The Note: (Working) Vacation

— -- WASHINGTON, Aug 3

NEWS SUMMARY

History records that political August 3, 2005, takes one sentence to summarize:

The President starts his working vacation after doing another multi-topic, multi-newspaper interview; 14 Marines are killed in Iraq; Bill Clinton talks wide-rangingly to Bloomberg (the news organization, not he mayor); Republicans narrowly hold that Ohio House seat; and John Roberts might be richer than John Roberts.

President Bush speaks to the American Legislative Exchange Council in Grapevine, TX at noon ET.

While'08 potential hopeful Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) visits Iowa, ret. Gen. Wesley Clark heads to the Big Apple with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for Charlie Rangel's (D-NY) 75th birthday party/fundraiser at Tavern on the Green.

At 9:00 am ET, the Young America's Foundation continues its weeklong National Conservative Student Conference. Here's hoping you caught the opening remarks by syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

Meanwhile, the Young Democrats of America kicks off its national convention in San Francisco, CA with speakers DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), and Mayor Gavin Newsom, among others.

At 9:00 am ET, the Treasury Department makes an announcement on the return of the thirty-year bond.

The Partnership for a Secure America, a centrist national security group, holds a 10:00 am ET news conference with Sen. Warren Rudman (R-NH), former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN), former White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher. LINK

At 10:00 am ET, environmental groups release a report on provisions of the energy bill benefiting Exxonmobile. Expect speakers to include reps from the Exxpose Exxon campaign comprised of PIRG, the Sierra Club, Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, Greenpeace, and the NRDC.

At noon, the Center for Immigration Studies hosts a lunchtime briefing entitled "State Lawmakers Assess Immigration Challenges".

2005: election results:
Let the spinning begin (OK: it began last night.) -- and let it end mercifully in a draw, with the GOP holding the seat.

"With all precincts reporting, Schmidt had 52 percent of the vote to Hackett's 48 percent - the closest election in the district since 1974," writes Howard Wilkinson of the Cincinnati Enquirer. LINK

"The race was tighter than expected, with Schmidt winning her home county of Clermont, neighboring Warren County and Hamilton County, where Hackett, 43, is a lawyer in Indian Hill. Hackett won mostly rural Adams, Brown, Scioto and Pike counties," writes the AP's Dan Sewell. LINK

Most of the coverage employs the word "narrow" at some point.

This is one of those cases when both sides will argue their cases with passion. For the Republicans, a win is a win. For the Democrats, they will argue that coming this close in such a Republican-dominated district shows that the war in Iraq and the scandals in the Ohio GOP foreshadow Republican weakness down the road. Both cases have their merits, and/but we wouldn't draw too many national conclusions from this one local race.

And right on cue . . .

Leader Pelosi: "The issues, political, and ethics environment are good for Democrats and Paul Hackett's campaign in a Republican district proves it."

NRCC Chairman Reynolds: "Jean is coming to Congress because she ran on the issues of greatest importance to Second District voters and has the proven experience to deliver in Washington."

The Fitzgerald investigation:
David Johnston -- writing in the New York Times -- has this interesting follow-up reporting on the Ralston and Hernandez grand jury appearances, attributed to "a person sympathetic to (Karl) Rove" and "a person who has been officially briefed on the case": LINK

"A person sympathetic to Mr. Rove said that the questions seemed typical of those posed by a prosecutor wrapping up the loose ends of an inquiry…."

"At one point, the aides were asked why Mr. Cooper's call to Mr. Rove was not entered in Mr. Rove's office telephone logs. There was no record of the call, the person who has been briefed said, because Mr. Cooper did not call Mr. Rove directly, but was transferred to his office from a White House switchboard.

". . .a person familiar with Cooper's testimony said that Ralston's name did not come up during the reporter's grand jury appearance. That indicates that Fitzgerald may be interested in her testimony for other reasons," writes Richard Schmitt in his Los Angeles Times follow story to our reporting about the Ralston and Hernandez grand jury appearances last Friday. LINK

Roberts:
Modesty, restraint, humility, and a respect for precedent are the qualities John Roberts believes a judge should possess, according to a questionnaire submitted to the Judiciary Committee. And those qualities make up the bulk of his continuing positive coverage on his march to confirmation. The Los Angeles Times' Savage has the details. LINK

"At the hearings, Senate Democrats are likely to ask Judge Roberts to square that answer with the views he expressed in his late 20s, when he helped the Reagan Justice Department take a tougher stand. Documents released yesterday by the National Archives show Judge Roberts helping Attorney General William French Smith draft a speech on 'the evils of judicial activism,' singling out court decisions that rely on 'fundamental rights' a device favored by the liberal Warren Court," write the Wall Street Journal's David Rogers and Jess Bravin.

The New York Times Stolberg/Rosenbaum read the answers and the documents. LINK

The Washington Post's Mike Allen reports that Vice President Cheney first interviewed Roberts in May, and that "[t]wo other new documents released by the Archives provide additional evidence that Roberts was skeptical of government efforts to use federal funding as leverage to enforce civil rights in schools. In one, Roberts told the attorney general he supported the repeal of rules barring schools from receiving federal funds if they had discriminatory dress codes. Then-Education Secretary T.H. Bell successfully pushed for the change, arguing that the regulation of dress codes was better left to local school officials. That, wrote Roberts in a July 1, 1982, memo, was 'an eminently sound conclusion'." LINK

All the coverage Notes the Rove-Roberts meeting with nary a juxtaposition. "Former President Bill Clinton praised Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts as 'highly intelligent,' while voicing reservations about a memo Roberts wrote in 1984 that called for stripping the high court of some of its power," report Al Hunt and William Roberts on a wide-ranging interview with the FPOTUS to be aired on Bloomberg News today.

"'I don't think we should in any way prejudge Judge Roberts,' Clinton said in an interview to be aired today. 'He is a very impressive man.'"

As expected, there are a lot of great non-Roberts nuggets in the Clinton interview (like how he differs from his wife on CAFTA, for example, but understood her vote against it) in here, so read it all. LINK and LINK

Election law expert Richard Hasen pens a Los Angeles Times op-ed in which he expresses skepticism about Judge Roberts' positions on civil rights. LINK

We wonder how much time in the hearings (and at the urging of which Senators) will be dedicated to exploring the difference between "intent" and "effect" in terms of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The New York Times' D.D. Kirkpatrick repeats the Tennessean report that Tom DeLay will participate in Justice Sunday II, and explores the implications from many angles. LINK

DeLay may be on for Justice Sunday II, but the star attraction from the first Justice Sunday, Sen. Bill Frist, has not been invited to participate this time around, despite the fact that the event is taking place in his home state. LINK

"As new information emerges about Judge John Roberts's conservative writing, Republicans are bracing for a more contentious confirmation process than previously anticipated. But the tougher grilling could also provide those Democrats mulling a run for the White House with a golden opportunity to build constituencies and raise their national profiles," writes Geoff Earle of The Hill. LINK

Tireless Patrick Ruffini launches SCOTUSwire: LINK

Bush agenda:
Jane Norman of the Des Moines Register Notes Bush's you-go-Grassley (and/but as-long-as-you-go-along-with-personal-accounts) attitude toward the Senate Finance Committee chair even as Social Security reform has been placed in a holding pattern until autumn. LINK

"'I know it took at least five years for an energy bill,' Bush said while discussing Social Security during an interview at the White House with The Des Moines Register and seven other newspapers."

"As for personal accounts, he said, 'It needs to be part of the bill." The president said he stated his support for the voluntary personal accounts for younger workers during his campaigns in 2000 and 2004 and "I meant it.'"

Also discussed: stem cells (Congress passes laws; Bush sets limits), Roberts (has a lovely family), ethanol, eminent domain (he's troubled by the SCOTUS ruling) and more.

Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times gets the White House science adviser to cleverly, seemingly walk back the President's intelligent design comments, leaving the White House once again in a well-balanced place (including being right with the right). LINK

"The White House said yesterday that Bush's comments were in keeping with positions dating to his Texas governorship, but aides say they could not recall him addressing the issue before as president. His remarks heartened conservatives who have been asking school boards and legislatures to teach students that there are gaps in evolutionary theory and explain that life's complexity is evidence of a guiding hand," report the Washington Post's Peter Baker and Peter Slevin. LINK

The Post's Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker offer the perennial piece about the President's vacation habits and offer this reminder about his calendar:

"Bush will not return to the White House until around Labor Day, but his staff has peppered his schedule with events to dispel any impression that he is not on duty. He will visit at least seven states, mostly with quick day trips, including New Mexico, where he plans to sign energy legislation into law. He gets off to a quick start this week, with a speech Wednesday in nearby Grapevine, Tex., then he plays host to President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia at the ranch Thursday. His schedule is clear Friday through Sunday." LINK

2008:
The New York Post's Ian Bishop touts the anticipated August 16-19 trip north to the Alaskan frontier that a group of Senators (including those named "McCain" and "Clinton") are expected to take. LINK

2008: Democrats:
Dan Balz's extreme must-read news analysis of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's DLC perch is Notable for several reasons, not the least of which is a rare quote from Lorrie McHugh.

Balz writes that "Clinton's challenge will be to avoid offering the politics of restoration, whose appeal is built on an implicit return to the policies that guided her husband's administration. That would appeal to many Democrats who yearn for the successes of the 1990s, but the Clinton years carry considerable baggage for many independent and swing voters. Some Democrats wonder whether Clinton can grapple with what ails the party today and come out of the experience as a candidate with an appeal and an identity distinct from her husband's administration -- one that fits far different times than existed when he was president." LINK

Mark Warner offers more on that point: "[He] noted [sic], for instance, that Democrats have been talking about education, health care, the economy, fiscal responsibility and national security, but he said accelerating change in the world renders old ideas obsolete. 'In a post-9/11, flat world, sometimes even the solutions that we offered in the 1990s aren't enough,' he said. 'Sometimes defending the same programs, thinking they're going to give us new results, makes no sense. We need leaders who can see farther down the road.'"

A little ad buy and an overwhelming amount of coverage for Bob Kunst, writes James Pindell on PoliticsNH.com, with priceless quotes. LINK

As Ben Smith of Politicker fame told his readers long ago, follow the money (or lack thereof) at the Finkelstein supported "Stop Her Now" campaign. The New York Daily News takes a look at the balance sheet. LINK

The Des Moines Register's Tim Higgins discovers during Evan Bayh's visit to Iowa that -- come 2008 Democratic caucus time -- the Senator could be left sitting on the dock by Iowans who seem likely to stick with their in-home(state) man, Vilsack. LINK

The Sioux City Journal reports that the labor movement provided a vigorous jolt to the monetary beat of Gov. Tom Vilsack's Heartland PAC. LINK

The AP reports that Gov. Bill Richardson will issue an executive order requesting that a small percentage of state vehicles use alternative or renewable fuel sources. LINK

2008: Republicans:
The Hill's Patrick O'Connor takes a look at how some Republicans in Congress were none too pleased with Sen. Frist's timing of his stem-cell speech last week. LINK

"Frist did not notify either House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) or House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) about his decision to endorse the legislation, DeLay and leadership aides acknowledged last week. Instead, the announcement surprised House leaders just as they were hoping to highlight Republican victories heading into the five-week August recess.""Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is pressing the Bush administration to nominate Larry Noble, an outspoken critic of Washington's fundraising and political culture, to the Federal Election Commission along with five other suggested nominees who would likely create a culture of aggressive oversight at the agency," reports Alexander Bolton of The Hill. LINK

Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney travels to Israel next month, and the Boston Globe turns it into a contretempts. < LINK

In his op- ed, Robert Kuttner of the Boston Globe questions if a moderate Republican can run and win in 2008. LINK

Mayor Mike to Guv: Sign Abort Pill Bill, Says Post. LINK

"Mayor Opposes Pataki Veto on Morning-After Pill," blares the New York Times. LINK

2006:
USA Today's Susan Page on evangelicals and Ken Blackwell in Ohio. LINK

"Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley argued to a national audience yesterday that increased spending on homeland security would help protect cities not only from foreign terrorists but also from the likes of car thieves and drug dealers," writes the Washington Post's John Wagner. LINK

A Quinnipiac University poll out this morning shows Eliot Spitzer besting each of his potential GOP opponents except for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Sen. Clinton scored a 63 percent approval rating in the poll and Gov. Pataki gets his highest Q-poll approval rating in the last year, now that he has announced he will not be seeking a fourth term.

And check this out, PSD, from the Quinnipiac release: ". . .voters say 60 – 30 percent that Clinton should pledge to serve the full six-year term if she runs for reelection to the Senate in 2006, blocking a 2008 presidential bid."

The New York Post's Fred Dicker says that Jeanine Pirro has ruled out a U.S. Senate run, and is still eyeing the AG and gubernatorial contests. Enough already – decide, some say. LINK

Meanwhile, readers of B1 of the New York Times will get to peruse Pat D. Healy's piece about Democrats complaining about Pirro's use of government-paid security/driver services. LINK

"Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon is likely to announce as early as today that he will not run for the seat held by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a leading Michigan Republican said," reports The Hill's Savodnik. LINK

2005:
A New Republic story out this week on Doug Wilder's tenure at Richmond City Hall was the cause for a peek inside the inner workings of the Kilgore for Governor campaign yesterday, and we thought you'd like to take a peek as well.

The New Republic's Zengerle has this Wilder kicker quote: "'For too many years,' he added, 'this city has been satisfied with stultified mediocrity. . . I'm not satisfied with mediocrity.'" LINK

As you probably know, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine once served as mayor of Richmond. Team Kilgore saw an opening.

First, Deputy Press Secretary Tucker Martin brought it to the candidate's and his colleagues' attention in an email in which he wrote that the article "gives us more ammo against Kaine. . . Stultified mediocrity. That has a nice ring to it. So does, Doug Wilder isn't satisfied with mediocrity, and neither am I. Mr. Kaine you were ranked a mediocre mayor, and frankly, Virginia deserves a lot better than mediocre."

Kilgore apparently thought his aide was on to something and responded thusly from his BlackBerry: "How about sending this to press?? Get others to ask, what was Kaine's role?? This could get us on offense on rt (sic) issue."

Note Note: We are always happy to have colloquies between candidate and staff included in all communications with the press.

Bloomberg's lash out at Scientology, union support, and 5-borough jaunt get Post coverage. LINK and LINK

Freddy Ferrer's ads are out and biographical and bilingual. LINK and LINK

Michael Saul of the Daily News has Bloomberg supporter Ed Koch attacking Ferrer's claims on the first day of the Ferrer paid media rollout. LINK

Giff on schools in the Times. LINK

The Schwarzenegger Era:
". . .Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday announced emergency orders requiring water and shade for laborers who fall ill in the searing heat," write Robert Salladay and Nancy Vogel of the Los Angeles Times. LINK

Politics:
Tommy Edsall (Washington Post) on the decline of America Coming Together. LINK

A local paper previews the RNC meeting in Pittsburgh. LINK

In Alabama, DNC Chairman Howard Dean said that if the 2004 election had truly been a referendum on moral values, Democrats would have won. LINK

The State's Lee Bandy writes that Sen. Lindsey Graham came back to critical constituents on Tuesday night in South Carolina. Sen. Graham spoke to the tepid crowd, but the audience warmed up to Graham after explaining why he joined with other Senators to prevent a filibuster. LINK