The Note: Problems ISO Solutions

— -- WASHINGTON, Apr. 24

The good news for the majority party wishing to keep the majority: They agree on what the problems are that need fixing.

The bad news for the majority party wishing to keep the majority: They aren't sure how to fix said problems (and the private polling is still really bad).

But they have narrowed down the list of solutions:

Gas prices:

1. Tough talk about windfall profits taxes, CEO paydays, and anti-trust/anti-gouging investigations.

2. "Isn't it time for ANWR" Alex Castellanos $22 million ad campaign.

3. Pray for a price drop.

National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraising:

1. Get Sen. Dole to stop practicing in front of the mirror and start raising money.

2. Plan on spending RNC money in key Senate states.

3. Unleash Norm on the Upper East Side.

Ethics scandals:

1. Pray for no more pre-election indictments.

2. Pass a tough ethics bill.

3. Keep up the oppo-press release strategy on vulnerable Democrats.

Medicare prescription drug benefit:

1. Continue to turn the battleship of reality and perception, with strong pre-deadline sign ups.

2. Continue to win over Robert Pear.

3. "We love our drugs!" Alex Castellanos-Carter Eskew $45 million ad campaign featuring real-life satisfied seniors.

Iraq:

1. James A. Baker 3d to the rescue.

2. Make it a year of significant progress.

3. Have the President include in every speech every day, "So I ask Chairman Howard Dean: Is the United States safer with Saddam Hussein gone??" (cheers, applause)

Immigration:

1. Have the President crack heads and get a bill that emphasizes enforcement, with a worker program that is 75% of McCain-Kennedy, and pass it with Democratic votes (throw the Hastert Rule over the side).

2. Do only enforcement pre-election, and give up on comprehensiveness.

3. Do (2) and replace Dick Cheney with Jimmy Smits.

Getting more Republican credit for the strong economy:

1. Rely exclusively on Ron Bonjean's lyric press releases.

2. Let Bolten be Bolten and the spokesman for the economy (Don't replace Snow -- have him leave, but don't fill the job, and see if anyone Notices.)

3. $100 McGovern-style cash rebates to everyone on October 15.

The budget:

1. Roll the appropriators, thread the needle on spending, and pass a Republican-only budget by one vote in both chambers.

2. Cast the party's lot with the deficit hawks.

3. Cast the party's lot with the bleeding hearts.

President Bush (who oddly favors option #2 in all of the above choices) delivers 12:10 pm ET remarks on comprehensive immigration reform at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, CA before delivering 3:35 pm ET remarks at a fundraiser for Jon Porter at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

"More than 250 people are expected to attend the invitation-only event, which is charging $500 to $2,100 per person to attend. The president is expected to be there for about 90 minutes, going directly to the event and then back to the airport," reports the Las Vegas Review Journal in a story that is far more about traffic than the Porter race. LINK

The President arrives back at the White House at 9:00 pm ET tonight, and goes straight to bed, unless there is a good game on the TV.

First Lady Laura Bush delivers 12:45 pm ET remarks at a UNESCO "Education for All" luncheon at the Blair House. She will be joined by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Mrs. Bush delivers 6:30 pm ET remarks at a fundraiser for Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Chris Shays (R-CT) in Stamford, CT.

Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) attend the unveiling of their portraits for the National Portrait Gallery at 7:00 pm ET at the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, DC. Remarks are expected.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) keynotes the Iowa Health System Spring Forum in Des Moines, IA.

The Anti-Defamation League holds its National Leadership Conference at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) and Melissa Rogers, visiting professor of religion and public policy at Wake Forest University Divinity School, address "Religion's Role in the Public Square" at 10:45 am ET. John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, delivers the keynote address at 1:00 pm ET.

Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) joins Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) to announce a $16 million National Science Foundation grant for a state-of-the-art nanotechnology research center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst at 10:30 am ET in Boston, MA.

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) is in Milwaukee, WI today for a fundraiser.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) will be participating in a 6:00 pm ET forum on energy policy at Southern New Hampshire University. LINK

Commander Steve Filson (Ret.), a Democrat hoping to unseat Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) in California's 11th congressional district, will be hosting a veteran's forum with special guest Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) in Stockton, CA at 1:30 pm ET.

The Senate meets at 2:00 pm ET for morning business. There will be no roll call votes.

The House is still in recess. It reconvenes at 2:00 pm ET on Tuesday.

Politics of gas:
"Just when it looked like the political climate couldn't get worse for President Bush and the Republican Party, more storms have gathered," writes Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times in a look at the politics of gas. LINK

House Democrats will continue to call on Republicans to support their plan to "empower the FTC to enforce price gouging, roll back the $12 billion in tax breaks and subsidies given to big oil and gas companies in the Republican energy bills, and develop alternative energy sources," a Democratic leadership aide tells The Note.

When asked for reaction to Sens. Specter, Kennedy, and Levin's comments on oil company profits and whether President Bush would support a tax on oil company profits, a Senior Administration official told ABC News' Jessica Yellin: "Our focus right now is on ensuring the FTC and DOJ is not tolerating any price gouging."

This official added that the Bush White House is "not surprised Democrats are offering tax increases as their only solution to our nation's problems. At almost every turn, Democrats have blocked efforts to responsibly increase supply (which is the main cause of higher gases prices) and/or increasing refining capacity."

This official says "the President has charted a path forward on developing alternative sources of fuel and reform CAFE standards to increase efficiency without compromising safety."

Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA) is preparing legislation to lower gas prices to help Iowa's families and motorists and strengthen the state's economy, says a Nussle aide. Nussle will introduce his "Independence from Oil With Agriculture (IOWA) Act" when Congress reconvenes this week. (A clever bill title for the gubernatorial candidate!)

Bolten's free hand:
Time magazine's kinetic Mike Allen writes in his mustest-read of the weekend that Josh Bolten is looking to create a real revamp of the Bush Administration after previous attempts were thwarted by events like Hurricane Katrina and the Dubai ports deal. LINK

Newsweek's Wolffe and Bailey write of some White House aides nervous about their jobs and some Republicans who seem to think the staff changes may be cosmetic and coming too late. LINK

In his column, Bob Novak admits he was wrong when his column, "echoing many well-placed Republicans," asserted that the Bolten appointment to chief of staff was evidence of Rove dominance. LINK

(Who at the White House is in charge of building the oversized binder of glowing Bolten press clips?)

Elisabeth Bumiller's "White House Letter" in the New York Times compares the "easy manner" of Andy Card with the "Goldman Sachs-trained workaholic" Bolten. Bumiller also writes that more staff changes are expected this week, with Secretary Snow's departure possibly the next one to be announced. LINK

The Los Angeles Times editorial board sees the staff changes that Bolten has initiated as a case of "old loyalists getting new titles." To be sure, the Los Angeles Times wants Rumsfeld to go, "not because he has been criticized by a group of retired generals but because he embodies the smugness and inability to acknowledge error that has characterized both the Iraq war and the wider war on terrorism." The Los Angeles Times, however, would not stop there. The Los Angeles Times thinks President Bush should also replace Vice President Cheney. To avoid the problem of taking sides in the 2008 election, the Los Angeles Times proposes that the President could nominate "an elder party statesman -- Bob Dole, anyone? -- with no interest in the 2008 nomination." LINK

2006: New Orleans:
Under a "Nagin at disadvantage in runoff for N.O. mayor," the Baton Rouge Advocate Notes: "62% of primary voters chose "someone other than Nagin." LINK

"Black residents, whose neighborhoods were the most devastated by the storm, voted in much smaller numbers than whites did on Saturday, even more so than usual. White turnout is usually higher than black turnout, but the gap was about double what it is normally, analysts said Sunday," writes the New York Times' Adam Nossiter. LINK

More: "If Mr. Landrieu receives two-thirds of the 30 percent received by the white candidates who finished behind him, Mr. Nagin's days as mayor will be over."

And be sure to Note the Forman contributor quotes on Landrieu.

Shortly after conceding defeat on Saturday night, The Note caught up with Ron Forman and his wife Sally (Mayor Nagin's former communications director at City Hall) in a hotel hallway. Asked if he agreed with conventional wisdom that the lion's share of his votes will go to Landrieu in the run-off, Forman said he didn't think it was entirely clear just yet. Sally Forman chimed in saying, "They will follow [Ron's] lead." Forman has not yet endorsed one of his former rivals in the run-off.

Musing about his defeat, Forman -- who captured 17 percent of the vote on Saturday -- said, "It's very tough to defeat an incumbent mayor and lieutenant governor."

Cobb and Mack of the Houston Chronicle report that, despite the numbers, white voters didn't dominate the mayoral vote as they were expected to, due largely to significant participation from displaced residents. LINK

The AP's Michelle Roberts has some Noteworthy demographic analysis in her story as well as the 10 percent drop in overall turnout when compared to the last mayoral election in 2002. LINK

Frank Donze and Gordon Russell write in the Sunday-Times Picayune that "the embattled but far-from-vanquished incumbent" Mayor Ray Nagin "rolled to a surprisingly comfortable first-place finish in Saturday's crowded New Orleans mayoral primary," Noting that "the result Saturday wasn't necessarily suggestive of an electorate riven along racial lines." LINK

In another article today, Russell and Donze write that "Nagin is hardly a shoo-in for re-election. As many observers have pointed out, 62 percent of the 108,000 voters who cast ballots Saturday picked someone other than Nagin, a sign of serious trouble for an incumbent." LINK

More: "In a further complication for the mayor, it may be difficult for him to make additional inroads among black voters, who comprised the vast majority of his base in the primary. Although about two-thirds of black voters went with Nagin, most of those who didn't -- about 24 percent -- cast their lot with Landrieu, according to an analysis by consultant Greg Rigamer."

John Pope and Matt Scallan of the Times-Picayune on the racial dimension of Nagin's chances of winning. LINK

The Los Angeles Times Notes that Nagin will have to make campaign changes to attract white voters, while Landrieu already has support from whites and African-Americans. LINK

The Washington Post on mayoral hopes that race can be left out of campaign politics down in New Orleans. LINK

Politics of Iraq:
Jonathan Weisman details James Baker's role as the head of the Iraq Study Group while drawing some interesting parallels to the Acheson/Johnson model. LINK

Politics of preemption:
In the Washington Post, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. pens his looming opinion on President Bush's last thousand days of his term, "He might use them to start the third Bush war: the Afghan war (justified), the Iraq war (based on fantasy, deception and self-deception), the Iran war (also fantasy, deception and self-deception). There is no more dangerous thing for a democracy than a foreign policy based on presidential preventive war." LINK

Dean's Democrats:
In Sunday's Washington Post, Dan Balz's must-read piece looked at the DNC's efforts to solidify the Democrats' message. LINK

As "powerful" as the "sentiment for change may be," many Democrats view a "Had enough?" message as "not enough to guarantee the kind of success in November that they believe is possible."

Bush agenda:
Wall Street Journal's David Rogers warns that the Republican Party is in danger of being unable to claim any meaningful legislative agenda from this election year. Per Rogers, the pressure is on the GOP party to resolve a tax package by this week, enact an Iraq war spending bill before May, and approve an immigration bill before Memorial Day. LINK

The President faces growing resistance from Republicans including Sens. Pete Domenci, Lindsey Graham, and Mike DeWine and Reps. Bob Inglis and Jim Leach who express concerns about global warming and support the reduction of carbon dioxide and greenhouse-gas emissions, reports Bloomberg News' Kim Chipman LINK

Mollohan:
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) temporarily stepped down from his position as ranking Democrat on the House ethics committee amid allegations that he used his stature to secure money for his home state foundations and make personal financial gains, reported the Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman on Saturday. LINK

Big Casino budget politics:
Senate GOP leaders plan to oppose the Iraq-Katrina emergency spending bill because it includes amendments devoting billions of dollars to unrelated projects, writes Richard Wolf of USA Today. LINK

The Washington Times reports on dissatisfied congressional Members expressing their unease with Katrina aid legislation that has emergency funding for non-emergency items.LINK

Politics of leaks:
The Washington Post reports that on the Sunday show circuit, Democrats voiced concern over alleged double standard practices in the most recent CIA leak termination investigation.LINK

Politics of immigration:
Christopher Goffard and Jean Pasco of the LA Times have Dana Rohrabacher, "the nine-term Republican congressman from Huntington Beach, [who] generally supports the president, but disagrees with his immigration policies" planning "to sit out Bush's speech to the Orange County Business Council" today. LINK

Per Rohrabacher, courtesy of Goffard: "I don't want to be behind him looking glum and not applauding. So as not to be rude to the president -- which I think is inexcusable -- I think I'll just be staying away."

More: "Bush's decision to speak here might prove an embarrassing miscalculation, said John J. Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College who used to live in Orange County and worked for the national GOP."

The New York Times' Hulse and Stolberg on the post-recess resumption of the immigration debate and the bipartisan call for President Bush to get more minutely involved in shaping the specifics of the legislation he'd like to hit the floor of the Senate. LINK

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter told CNN's "Late Edition" that he believes an election-year immigration bill will be passed, reports the AP. LINK

Sen. Kennedy urged the President yesterday to take on his own Republican party in support of the Senate bipartisan immigration bill, per Reuters.LINK

The Washington Times reports on the return of Congress and the hot topic of immigration.LINK

The Minutemen Project is planning to protest immigration policies starting from out west heading to Crawford, Texas and then onward to Washington D.C.LINK

Politics of stem cells:
"This is the first real wedge issue Democrats have had with Republicans," says the Cook Political Report's Jennifer Duffy of the stem cell issue playing out dominantly in the Missouri Senate race as well as in several House races. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times has the story. LINK

Politics of same-sex marriage:
Roman Catholic cardinals are actively joining the push for a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, reports David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times. LINK

(Be sure to Note the involvement of Frist, Santorum, and Brownback aides.)

Politics of Medicare:
Robert Pear of the New York Times on the latest wrinkle in the new prescription drug benefit: a rush of people signing up by the May 15 deadline is beginning to overwhelm phone lines, and some other kinks in the new system. LINK

2008:
Daphne Retter of CQ observes that there's a bumper crop of Senators in the '08er pool, despite the fact that no one has gone straight from the senior governing body to the White House since JFK.

The Globe's Susan Milligan points out that while constituents overwhelmingly support their Senators, support for their home-state politicians turned presidential hopefuls wanes. According to Milligan, "voters in many states now resent being used as a stepping-stone for higher office and don't want to be ignored while their local candidate focuses on a grueling presidential campaign, analysts say."LINK

2008: Republicans:
In a Sunday article topped by "He's a weasel, but he's my weasel," Jonathan Chait of the Los Angeles Times makes the case for McCain's recent alleged repositioning as a sacrifice "for the greater good" but wonders, "will McCain make specific promises to the right that he can't weasel out of?" LINK

Keying off news that the "very same men who helped derail" his 2000 bid are now "leading financial supporters of his "Straight Talk America" political action committee and possible backers of his anticipated 2008 presidential run, ABC News' Jake Tapper writes that the "fence-mending" can be construed in any number of ways -- "maturation, selling out, or the pragmatic political maneuvers of a frontrunner. But however one views it, the moves stand as a stark contrast to McCain's exciting, occasionally reckless underdog campaign from six years ago." LINK

Leslie Williams of the Times-Picayune writes on Rudy Giuliani's Sunday visit to New Orleans, Noting that "Giuliani was loath to critique the performance of New Orleans' mayor during the Katrina catastrophe." LINK

"The FBI and the Justice Department have launched a criminal probe into the origins of the explosive "Pataki Tape" - secretly recorded conversations involving Gov. Pataki, his wife, Libby, former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, and others that The Post revealed last summer," reports the New York Post. LINK

The Salt Lake Tribune's Thomas Burr writes about Gov. Mitt Romney's (R-MA) state PACs in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, Michigan, and Arizona. LINK

2008: Democrats:
Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News columnized on Saturday about Sen. Clinton's positioning on immigration (border security first, "smart fences" may be helpful, no need for the planned May 1 boycotts) and came away impressed. LINK

The New York Daily News' Derek Rose found an immigrant advocacy organization questioning Sen. Clinton's approach for a staggered reform effort. LINK

Ian Bishop of the New York Posts Notes Sen. Clinton's re-election campaign's use of monster.com to help find some new staffers. LINK

The Los Angeles Times reports that Sen. Clinton raised $1 million dollars in the City of Angels over the weekend. LINK

Guests at Sen. Clinton's fundraiser included Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, and The Edge.

While appearing on HBO's "Real Time" with Bill Maher, DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) endorsed the former First Lady for president.

"I'm supporting Hillary Clinton," said Emanuel. "I'm public about it."

While appearing on "Meet the Press," Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) reiterated his support for Sen. Kerry if the Bay State's junior Senator throws his hat into the ring again. LINK

While appearing Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Sen. Kerry was asked if he will give Iraq's new prime minister, Jawad al-Maliki, the full month to form a new government.

"Oh, absolutely," Sen. Kerry replied. "It would be absurd not to do that. What I was doing is putting pressure on and saying that you have to have a timetable. And I still believe in that timetable. And so, 30 days now is the timetable. It's their timetable; it's our timetable. And it should be the same strict adherence to that timetable. They only respond to pressure, George."

Sen. Kerry's "This Week" appearance provoked the RNC's Brian Jones to issue a statement accusing the potential presidential hopeful of sounding "familiar themes advocating a retreat and defeat strategy."

The AP has Sen. Kerry defending the privileged positions of Iowa and New Hampshire. LINK

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) is busy raising nearly $10,000 a day for his presidential war chest, according to Maureen Groppe of the Indiana Star. LINK

Craig Gilbert of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out that both Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) have already been labeled as anti-Hillary and Notes that "if a competition looms to be the 'Clinton alternative,' Feingold and Warner will be taking very different paths to get there." LINK

2006: landscape:
". . . can the Democratic Party, nationally and in the state, rally its abortion rights base for a candidate who disagrees?," asked Robin Toner of the New York Times in her Sunday look at Casey's challenge to Santorum in Pennsylvania. LINK

2006: Gubernatorial:
It was reported over the weekend that Phil Angelides has some very generous friends. LINK

"According to campaign records filed Friday, [Sacramento-area developer] Tsakopoulos gave $3.75 million and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis added $1.25 million Thursday toward an independent expenditure committee that will fund at least two weeks worth of 30-second advertisements promoting Angelides' endorsements from firefighters and law enforcement," reported the Sacramento Bee.

Sandy Theis of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides an overall sense of the current state of the GOP gubernatorial primary in Ohio as Ken Blackwell and Jim Petro head into the homestretch prior to the May 2 vote. LINK

State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R-IL) attacks Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) for filing an extension on his federal taxes, reports the AP. LINK

Brian Crowley of the Palm Beach Post takes a look at how money is playing out in the Florida gubernatorial GOP primary, Noting that "from dawn to midnight, Crist is a money-raising phenom. He has collected more than $8.8 million for his campaign in just nine months. That's $2.1 million more than Tom Gallagher, his rival for the GOP nomination." LINK

Pennsylvania Republicans want Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) to return a $300,000 contribution he got from the Democratic Governors Association. LINK

2006: Senate:
Salon's Walter Shapiro traveled to the Buckeye State to take stock of the DeWine/Brown race and the overall political climate (chilly, that) in Ohio these days. LINK

DeWine on Rumsfeld: "'Rumsfeld has made some very serious mistakes,' DeWine declared, repeating his verdict for emphasis. 'Very serious mistakes. I think history will judge him very harshly.' Just to make sure that I was really hearing one of the harshest attacks yet on Rumsfeld by a Republican senator, I asked, 'Which mistakes?' DeWine, who has never repented his 2002 vote for the Iraq war, gave me a what-planet-are-you-on look before responding, 'Clearly not enough troops going in [to Iraq]. That was the biggest mistake. And a lot of mistakes would be covered under that.'"

After the indignities of the Vanity Fair piece looking at his Abramoff ties and Time magazine labeling him one of the worst Senators, the Washington Post reports on the upswing of Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MO) in his re election campaign. LINK

After Democrat Jim Pederson's Senate campaign released an ad quoting McCain criticism of fellow Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, the Kyl campaign got McCain to respond by saying in a statement: "I am disappointed that my name is being used in an attack ad in this U.S. Senate race. While Jon Kyl and I have different approaches to immigration reform, we both share the common goal of passing comprehensive immigration reform and believe that a bill should get to the Senate floor for a final vote. I continue to strongly support Jon Kyl and am proud to serve as his Campaign Chairman."

The AP reports that many Democrats in Connecticut are weary of Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D-CT) political alignment with President Bush. LINK

Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman and Jeff Zeleny take a closer look at Rudy Giuliani trying "to turn Sen. Rick Santorum's brash, hard-edged demeanor into a softer sort of asset" and has Terry Madonna, director of the Keystone Poll at Franklin & Marshall College, writing that "under the most indulgent reading of his political situation, Santorum's electoral problems are imposing, his prospects dismal." LINK

2006: House:
In an effort to gain seats in November, Democrats are targeting traditionally Republican districts in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York, reports USA Today's Andrea Stone. LINK

Framing the Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) versus Jeff Lamberti (R-IA) House race, the Des Moines Register's Jane Norman wrote on Sunday that "the impulse to throw out incumbents is a factor in any election, but it poses a particular threat for Republicans in a year when their president's poll ratings are low" and wondered, "could the tide be so strong it sinks incumbent Democrats as well?" LINK

CA-50:
William M. Welch of USA Today identifies Brian Bilbray as "the candidate to beat" in the California 50th special run-off election June 6th. LINK

Lobbying reform:
The newest version of the House bill on lobbying would place restrictions on lobbyist-funded travel after the November elections, but would leave current rules on lawmakers who become lobbyists and gifts to lawmakers, reports Jim Drinkard of USA Today. LINK

The Schwarzenegger Era:
Naturalized citizen, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) voices his hope for technology to aide in the fight against illegal immigration in this country.LINK

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the soaring polls numbers for Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Steve Westly (D) due to his campaign television ads.LINK

New Hampshire:
Bloomberg News' Heidi Przybyla writes that even if the New Hampshire phone-jamming incident, which took place during a close Senate race in 2002 and which Democrats have recently called for an investigation into White House links, goes nowhere, "it may create problems for Republicans facing tight election battles, particularly in the Northeast." LINK

Politics:

Brody Mullins writes in a Wall Street Journal cover story about how the partisan divide has now permeated the once bipartisan Congressional Softball League.

CORRECTION:
On Friday we mistakenly and incorrectly listed John Kerry as the least generous contributor among the Democratic '08ers this first quarter of 2006. In fact, Keeping America's Promise, John Kerry's PAC, has helped raise $755,934 for candidates, committees, and causes in the first quarter. And in terms of direct contributions, the PAC has given away nearly $500,000 to candidates, committees, and causes thus far this year. A clerical error caused us to rely upon the reports covering activity from January and February and neglected to include March activity which is when most of Keeping America's Promise contributing took place. We regret the error.

Week ahead:
House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other House Democrats plan to continue their efforts to keep the high gas prices front and center in voters' minds with a 1:30 pm ET Capitol Hill event on the topic planned for tomorrow.

Also Tuesday, President Bush makes energy remarks in Washington, DC and participates in the presentation of the commander-in-chief's trophy to the Naval Academy football team. Meanwhile, Gen. Wesley Clark hosts a fundraiser for congressional candidate Russ Warner in California. Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Tom Menino host a "National Summit on Illegal Guns" in New York City.

On Wednesday, President Bush makes remarks to the 2006 National and State Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden; the Hotline releases its April poll timed with its quarterly political briefing.

On Thursday, President Bush participates in National Volunteer Week Service Projects in Louisiana and Mississippi. George Soros joins Gen. Clark at two fundraising events benefiting Clark's PAC in New York City. The Log Cabin Republicans convene their four-day national convention in Washington, DC

On Friday, President Bush meets with the president of Azerbaijan in the Oval Office; Gov. Pataki speaks in Bedford, NH; Sen. Feingold begins a two-day visit to Iowa; the California Democratic Party convenes its three-day convention in Sacramento; and Chairman Dean kicks off the DNC's 50-state "neighbor-to-neighbor" canvass in Charlotte, NC.

On Saturday, President Bush makes 7:30 pm ET remarks at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel; Sen. Kerry addresses the Florida Victory '06 Reception in Tallahassee; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and talk show host Sean Hannity headline the annual Iowa Republican Party Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, IA; former White House chief of staff Andy Card speaks at the Massachusetts Republican Party convention in Lowell, MA; the National Organization for Women holds a "March for Peace, Justice and Democracy" in New York City; Gov. Vilsack and Donna Brazile speak at the South Carolina Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson dinner in Colombia, SC; Sen. Bayh headlines the North Carolina Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Raleigh, NC.

On Sunday, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) sponsors a fundraiser for congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in Los Angeles, CA.