—8:30 am: Senator Bob Graham attends a campaign fundraiser, New York City
—9:00 am: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun takes part in a panel discussion on Iraq at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's convention, D.C.
—9:30 am: Senate convenes for legislative business
—9:45 am: Off-camera White House press gaggle with Scott McClellan
—10:00 am: Reverend Al Sharpton meets with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, D.C.
—10:00 am: Arnold Schwarzenegger attends an event at his campaign headquarters, Santa Monica, Calif.
—10:45 am: President Bush meets with the president of Paraguay, White House
—12:00 pm: General Wesley Clark eats lunch at the Merrimack Restaurant, Manchester, N.H.
—12:30 pm: State Senator Tom McClintock unveils a campaign television ad, Sacramento
—12:30 pm: On-camera White House press briefing with Scott McClellan
—2:00 pm: Governor Howard Dean attends an endorsement event, D.C.
—2:00 pm: Representative Dennis Kucinich attends a campaign fundraiser, Denver
—3:30 pm: Governor Gray Davis joins former Texas Governor Ann Richards, other California elected officials, and women leaders for a rally against the recall, West Hollywood, Calif.
—4:00 pm: Representative Kucinich attends a rally at Auraria College, Denver
—4:30 pm: Senator Graham attends a campaign fundraiser, Lakeland, Fla.
—4:40 pm: President Bush meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Camp David
—6:30 pm: Governor Dean attends a reception with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, D.C.
—7:00 pm: General Clark participates in "Conversations with Clark" forum at New England College, Henniker, N.H.
—7:00 pm: Senator Graham attends a campaign fundraiser, Winter Haven, Fla.

NEWS SUMMARY

We all know that Matt Drudge is a great investigative reporter (with a particularly strong Pulaski County bureau).

We all know that Wes Clark's 2001 comments about how great the Bush Administration was/is are inextricably linked to the economy — thus making it a perfect lead-off question topic for Brian Williams in yesterday's debate.

We all know it is an outrage within the Democratic Party to compare a fellow Democrat to Newt Gingrich, but NOT an outrage to compare a fellow Democrat to George Bush (at least, not if you represent the Burlington wing of the Democratic Party).

We all know that sometime in the last 15 hours, Mark McKinnon thought to himself, "Hmmmm — I wonder if I could make an effective general election spot showing Howard Dean saying, 'I'm anti-Israel, anti-trade, anti-Medicare, and I am anti-Social Security.'"

We all know that Steve Elmendorf and Craig Smith thought about that quote too — but maybe more as a great piece of direct mail.

We all know that a $54 million computer study for the Iraqi postal service is nowhere near as good a poison pill talking point as midnight basketball.

We all know that John Zogby is the country's worst or best pollster.

We all know that lunch in Chappaqua yesterday produced a hole big enough to drive a Mack(er) truck of good ideas through, even if there weren't any Hollywood thinkers there.

We all know that General Clark in the Merrimack Restaurant is an historic event, no matter what ends up happening to his campaign.

We ALL know these things — or do we?

President Bush meets with the president of Paraguay today before heading to Camp David to spend the weekend with the Putins.

Governor Dean is in Vermont this morning. He will head to D.C. today to attend an endorsement event and later a reception with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He campaigns in Iowa this weekend.

Senator Kerry has no public events scheduled for today. He campaigns with Senator Ted Kennedy in Iowa this weekend.

General Clark campaigns in New Hampshire today and tomorrow. He'll return to D.C. Saturday night for the Congressional Black Caucus dinner.

Congressman Gephardt has a private fundraiser in Kansas City today. He will campaign in Columbia, South Carolina, tomorrow before heading back to D.C. to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards dinner. He campaigns in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Senator Graham has a fundraiser in New York City this morning and then two more back in Florida later in the day. He campaigns on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.

Senator Edwards has a private fundraiser this morning in Providence, Rhode Island. He campaigns on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina, and attends a pair of fundraisers in Texas on Sunday.

Senator Lieberman appeared on Imus this morning. He attends a breakfast reception this morning in Hartford, Connecticut. He has no public events scheduled for the weekend.

Reverend Sharpton meets with members of the Congressional Black Caucus this morning in D.C. He campaigns in North Carolina on Saturday and comes back to D.C. on Sunday.

Congressman Kucinich campaigns in Denver today where he will attend a fundraiser and a rally with supporters. He campaigns in California this weekend.

Ambassador Moseley Braun attends the Congressional Black Caucus convention in D.C. today and tomorrow

In the recall:

Governor Gray Davis will be joined by former Texas Governor Ann Richards, other California elected officials, and women leaders for a rally against the recall in West Hollywood today.

Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante has no public events scheduled today.

Arnold Schwarzenegger holds an event at his volunteer headquarters in Santa Monica, and is expected to get the Issa endorsement.

Tom McClintock unveils a new television ad at an event in Sacramento today.

The politics of national security:

The Washington Post 's Jonathan Weisman and Juliet Eilperin turn in a must-read explainer of just how nervous President Bush's request for $20.3 billion to rebuild Iraq is making some congressional Republicans — and get Reps. Flake and Wamp, Bob Teeter and Jim Dyer on the record. LINK

"GOP pollster Robert Teeter hinted that congressional Republicans are right to be nervous — not so much about the military campaign in Iraq, or even the rising U.S. casualties, but about the White House's spending request. Support for the war remains relatively high, he said, and if elected Republicans can frame the full $87 billion package as the amount it takes to support the troops, they will be fine."

"But as soon as the discussion turns to the nuts and bolts of Iraq's reconstruction, the public's long-standing antipathy to foreign aid quickly surfaces, Teeter said."

Could someone forward us a summary of what was said about this story at all meetings Dan Bartlett attended today?

Multilateral forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, which critics of the Bush Administration have said could help ease the United States' financial burden, isn't likely to save any money, reports the Wall Street Journal 's Christopher Cooper. The Bush Administration is cutting individual deals with countries willing to send troops in, complete with sweeteners for less experienced forces to upgrade.

"Officials who have seen these agreements acknowledge the deals are notably short on specifics. In most cases, the U.S. will foot the bill for transporting, equipping and feeding troops during their service in Iraq, with no dollar figures mentioned and no cap on costs."

Wall Street Journal/CNBC Democratic presidential debate:

Ever seen the kids in school get together to beat up on the guy who's getting all the girls? Well, now you have.

Clark might be the new kid but Dean remains the guy at the receiving end of most every punch thrown.

He remains the one candidate all the other folks on stage are fretting over, and the one they are trying to provoke into hitting back. So far, while he has wound up a bit (yes, we saw the Gephardt exchange), he has yet to haul off and let his fist fly in a way that causes that whole fist-into-boomerang thing.

As for The General, both his inexperience and his talent for being a quick study shone through. No raves coming in for last eve's performance, but no tomatoes thrown, either, and considering that was the guy's first debate … EVER … overall, he did alright.

Sure, he was ignored by most of the other candidates, but he did pass the "This guy looks kinda presidential" test while having a flub-free night, and that is enough to allow his fledgling campaign to continue to grow its momentum.

Perhaps the other nine will one day regret not clocking Clark when they could've? Stay tuned.

The Washington Post 's Dan Balz takes a must-read look at the way Clark and Dean affected the alchemy of last night's event, and how both the newcomer and the insurgent may work within their "outsider" appeal. LINK

He also throws in a nice assessment by Dean of Clark's performance that (niftily enough) agrees with ours:

"'I thought he did fine,' Dean said. 'His job was to not make any mistakes.'"

Even though Wesley Clark's name appears first, Ron Brownstein leads with Howard ("flashing with anger") Dean as the target. LINK

We do have to poke a bit of questioning at the rather brilliant Mr. Brownstein for this line:

"Asked about a published report that he had praised Bush at a 2001 GOP dinner in Arkansas, Clark responded with his most forceful answer of the debate." We found it full of something or other, but we don't know if we'd vote for "force" as the fill-in-the-blank noun; and as for "published" … …

The AP's Professor Fournier reports Thursday's debate marked Clark's "debut" as a "Bush-bashing Democrat." LINK

Adam Nagourney of the New York Times writes, "the decision by some of the better-known candidates to attack one other and ignore General Clark had the effect, by design or not, of allowing him to appear the way his aides have sought: a fresh face above the fray." LINK

And the New York Times ' Lyman adds more on The General's easy time of it, Noting that when Clark admitted he didn't yet have a "complete package of health care proposals," there was nary a whimper from the other stage-dwellers as they "let another sweet fat pitch slide across the plate." LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Schlesinger and Harwood give The General high marks for staying alive (LINK) despite the media panting and his paucity of prepared policy positions.

"It wasn't immediately clear whether Mr. Clark was able to use the appearance to assure party stalwarts that he is ready for the intense scrutiny of a presidential run. At a time when Democratic partisans express sharply negative feelings about Mr. Bush, Mr. Clark acknowledged having extolled Mr. Bush early in his term."

USA Today 's Walter Shapiro doesn't seem so assured, writing, "as the two-hour debate wore on, [Clark's] answers grew increasingly vague and at one point Clark seemed to stumble into political quicksand on the issue of the privatization of Social Security." LINK

The New York Daily News leads its debate coverage with the Republican effort to "zing" Clark at the debate by releasing a tape of The General praising President Bush. LINK

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, writing on Clark's fortunes last eve, gets Bruce Lindsey to say "You could tell he belonged on that stage" and Ken Baer to comment, "I think he did fine. He looked comfortable. He looked presidential. I will give him that." LINK

As for Dean:

Slate's Suellentrope writes of Howard Dean, "For the first time in any of the three debates, his armor was just a tiny bit dented." LINK

The New York Post writes up the debate under the headline: "Fellow Dems diss Dean as sparks fly in debate." LINK

"A split-screen gave TV viewers the chance to see Dean silently mouthing to the crowd of Gephardt's charge: 'That's false.'"

"Dean's staff has urged him to stop his quiet mouthing off, which he's also tried at a prior debate."

More assessments:

Clark: Slick. Dean: Poised. Lieberman: Vigorous. Kerry: Conservative. Edwards: On Message. So finds Slate: LINK

The Hartford Courant's David Lightman reports that Dean was "the human bull's eye," Clark remained "a largely unknown soldier" and Lieberman positioned himself as Clinton's heir. LINK

The Boston Globe 's Scott Lehigh thinks Clark had "little noteworthy [sic] to add" and is almost alone in writing that Kerry was "the candidate who stood out." LINK

The Boston Globe 's Glen Johnson and Joanna Weiss find Clark had a "steady performance" and Dean "faced sharp criticism." LINK

And the Boston Globe 's Derrick Z. Jackson, who thinks the star of the debate was Bill Clinton. Uh oh. LINK

Final judgments:

Yippee! We're actually seeing some substance from these folks! So sings the New York Times op-ed page. (OK, OK, we're paraphrasing, but we're pretty close!) LINK

Jim VandeHei Notes Kerry, "scrambling to thwart rival Howard Dean's momentum, showed a new, more aggressive style, repeatedly attacking the former Vermont governor for advocating a repeal of the Bush tax cuts and a retreat from trade." LINK

The Globe's editorial page joins this chorus and finds that even though two hours is REALLY long, it liked what it heard yesterday. LINK

From the glass empty side, Salon says it's not so excited about what it saw. Eric Boehlert's assessment of the whole event: "Unless you plan your Sunday nights around 'K Street,' the debate was definitely a Tivo affair." He does, however, Note Dean's "flash" of temper. LINK

This was one of our favorite parts of the debate, CNBC crawl-wise:

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DNC Dinner:

The AP's Chaka Ferguson writes up the "Bush-bashing" at the DNC fund-raising dinner. LINK

The centerpiece of the dinner was a series of speeches by seven of the 10 candidates (Dean, Edwards and Moseley Braun did not attend), but not Senator Hillary Clinton. The overwhelming atmosphere in the room was … . well, tepid.

With the exception of a few applause lines and rapt attention paid to Wesley Clark, the most rousing moments came from (of course) Rev. Al Sharpton (who, incidentally, took the stage to the strains of "Love Train").

Most candidates stuck to a version of their stump speech (Gephardt discussed Bush's "miserable failure," and Kucinich talked about Democratic administrations past - including the first candidate reference to Lyndon Johnson). But Clark was the unfamiliar one, and the crowd hung on every word as he talked about being the newest Democrat in the room.

As Clark ran through his resume, noting his service to both Democratic and Republican presidents and his objections to the Bush Administration's foreign policy, his performance looked increasingly sophisticated. He's still not a compelling speaker, and he'll need to rely on more than "I'm a new Democrat" to hold their attention for the next few months, but he seems to have received extensive coaching.

Between the cadence of his speech and the casual gestures of his left hand while holding the microphone in his right (not to mention the host of new advisers), it's clear his fledgling campaign has studied President Clinton's town hall performances. Whether Clark can cultivate the warmth, much less the message, to keep people swarming around him as they did when he tried to leave the ballroom is the question.

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary:

The Boston Herald's Noelle Straub takes a look at the split allegiances of the Kennedys. LINK

Clark:

Yada yada fundraising: We hear that Clark attended a breakfast held at the New York firm Allen & Co. (a significant supporter of Bill Bradley in '00/Sun Valley media conference). Jerry Seinfield and Gerry Laybourne both attended.

The AP's Ron Fournier takes Clark to task for avoiding specifics and Notes that the nine other Democratic hopefuls "gave the newcomer a pass." LINK

"'If I've learned one thing in my nine days in politics,' the retired Army general said with a smile, 'you better be careful with hypothetical questions.'"

"That's how he avoided the issue of financing the reconstruction of Iraq. He also pleaded ignorance on health care policy - 'I don't have a complete package' - and stepped around questions about home mortgages and other issues … ."

The New York Post 's Deborah Orin reports that revelations about Clark's 2001 speech praising Bush "seem likely to fuel new controversy about Clark in the wake of his flip-flops over the Iraq war and the revelation that former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Hugh Shelton says Clark lacks the character to be president." LINK

"Maybe it was just that the expectations for Clark were so high, but it's hard to see how anyone who watched the debate could have come away raving about his performance," writes Michael Kramer of the New York Daily News. LINK

Wes Clark delivered a stern critique of President Bush at Thursday's debate even as he sought to quiet concerns about loyalty to his new political party reports Jeff Zeleny and Lisa Anderson of the Tribune. LINK

In a rare move for a young congressman, Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) is expected to play a key role in the Clark campaign says, Jeff Zeleny of the Tribune. LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Tom Beaumont has Iowa Governor/political analyst Tom Vilsack's thoughts on The General. LINK

Vilsack said "the attention Clark's campaign announcement captured last week at least temporarily slowed Dean … "

The Wall Street Journal 's editorial board Drudges up The General's praise for Republican leaders at that Lincoln Day Dinner - and begins to trash him by taking another finger out of the Dyke.

New Hampshire:

DiStaso reports that the New Hampshire Republican State Committee sponsored fundraising telephone calls to "thousands of Granite Staters" on the second anniversary of 9/11. LINK

"State GOP Chair Jayne Millerick says she wishes now the calls hadn't been made, but she denies a Democratic charge that her party exploited the tragedy for financial gain."

The AP reports that Dean holds a "double-digit lead" over Kerry in New Hampshire. LINK

The Marist College poll had Dean at 36 percent, Kerry at 24 percent and Clark at 8 percent.

"When independents who have expressed an interest in voting in the Democratic primary - as is allowed in the Granite State - are included in the mix, Dean leads with 35 percent followed by Kerry at 22 percent and Clark at 11 percent. None of the other contenders broke double digits."

Dean:

From ABC News' Dean campaign reporter Marc Ambinder:

"Two weeks ago today, when Dick Gephardt first hit Howard Dean with the charge that the then-governor of Vermont was critical of Medicare and said favorable things about slowing the growth rate of its budget, what got Dean the angriest was that the man behind the salvo was Dick Gephardt."

"Dean likes and respects Gephardt, according to several people who know Dean. (A memo distributed by the Dean campaign says the two worked on behalf of Democrats together; had the same things to say about the same, important, Democratic issues, etc.) The governor also campaigned for the Missouri Congressman's presidential bid in 1988."

"'I know the few times I've been chewed out by the governor is when I've been a little bit strident about Gephardt,' Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager, said last night."

"Which may explain why Dean squared his shoulders and looked so upset when he said this: 'I've done more for health insurance, Dick Gephardt, frankly, than you ever have, because I've delivered it to a lot of seniors and a lot of young people. And I'll stake my record on health insurance against anybody up here.'"

"If that sounded personal, it may be because it was."

"The fireworks last will certainly obscure an uncomfortably clever Dean prebuttal press release. Entitled 'Dean libs,' it begins: 'Today, ________[CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE, CANDIDATE, ETC] continued their _______ [ADJECTIVE], [ADJECTIVE] attacks on Governor Dean's record on ___________ [VITAL DEMOCRATIC ISSUE].'"

"'Governor Dean strongly supports _________ [VITAL DEMOCRATIC ISSUE]. It is one of the most important Democratic achivements of the past century and part of the party's legacy of standing up for __________ [VITAL DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUENCY].'"

"Uncomfortable, because, of course, one could read the entire Dean libs release as poking some fun at Dean … a tongue-in-cheek guide to Dean's message: regardless of the charge, rebut it by being anti-Bush, anti-Republican, beat Bush, take the country back from Bush, beat Republicans, take the country back from Republicans, did we mention, beat Bush, take the country back?"

"On the money front, Trippi said the campaign might make a tentative announcement about its 3rd quarter total as early as today. He insists the campaign is on track to break Clinton's 1995 record, and to collect $5 million online by 9/30."

"'It's all coming together from different places,' he said. 'We've got so much mail. We haven't been able to stop opening a lot … '" "And then Trippi trailed off, saying 'Stephanie [Schriock, Dean's finance director] will kill me. Stephanie will kill me if I say [anything else].'"

"During the debate, donations to the bat on Dean's Web site shot up; several hundred thousand dollars came in a few short hours."

"Dean's campaign in Iowa plans a major investment of money and staff. Soon, the campaign will have more than a hundred staffers on the ground across the state, double the approximately fifty they have now."

"In a memo to Iowa Deansters, state director Jeani Murray said the campaign had met its goal and trebled the number of Iowans signed up to support Dean; Murray cites help from established constituentcies, from people new to the political process, from former 1988 Gephardt backers, and Dean's ability to "light a fire" among Democratic activists as among the reasons for the rise.

"In late October, Dean will visit Howard County in northeast Iowa, the last of that state's 99 counties he needs to visit."

The New York Times examines Dean's record on Medicare. LINK

Dean addressed the Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO's 18th constitutional convention in Michigan. LINK

Hilary Cleveland, wife of the late congressman James Cleveland, and "a prominent campaigner for both President Bushes," is "helping organize a Republicans-for-Dean movement," the AP reports. LINK

"Cleveland says she's been a lifelong Republican, but will switch her registration to independent so she can vote for Dean in the presidential primary." "Cleveland was the New London co-chair for George W. Bush's 2000 campaign and was the state finance chair Bush's father in 1980."

Kerry:

John Kerry is soliciting donations in an e-mail "accusing college Republicans of allowing the sale of racist and anti-gay T-shirts at a convention this summer," the AP reports. LINK

"The e-mail includes a photo of the shirts. One says, 'No Muslims No Terrorism.' Another has a photo of black filmmaker Spike Lee and the message, 'Bring back the blacklist.' A third shows a photo of lesbian TV personality Rosie O'Donnell and her partner with the line 'Mr. (?) and Mrs. (?) Rosie O'Donnell.' Another says, 'The Clinton Legacy' and shows the World Trade Center after a plane crashed into it."

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

"Post-debate, Senator John F. Kerry delivered brief remarks to the DNC dinner before getting snarled in NYC/UN traffic, causing him to be an hour and a half late to a 'Debate Watch Party' on the city's West Side.

"As has become his custom, the Massachusetts Senator did not make a personal appearance in the spin room, though several Kerry camp representatives including Fred P. Hochberg, former Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Virginia Fields, President of the Borough of Manhattan, and, last but certainly not least, campaign manager Jim Jordan, arrived in his stead."

"While Jordan insisted, 'Voters will start paying attention when the weather gets cold,' the Kerry camp clearly felt their man stood his ground in crowded field. When asked whether Kerry's attack guns were loaded prior to the debate, Jordan demurred, 'It's not a matter of starting it, it's a matter of how the debate unfolds.'"

"Overall, the Kerry campaign continues to decry the inherent difficulties in a 10-candidate debate which may help explain the formidable debater's laissez faire debate approach thus far."

"All the while 100-150 metrosexuals and their Manhattanite female counterparts eagerly awaited the Senator while making voluntary contributions and sipping pay bar drinks at Eugene's, a trendy West Side bar turned 'debate watch' headquarters. Kerry arrived to a rowdy crowd and, sounding exceptionally hoarse, gave brief remarks on tax cuts, corporate crime, and the importance of the election yet to come."

"In and out of Eugene's in less than 15 minutes, enthusiastic crowd members followed Kerry into the street, asking him to pose for photos, sign autographs and, in one case, talk to a supporter's mother on a cell phone."

Gephardt:

From ABC News' Gephardt campaign reporter Sally Hawkins:

"In the spin room, Gephardt re-iterated his position as the steady and experienced candidate that has a proved track record for American workers. 'If you're looking for the flavor of the month candidate, then I'm not your guy,' he said. In keeping with this theme, members of his staff gave out small green plastic tortoise figurines reminiscent of the old "Tortoise and the Hare" tale in which the tortoise (always slow and steady) wins the race - (the campaign borrowed this theme from a Joe Klein article in Time). A Gephardt supporter gave the campaign a huge bag of them so we'll be hearing lots more about the 'tortoise' parallel, I'm sure."

"Later in the evening, Congressman Gephardt delivered a short speech at the DNC dinner that sounded similar to his regular stump speech. After he spoke, Gephardt didn't stick around long. He had fundraising to do."

Gephardt has gone up with his third Iowa television ad that "attacks President Bush's handling of the economy but does not mention his Democratic rivals," the AP reports. LINK

Lieberman:

Senator Lieberman was on Imus this morning and something goofy happened where someone besides Imus seemed to be yelling at Lieberman to get out of bed to go to school. Apparently, something went goofy in the booth and a caller was accidentally on the air and unaware of it while trying to get his daughter up for school.

Live radio folks! Incidentally, Jano, you shouldn't let the Senator stay up late watching Friends, Coupling, and ER anyway.

From ABC News' Lieberman campaign reporter Talesha Reynolds:

"Senator Lieberman observed that this was the first debate in which he didn't get booed. He also didn't attack Howard Dean. Dick Gephardt did it for him."

"Lieberman wasn't playing Mister Nice Guy tonight. This time around Senator Lieberman focused his harsh words on President Bush. First came the critique of POUTS's unilateral approach to foreign policy, particularly in Iraq."

"'We all agree that if George Bush had a better, more multilateral foreign policy, we wouldn't have to finance this alone. Again he went to the United Nations this time like a beggar and was turned down by the nations of the world.'"

"Nevertheless, Lieberman says he would support the 87 billion dollar request that he has called a 'price tag and not a plan' because 'we have no choice.'"

"Lieberman had his biggest line of the night when he bashed Bush's economic plan: 'In the Bush administration, the foxes are guarding the foxes and the middle-class hens are getting plucked. I want to make clear I said plucked.'"

"As the third quarter fundraising deadline looms, Senator Lieberman said he feels good about where he stands. 'It's a tough quarter because of July and August and the vacation time, but we're closing strong and I feel good about it.'"

Edwards:

From ABC News' Edwards campaign reporter Gloria Riviera:

"John Edwards did something last night he didn't have to do. He cast himself as peace-keeper after the Dean-Gephardt spat: 'I [also] want to say something about the exchange that took place just a few minutes ago. We need to be really careful that our anger is not directed at each other.' In the spin room afterwards he made sure to mention it again, saying the candidates need to spend more time talking about the American people and less time talking about themselves. "

"So what? It's worth noting only because Edwards typically avoids getting into it with any of the other nine — at all — and focuses on attacking President Bush. But news is made when the sparks fly, and by pointedly putting his two cents in Edwards makes a subtle move to stay on same page as the candidates the media is focused on at the moment."

"Sticking with the football theme since Edwards is tailgating this weekend at the University of South Carolina … "

"With no stumbles to speak of, Edwards big play was pulling off the night's largest crowd response and round of applause when he took his turn at William's 'If ya had to do something no one liked, what would it be?' question and got his stump-speech Ashcroft jibe in, 'we cannot allow people like John Ashcroft to take away our rights, our freedom and our liberties.'"

"The first taste of 'nah-nah' election staff one-ups came when the Kerry campaign released the findings of an Iowa poll conducted and paid for by the Edwards campaign. As reporters were watching the debate in the press room the Edwards staff circulated a memo (on the SC poll released yesterday showing Edwards up to 23%) with the following intro:

'MEMO TO THE KERRY CAMPAIGN:

Thank you for releasing the results of our Iowa poll. The results of our South Carolina poll are below, in case you'd like to release them next:'"

"No comment from the Kerry campaign."

Graham:

From ABC News Graham campaign reporter Tarana Harris:

"Shortly before the debate, the AP's Ron Fournier reported that Graham's fundraising efforts are in trouble." LINK

"Explaining why two fundraisers recently left Graham, one reportedly to work for General Wesley Clark, the campaign said that two contract fundraising coordinators were terminated and replaced with permanent staff members. Graham responded by saying that third quarter fundraising would be solid and that, 'We are prepared to go forward with a vigorous winning campaign.""

"Earlier in the day Graham's daughter, Suzanne Gibson, admired Dean's fundraising machine and Noted that the large field poses challenges to bringing in money. She insisted, however, that her dad would stay in the race."

"Graham used the debate to highlight his economic plan Opportunity for All, which will be the focus of one of his 30 second ads. He exhibited a clear grasp of economic issues. But according to one person in the audience at Pace, Graham faltered when answering the question on how he would improve the electrical grid. 'That was double talk. His mind doesn't correlate with the idea,' said music producer Teddy Van."

"Other candidates got Graham's message out: Edwards used Graham's blank check refrain; Braun and Lieberman his warning that the deficit will burden our children; Sharpton picked up on Graham's plan to rebuild America's infrastructure, and Dean noted that he and Graham balanced their state budgets. Later Graham said, 'Plagiarism is the best form of flattery.'"

Peter Wallsten, who caught heat from Graham family members after the DNC dinner for his unflattering coverage of the Senator, covers a small bit about Graham's money problems, and much more about Clark's performance. LINK

Mark Silva on Graham's fundraising woes. LINK

Bill Adair on the same and Graham's Iowa strategy. LINK

Kucinich:

From ABC News' Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:

"Congressman Kucinich continued his strategy of making sure he stands out from the field in the debate tonight, focusing on his staunch opposition to the war and the $87 billion the Bush administration is asking for and his vow to repeal NAFTA and the WTO. In the Post -debate spin room his favorite prop was the cover of a national security briefing paper authored in part by Gen. Clark that commits troops in Iraq for at least 5 years, anathema to the Congressman's plan to pull the troops out immediately."

" He also had a lighter moment when he finally made up for his ultra-serious appearance on the Daily Show back in July. Daily Show 'Correspondent' Rob Corddry asked indecipherable (but supposedly very serious) questions while chomping on a peanut butter sandwich stuffed in his mouth. Kucinich played along, answered the question and then grabbed the other half of the sandwich for himself."

"In his speech at the DNC dinner Kucinich gave a rousing rendition of his stump speech to a fired up audience and compared his policies to revered liberal administrations of the past (FDR and LBJ among them). Departing from his campaign's usual in-it-to-win-it attitude, he twice referenced the possibility that he might not be the nominee and would support whoever was chosen."

"After the dinner Kucinich and six staffers went for food (I guess the DNC doesn't accommodate vegans?) at vegan paradise Zen Palate on 46th and 9th. The conversation consisted mostly of staffers praising his performance and the table's feeling that Clark focused much too heavily on his military record. Brand new development director (i.e. head fundraiser) Lynn Hardin revealed she's a registered Republican and hopes to use that as a recruiting tool to bring in voters. "

"On a stroll back to the hotel Kucinich talked about how he became a vegan (he fell in love with a vegan woman and decided to try it; now he feels he could never go back), how many hours of sleep he gets a night (fine on 6, functional on 5, bad if under 4), and how much he loves Times Square."

Moseley Braun:

From ABC News' Moseley Braun campaign reporter Monica Ackerman:

"'I know, I've used up 30 seconds. I got less questions than anybody else up here,' Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun told Brian Williams as the 'Jeopardy' buzzer went off. Brian Williams did, however, give her an extra two seconds to speak after she spent time clearing her throat."

"Following the debate in the spin room Moseley Braun said, 'I think it went fine, except I didn't get enough time, I tried. I didn't want to get disagreeable.' The ambassador stood in between Sharpton and Kucinich, the other two candidates who many consider long shots."

"Moseley Braun was the only candidate during the debate to mention Ground Zero, which happens to be blocks away from Pace University. 'We are near hallowed ground in this country. And when you look at the small businesses nearby the former — the site of the World Trade Center, what has happened to them is emblematic of the kind of excesses and the failure to build community that this administration has demonstrated.'"

"Speaking to her female supporters toward the end of the debate Moseley Braun said she would 'fight the discrimination against women in daily life,' specifically mentioning the treatment of women cadets at the Air Force Academy. And the Ambassador was quick to add 'and a lady' after the Reverend Al Sharpton said, 'we have eight career politicians, and officer and a gentleman."

Sharpton:

From ABC News' Sharpton campaign reporter Beth Loyd:

"The DNC Presidential Dinner starring Al … "

"Reverend Sharpton that is … not Franken."

"Reverend Al Sharpton again proved that he is, indeed, a tough act to follow. He brought down the house at the Post -debate DNC Presidential Dinner last night."

"Gone was the harsh criticism of the Democratic Party that is usually jam-packed into his speeches — replacing it was a more 'let's get it together, stop acting like republicans and knock Bush out of this thing' kind of tone."

"Reverend Sharpton mostly stuck to his stump, but judging by the crowd reaction, most of the DNC hadn't heard it before."

"The GREATEST HITS:

"'From the recount, to the redistricting, to the recall is a rejection of American democracy by this President.'"

On Bush's war policy:

"Can you imagine that George Bush goes to the U.N. talking about the constitution of Iraq and rights in Iraq? Maybe he oughta run for president of Iraq because he doesn't believe in it in the United States."

"On Bush's imminent danger language:"

"'Now I did go to public school in Brooklyn. But 'imminent' when I went to school, meant 'immediate'. You can't be in imminent danger with delayed evidence.'"

"His analogy of a church choir and members of the Democratic Party had them rolling:"

"'Some sing soprano, some sing alto, some baritone, some tenor, some can't sing at all they just move their lips and act like they're singing. It takes all of that to make a choir. And what we gotta do is rather than have them divide us, is we've gotta let everybody sing their note and make their note a harmonious rearrangement of America.'"

He welcomed Clark to the race. "I'm the chairman of the non-elected official's caucus of these ten. I'm glad that I'm no longer alone.'"

"Saying Mayor Bloomberg 'definitely can be defeated,' the Rev. Al Sharpton said he hopes to use his presidential campaign to build a coalition to unseat Bloomberg." LINK

"Sharpton told the Daily News he has no intention of running for mayor in 2005 — but he plans to play a key role in driving Bloomberg out of office."

"Donald Trump said yesterday he has no idea why he was listed as a sponsor of the Rev. Al Sharpton's upcoming presidential fund-raiser," the New York Post reports. LINK

"'Nobody ever called me about it. I like Al Sharpton, but I'm not supporting him.'"

Correction:

The Note incorrectly wrote that Lieberman spokesman Jano Cabrera hadn't voted in our epic CCintheC event. He rights our wrong below:

"For the record, contrary to what was reported this morn, I did not shirk off voting last night. The evening called for democratic (and Democratic) participation and in that spirit I joined my Canadian brethren and voted for my favorite dessert … "

"Let's just not focus on the fact that in voting my conscience, I cast my ballot for Gephardt's peach thingamabob … So tasty … "

"But again — the real bottom line here is that I voted."

Duly Noted — we regret the error.

ABC 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

Looking at the lingering Medicare and energy legislation in Congress, Los Angeles Times duo Ed Chen and Vicki Kemper suggest President Bush's influence on the Hill may be "dwindling." LINK

"Bush's approach to the Medicare debate contrasts sharply with the pressure he applied to lawmakers to pass education reform and massive tax cuts. He threw himself into the give-and-take on those bills, and aggressively campaigned for public support in the home states of Democratic senators whose votes he thought he could get for tax relief." "The president's more distant stance toward the Medicare negotiations and other issues Congress has yet to resolve appears to reflect his strategy of claiming victory on what seems legislatively possible and cutting his losses elsewhere." "But some analysts say it also underscores Bush's dwindling ability to influence Congress — especially as another campaign cycle looms — as his job-approval ratings and public support for the Iraq war are falling."

The Des Moines Register 's Jane Norman has Senator Tom Harkin's thoughts on the president's chances … and dismissing the Clinton talk. LINK

Only a third of Arizona residents say that they want to see President Bush win a second term in office and 44 percent would rather have someone else move in the White House, a new poll by Channel 8 (KAET-TV) and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University found.

Thirty-four percent of poll respondents would keep President Bush in office for four more years. More than half of those surveyed (52 percent) also said that they disagreed with the president's request for $87 billion for military presence and reconstruction of Iraq, while 42 percent supported the funding.

Bush edged out Gore in Arizona in 2000 by just 100,000 votes of 1.5 million cast to win the state's eight electoral votes. LINK

From ABC News' Bush-Cheney campaign reporter Karen Travers:

"A poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center brought more gloomy numbers for President Bush, rounding out what Pew Director Andrew Kohut calls the 'worst week of his presidency,' with regard to public opinion. Nearly half of those surveyed said that the economy was the issue they most want presidential candidates to discuss and 70 percent say that the president could be doing more on the economy. (Pew also did an interesting side-by-side comparison, showing polling numbers on the economy for Bush 41 from March 1992, when 76 percent of Americans said he could be doing more on the economy.)"

"President Bush's job approval rating was 55 percent, compared from 56% in mid-August and buoyed by his handling of the war on terror and the public's opinion on his personal image."

"The Pew survey also found that President Bush holds a statistically insignificant lead, 45% to 43%, over an unnamed Democrat opponent." LINK

"The Miami Herald reports on the week in polling for the president:" LINK

"The Washington Post 's Mike Allen looks at a just-released CRS report that concludes that deferred compensation checks and stock options from a corporation may represent continuing financial interests under federal ethics laws. The report does not specifically name Halliburton or Vice President Cheney, but the OVP reiterated that Vice President Cheney has not financial interest in Halliburton and no stake in the future of the company:" LINK

"The Los Angeles Times' Richard Simon also looks at the CRS report." LINK

Bush administration personality/strategy:

Karl Rove is heading to Arizona to raise money for freshman Congressman Rick Renzi. LINK

The Secret Service parked a Metro-North train under the Waldorf Astoria hotel this week as an "escape option" in the event of a terror attack on President Bush and other world leaders who stayed there, the New York Post reports. LINK

The Clintons of Chappaqua:

Bombarded by questions about a possible White House bid, Senator Clinton instead ponders the state of female power in Washington writes Janice D'Arcy of the Hartford Courant. LINK

The argument over changes to Hillary Clinton's memoirs in China has become a fight between publishers yesterday, the AP reports. And the Senator is playing hardball, threatening to pull the rights to sell her book from the Chinese publisher who changed it. LINK

And the Senator's sales pass Secretary Powell's.

California recall:

The San Francisco Chronicle's Zachary Coile reports Governor Davis wants to go mano-a-mano with Arnold Schwarzenegger. LINK

"Gov. Gray Davis challenged Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday to a one-on-one debate unless the actor corrects several 'flat-out errors' he made about the governor's record during Wednesday's televised candidate forum."

"The challenge was immediately rejected by the Schwarzenegger campaign, which dismissed it as a last-minute stunt by a politician who, polls show, is still in danger of losing his job in the Oct. 7 recall election."

Michael Finnegan and Daryl Kelley of the Los Angeles Times wrap up yesterday's post-debate campaign trail activities into one tidy story. LINK

"Still, Schwarzenegger's focus Thursday was less on Davis than on McClintock. The actor's campaign started running a new ad accusing unnamed opponents in the recall race of "pandering" to casino-owning Indian tribes in return for campaign money." "Narrated by Schwarzenegger, it uses the same language as an ad he began airing earlier in the week. But the new version, unlike the old, shows the faces of McClintock, fellow recall candidate Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Davis."

This ad wasn't released by the campaign. We'd love to know how the Los Angeles Times happen to catch it.

And these might be our favorite Mike Murphy quotes of the campaign thus far: "Schwarzenegger strategist Mike Murphy said the campaign had sent the new spot to television stations, but only as a 'contingency.' It was put on the air because of a 'clerical error,' he said."

The New York Times ' John Broder and Dean Murphy write up Schwarzenegger's steady stream of GOP support and begin to cast the October 7 election as a two-man contest: Gray Davis v. Arnold Schwarzenegger. LINK

The Washington Post 's E.J. Dionne loved Wednesday's debate, calling it "Democracy 101." LINK

"There was no hiding in the California demolition derby. It should be seen as the definitive case for debate deregulation. The candidates knifed each other right there for everyone to see."

"Personally, I think this recall should be voted down on principle. Incumbent Gray Davis is just one of many governors facing big budget holes. But this debate was almost worth the price of the recall. It was an honest political moment. How often can you put those last three words together in the same sentence?"

George Skelton writes Gray Davis and Tom McClintock emerged as the winners of Wednesday's debate. LINK

Campaign finance filings were due at midnight Thursday. The Los Angeles Times reports the contest has passed the $50 million mark. Here's the paper's look at the numbers. LINK

The USA Today ed board likes California's finance disclosure rules. LINK

No Davis. No Schwarzenegger. No Los Angeles Times/CNN debate.

California recall, the GOP:

Step right up; you're the next contestant on … .

ABC News' Schifrin reports Representative Darrell Issa will endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger today in Santa Monica at 1:00 pm EDT.

The San Francisco Chronicle's James Sterngold and John Wildermuth report on the mounting pressure on Tom McClintock. LINK

"GOP leaders jumped on actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's political bandwagon Thursday, but the highly publicized show of support wasn't enough to send Republican state Senator Tom McClintock fleeing from the recall race to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis."

More Sterngold/Wildermuth: "McClintock's campaign team isn't happy with the GOP leadership's embrace of Schwarzenegger, who's making his first run for elective office."

"'He's a liberal and Tom's a conservative and if that's where the party wants to go, fine,' said John Feliz, a political consultant for McClintock. 'But they'll pay the price with rank-and-file members.'"

The Wall Street Journal editorial board ever so slightly pushes Tom McClintock overboard.

"As for Mr. Schwarzenegger, we can't disagree with the conventional wisdom that he held his own and seemed a plausible governor … "

" … Our sense is that Mr. McClintock cares about the future of his state enough that he doesn't want to serve as a spoiler. He has carefully crafted his language about his staying power to give him an escape option without betraying his supporters."

Tom McClintock is enjoying his moment in the spotlight, pressure and all, according to the New York Times . LINK

California Republicans are stepping up the pressure on McClintock to drop out of the race, the Washington Times ' James Lakely reports, pointing to the endorsements of Schwarzenegger by high-ranking state Republicans including Congressman Issa, former Secretary of State Bill Jones and Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte. LINK

ABC News' Schifrin reports: The McClintock campaign is unveiling its second ad this morning. The ad is 30 seconds long and the buy is $500,000, according to John Feliz, McClintock campaign manager. The ad will start running today for as many as 10 days (until the election or until it is replaced by another ad) and is a trimmed down message of McClintock's closing statement in Wednesday night's debate.

California recall, Arnold:

Those supermarket tabloids, whose past reports about Schwarzenegger reportedly caused him to reconsider his decision to run for governor in 2002, have largely ignored the uber star to the surprise of many — until now.

The San Jose Mercury News' Dion Nissenbaum writes that the tabloids plan to fill "checkout stands not with salacious tales of alleged womanizing — but with a glowing tribute to the Republican candidate and Hollywood star. American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer and Star tabloids, has produced a 120-page glossy magazine called "Arnold, the American Dream." The $4.95 magazine is crammed with flattering photographs and auspiciously hit the streets as Schwarzenegger heads into the final lap of his campaign for governor in the Oct. 7 recall election." LINK

California recall, the governor:

Did Governor Davis tip his hand on pending health insurance legislation at last night's latest installment of the Davis town hall? LINK

"Davis promised a decision in the next week on whether he would sign Senate Bill 2." "Pressed by a business owner about the bill's potential costs to small businesses, Davis pledged to give the man an opportunity to make his case on the bill before he reached a decision. But, he said, 'I'm not guaranteeing you'll like the answer.'"

California recall, the Democrat:

Doug Smith and Joel Rubin of the Los Angeles Times on Cruz Bustamante's new "boldness." LINK

"Known as a centrist during his career in Sacramento, he has taken aggressively liberal stands as a candidate on immigration and taxes, two subjects that have played prominently in Republicans' attack on Gov. Gray Davis. He wants to raise taxes, and he thinks the state should do more to accommodate immigrants, even those in the state illegally."

No charisma? No problem. Bustamante is criticized for his plain-spoken, self-effacing style, but it isn't effecting his ability to be in the right place at the right time says the Tribune's V. Dion Haynes. LINK