ABC News' The Note: First Source for Political News

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 24, 2004—
-- NOTED NOW

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET)

FUTURES CALENDAR

Morning Show Wrap

Evening Newscasts Wrap

39 days until Election Day6 days until the first presidential debate11 days until the vice presidential debate14 days until the second presidential debate19 days until the third presidential debate

NEWS SUMMARY

Dan Balz (of the Washington Post ) says both campaigns "agree that Iraq — what happens there and how voters view the candidates on the issue — is likely to determine the outcome of the election." LINK

The Note (of the Walt Disney Co.) says the centerpiece event of the day is John Kerry's 10:00 am ET speech in Philadelphia attempting to de-couple Iraq from the GWOT — followed by the Bush-Cheney attempts to simultaneously glue them back together and attack Kerry for his de-coupling efforts.

Scot Lehigh (of the Boston Globe ) says "if Kerry rebounds to win the presidency, this period will be seen as the public turning point in the campaign." LINK

Dana Milbank (of the Washington Post and possessed of great intellectual courage and clarity) says "President Bush and leading Republicans are increasingly charging that Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry and others in his party are giving comfort to terrorists and undermining the war in Iraq — a line of attack that tests the conventional bounds of political rhetoric." LINK

The Columbus Dispatch (of a battleground state) says John Kerry told the paper yesterday that he "declined to portray the three presidential debates over the next 17 days as 'make or break' for his candidacy." LINK

Iyad Allawi (of Iraq by way of his London flat and the CIA) says (implicitly) "replace Cheney on the ticket with me!!"

The Note (of dwindling ideas for leads!) also says — don't lose sight of the debate about debates — it's a big day for that!!!

Bill Nichols (of USA Today ) says the remaining battleground states tilt Bush but not decisively so. LINK

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (of a battleground state) says that we all better brace ourselves for casting and counting controversies galore with this latest: "More than 1,000 voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests may be fraudulent in Lake and Summit counties, where investigations of irregularities are broadening." (The NAACP's National Voter Fund and America Coming Together are the groups at the center of the investigation.)LINK

(All of the above: SERIOUS must-reads.)

President Bush swears in Porter Goss, the new Director of Central Intelligence, at the White House at 9:05 am ET.

At 10:45 am ET, House Speaker Dennis Hastert unveils the House Republican plan to reform the nation's intelligence.

Bush does education in Janesville, WI at 1:35 pm ET and holds a rally in Racine, WI at 5:05 pm ET.

In 2000, Bush lost Wisconsin by fewer than 6,000 votes. This year, both sides agree: if there is one 2000 Democratic state that is most likely to be picked off by the President, this is it.

ABC News' David Chalian attributes Bush's current strength in Wisconsin to an economy that was never as bad as some other Midwestern states, Kerry underperforming among African-Americans, and the Milwaukee suburbs seeming to trend towards Bush on cultural issues.

Bush will end the day at his ranch in Texas. He will remain there on Saturday and Sunday for debate prep. The first clash, which will focus on foreign policy, is (sort of) set for Thursday, Sept. 30 in Coral Gables, FL.

At 8:00 am ET, Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. At 8:45 am ET, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld welcomes the Iraqi leader to the Pentagon with an Honor Cordon. Allawi then meets with Rumsfeld and other DOD officials.

Stepping up his attack on Bush's national security record, Sen. John Kerry delivers a speech on "Fighting the War on Terrorism" at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA at 10:00 am ET. The speech is Kerry's latest effort to argue the war in Iraq has been a distraction from the war on terrorism.

Kerry will detail seven principles for keeping Americans safe. Among them are "building 'stronger and smarter' military and intelligence capabilities, denying terrorists the weapons they seek, taking new action to stop terrorist financing and putting an end to terrorist recruitment and asylum around the world," according to USA Today . LINK

Kerry also holds a rally at the University of Pennsylvania at noon ET before heading to his home in Boston, where he will spend Saturday preparing for the presidential debates. On Sunday, he campaigns in Wisconsin and continues to prepare for the debates.

Vice President Cheney speaks at a fundraiser for a Louisiana congressional candidate in Lafayette, LA at 10:00 am ET. He speaks at a campaign rally for himself in Warrenton, MO at 1:30 pm and he delivers remarks in Tulsa, OK at 7:30 pm ET for former Rep. Tom Coburn, a candidate for Senate.

Sen. John Edwards is down in Washington, DC with no public events.

Look for a new DNC independent expenditure ad on Iraq today … .

At 10:00 am ET, several Democratic Senators, including Daschle, Kennedy, Dorgan and Stabenow, will hold a rally calling for drug re-importation. When asked why he opposes re-importation, Bush has cited consumer safety. But a Pfizer executive broke ranks with his company and with the pharmaceutical industry yesterday, saying that concerns about the safety of re-importation are overstated.

At 10:30 am ET, Ralph Nader supporters hold a demonstration calling for Nader to be included in the presidential debates outside of the Commission on Presidential Debates offices at 1200 New Hampshire Ave., NW, in Washington, DC. The Commission is expected to decide on Friday which candidates meet their standards for inclusion. Nader will not meet the threshold.

Also on Friday, the Nader campaign will file an appeal hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court overturns a decision by the Oregon Supreme Court to remove his name from the ballot due to flawed petitions and concerns about fraud.

Nader will be Sam Donaldson's guest on ABC News Now's "Politics Live" at 1:30 pm ET.

The Christian Coalition's "Road to Victory 2004: God Bless America-One Nation Under God" conference continues for the second of three days at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. Watch for big names at tonight's gala.

On "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," a debate preview with Stuart Stevens and Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush v. Kerry: the politics of Iraq:

Key sections of Dan Balz's magic opus:

"'Ten days ago, we were at a huge fork in the road,' said Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin. 'This could have become 1988 [when Bush's father took control over Michael S. Dukakis shortly after Labor Day] and was a real moment of danger for the Kerry campaign. In a lot of ways, he's survived it and we're back to a very competitive race again.'" LINK

"Just how competitive is an open question, for while Kerry may have put himself in a stronger position to litigate Iraq with Bush in their upcoming debates, he carries scars from months of attacks that may be difficult to overcome, given the limited amount of time left. Bush's advisers argue that the president enjoys a small, but solid, lead and that negative impressions of Kerry complicate his hopes of turning the race decisively in his direction. Democrats outside the Kerry campaign agree that the challenger still has considerable work to do."

"Individual national polls have painted a confusing — even conflicting — portrait of the race, with some polls showing Bush's lead in double digits and others showing the race tied. Taken together, they suggest that the race has settled into a track with Bush enjoying a lead of three to five percentage points — just at the edge of the polls' margins of error — and that Kerry remains weakened from months of attacks by the Bush campaign and its allies."

"Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster who conducts the NBC- Wall Street Journal poll with Democrat Peter Hart, said two things are notable. One is that Bush has steadily inched up in the polls over the past few months. The other is that it might not take much for the race to shift back. 'I'd rather be ahead by three to five points than behind, but nobody should believe that three to five points is a margin that could not change.'"

Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times ever-so-smartly sizes up the political goals and impact of Mr. Allawi goes to Washington. LINK

"If Americans see Allawi as a credible messenger, that could boost Bush -- whose management of the war and the reconstruction of Iraq are under increasing fire from Kerry," writes Brownstein.

"'Allawi's two most important messages are: 'It's working and the Iraqi people are behind it,' " said Steven Kull, director of the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes. 'If he can convince the public of those two things, it is going to be very helpful to Bush.'"

But Kull said it was unclear whether Americans would see Allawi as a reliable source, given the continuing violence in Iraq and his vested interest in portraying events there in the most positive light.

Note the puppetry bravado Brownstein gets from Lockhart as well as catching the DNC slightly off message.

The New York Times ' Elisabeth Bumiller looks at the very different pictures of Iraq painted by Bush and Allawi, on one hand and Sen. John Kerry and the Bush Administration's critics on the other, detailing how Allawi's appearance went from a state visit to a "politically charged moment in the presidential campaign" — particularly with those Iraqi right track/wrong track numbers. LINK

Anne Kornblut of the Boston Globe writes of yesterday's Allawi appearances, "he sounded almost like a Republican official introducing President Bush at a campaign stop." She looks at the Bush-Allawi presser (and speech) and the feverish Democratic response following.LINK

"It was the fourth straight day that the debate over the conditions in Iraq dominated the presidential campaign," writes Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times. LINK

USA Today 's Judy Keen writes, "Bush seemed defensive at times during the press conference as reporters pressed him to respond to Kerry's effort to depict the Iraq war as a failure and its aftermath as a mismanaged fiasco." LINK

Knight Ridder's Tom Fitzgerald offers this headline: "Despite accusations, Kerry's position on Iraq has been consistent." LINK

The wrong track remarks get Walter Shapiro's column on the right track. LINK

The New York Times ' Paul Krugman writes: "Bush claims that John Kerry's plan to rebuild Iraq is 'exactly what we're currently doing,' but really it's only what Mr. Bush is currently saying," and that in making his points about Iraq, Kerry needs to get real about what's actually possible to accomplish there. LINK

The Washington Post casts Kerry as criticizing not only Bush but also Allawi, playing up Cheney's comment that he was "appalled" by the "lack of respect" Kerry showed.LINK

Somebody get the Rosetta Stone for this New York Daily News headline: "W 'unhinged' in view of war — Kerry aide." LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Greg Jaffe and Greg Hitt report that the Pentagon plans to boost the number of U.S. troops in Iraq early next year coincide with January elections there and could help with security. "The temporary increase in U.S. troops could allow commanders to assign more soldiers to guard polling places, protect convoys and ensure that major highways and other supply routes stay open in the event the insurgents plan a large offensive." Gen. John Abizaid said this week that more troops — though not necessarily American troops — would be needed.

At an editorial board meeting with the Wall Street Journal , Allawi "politely suggested that the Secretary General 'probably is misinformed' about the real situation on the ground" in Iraq. "He added that he hoped the U.N. would respect its own Resolution 1546 and 'do whatever it takes to ensure the elections' are held on time. Mr. Allawi also welcomed NATO's recent decision to step up its training of Iraqi security forces."

The debates:

Our favorite "only in Florida" lede of the day: "When John Kerry prepares for his first presidential debate at the University of Miami, he'll have a sparring partner with at least a passing familiarity with Miami politics: Gregory Craig, the influential Democratic lawyer who represented Elián González's father during the custody battle over the Cuban boy." LINK

"Craig's selection comes as Kerry's campaign seeks to woo Cuban-American voters from Bush by criticizing the administration's recent crackdown on travel to Cuba as family-unfriendly."

"Three weeks ago, the campaign opened an office across the street from the Versailles Restaurant on Calle Ocho and last week it began airing Spanish language radio ads that assail the travel policy. But Craig's appointment will probably be viewed as a misstep, signaling a campaign that is still learning its way around Florida — and Miami's — complicated mix of politics, just six weeks before the election."

"Former Cuban American National Foundation executive director Joe Garcia, who now works for a Democratic group courting Hispanics, said Cuban Americans may view Craig's selection as 'unfortunate,' but he sought to put a positive spin on Craig's role."

'''If you're going to prepare to debate someone as arrogant as the president, there is no one more arrogant and pompous than Greg Craig,' Garcia said. 'You've got to fight fire with fire.'''

Scott Shepard of Cox News Service looks back at Kerry's past debate performances and tallies up the Senator's strengths, but says in terms of the camera, likeability and style, Bush has the edge. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: a tax victory for Bush:

The Wall Street Journal 's David Rogers has Bush getting his "fourth tax-cut bill" in "as many years." Rogers plays up Kerry's faulting Bush for "accepting a deal that includes corporate tax breaks while denying many minimum-wage workers access to the centerpiece of the personal tax benefits: a $1,000 per child tax credit."

The New York Times ' Edmund Andrews looks at how Democrats put aside their concerns about the deficit for political reasons in this election year and voted for Bush's tax cut extension. LINK

"The bill extends several individual tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of this year: a $1,000 child tax credit, which would have declined to $700 under current law; tax breaks for two-income married couples intended to reduce the so-called marriage penalty; and an expansion of the lowest, 10-percent tax bracket to cover more taxpayers. Democrats had made it clear they would vote to extend the tax cuts, but they tried during the conference committee to attach amendments that would have paid for them with either a surcharge on families with incomes above $1 million or by closing some corporate tax shelters."

"The Republican majority easily rejected those amendments, and they also rejected amendments that would have extended the child tax credit to families with incomes just above $10,000 a year."

"Representative Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said the overall package would increase the federal deficit, which is expected to reach $420 billion this year and is expected to remain high for the rest of the decade."

"Some Democrats and moderate Republicans argued this summer that the extensions should be financed with spending cuts or tax-loophole closures, but that stand withered with the approaching election," the Washington Post 's Weisman reports. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush v. Kerry:

The New York Times ' Jodi Wilgoren writes that the "war over who did what in the Vietnam era rages on in the 2004 campaign. But it has inflicted more wounds on the candidate who saw combat, Senator John Kerry, than the one who did not, President Bush, analysts across the political spectrum say." Voters had made their peace with Bush's Vietnam-era service, but the new tack brought criticism of Kerry that had a real effect. LINK

The New York Times provides ammo for the Bush campaign, looking at Kerry's criticism of the president on Medicare and writing that "the Medicare premiums will rise next year, not because the president proposed the increase or because he offered it as a solution to meeting the overall higher costs of health care, but because the premium increase was required under a formula set in a 1997 budget law that Mr. Kerry voted for and that was approved in the Senate by a vote of 85 to 15."LINK

Keying off of the WSJ/NBC survey which shows 46 percent of those surveyed preferring a Democratic-controlled House, the Wall Street Journal 's David Rogers looks at how the Medicare reform bill, which was expected to be a boon to Republicans, has worked against them in some ways.

"The debate over Medicare, which mostly affects women, the old and the sick, reveals how much a sense of insecurity runs through politics this year. November's elections may be less about any single issue — terrorism, Iraq, lost jobs or Medicare — than a cumulative insecurity among voters, who want change but are also cautious about what risks they will accept."

In Washington Wire, the Wall Street Journal 's Jackie Calmes digs a little deeper into the latest WSJ/NBC poll, writing that not only is the president's convention bounce gone, but also that voters favor big turnover in the administration in a second Bush term, and how regional economic differences play out in terms of Bush/Kerry support.

The New Republic's Noam Scheiber does an able job trying to debunk the "security mom" theory. LINK

The Washington Post looks at the Media Fund's new ad linking Bush to the Saudis. Steve McMahon, the ad maker, says that the goal of the ad was to link Bush to a country responsible for the high cost of gas and the teaching of anti-American hatred. Fox News rejected the ad. Fox also rejected the latest Swift Boat ad. LINK

In an ad watch, the New York Times ' Kit Seelye looks at the "guilt by association" charge made against President Bush by the Media Fund. LINK

The Washington Post 's E.J. Dionne on Bush's attempted distortions of Kerry. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04:

The Boston Globe 's Glen Johnson previews Sen. Kerry's 10:00 am ET speech on terrorism today in Philadelphia. "Kerry aides said he will outline seven principles for fighting terrorism, including improved military and intelligence capabilities, a program to deny terrorists deadly weapons, a crackdown on terrorist financing, more attention to homeland security, and efforts to deny sanctuary to terrorists while building global alliances and promoting democracy in the Muslim world." LINK

The Philadelphia Inquirer serves up its own preview of the Democratic nominee's visit to the City of Brotherly Love, where among other things, Kerry will show his brotherly love for the ward leaders in the area. "Kissing the rings of Philadelphia's political structure is a tradition for Democratic nominees." LINK

Thomas Fitzgerald of the Philadelphia Inquirer serves up the kind of story in a key battleground area that Democrats have been dreaming about for months. Just to give you a taste, this is the headline: "Where Kerry stands on Iraq: His position has been consistent. His bids to explain it often falter." This story breaks down Kerry's comments on Iraq and shows (no, this is not a typo) CONsistency. Kerry PA communications director Mark Nevins couldn't have said it better himself. LINK

Philadelphia Daily News editorial writer Elmer Smith almost counters that with what he says Senator Kerry is not saying about Iraq: "Hundreds of U.S. soldiers are dying in an effort that will not bring freedom to Iraq or security to the United States." LINK

John Kerry continued his new found footing on Iraq when he sat down with the editorial board of the Columbus Dispatch yesterday for 75 minutes. The Senator also decried what he sees as a "skillful 100-and-some-million-dollar" smear campaign being run against him. LINK

Two interesting Notes:

"'There's nothing conservative in an administration that so overtly crosses the line drawn by the Founding Fathers that separates affairs of church and state in America,' Kerry said. 'I'm a religious person, a person of faith, but it's important to be president of all Americans, not just Christian Americans.'"

"Kerry declined to portray the three presidential debates over the next 17 days as 'make or break' for his candidacy, but said he has to 'present myself clearly, forcefully to the American people with a clear set of priorities.' He added: 'I think a lot of people will tune in. There are undecideds. A lot of folks will try to measure our character and our vision, so I think it's an important moment.'"

The New York Times ' Dick Stevenson was on the trail with Kerry yesterday, where he accused President Bush of presenting a picture of Iraq — including elections that may not be nationwide — that he says stubbornly misleads and doesn't jibe with reality. LINK

The New York Times ' Todd Purdum offers up the latest installment in his "John Kerry's Journey" series, taking a lengthy, detailed look at the parallels between Kerry's 1972 race for Congress — his only electoral defeat — and the 2004 presidential campaign. It's not just time that has changed Kerry, but the lessons learned about taking hits and biding his time, not to mention political skills acquired along the way. Yet some things haven't changed. "From that election to this, his career has been marked more by cautious calculation than bold strokes, and to a striking degree, his vulnerabilities then remain his vulnerabilities now." LINK

It is, as with all elements of the ouvre of Purdum, a must-read.

Kerry's views on the West Bank might help with Jewish voters but hurt him with Arab-American voters, the Palm Beach Post's S.V. Date reports.LINK

The Los Angeles Times on the opening salvo in court against Teresa Heinz Kerry aimed at unsealing the Heinz probate records that have been sealed since 1991. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney '04:

The New York Times ' David Kirkpatrick plays catch-up on a story reported by ABC News and the Associated Press a week ago that the Republican Party has admitted sending mass mailings to voters in Arkansas and West Virginia saying that "liberals" would ban the Bible if President Bush lost the election. "The mailing is the latest evidence of the emphasis Republicans are putting on motivating conservative Christian voters to vote this fall. But as the appeals become public, they also risk alienating moderate and swing voters." It also gave Democratic vice presidential nominee the opportunity to call on the Bush campaign to condemn the mailings and warn his allies not to use these tactics again. LINK

The Washington Times ' Charles Hurt's headline reads: "Kerry camp doubts Rove's analysis." LINK

We hear that Joshua Green, a senior editor of the Atlantic Monthly, has written for their forthcoming issue a magnum opus about Karl Rove's history in close races . Many of you, of course, are familiar with the basic outline of the history buff-cum-direct-mail-vendor-cum-Bush-strategist's career.

Green looked at the tactics and strategies of the races where Rove served as a general consultant to candidates in Texas and Alabama. Did you know that an early Rove specialty was judicial races? Ever wondered what his political win-loss record is? And why is he better sometimes in close races than in blow outs?

Mr. Green also tells the story of how Rove's closest race ended up in the Supreme Court — but it's not the race you've heard about.

The Washington Post on Bush's morale-boosting visit with the troops. LINK

Nick Anderson of the Los Angeles Times provides his readers with a little Maine CD 2 history which explains why he was in Bangor with the president yesterday. LINK

"Since Maine switched to its district-based system in 1972, it has never split its electoral votes. But that almost happened in 1992, when Ross Perot ran strongly here, and in 2000 as well."

The St. Paul Pioneer-Press Notes yesterday's visit by "The nation's hottest new political celebrities" Jenna and Barbara. Check out the story with details of all the warm-fuzziness the Bush twins served up to the Twin Cities. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds: Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin:

Tommy Thompson, back in his beloved Madison, tells the State Journal that his lawyers are talking to folks looking to hire him after President Bush's first term. LINK

"In an interview after his speech, Thompson said he has attorneys handling job inquiries for him. He can't entertain offers himself until his term is over, he said."

"'I know there are a lot of people who really would like to talk to me, and I've got three or four lawyers that are talking to those people,' he said."

"He paused. 'And the president wants to talk to me as well.'"

More: "Americans pay a high price for the best health-care system in the world, he said. "'We don't go to France to get health care,' he said. 'Most of our citizens have access to top-notch care. … The care we receive is the best … "

The Miami Herald Notes the Quinnipiac poll we brought to you first yesterday and says that the same poll found Kerry ahead by 6 points in August, further sign that the electorate in Florida is quite volatile. LINK

Three polls of Florida say much the same thing: post-hurricanes, Bush has a nice-to-smallish lead. LINK

The Sierra Club will do eight door knocks a voter in Tampa. LINK

Remember that old firehouse that serves as Kerry campaign headquarters in Columbus, Ohio we told you about a while back? Well, apparently there are some questions regarding whether or not subleasing a city owned building to a political campaign is in accordance with the rules. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

USA Today 's Andrea Stone deconstructs why New Jersey might be turning purple. LINK

Thomas Beaumont of the Des Moines Register reviews Edwards' trip to Iowa yesterday which brought the "new Iraq-focused campaign" stump speech and headlines Edwards saying "Bush Made a Mess He Can't Fix."LINK

Anjeanette Damon of the Reno Gazette-Journal writes about Gov. Bill Richards' recent trips to Nevada on behalf of the Kerry campaign to increase Hispanic voter turnout for Kerry.LINK

Paul Carrier of the Portland Press Herald recaps Bush's stop in Bangor yesterday in front of "9,000 cheering supporters."LINK

Dick Forest of the Rocky Mountain News says the two candidates' war records may not be important to most voters, but they are significant to a "pivotal Colorado voting bloc: veterans." LINK

The Kerry campaign may be giving up on Missouri, but not the Chicago Tribune! The veteran Midwest correspondent, Tim Jones, continues his canvass of Missouri, taking a deep and interesting look beneath the surface of what voters are feeling about the Iraq debate. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: casting and counting:

Supersmart Jeff Mapes from the Oregonian, discusses Republican fears of ballot tampering due to Oregon's unique mail in balloting system.LINK

Everything you wanted to know about electronic voting and more graces the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Be sure to Note (especially you folks in Nevada) that you can't take the printed records home with you. " … They're not like the transaction records produced by ATMs." LINK

"Twenty-nine percent of registered voters will use touch-screen machines this November, up dramatically from 12% only four years ago, according to Election Data Services, a political consulting firm in Washington."

USA Today reports, "The Pentagon made changes Thursday to broaden access to a Web site that helps troops and other Americans overseas cast absentee ballots electronically. Security measures on the site, www.fvap.gov, had barred some voters because they were using certain Internet service providers that hackers used to launch electronic attacks on U.S. government sites, military officials said."

Bush's National Guard service and the CBS documents:

Bill Burkett tells the Ft. Worth Star Telegram that Joe Lockhart asked him for the documents. LINK

He also says CBS duped him.

Post-publication update: the Star-Telegram corrected its story on Friday afternoon:

"This article has been corrected from the version published in the newspaper and online Friday morning to reflect that Bill Burkett was referring to conversations with CBS when he said, "They tried to convince me as to why I should give them the documents." The earlier version incorrectly reported that he had discussed the documents with Joe Lockhart of the Kerry campaign."

"The source of a discredited CBS News report said Thursday that he did not coordinate the release of disputed documents with John Kerry's campaign." LINK

Deb Orin parses Lockhart's recollection of his chat with Bill Burkett. LINK

Dick Thornburgh criticized CBS in a memoir last year, the New York Times ' Jacques Steinberg reports. LINK

But Dan Rather is said to be over his Thornburgh reservations.

Richard Cohen tells Dan Rather: journalism happens. LINK

Nader-Camejo:

Ralph Nader will be Sam Donaldson's guest on Politics Live, at 1:30 pm ET on ABC News Now.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "The lawyer representing Ralph Nader in his efforts to stay on Pennsylvania's election ballot abruptly asked to quit yesterday, days before a marathon set of 10 hearings in 10 separate venues scheduled for Monday." LINK

Politics:

In USA Today , Greg Wright surveys the scene of ballot initiatives. LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's ed board opines that a "partisan prosecutor" is trying to "hammer The Hammer."

Political books are selling like hot cakes, the Wall Street Journal 's Jeffrey Trachtenberg reports.

The politics of Iraq and national security:

"In a sign that Iraq contracts did not provide the boon executives had expected from KBR, Halliburton is considering selling it," the New York Times ' Simon Romero reports on the front page. LINK

"The House and Senate edged closer to a collision over how to revamp the government's anti-terrorism operations yesterday, as House leaders prepared legislation that would boost the powers of the Justice Department and the Pentagon beyond the point that many senators seem willing to accept," the Washington Post reports.LINK

"With the elections now seen as the barometer of Iraq's transition to democracy, the United States and Iraq appear to have decided that an imperfect poll would be better than delaying it because of an insurgency that has claimed control of key cities and provincial capitals in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad," the Washington Post 's Wright and Allen report. LINK

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

—8:00 am: Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi lays wreath at Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, VA —8:45 am: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld hosts Honor Cordon to welcome Allawi to Pentagon, Arlington, VA—9:05 am: President Bush participates in a swearing-in ceremony of Porter Goss, the new Director of Central Intelligence, White House, Washington, DC—10:00 am: Vice President Cheney delivers remarks at a Breakfast for Congressional Candidate Charles Boustany at the City Club River Ranch, Lafayette, LA —10:00 am: Sen. John Kerry delivers a speech on "Fighting the War on Terrorism" at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA—10:00 am: Allawi holds a media availability, Pentagon, Arlington, VA—10:00 am: Secretary of State Colin Powell holds a "Forum for the Future" on the broader Middle East and North Africa, Waldorf Astoria, New York, NY—10:00 am: Drug re-importation rally with Sens. Daschle, Kennedy, Dorgan, Stabenow, others, Senate Park, Washington, DC —10:30 am: First Lady Laura Bush delivers remarks at a Victory '04 Rally at the Eldridge Library, Eldridge, IA—10:45 am: House Speaker Dennis Hastert unveils House 9/11 legislation, Washington, DC —11:00 am: President Bush departs the White House—12:00 pm: Sen. Kerry holds a "Rally for a Stronger America" at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA—12:50 pm: Powell holds bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister, Waldorf Astoria, New York, NY —1:20 pm: Mrs. Bush delivers remarks at a Victory '04 Luncheon, Winnetka, IL—1:30 pm: Vice President Cheney participates in a Victory 2004 Rally at the Warren County Fairgrounds, Warrenton, MO—1:35 pm: President Bush participates in a "Focus on Education with President Bush" event at the Janesville Conference Center, Janesville, WI—1:45 pm: Teresa Heinz Kerry holds a conversation with Pueblo voters at the Colorado State Fair Grounds, Pueblo, CO—5:05 pm: President Bush speaks at a rally at the Gen. John J. Pershing Park, Racine, WI—7:00 pm: Teresa Heinz Kerry rallies the Colorado State Campus and Fort Collins Community, Fort Collins, CO—7:30 pm: Vice President Cheney delivers remarks at a dinner for Senate candidate Tom Coburn at the Doubletree Hotel Tulsa, Tulsa, OK—9:15 pm: President Bush arrives at the Bush Ranch, Crawford, TX