The Note: Monday Meter

— -- WASHINGTON, June 19

President Bush delivers his final commencement address of the season at 10:40 am ET when he speaks to graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. As always when there are potential or actual American hostages being held anywhere in the world, the White House will try to balance public concern with private concern (that talking about hostages doesn't help the situation.)

Later tonight, Mr. Bush attends the "President's Dinner" fundraiser for the NRCC and NRSC at 6:30 pm ET. The President is expected to make remarks at 8:10 pm ET to the more than 5,000 attendees who will help the Republican committees raise $23 million at the Washington Convention Center.

The questions that those at the Convention Center will be asking each other -- and themselves:

How does the electorate feel about North Korea as a political issue for November?

How does Howard Dean feel about this must-read/must-understand line from Paul Krugman's expensive New York Times column: ". . . tough talk on national security and affirmations of personal faith won't help: the other side will smear you anyway"?

How does Laura Bush feel about all the Superman-here-to-save-the-day coverage that Josh Bolten is getting (for himself), and is she close to saying that Bolten isn't as influential as the Chattering Class believes and that his role is definitely overstated, but he probably loves it and that he's very happy to have his role overstated?

How does the Wall Street Journal's John McKinnon feel about the "first interview" with Bolten that Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times has in the paper today?

How does David Sanger feel about the words "David E. Sanger contributed reporting for this article" appearing on the New York Times lede story about North Korea?

How does The Note feel about that line failing to say from what city Sanger contributed? How does Al Gore feel about Joe Lieberman? (See below.)

How does Ed Reilly feel about the amount of prep Senator Kerry does before an Imus appearance?

(How do Note readers feel about the following clunky transition?)

Kerry's Senate colleague, Vice President Cheney, delivers remarks at 1:30 pm ET at the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize Luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Per ABC News never-lax Karen Travers, the remarks will be largely a tribute to the former President, whom he served as chief of staff. The Vice President will take participate in a Q&A session after his remarks. The audience will be comprised of Ford Foundation trustees and members of the National Press Club.

President Ford's former chief of staff continues his day of appreciation of his former boss when he delivers 9:00 pm ET remarks at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Awards Ceremony at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.

Secretary Rice talked to cameras this morning to announce the resignation of her deputy Robert Zoellick. "His resignation was widely rumored for the past several weeks, so this is not a complete surprise," writes ABC News' Kirit Radia. "Zoellick's most recent high-profile work was as the US representative at the negotiations resulting in the Darfur Peace Agreement, announced in Abuja, Nigeria on May 5," adds Radia.

The Senate reconvenes at 2:00 pm ET and resumes consideration of S. 2766 -- Defense Authorization.

The House convenes at 12:30 pm ET for morning hour and at 2:00 pm ET for legislative business. House Democrats plan to push their plan for a minimum wage increase this week.

Sens. Reed (D-RI) and Levin (D-MI) hold a 2:00 pm ET press conference on the Democratic amendment on Iraq to the Defense Authorization bill.

Jury deliberations continue on the Safavian trial.

Sen. Clinton (D-NY) holds a forum, "Taking Action on Health Care," where she plans to discuss the major issues affecting the health care system, including affordability, quality, and access at 9:00 am ET in Woodbury, NY.

Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) attends the wake of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Paul F. Barry at 5:20 pm ET in Dorchester, MA.

Sen. Mikulski (D-MD), Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD), and others hold a 10:30 am ET press conference in Annapolis to "protect early voting" in Maryland.

Be sure to check out our look at the week ahead in politics below.

Politics of Iraq:
In a must-read, the Boston Globe's Susan Milligan reports that Senate Democrats will unveil a resolution crafted by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today "demanding that President Bush begin phasing out US troop presence in Iraq this year." LINK

"The resolution, expected to come to the floor as early as tomorrow, also would call on Bush to provide a plan to redeploy remaining troops after 2006, but it does not specify where troops should be moved and how many might come home."

"Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, will press ahead this week with his separate amendment to pull virtually all US troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, said his spokeswoman, April Boyd."

Per Eric Pfeiffer of the Washington Times, Democrats have begun to understand the Rhetoric War. Pfeiffer reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is "reluctant" to use the word "withdrawal" in her description of her resolution, and is framing the debate as "phased redeployment." LINK

The Wall Street Journal's ed board writes that "some three-fourths of House Democrats have now put themselves on record as favoring precipitous withdrawal -- a policy that even their own potential 2008 standard bearer, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has said is not a smart strategy." The Journal also suggests that the President and the Army should not to wobbly on them.

While appearing Sunday on "Meet the Press," Rep. Murtha responded to Karl Rove's cut-and-run charge by saying: "He's in New Hampshire. He's making a political speech. He's sitting in his air-conditioned office on his big, fat backside saying, 'Stay the course.' That's not a plan!"

Murtha also responded to Rove's charge that Zarqawi would never have been killed if the US had followed Rep. Murtha's advice and redeployed to the periphery by arguing that Zarqawi was killed through a combination of Iraqi intelligence and US air power coming from outside of the country.

Asked where the United States could redeploy its troops, Rep. Murtha identified Kuwait, Qatar, and Japan.

The New York Times' Hernandez on the same: LINK

The New York Post's Orin on the same: LINK

Since Tony Snow made it clear on "Face" that he does not speak for Rove when Rove engages in politics, the media will have to find someone else to ask.

In his weekly column, Time magazine's Joe Klein asks: "How is it possible -- with 2,500 U.S. solders dead, no discernible progress on the ground and a solid majority of the public now agreeing that the war in Iraq was a mistake -- for the Democrats to seem so bollixed about the war and for the President to seem so confident? A good part of it is flawed strategy. Democrats keep hoping that the elections can be framed as a referendum on the Bush policy, and Republicans keep reminding the public that elections are a choice, not a referendum." LINK

When NBC's Tim Russert asked Rep. Murtha if he agreed with Klein, Murtha said: "I agree with that. I think we have to have a policy. That's why I have been so adamant about this particular issue. . . Democrats are starting to come around -- and some Republicans. . ."

With a report on the alleged Marine massacre in Haditha coming soon, the White House is facing political pressure to forcefully condemn the shootings. But the Wall Street Journal's Yochi Dreazen reported over the weekend that Bush Administration aides say "their hands are tied because a stronger denunciation could derail any trials stemming from the case by allowing defense lawyers to argue that the commander in chief had prejudged their clients' guilt." LINK

Politics of North Korea:
Helene Cooper and Michael Gordon of the New York Times report that North Korea has fueled a long-range ballistic missile; however, it is unclear what the intended target (or intention) might be. Regardless, the discovery led to a flurry of unusual direct diplomatic activity with the North Koreans. LINK

In the article, Cooper and Gordon suggest the possibility that "The Bush administration might step up financing for missile defense; Japan might increase its missile defense efforts as well, while militant Japanese politicians might push to reconsider the nation's nuclear weapons options. Such moves would most likely alienate China."

Bush Administration agenda:
White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten gets a gold star from Sheryl Gay Stolberg in an assessment in the New York Times. LINK

"Now, after months in which the White House has suffered from plummeting presidential approval ratings and missteps, its new detail man is making a mark," writes Stolberg.

Although The Washington Times' Joseph Curl obviously typed the new POTUS poll data into his Thinkpad with apparent glee, he ends his piece with a sobering quote from a "former senior administration official": "The last two-and-a-half years of his administration he will be fighting the label of lame duck," the official said. "This is a nonstop campaign from now until the day he leaves office." LINK