The Note: Summertime

— -- WASHINGTON, June 20

NEWS SUMMARY
Pending:

1. Will there be a Bolton vote? (etc., etc.)

2. Is Sen. Durbin done apologizing?

3. How do White House communication strategists adjudge the (latest) turn-the-page effort to be going?

4. Is there a Social Security (solvency) plan that could get majorities in both chambers and a Bush signature, even by secret ballot?

5. When will breathless reporters and activists admit/understand that a Bush replacement for Rehnquist won't/can't move the Court to the right?

6. Did Sen./Dr./Leader Frist read David Brooks' Sunday column? LINK

7. Did Sen. Biden read his morning clips (and how did they make him feel?)?

8. Is there a more complicated journalist-politician relationship in the world than Bob Novak-Chris Dodd? (Yes: Fred Dicker and George Pataki!!!)

9. (Speaking of which:) Which conversation would you most want to hear today: George Pataki and John Sweeney; Scott Reed and his stream of consciousness; Jen Bluestein and her stream of consciousness; or Jim Manley and any Senator who read this weekend's Bob Novak column?

10. Can you identify the nut graph and the to-be-sure paragraph in Dick Stevenson's magnum opus must-read New York Times story on the state of the Bush presidency? LINK

That last one is easy.

Stevenson's nut graph:
"The cumulative effect of his difficulties in the last few months has been to pierce the sense of dominance that he sought to project after his re-election and to heighten concerns among Republicans in Congress that voters will hold them, as the party in power, responsible for failure to address the issues of most concern to the public."

Stevenson's to-be-sure graph:
"It is far too early to dismiss Mr. Bush as a lame duck. He remains exceedingly popular among Republicans, he has a skilled and aggressive political team around him, and he has had a way in the past of teasing full or partial victories from dire-looking situations. Even if he has to wheel and deal, he stands a good chance of signing an energy policy bill and a trade agreement with Central American nations this summer."

The aforementioned Page-Turner-in-Chief hosts the U.S.-European Union Summit today at the White House. Among those in attendance will be European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The three leaders hold a joint press conference between 1:00 and 2:00 pm ET following the summit.

On the Senate agenda today: energy and John Bolton. At 2:00 pm ET, Senators resume debate over the energy bill and at 6:00 pm ET, they decide whether to cut off debate on Bolton's nomination. No one — living or dead — knows what the outcome will be.

Meanwhile, the House meets to consider the FY2006 Defense Appropriations bill.

The Supreme Court unites for the (tentatively) penultimate time this term at 10:00 am ET to announce up to four decisions. In the pool of potential decisions are the Ten Commandments case and the Grokster file-sharing case, according to ABC News' Manny Medrano.

At 11:00 am ET, AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney launches his reelection campaign at CWA headquarters.

At 3:30 pm ET, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Democrats hold a news briefing on the NCEP's proposed amendment to the Senate energy bill.

The House Rules Committee meets at 5:00 pm ET today to discuss a proposal for a possible constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to ban the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.

Also today, the Denver Three -- those three Democrats kicked out of the presidential event in Colorado by somebody who probably shouldn't have kicked them out -- today plan to meet real Secret Service agents as they try to deliver a letter "demanding answers" to the White House at 4:00 pm ET.

And your look at the week ahead:

Tomorrow, President Bush meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to mark the 10th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Bush also plans to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers. The president also speaks via satellite to the Southern Baptist Convention, and hosts the Republican Senators for lunch.

Also tomorrow, Sen. Biden (D-DE) delivers a speech titled "U.S. Policy in Iraq: Rhetoric vs. Reality" at 2:00 pm ET at the Brookings Institution.

At 10:00 am ET on Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on the impact of economic trends on Social Security's financing and retirement security.

Former Sen. John Edwards is in Portsmouth and Nashua, NH on Tuesday for Democratic fundraisers.

The National Association of Attorneys General begins its annual three-day summer meeting on Tuesday in Big Sky Resort, MT.

The National Federation of Independent Business continues its annual meeting with Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) speaking at noon and 7:30 pm ET respectively.

The Senate Indian Affairs committee meets on Wednesday to conduct another hearing into Jack Abramoff and his Indian gaming lobbying empire, with some focus on the actions of Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist.

The president attends a Social Security event in Washington on Wednesday.

The Senate's Armed Services Committee meets to hear about reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at 10:00 am ET on Wednesday.

At 8:15 am ET on Wednesday, the New America Foundation holds a national policy forum on "America's Economic Future." Don't miss the 9:45 am ET discussion with Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA). Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is also scheduled to speak.

At 7:05 pm ET on Thursday, more than 50 Democratic and Republican members of Congress go to bat in the third game of the 44th Annual Roll Call Congressional baseball game held at RFK Stadium.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) participate in a news conference sponsored by the Horatio Alger Society on Thursday. At the conference, scheduled for 10:00 am ET, the Senators are expected to announce a new military scholarship program for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.

At 10:00 am ET, the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee conducts a hearing on the AIDS epidemic, with an appearance by actress Ashley Judd.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project releases the results of a poll on America's image at 2:30 pm ET on Thursday, with comments by co-chairs Madeleine Albright and former Senator John Danforth.

On Friday, President Bush meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and continues his new communications/message initiative.

At 8:00 am ET on Friday, the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs sponsors a forum on "Governing in the Global Age." Bipartisan delegations from Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas, including state legislatures, cabinet members, and representatives are slated to attend.

The College Republican National Convention kicks off on Friday in Arlington, VA.

SCOTUS:
Elisabeth Bumiller's chock-full-of-nuggets article today (which cleverly masquerades as a casual White House Letter), includes the follow graphs:

". . . Republicans close to the preparations say that the White House has assembled research on some 20 Supreme Court candidates, with more intensive research on a handful of the most mentioned, all federal appellate judges and all conservative: J. Michael Luttig and J. Harvie Wilkinson III of Virginia, Michael W. McConnell of Colorado, John G. Roberts Jr. of the District of Columbia, Samuel A. Alito Jr. of New Jersey and Emilio M. Garza of Texas. The White House also plans mock hearings in which the nominee will field aggressive questions from a 'murder board,' or a phalanx of lawyers and administration officials playing senators on the Judiciary Committee. Such hearings were conducted for Mr. Thomas and have even been conducted for some of the current administration's appellate court nominees, like Mr. McConnell." LINK

And when will that White House "point person" reveal him/herself?

On Sunday, the Washington Post's Peter Baker reported that as the White House is faced with choosing a nominee for the Supreme Court, the president's advisers are exploring two tracks — either a solid conservative or a history-making Hispanic chief — and the three top candidates are allegedly federal appeals Judges John G. Roberts and J. Michael Luttig, and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Gonzales, considered by some an "easy confirmation," also runs the risk of alienating the Republican base — and is reportedly "ambivalent" about the possibility, according to one source. LINK

Hats off to Baker for minimizing his use of weasel words — but a hedge about how this president likes to spring surprises might have been prudent.