critique of the ad. LINK

Slate's Chris Suellentrop reads the Howard Dean book so you don't have to. LINK

The New York Times ' Rick Lyman speaks with Gov. Dean's mother in examining the effect Charlie Dean's disappearance had on his brother Howard. LINK

Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times reports Dean was "uncharacteristically introspective" on Tuesday when talking about the likely discovery of his brother's remains. LINK

The Washington Post 's Jim VandeHei and William Branigin report on the discovery of Charlie Dean's body.LINK

So does the Boston Herald's David Guarino. LINK

As does the Boston Globe 's Sarah Schweitzer. LINK

From ABC News' Dean campaign reporter Marc Ambinder:

It's been more than 29 years since Dean learned his brother was missing. Slowly, the story of Charlie Dean's journey to Southeast Asia, his imprisonment, and sketchy details of his apparent execution are coming to light.

Dean sat with reporters on the long charter from Manchester, New Hampshire to Houston and shared what he knew. It was as somber and serious as Dean has ever been with reporters, and more than a few remarked that they had never heard him talk about his life and experiences in such a personal way.

Dean and his family plan to visit Hawaii next week for a repatriation ceremony, knowing that it may be weeks, months, or perhaps forever until the body of Charlie Dean is identified. A grave marker exists for him, whenever he returns, at a cemetery in Sag Harbor, New York.

He said he hoped the discovery of the remains would help bring closure to a major family trauma. In the early 1980s, Dean said, he underwent grief counseling for anxiety attacks he believed were a result of Charlie's unfinished business.

Dean said it doesn't effect his judgments about policy, except in one way: "I have seen a lot of families who come up to me and say, My son is in Iraq, can [Dean] bring him back?'"

"I know," Dean said, "what they feel like."

There are still unanswered questions. Why did the U.S. government classify Charlie as an POW/MIA, when Charlie had never been in the military? Dean acknowledged that some members of his family thought Charlie was in the CIA, but he said he didn't believe that. He didn't know why the government had done that, he said, and no one from his family had ever asked. He would, as president, get to the bottom of that mystery, he said.

Read more from the trail with Dean on abcnews.com: LINK

Kerry:

As the new Kerry team continues to aggressively ramp up their various tactics and strategies for making the Real Deal the real deal, The Note has learned about an apparently unrelated departure from the communications shop of Team Kerry.

Kelley "Demander" Benander, one of the few people in politics who understands how to serve the interests of the person for whom she is speaking AND be responsive to, and knowledgeable about, the needs of working journalists, has decided that now is a good time to transition out of the campaign and out of D.C. altogether.

Benander, whose loyalty to John Kerry is as bona fide as it is boundless, is heading out to San Francisco, whose straight men and prospective employees should Note well that the city's quotient of charming and talented is about to be raised significantly by one hard-driving gal.

Benander's work on the Boston Globe 's novella-length Kerry profile entitled her by any fair standard to a byline — but the national press will miss her responsiveness and savvy at least as much as the Massy folks.

Chris Heinz tells the Daily News that Jim Jordan's dismissal "was mostly personality-driven" and not about revamping the campaign. LINK

From ABC News' Kerry campaign reporter Ed O'Keefe:

After yesterday's AARP candidate forum in Bedford, N.H., Senator Kerry headed to Firehouse No. 2 in Hampton, N.H., for the IAFF-sponsored Firefighter for Kerry chili feed.

In a boon for the Kerry campaign and New Hampshire Tums sales, this first-in-a-series of firehouse chili feeds welcomed nearly 100 supporters and IAFF members for a night of firefighter-cooked and Senator-scooped chili.

At risk of provoking the ire of firefighters across the Granite State, over the next few days Kerry will visit several New Hampshire firehouses in search of votes; ABC News will go in search of the candidate … and the perfect chili.

Read more from the trail with Kerry on abcnews.com: LINK

Gephardt:

In USA Today , Walter Shapiro offers his take on the quirkiness of the Iowa caucus system and the tactics that campaign staffers employ to reel in the "undecideds." Of the caucuses he write, "Yes, it does seem weird and a bit unfair that Gephardt would be presumably doomed if he finished second to Dean in Iowa, while Edwards would be swapping high-fives with his supporters if he edged out Kerry for third." LINK

Jules Witcover of The Baltimore Sun compares the "tortoise" and the "hare" campaigns in Iowa. "It is a gamble that his solid-citizen style, farm boy looks and detailed proposals for universal health care, agricultural and energy independence will trump Dr. Dean's impassioned plea to Iowans to "take back America" from Mr. Bush." LINK

The Nashua Telegraph held their editorial board meeting with Rep. Gephardt yesterday shortly after the AARP forum. Jonathan Van Fleet has this report from the meeting. LINK

From ABC News' Gephardt campaign reporter Sally Hawkins:

The Gephardt campaign is now openly talking about homing in on Iowa, hiring more staffers there, and suggesting to reporters who follow him to plan on being there almost every day in January up until the caucuses. With new Clark and Lieberman ads hitting the airwaves in New Hampshire, Gephardt is now the only top-tier candidate who is not advertising there.

With Gephardt's abysmal poll numbers, the latest Marist poll placing him at 6%, I'm told they think the money is better spent solidifying their lead in Iowa and mobilizing in the Feb. 3 states. One campaign staffer joked that with Senator Edwards' spending spree at a million dollars per week in New Hampshire ads, he has increased his poll numbers slightly at "about $500,000 per percentage point."

At Tuesday's AARP, audience members "oooooh-ed" when Dean lobbed one Gephardt's way, accusing him of being an ineffective House Majority Leader. "With all due respect Dick Gephardt, who I respect and who I worked for, you had four terms to bring in a majority and you didn't do it", Dean said. Gephardt cheekily replied with a chuckle, "If [Dean] wins, I'm going to do everything I can to help him beat George Bush … .but he's not going to win."

Asked after the AARP forum about the gay marriage ruling in Massachusetts and his daughter's support for gay marriage, Gephardt smiled and told reporters, "Chrissy and I agree on 99% of the issues, but this is not one of them."

Read more from the trail with Gephardt on abcnews.com: LINK

Clark:

We are all very excited about the General's face-off with Dan Rather tonight, but we wonder about some comments he makes in the transcript released by CBS, relating to the famous "Mary, help!" interview Clark did with four Notebook-and-tape-recorder-wielding journalists aboard his plane when he made what we will charitably call "ambiguous remarks about his position on the Iraq war resolution.

Although the reporters reported what Clark reportedly said, check this out:

DAN RATHER: General, I'm still unclear, and I think a lot of people in the audience are still unclear, would you or would you have not have voted for the original resolution that backed President Bush going to war? There's still a lot of controversy about that. I don't- — Where do you come out on that?

Clark: At the time I did this, I made this statement, I was having what I thought was an informal — I wasn't clear whether it was on the record or [an] off-the-record discussion about the philosophy of sort of entering the Presidency. And somehow the Iraq question got thrown in. So --

We await further clarification … .

The Washington Post 's David von Drehle reports that Clark seemed to go the furthest yesterday in his comments on the Massachusetts decision. LINK

Lehane on Inside Politics … any better?

We wrote last week that Chris Lehane, Clark campaign's communication's strategist, was roughed up a bit by bloggers on the Clark04 website following his appearance on "Buchanan and Press."

But, just like any professional, Lehane's face shone once again-today, Lehane appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics" and, to revisit the same blog that turned on him last week, this week seems to be a whole new story. Or was it a whole new Chris Lehane?

Highlights from the blog: "I think Lehane just did a very good job on IP" (from Justine)/"Lehane did well on Inside Politics." (from PF)/"I think Chris did a very good job. He made it clear that Gen. Clark is doing everything possible to meet the people of NH, face to face. That's what the voters want to hear." (from Roofie).

From ABC News' Clark campaign reporter Deborah Apton:

General Clark is definitely making his impression on New Hampshire voters. While many still say they're not on board the Clark train yet, they are turning out to listen … and to ask questions.

For example, how would Clark deal with the stress of being in the Oval Office when something really makes him mad? The answer caught everybody in the audience off-guard, and even his staff who couldn't help but giggle. First, The General said swimming calmed him down. Then he told a story about his most stressful day dealing with alliance warfare — the day when he "learned stress comes in colors. There's blue stress, there's green stress, and when it's really really bad, it's red stress."

What'd he do that day? "I realized that I really needed to go to the restroom, and then I felt a whole lot better." More: "Sometimes you just have to get up and walk around from your desk, even if it's the desk in the Oval office, sometimes you need to get up and clear your head."

We all hope that come primary season the Clark advance staff know the rest stops off Route 93 and Route 101.

Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK

Edwards:

The Edwards camp has begun promoting the Senator's new book, which showcases four of the trials he worked on before he came to Congress, as well as reflections on the death of his son. LINK

John Wagner in the Raleigh News & Observer reports on Edwards hammering the AARP on Medicare at yesterday's New Hampshire forum. LINK

While Kerry fell to the bottom of the list, Edwards impressed voters at yesterday's forum, writes PoliticsNH.com's John Curley, who talked to people who threw around words like "sharp" and "personally impressive." LINK

AP Looks at Edwards' fix for "No Child Left Behind" LINK

From ABC News' Edwards campaign reporter Gloria Riviera:

Bert Paradise likes what John Edwards has to say. Paradise, a maintenance technician at Southeast Container in Hudson, New Hampshire heard the Senator speak for the first time at workplace town hall held after the AARP forum. Paradise likes Edwards' message over the rest of the field. But that doesn't mean he will vote for him.

"I don't know if he can win," said Paradise. "I want to go with the frontrunner."

Could this be a turn-around case for Lou D'Allessandro? D'Allessandro is one of two New Hampshire Democratic state senators out of six to endorse Edwards, and he hosted a town hall at his Manchester home Tuesday evening.

D'Allessandro said he hopes to energize a Hispanic base of support for Edwards in Manchester and use his contacts and experience to drum up support for Edwards statewide. D'Allessandro had dinner with his old friend Al Gore and his wife Tipper in Nashville recently — after D'Allessandro had announced his Edwards endorsement — but kept mum on where the former Vice President is leaning.

Read more from the trail with Edwards on abcnews.com: LINK

Lieberman:

AP's Brandon Farrington reports on Rep. Alcee Hastings' endorsement on Lieberman. LINK

The Tallahassee Democrat's Bill Cotterell writes that "Although Lieberman opposed affirmative action prior to his selection as Al Gore's running mate in 2000, Hastings said he is satisfied with the senator's conversion on that issue." LINK

David Lightman has an article on Lieberman's new endorsement with this provocative opening graph: "Joe Lieberman's campaign, hitched to a theme of restoring integrity to public life, Tuesday welcomed the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, a former federal judge whom the Senate convicted and removed from office in 1989." Lightman says that while Hastings is the only CBC member to endorse Lieberman, "It's arguable just how much Hastings will help Lieberman." LINK

Scot Lehigh writes that Lieberman's decision to take time to consider the Medicare bill "passes for courageous iconoclasm" compared to the other Democratic candidates at the AARP debate. LINK

Washington Post 's Hanna Rosin was one of the reporters at lunch with Mrs. Lieberman on Monday. She writes that "confirms many of the stereotypes about the 61-year-old candidate — that he was a teacher's pet, a Boy Scout type. Perfect in the eyes of a mother, but perhaps not ideal for a candidate who some say lacks the inner rage needed to stand up to Howard Dean. This is a mother who, a friend of his once observed, seemed to give her son a standing ovation each time he walked in the room." LINK

Joseph Straw of the New Haven Register reports on the Lieberman campaign's Connecticut-focused Internet fundraising pitch. LINK

From ABC News' Lieberman campaign reporter Talesha Reynolds:

Senator Lieberman's mention of his mother in the opening statement of the AARP debate was not at all subtle. The message was clear: I know what seniors need because I hear it every day at home. Marcia Lieberman was seated front and center for the event, just behind the microphone set up for audience questioners.

His mom's proximity notwithstanding, Lieberman was all alone on the stage when it came to the Medicare bill. Rather than oppose the bill, as the other candidates did, Lieberman said he wants to take more time to evaluate it. Lieberman acknowledged that there were some provisions of the bill he does not agree with, but said it would do more for seniors than what presently exists. Lieberman told a group of seniors on Monday that he is unhappy with parts of the bill that would "force the privatization of parts of Medicare."

When Lieberman touted his healthcare plan during the forum, saying that an independent expert had deemed it better than any of the other Democrats' plans, John Edwards decided to bring Marcia back into the debate. Edwards said his own healthcare program must be pretty good, since Mrs. Lieberman had endorsed it.

The campaign issued a statement from Marcia Lieberman: "That John Edwards is a nice-looking boy, but I don't know what he was talking about. I've been telling Joe for years that we need a prescription drug benefit, and I know he'll get it done as president."

In a first for the candidate, Lieberman skipped the Post -debate spin room. He left shortly after the AARP forum to film another ad.

Read more from the trail with Lieberman on abcnews.com: LINK

Kucinich:

According to the AP, Kucinich is working overtime as he runs for both President and a fifth term in the house.LINK

USA Today 's Andrea Stone writes up the gist of the Congressman's ed board with the paper. LINK

"Despite the momentum already displayed by [Dean], Kucinich predicted that no Democrat would get more than 50% of the delegates going into the party convention in July. 'I think that it's anybody's election,' he said."

The Albuquerque Tribune's Shea Anderson covers Kucinich and Clark's appearance at the National Congress of American Indians Monday, explaining why the minority group is of great interest to the candidates: "Suddenly Indians are on the campaign trail, with more influence than they've had before." LINK

Kucinich makes a rare appearance on conservative Web site for his diametrically different position from Bush on Cuba: LINK

From ABC News' Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:

Rep. Kucinich didn't attend the AARP forum on Tuesday, but he did comment on the gay marriage decision. Kucinich, who supports gay marriage (only fellow underdogs Sharpton and Moseley Braun go that far), said, "This is a basic issue of civil rights. The Democratic party should be behind civil rights for everyone, including gays. This is not something to compromise on or to take halfway steps on or to make political calculations about. This is a question of people's basic civil rights."

But despite his unequivocal support of gay marriage, Kucinich hasn't gotten formal endorsements from the major GLBT groups, although he does get very warm receptions from them. It's somewhat familiar to the Kucinich campaign. The same type of situation arises with unions, who would seem a natural fit for his stance on cancelling NAFTA and the WTO, but instead their endorsements have gone to candidates like Dean and Gephardt.

Read more from the trail with Kucinich on abcnews.com: LINK

Sharpton:

AP has Reverend Sharpton's request that the Committee for Justice pull its ad (featuring Sharpton) attacking John Edwards for his Judiciary committee vote against Janice Rogers Brown. Sharpton claims his words are being misused and is also asking for an apology. LINK

From ABC News' Sharpton campaign reporter Beth Loyd:

Rev. Sharpton is in a bit of a jam. Statements that he made last week disapproving of the filibuster of Janice Rogers Brown but saying that she should have an up-or-down vote have come back to bite him — and John Edwards. His words and his face have been used in a Committee for Justice advertisement in South Carolina criticizing Senator Edwards for his part in the filibuster.

The Sharpton campaign issued a statement demanding that the ad be pulled from the air and insisting on a public apology. Sharpton says he is "outraged and disgusted to see the Committee for Justice — a White House front group — use my name, my face and my statements in a misleading manner to smear John Edwards."

Don't be shocked if the campaign decides to sue the Committee for Justice for using Sharpton's voice without permission, starring long-time Sharpton attorney Sandy Rubenstein.

Read more from the trail with Sharpton on abcnews.com: LINK

Moseley Braun:

Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun attended an editorial meeting at the Washington Post yesterday, and Ed Walsh reports, "Braun said she has consistently refused to predict where she will finish in the early contests. But asked yesterday whether she expected to finish third or fourth in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, she said, 'I hope to do at least that, yes.'" LINK

(Note Note: We have it straight from the candidate that it's "Moseley Braun.")

Patricia Ireland outlines a strategy to reinvigorate Braun's lagging campaign. LINK

Iowa:

Walter Shapiro writes that "there is still a remarkably high degree of squishiness to Iowa's political sentiments: More than three-quarters of Democrats polled by the Register say they may change their candidate preferences. Conversations with party activists buttress this conclusion." LINK

Republican National Convention:

The Hammer says the booze cruise is back on …

Vince Morris of the New York Post reports Tom DeLay is "steaming ahead with a luxury-liner booze cruise at next year's GOP convention — whether the mayor agrees or not." LINK

(Note Note: Will Tom DeLay be invited to any of the fancy shindigs at the East 79th St. townhouse while the convention is in town?)

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

KAET-TV and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication polled 409 registered voters in Arizona yesterday, found that Bush would beat all of the potential Democratic nominees. The margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points. LINK

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Douglas Pike seeks a Republican challenger to President Bush, suggesting that the backlash of having Bush in the White House has been a loss of a traditional Republican administration, and that perhaps a centrist Republican candidate might be the answer. Like former New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman. LINK

Bobby Kennedy Jr. sat down with Salon's David Talbot for an extended interview on President Bush's environmental record (he calls Bush the worst environmental president in history), the Democratic challengers and his own political future. LINK

It looks like President Bush might have some more competition in the New Hampshire primary next January. A Missouri businessman, Blake Ashby, filed papers yesterday at the Secretary of State's office to run, the Union Leader reports. "A 'free-lance capitalist' who helps entrepreneurs start businesses, Ashby will campaign in New Hampshire for three weeks and plans to do direct mail and e-mails to potential supporters. Ashby was the 24th candidate to file and the eighth as a Republican. LINK

The politics of national security:

Gallup reports this morning that "while a growing percentage of Americans disapprove of how the United States is handling the situation in Iraq since the major fighting ended, support for the war effort is holding steady, with 56% saying the effort was worth it." While the latest poll "finds that Americans lean toward saying the war was the right thing to do, but less than half are very confident in that view."

A little something for everyone, we'd say. LINK

The AP reports from London this morning, "Amid royal pageantry and a smattering of antiwar protesters, President Bush opened a state visit Wednesday defending the invasion of Iraq as a necessary use of military power while likening reconstruction efforts to rebuilding a shattered Europe after two world wars."

Reports the New York Times , "a senior administration official" Notes Mr. Bush will offer a message that the United States retains a "strong commitment to international institutions and alliances," a message "intended to reassure a skeptical public in Britain and throughout Europe that the president is not the cowboy unilateralist he is often made out to be on the other side of the Atlantic." LINK

The Washington Post 's Robin Wright and Colum Lynch report the "United States is preparing to seek another U.N. resolution to back its new plan for Iraq and ensure that the first postwar Iraqi government does not fail for lack of international recognition." Report the two, while U.S. officials "have not decided exactly what a new resolution would stipulate, the United States and Britain have already begun putting out feelers." LINK

The New York Times on the Pandora's Box the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq has the potential to open given that the death of one soldier, "a sad though common reality for most nations, would be a pivotal point in Japan's postwar history." LINK

Slate tries to connect the dots between Mohammed Atta, Prague, Iraq and al-Qaida. LINK

Philip Shenon on the Bush administration's efforts to increase the security of the nation's ports. LINK

The President in London:

USA Today 's Judy Keen and Ellen Hale write, "Demonstrations against the war with Iraq threaten to overshadow the pageantry. Few protesters were on the streets Tuesday, but some merchants near the U.S. Embassy nailed plywood over shop windows and police prepared to erect metal fences and barriers." LINK

The Washington Post 's Dana Milbank and Glenn Frankel write, "President Bush arrived here Tuesday night for a four-day state visit with plans to tell skeptical Europeans that they must join the United States in spreading democracy, by force if necessary." LINK

Bush is defending the war on terror during his overseas visit, advocating the "measured use of force," reports the AP. LINK

The economy:

The recent good economic news isn't producing inflation for American families, since consumer prices are holding steady, write Jon Hilsenrath and Joseph Rebello of the Wall Street Journal . Rising prices in some sectors, like food and housing, were offset by falling prices in others, like energy and cars, and overall the Fed is unlikely to move interest rates, the duo report, as the job market is flagging and manufacturers still have unused production capacity.

Big Casino budget politics: energy:

The House voted for the energy bill, the Wall Street Journal 's John Fialka reports, but there's a possible filibuster looming in the Senate. But if the Democrats can't come up with the votes to fend off GOP efforts to end another talkathon, it may not be politically wise to bust out the cots. A filibuster gone well, however, could force Republicans' hands on incentives for clean coal, nuclear energy and solar and wind power, Fialka writes.

The Paper of Record examines the horse-trading and deal-making that led to consensus on the "first major energy legislation in a decade." LINK

The New York Times ' David Cay Johnston gets the Heritage Foundation and Citizens for Tax Justice to agree! Neither likes the energy bill … LINK

The Los Angeles Times account of the House's approval of the energy bill gives that witty John McCain some play. "'It's the leave-no-lobbyist-behind bill,' Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) griped."LINK

"Its fate in the Senate, where the GOP holds 51 of 100 seats, is less certain because of concerns about its potential cost and effect on the environment."

The Washington Post 's Dan Morgan writes, "The House gave final approval yesterday to the most comprehensive energy legislation since 1992 after Republican leaders said it would create 800,000 jobs, spur investment in the overburdened electricity grid and reduce dependence on foreign energy supplies." LINK

Politics:

Criticism of No Child Left Behind continues, with the New York Times getting Republicans at the local level on the record calling No Child Left Behind "irrational" and a violation of common sense. You better believe the folks at the NEA are clipping this one … LINK

The Senate rejects Bush's judicial nominee, with Senator Harkin leading the assault, reports the Tribune's Andrew Martin. LINK

The Schwarzenegger era:

Michael Finnegan of the Los Angeles Times explores Gov. Schwarzenegger's potential to go over the heads of legislators and govern by putting ballot measures before the voters. LINK

"If legislators decline to meet the Dec. 5 deadline to put the measure on the March ballot, Schwarzenegger's campaign team plans to mount a petition drive to get it before voters in November 2004." "The advisers — including strategists Mike Murphy, Don Sipple, George Gorton and Jeff Randle — are already planning campaigns for other Schwarzenegger ballot measures in case the Legislature thwarts his agenda."

The Washington Post 's Rene Sanchez reports on the governor's call for major cuts. LINK

The San Francisco Chronicle's Christian Berthelsen takes a look at Gov. Schwarzenegger's post-election day fundraising. LINK

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has raised nearly $1.3 million in campaign contributions since he was elected Oct. 7, including a $100,000 contribution from a company with a huge stake in the outcome of his effort to reform worker's compensation."

Arnold Schwarzenegger is forgoing the $175,000 salary paid to California governors. LINK