The Note: The POTUS Loves New York

— -- WASHINGTON, Sep. 13

NEWS SUMMARY
Pending: Bush major address; a recovery czar; and the tonal stylings of the Kennedy-Roberts and Biden-Roberts colloquies.

(Ok: that first item isn't pending any more, as the wires blared this AM: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under heavy fire over his response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush will address the nation from devastated Louisiana on Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT, the White House announced.")

Decided: Brown is down; Roberts is humble; pup is up; living with ratings in the 40s as White House reality for now; Ed Gillespie was wide awake throughout the hearings (no matter what anyone tells you or evidence to the contrary (LINK); led by the New York Times, the press wants those Solicitor General era documents released; the President was working yesterday; Mike Allen (unlike typical newsweekly employees) plans to work on Mondays (and Sundays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Thursdays, Tuesdays, and Fridays -- and holidays); and Mr. Paulison seems "qualified" for the FEMA job, if one is a big fan of "traditional" "qualifications."

Focus: facts on the ground on Iraq and the Gulf; the (eventual) bipartisan White House signing ceremony with relief for Katrina victims; the Brownback-Roberts colloquies; Andrew Kirtzman's love affair with streaming video; Weiner's negatives if he forces a runoff; who is filing the best FOIAs; and Republican presidential candidates being a bit more open in their -- mostly implicit -- criticism of 43.

The questioning of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts begins today at 9:30 am ET when Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) gavels the Judiciary panel back into session. The questioning will run from 9:30 am ET until approximately 8:30 pm ET, pausing only for two one-hour meal breaks. (Lunch is from 1-2 pm and dinner is from 6-7 pm.) Don't be shocked if they don't quite keep to schedule. (Note to certain Senators: bravo for your restraint yesterday; keep it up, and the world will be your oyster.)

President Bush meets with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at 10:35 am ET and holds a joint press availability in the East Room at 11:25 am ET before traveling to New York to participate in the 60th United Nations General Assembly.

At 3:10 pm ET, President Bush meets with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan at U.N. Headquarters. At 4:30 pm, Bush meets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and newly-installed FEMA Director David Paulison hold a presser at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC at 9:30 am ET.

First Lady Laura Bush delivers remarks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC at 9:00 am ET.

The polls opened in New York City at 6:00 am ET today and will close at 9:00 pm ET. The marquee contest of the day is the Democratic mayoral primary. See more on that below.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay holds a pen-and-pad briefing from 12-12:30 pm ET in the conference room of H-107.

New York Gov. George Pataki is in Iowa, where he will address the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce. See our preview of the big Hawkeye State speech below.

John Roberts for Chief Justice:
Looking forward to today's hearings, the Washington Post's Babington and Becker report: "Some of the most pointed questions, however, may come from Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter...." LINK

Democrats are still seeking the documents from Roberts' days in the Solicitor General's office and are now focusing on his take toward judicial access as well, reports the New York Times, which somehow considers this front-page news. LINK

Per the Washington Post's Dan Balz: "Roberts's unwillingness to answer certain questions and the White House's continuing to deny Senate Democrats documents from the nominee's days as deputy solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush are likely to raise the temperature of the opposition. But the positive reaction to Bush's nominee to replace the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and the internal head counts in the Senate have forced Democrats to adopt a different stance in approaching the hearings, one aimed as much at future elections as the question of whether Roberts will become the next chief justice. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that, by 2 to 1, Americans say he should be confirmed." LINK

Per the Washington Post's Charles Lane: Roberts has compiled a voting record on the federal bench that places him "to the right of the average member of the U.S. circuit courts, according to the first independent statistical study of his voting record." LINK

The New York Times' Purdum and Toner with the NOD overview: LINK

"It was a performance that lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court can only dream of," writes the New York Times' Linda Greenhouse in her news analysis. LINK

Dana Milbank's Washington Post piece on the ways in which the Roberts hearings are being overshadowed by Katrina is chock-full of color: he's got Chuck Schumer's 49 first-person references as well as Tom Coburn working a crossword puzzle before turning in the biggest Senate choke-up since George Voinovich cried while opposing John Bolton for US Ambassador to the UN. LINK

After bitterly attempting to deny Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) the gavel, conservative activists are now beginning to praise the five-term moderate as an unexpected ally in several key battles this year, Roll Call's Paul Kane reports.

Republican Sen. Mike DeWine is planning on aggressively questioning Roberts about his views on the 11th Amendment, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports. LINK

"Roberts comes with 'no agenda': Remarks outshine senators' speeches as hearings begin," blares the Washington Times' front page. LINK

"It took less than an hour" for senators considering Roberts' nomination to fall "into disagreement over Hurricane Katrina," the Washington Times' Charles Hurt reports. LINK

Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe explains how and why Democrats are trying to link Judge John Roberts to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.LINK

For the Washington Post's Style section, Marcia Davis dissects John Roberts' every facial expression. LINK

Katrina: Bush response:
Brody Mullins leads the Wall Street Journal with a gander at how Katrina has delayed for the foreseeable future congressional consideration of the extension of various Bush-supported tax cuts (dividends, cap gains, estate/death), and turned the focus to several tax relief measures targeted at disaster victims, many of which (and many of whom) have bipartisan support.

". . .Bush may be weakened, and his agenda may be in trouble, but it's not just because of his handling of the hurricane," writes the Boston Globe's Peter Canellos of the President's post-Katrina poll numbers. LINK

Secretary of State Rice offers a firm defense of President Bush to the New York Times stating, ""I find it very strange to think that people would think that the president of the United States would sit deciding who ought to be helped on the basis of color, most especially this president. . ." LINK

Michael Fletcher and Richard Morin have the Washington Post's write-up of the latest poll: "A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found that clear majorities of Americans disapprove of the way officials at all levels of government are handling the recovery from Katrina. A 54 percent majority disapproved of Bush's response to Katrina, while an even larger majority -- 57 percent -- say state and local officials should bear responsibility for the problems." LINK

Here's the detailed break-down: LINK

Scholarly Deb Orin of the New York Post relies upon a CNN and Rasmussen poll to write this: "Bush's public support has taken a pounding since Katrina, but two polls yesterday suggested he may be bottoming out.. . ." LINK

President Bush is "looking for someone with a telegenic presence as well as proven management and leadership skills to take on the reconstruction-czar job," an administration aide who asked not to be identified tells Bloomberg News. "The president also plans to make a major speech to address Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, according to White House Counselor Dan Bartlett."

Katrina: Congress reacts:
"A congressional task force says energy production, the construction of affordable homes and hurricane protection for New Orleans have been hampered by a 35-year-old federal law known as the National Environmental Policy Act," the Washington Times' Joyce Howard Price reports. LINK

Roll Call's Emily Pierce reports that Republicans and Democrats are "set for a floor clash today over the best way to help victims of the hurricane."

Following Cokie Roberts' lead, the New York Times looks at the diminished clout of the Louisiana congressional delegation and wonders if that might have an impact on the federal funds they receive for their state. LINK

Katrina: Small Casino budget politics:
With FEMA slated to receive most of the $62 billion appropriated by Congress for disaster relief, new questions are being raised about the agency's ability to spend the money wisely given its past record, the Washington Post reports. "Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the Senate's Homeland Security Committee, said through an aide yesterday that she is considering creating a special inspector general to oversee and audit Katrina-related spending." LINK

Roll Call's Kate Ackley reports that former Montana Gov. (and Bush campaign chair) Marc Racicot had been chief executive of the American Insurance Association for "just three weeks when what is likely to become the worst natural disaster in U.S. history occurred. For the association, which represents property and auto insurers, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina immediately accelerated Racicot's learning curve, and heightened his profile."

Katrina: Politics:
USA Today's Susan Page and Maria Puente lead with race but then Gallup through all their polling numbers on the front page. LINK

USA Today's Jill Lawrence looks at Barbour and Blanco and channels the Gang of 500's major crush on Haley with perfect pitch. LINK

The Washington Times picks up comments former Vice President Gore made about Hurricane Katrina on Friday at the Sierra Club's national convention in San Francisco: "When the corpses of American citizens are floating in toxic floodwaters five days after a hurricane struck, it is time not only to respond directly to the victims of the catastrophe, but to hold … the leaders of our nation accountable." LINK

Six of 10 board members at the National Black Republican Association have resigned in recent days over various disagreements, the Washington Times' John McCaslin reports. "… there also were questions surrounding approval of the latest news release issued by the NBRA, praising President Bush's leadership after Hurricane Katrina." LINK

George Will wants liberals to learn from Katrina about the root causes of poverty (i.e., family breakdown) and he wants "would be nation builders" in Iraq to learn the conservative truth that "there are limits to government's abilities to know and control things." LINK

The Washington Post's EJ Dionne thinks the Bush era, which began when he picked up that bullhorn, is now officially over in the wake of what Dionne sees as Social Security reform's failure, the deterioration of the situation in Iraq, a deficit that is out of control, 4.1 million more impoverished Americans, and the failed federal response in New Orleans. LINK

If you want a window into what anti-Bush liberals are now all thinking inside their brains, read EJ today.

The mass evacuation from Louisiana will likely cost the state one of its House seats, The Hill reports. LINK

Katrina: 2008: Republicans:
The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce asked Gov. George Pataki (R-NY) to come and speak about leadership and September 11. Gov. Pataki is expected to talk about those themes and tie them into the current situation in the aftermath of Katrina on the Gulf Coast.

"And our hearts go out to the people who have lost so much -- their homes, their belongings, and especially to those who lost what is most precious: the lives of those they deeply loved," Pataki is expected to say, according to excerpts of his speech obtained by The Note.

"And like on September 11th, Americans from around the country are rallying to their support."

"I know that after September 11th, it was not just the strength and the unity of New Yorkers that brought us through, it was the help of people from every corner of America that turned the tide."

Pataki is also expected to stick to the Administration talking point of dismissing the "blame game" ("There will come a time to sort out what can and will be done better. But for today, shame on those who would point a finger of blame, instead of lending a helping hand.") as well as rejecting the use of the word "refugee" when referring to those driven from their homes in the storm's wake.

The three-term governor will also invoke the name of a potential 2008 opponent by holding up the Pataki-Giuliani post-9/11 relationship as an example for all city and state officials to follow. "As we all know, Mayor Giuliani did an extraordinary job. We had a strong city and state partnership, and while every disaster is different, I think that partnership can serve as an example of what can be done in an emergency," Pataki is expected to say.

The Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont has some more curtain raising for you including the Notion that Gov. Pataki is speaking in more personal terms than ever before about September 11. LINK

The New York Post's Ken Lovett writes of some Pataki opponents following him to Iowa to protest his education record. LINK

Katrina: 2008: Democrats:
The New York Post's Geoff Earle (that's right, read that again) writes up Sen. Clinton's remarks from her Monday midtown fundraiser. LINK

"Clinton -- who wants to create an independent commission to examine the government's initial response to the hurricane -- said the disaster forced the nation to take a 'rather unpleasant look in the mirror,' adding, 'How could we, as Americans, have let this happen?'"

"'There was a total breakdown in leadership and in communication,' she said at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers breakfast."

Asked at a press conference on Monday whether a redevelopment corporation should be created for the Gulf Coast similar to what was created in New York after the 9-11 attacks, Sen. Hillary Clinton said that the LMDC had some "good features" as well as "some problems." But she said that she thought the TVA was a "closer analogy" to the physical challenges benig faced in the Gulf Coast.

"Lower Manhattan is not the Gulf Coast," she said.

Ron Brownstein features John Edwards in his Los Angeles Times' look at how poverty and the poor might get increased focus after Katrina and what both parties have in mind. LINK

Sen. Kerry, in Louisiana yesterday, handed out aid items and commented on the disaster: "It is not a new criticism that the Department of Homeland Security is not funded properly and they haven't had the kind of leadership necessary to prepare." LINK

On the Huffington Post, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) compares and contrasts the 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina maelstroms and societal inequities he sees exposed by the latter. LINK

Katrina: assigning blame:
The Wall Street Journal's Robert Block seems to have some exclusive documents that illustrate the slowness of certain aspects of the FEMA response. See A3 for that.

The New York Post editorial board continues to place blame with state and local officials. LINK

John Podhoretz joins that sentiment on the opposite page. LINK

Mike Brown tells the New York Times that Andy Card was very supportive of him. LINK

Katrina: 2006:
Fresh from recent on-line chats on Daily Kos and MyDD, DCCC executive director John Lapp will be holding his first on-line chat on the DCCC's Web site at 4 pm ET today. Per Lapp, Democratic candidates for Congress in 2006 "do not want to politicize Hurricane Katrina" but they will push for an independent commission to "ensure accountability." In particular, the former aide to Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said that Democrats want to investigate: (1) the "lag" in the federal response, (2) the lack of pre-Katrina attention to New Orlean's vulnerabilities, and (3) ways to stave off no-bid contracts and "profiteering."

2005:
Top prize: The opportunity to take on a billionaire incumbent with career-high approval ratings who, despite his Republican affiliation, has made significant inroads into traditional Democratic turf including labor unions and various minority communities.

That's what four Democratic candidates are hoping to win when New York City's overwhelmingly Democratic population heads to the polls today to select their party's nominee to face Mayor Michael Bloomberg in November. No matter who wins the nomination, Bloomberg will be a heavy favorite to win in November after spending tens of millions of his own dollars.

The two questions to be answered post-9:00 pm ET:

1. Can Freddy Ferrer avoid a runoff by winning 40 percent of the vote today?
2. If not, what will a Ferrer vs. Weiner runoff look like?

If there is a run-off, it will be in two weeks on Tuesday September 27, 2005.

The New York Daily News editorial board is rooting for a runoff. LINK

The New York Daily News' Michael Saul looks at the "double-edged sword" that is Rev. Sharpton's endorsement. And don't miss the back and forth between Rev. Sharpton and Fields supporter Councilman Charles Baron. LINK

Mayor Bloomberg chose primary eve to issue the Mayor's Management Report on city services and the timing did not go unnoticed. LINK and LINK

Once again: do NOT call us for exit polls; we don't got 'em. If you want to know how it is going, we suggest you find Roberto Ramirez at the Puck Building and measure his smile with calipers.

2008: Republicans:
Under a terrible photo of Sen. Chuck Hagel, the Washington Times has a short excerpt from a Sept. 8 Wall Street Journal op-ed by Peter R. Kann in which he chastises the Nebraska Republican for acting like a know-nothing liberal pundit in comparing Iraq and Vietnam. LINK

The Boston Herald Notes that yesterday Gov. Romney almost sounded presidential as he spoke to Republicans at the New York City Harvard Club. Romney pointed blame at Louisiana state and local officials for their "clear lack of leadership. . ." When asked about 2008, he said, "I'm happy to be governor. I love my job and I'm focused on that job, but time will tell what the future holds." LINK

The Boston Globe reports that Gov. Romney has cancelled his trip to Israel this month after criticism of over travel, but the Governor will continue with his daily domestic trips, including speaking with top conservative groups tomorrow in Washington D.C. at the Heritage Foundation. LINK

2008: Democrats:
The New York Post's Page Six has some color from Sen. Clinton's reelection fundraiser. LINK

The AP reports on the criticism the North Carolina GOP is heaping upon Sen. Edwards for his connection to ACORN, a group that has been scrutinized for potential voter registration irregularities. LINK

The Fitzgerald investigation:
The Washington Post's Sam Coates looks at the financial and emotional burden being borne by junior aides caught in a grand jury net, including Karl Rove aide Susan Ralston who, as reported previously, testified before the grand jury on the same day in July as former Rove aide Izzy Hernandez. "The reason Ralston, 37, was asked to testify remains unclear, but it has heightened suspicions that the locus of the investigation still centers on Rove." LINK

The Schwarzenegger Era:
The Los Angeles Times' Salladay has the good sense to kick-end his story with a coda from The Man: "Schwarzenegger strategist Mike Murphy said that the governor's opponents had peaked early and that Schwarzenegger has enough time to get his message to voters before the November balloting." LINK

"'The governor is an expert at peaking at the right time in competitions,' Murphy said, 'and I think he is going to give a lesson to some in this campaign.'"

Iowa:
The Quad City Times' Ed Tibbetts writes that Iowa Representative Bill Dix is running to replace Jim Nussle's in Congress. LINK

Politics:
WalMart Watch is announcing today a nationwide week of Wal-Mart reform events for the week of November 13-19, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. The capstone event of the week will be 3,500 house parties to screen Robert Greenwald's new film, 'Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.'" LINK