ABC News' The Note: First Source for Political News

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 21, 2004—
-- NOTED NOW

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Morning Show Wrap

Evening Newscasts Wrap

42 days until Election Day9 days until the first presidential debate14 days until the vice presidential debate17 days until the second presidential debate22 days until the third presidential debate

NEWS SUMMARY

Stuff that matters: the president's U.N. speech; John Kerry on "Regis"; the fallout over the CBS flap; Ohio's gay marriage ballot measure; Kerry's heartbeat on the Iraq issue; shifting resources in battleground states (and former battleground states!!); and health care for every American child.

But the capacity of John Kerry to tighten the presidential race all the way back up depends on his performance in the presidential debates, and thus nothing matters more at this point than the terms of those events.

Although Anne Kornblut's Boston Globe framing of the conclusion of the debate about debates is typical LINK ("Despite tussles over the timing and format, the 90-minute debates will take place more or less as initially proposed; only the subjects of the first and third debates have changed."), in fact, James Baker, by accepting all four debates (3 presidential and 1 veep), seems to have gotten some other key, little-Noticed changes in return.

What the Bush campaign got changed:

1. The first widely watched and covered debate will be on foreign policy and national security, rather than domestic policy.

2. No direct engagement between the candidates is allowed — the Commission's proposed plan had actually encouraged such dynamic-changing contact.

3. As "Miss (Nicolle) Devenish" told the Washington Times : "the agreement reached yesterday also will make 'very clear whenever the candidates attempt to filibuster or grandstand. There is a light that will flash for TV audiences when that happens — a historic first,' she said. 'Moderators have to sign on and say they agree with the rules, or we'll find new moderators.'"

4. The voters at the town-hall debate won't be undecideds, but, rather "soft" supporters of each side — and we have yet to figure out what that means or why Team Bush prefered that — but Baker got it.

5. The candidates can't address each other with "proposed pledges" (although rhetorical questions are allowed!!).

6. The town-hallers can't ask follow ups or participate after they ask their one question — avoiding any prospect of a "Richmond" moment.

The Commission itself and the moderators have not been heard from, but our guts tell us two things:

A. This deal will stick.

B. If George Walker Bush already owed James Addison Baker big time after Florida, he owes him bigger time now.

In New York, President Bush addresses the UN General Assembly at 10:30 am ET. He is expected to make the case that the U.S. is helping make a better world, broadening his argument beyond Iraq to tout the global AIDS initiative and announcing a new third world debt relief initiative. He will of course also talk Iraq and Afghanistan, giving a tip of the hat to Iraqi Prime Minster Iyad Allawi, who will be there watching.

Bush also holds individual meetings with the leaders of Iraq, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, as well as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who called the Iraq war "illegal" last week.

There will be lots of network and cable coverage of all of this, allowing the President to be the President, astride the world stage in a setting that John Kerry can't match.

Sen. John Kerry does "Regis and Kelley" live at 9:00 am ET before beginning a two-day assault on Florida, the first time he has campaigned there since he toured Hurricane Charley damage on Aug. 20 (!) Kerry and Edwards appear together (in Orlando at 9:00 pm ET) for the first time since their post-convention buddy tour. Kerry also has a 2:45 pm ET town hall in Jacksonville, Edwards also has 2:45 pm ET and 6:45 pm ET events in Tampa.

Vice President Cheney has a 10:00 am ET event in Wauseon, OH and a 12:10 pm ET event in Lansing, MI.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader discusses the state of his campaign in Washington at 12:30 pm ET, while Ohio and Wisconsin hold hearings on challenges to his candidacy in those states.

The debates are set!:

Quiz to see how closely y'all have read the agreement between Jim Baker and Vernon Jordan: although there are many mandated coin tosses, what variable will be determined by coin toss only if the campaigns can't work it out themselves? (See the end of The Note for the answer.)

Now that there's a debate deal, both campaigns will continue on their "our opponent is an incredibly effective debater whose skills should not be underestimated" paths.

But before news organizations rush off to buy their plane tickets for Miami, St. Louis, Tempe, and Cleveland, it's important to remember not only the what that's been decided, but also the why, and who benefits from the masterful negotiating skills of James A. Baker III and Vernon Jordan.

Dick Stevenson of the New York Times offers up a must-read layout of the debate rules. LINK

"Mr. Bush is the most powerful man in the world, so it is fitting that he be able to choose what kind of pen or pencil he wants to take notes with during the debates. Graciously, Senator John Kerry is granted the same discretion."

"But should either man feel the urge to stretch his legs during the first or third debates, he will be out of luck. 'At no time during these debates shall either candidate move from their designated areas behind their respective podiums,' the agreement says."

"The section on the timing lights also included a discussion of audible time cues. It came a bit after the one specifying that the podiums (or, more likely, lecterns), for the two debates in which they will be used, 'shall measure fifty (50) inches from the stage floor to the outside top of the podium facing the audience and shall measure forty-eight (48) inches from the stage floor to the top of the inside podium writing surface'-where, it should be noted, the two candidates will be free to place paper of their own choosing."

"The Bush campaign was concerned about the original proposal that candidates would take questions from undecided voters in the Oct. 8 debate, in a town hall format in St. Louis. The final deal called for the questions to come from 'soft' Bush and Kerry supporters."

"Mr. Kerry also got something he wanted: three debates, although it is not clear whether the White House ever seriously contemplated forcing the plan to be scaled back to two."

"But the agreement went well beyond the big picture. Who could argue with a demand that each candidate be free to provide his own makeup person, given the way Richard M. Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow may have darkened his prospects in 1960?"

"But why the agreement that in the vice presidential debate Mr. Cheney and Mr. Edwards will sit behind a table? Moreover, it will not be any old table. It will be constructed by the debate commission 'according to the style and specifications proposed by the commission in consultation with each campaign.' (Democrats say the reason is that the White House did not want the youthful-appearing Mr. Edwards standing alongside Mr. Cheney.)"

Johnny Apple previews the Bush-Kerry debates, calling both men "effective debaters," assessing what's in store for both campaigns and voters, and what both need to get out of the events. LINK

The Talented Mr. Thomas M. DeFrank reports on the expectations game where "in the finest tradition of Clintonian excess," Lockhart "could maintain with a straight face that President Bush has never lost a debate." And Matthew Dowd, "normally the essence of sobriety," can say: "John Kerry is the greatest debater since Cicero." Plus, a senior Kerry source says, "If you push too hard for debates, you risk looking desperate." LINK

Bush at the UN:

In his speech to the UN, Bush is expected to deal lightly with Iraq, tying it to the broader, more popular, war on terrorism. Bush is also expected to discuss AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, hunger and illiteracy, the Washington Post 's Dana Milbank reports. LINK

" … .supporters and opponents of Bush agree, the president has no hopes of a substantive breakthrough as he prepares to address the General Assembly on Tuesday morning.":

"'It's a great visual for domestic purposes,' said Kenneth Adelman, a Reagan administration arms-control official who is close to many top Bush aides. 'It undercuts Kerry's argument against Bush that he doesn't get along with other countries. They won't be booing him. They'll be politely applauding because they're well-mannered folks.'"

"Adelman said Bush's appearance would also reassure Americans 'that a second term is going to be less venturesome and traumatic than a first term," which brought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 'The body language and the real message is the two wars in the first term aren't going to be followed by two wars in a second term.'"

"By his own calculus, Bush should regard the United Nations as a lost cause. Before the Security Council failed to authorize force in Iraq in 2003, Bush said that 'unless the United Nations shows some backbone and courage, it could render the Security Council irrelevant.'"

"Bush does not call the organization irrelevant, but at a fundraiser here Monday night he implicitly scolded the United Nations, saying, 'When an international body speaks, they must mean what they say.'"

Kerry on Iraq; Bush counters back:

USA Today 's Jill Lawrence calls Kerry's Monday speech a "broad, scathing critique." LINK

Lawrence encapsulates it this way: "John Kerry tried Monday to cut through all the Iraq votes and verbiage in his past and create a new bottom line: This is President Bush's war, and he's botched it." LINK

The Chicago Tribune's Torriero and Pearson call it Kerry's "strongest challenge" to the president's Iraq policy. LINK

"Kerry advisers said the speech was meant to establish that Mr. Kerry, had he been president two years ago, wouldn't have invaded Iraq based on the facts that are known today. Earlier statements by Mr. Kerry and his campaign staff had left open that hypothetical question," the Wall Street Journal 's Shailagh Murray reports.

"The 47-minute speech was Mr. Kerry's most stinging critique to date of what he called Mr. Bush's 'colossal failures of judgment' on Iraq. Mr. Kerry also laid out, as he has before, four broad steps that he urged Mr. Bush to take immediately: repair alliances, train Iraqi security forces, improve reconstruction and ensure elections. If all that happened, Mr. Kerry said, "we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer, and realistically aim to bring our troops home within the next four years," the New York Times ' Wilgoren and Bumiller report. LINK

Wilgoren and Bumiller have a "gleeful" Karl Rove saying: "The guy seems to have this belief that every time he speaks it's a blank sheet, and he doesn't have to worry about contradictory things he's said in recent days, weeks and months." LINK

We wonder how they got Rove on the record . . .

In a news analysis, the Washington Post 's Robin Wright has a bunch of analysts questioning "whether any American leader will be able to mobilize greater international participation, given the current dangers in Iraq and domestic political considerations in countries that have resisted earlier U.S. requests to play a role."LINK

Dan Balz has Sen. John Edwards being asked by a Marine Corps reservist to explain why he voted for a war in which his friends are dying: "I stand by my vote on the resolution," Edwards said. "But I did not give George Bush the authority to make the mess he's made in Iraq." LINK

David Brooks writes that "finally" Kerry "staked out a clear but substantively flawed contrast with President Bush on Iraq." LINK

The New York Times ed board sees Kerry finally gaining his voice on Iraq and stating, for the first time as a candidate, that he would not have gone to war if he had been president. LINK

The Washington Post 's Finer and Allen on Bush firing back, saying Kerry prefers the "stability of a dictatorship." LINK

"Kerry/Edwards offer plans for healing Iraq" reads the Cincinnati Enquirer editorial headline. LINK

"We are not yet convinced that Kerry and Edwards are offering the best plans to achieve these goals, but no one can argue that the goals are not worthy. The failure to attract a larger coalition to our cause in Iraq has impeded the war effort and cost the United States much in money, prestige and most importantly, casualties among our brave troops."

Paul Krugman of the New York Times writes that Bush is hoping to keep the Iraq disaster under wraps for a few more weeks and argues, "But I hope that Mr. Kerry won't allow himself to be trapped into trying to fulfill neocon fantasies. If there ever was a chance to turn Iraq into a pro-American beacon of democracy, that chance perished a long time ago." LINK

Maura Reynolds and Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times get to the crux of yesterday's to and fro and they somehow find use for that bizarrely confusing Joe Lockhart statement put out by the campaign yesterday. LINK

"The latest clash between the two presidential candidates over Iraq exemplified the broader message each was pushing with election day six weeks away. Bush has argued that his rival vacillates too often to be trusted as a leader, whereas Kerry has contended that the president lacks sound judgment."

In their stellar write-up of yesterday's heated campaign rhetoric, the Boston Globe team of Johnson and Kornblut Note, "The heated back and forth between the two candidates yesterday indicated how the rest of the presidential race may end up focusing on Iraq." LINK

USA Today 's Bill Nichols Notes that "Bush campaign officials believe Kerry has offered them an opportunity with another campaign manifesto on Iraq. Bush already has a lengthy section in his stump speech about Kerry's positions on the war and occupation." LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Allan Murray questions Bush's handling of Iraq but also chides Kerry: "During the Democratic convention, I asked several of his foreign-policy advisers to answer a simple question: Does John Kerry think the war in Iraq was a mistake? Not one could. In August, Senator Kerry seemed to suggest the war wasn't a mistake. Now, finally, he has decided it was. Even if he can stay on this message for the six weeks before Election Day, the thinking voter has to ask: What took him so long to answer campaign 2004's most important question?"

The New Republic's Peter Beinart smartly shows how the Bush campaign has made Iraq a character issue — thus avoiding the specific criticisms of the war and putting Kerry on the defensive. LINK

Kerry's speech in the battlegrounds:

The Philadelphia Inquirer story from Fitzgerald and Hutcheson seems to almost score one for Kerry. You decide which description of yesterday's campaign rhetoric will play better in the Philadelphia suburbs: Sen. Kerry's "stern and sweeping indictment" or President Bush's responding with "withering sarcasm?" LINK

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Reston describes Kerry's "fumbling to regain ground in the wake of a Republican convention" by focusing speeches "on the differences between the Bush administration's rhetoric about Iraq and the reality on the ground, while reminding voters of how the costs of the Iraq invasion and reconstruction have affected their daily lives." LINK

The Seattle Times' headline reads: "Kerry and Bush rip each other on Iraq" LINK

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune heads the Bumiller and Wilgoren write-up: "Gloves come off on Iraq."LINK

The Columbus Dispatch has Fournier's: "Kerry, Bush intensify war of words on Iraq decision." LINK

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has its own: "Kerry attacks management of Iraq war." LINK

The Detroit News tops Fournier's write-up with "Kerry would have kept Saddam; He says America traded dictator for chaos that has left U.S. less secure."LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

The New York Times ' Steven Weisman examines the debate within the Bush Administration over whether to confront Iran about its reported nuclear weapons program. LINK

"The Bush administration has yet to forge a clear strategy on how to deal with Iran, partly because of a lack of attractive options and partly because there is a debate under way between hard-liners and advocates of diplomatic engagement. But in another similarity with the Iraq situation before the war, Washington is in considerable disagreement with key allies over how to handle the threat. . . . With Iran policy in a state of flux, there is a drive among conservatives to reach out to Iranian dissidents and exiles seeking to overthrow the government, much as efforts were made with Iraqis in the 1990's."

Weisman also Notes that the U.S. dropped its trade embargo on Libya on Monday and is moving toward normal relations with the government, though the country remains on the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism. LINK

Bush raised roughly $259 million during the primary season "shattering the record for presidential fund-raising and collecting millions more than his opponent," the New York Times reports. LINK

And to think we were suckered by that $170 millon low-ball figure!! (Not.)

Convention timing gives Bush money edge, the AP reports.LINK

Bush's support may be slipping among Cuban Americans, the Los Angeles Times reports.LINK

McPhee and Standoroa of the New York Daily News report the Secret Service "clamped down on midtown" last night to protect President Bush from "a possible assassin armed with a hunting rifle."

"Lawrence Ward, 59, left his upstate New York home Wednesday with a .30-30 lever-action hunting rifle in the trunk of his car, telling a neighbor, 'I'm not coming back.'

"Inside his house in Bainbridge was a picture of Bush with the words 'Dead Man' spray-painted near it, law enforcement authorities said.

"The Secret Service deemed Ward, a software engineer, such a 'credible threat' that a three-square-block chunk of midtown was cordoned off.

"Secret Service agents and city cops patrolled the area looking for anything suspicious." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect: Cheney on the trail:

An unusually spirited Vice President Cheney hit back on Sen. Kerry's speech today, questioning the Democratic nominee's position on Iraq and his attacks against the president, reports ABC News' Karen Travers.

At a rally in Grove City, OH, before 3,000 rowdy supporters, Cheney challenged Sen. Kerry's statement today that the President mislead the country by calling Iraq an imminent threat, saying that the President "said no such thing."

"Our argument was that Saddam Hussein posed a gathering threat that in a post-9/11 world, we could not wait until a threat was imminent. By then it would be too late to spare American lives."

Cheney closed out his Kerry riff with a new joke: "Nine months ago, when Howard Dean took that same position during the primaries, Sen. Kerry said "those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein and those who believe today that we are not safer with his capture, don't have the judgment or the capability to be elected President."

"The only thing I have to say to that is … I'm Dick Cheney and I approve that message."

The Philadelphia Inquirer Notes Cheney's "stinging tone" at a town meeting in Cornwall, PA.LINK

While he didn't go as far as campaign officials said he would on Sen. Kerry's statements on withdrawing troops from Iraq and the message that sends, he did say that pulling out of Iraq or Afghanistan would be a victory for the terrorists, ABC News' Travers reports.

Cheney said that if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq or Afghanistan because the task is too tough, "that's a victory for the terrorists. We can't have that."

"This is a profound difference between President Bush and Sen. Kerry. As Sen. Kerry said in his acceptance speech in Boston, he would respond after an attack on America. President Bush wants to protect America before we are attacked again."

ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry on Letterman:

Not since Richard Nixon appeared on "Laugh-in" has a candidate had such a boffo appearance on a comedy show.

We're kidding.

But Sen. John Kerry to our well-trained late night eyes and ears didn't do too badly on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last night (if only because we haven't seen an RNC or Steve Schmidt e-mail yet!). (Note update: we just got one!!!)

He was sort of charming at times.

Kerry delivered the "Top 10 Bush Tax Proposals," including "No estate tax for families with at least two US Presidents" (No. 10), "Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off the entire U.S. Constitution," (No. 6) "Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing," (No. 4) and "Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent" (No. 3).

His canned joke came right off the top when Letterman brought up the campaigns' debate agreement: "we compromised and now George Bush is gonna sit on Dick Cheney's lap."

But, just like the audience, we began to cringe when Kerry tried to explain his policy on Iraq.

Kerry attributed the impression of him as a flip flopper to "everyone" thinking "that if you vote to give the President the authority to go to war, you voted to actually go to war."

Asked by Letterman if the U.S. would be in Iraq if he had been elected president in 2000, Kerry softly answered "no," citing no connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda as well as the lack of weapons of mass destruction and the lack of an imminent threat. That was, by our account, one of if not the clearest instances of Kerry's elucidating that belief, which he has all but said explicitly in the last week.

ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04:

One thing hasn't changed about the Kerry campaign: "the candidate, and his meandering verbosity, developed over 20 years deliberating in the world's greatest deliberative body, the U.S. Senate," writes the Wall Street Journal 's Jake Schlesinger.

The Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold heard Kerry depart from his remarks at the Redbook event yesterday and largely avoid the issue of abortion. LINK

Kerry fund-raisers met with a controversial South Korean, the AP reports. LINK

Saul and Kennedy Note Kerry made a "blistering" attack speech yesterday blah blah blah … . While later, on a press junket that would be the envy of every A-list celeb ( Letterman, Philbin and "Phil"), the New York traffic "played havoc" with Kerry's motorcade, "which early on got mixed in with the Japanese prime minister's retinue and later stopped dead." In an impromptu rope line, Kerry finally walked the few blocks to his hotel which sounds like it was a very classy of-the-people thing to do. LINK

ABC News' Beth Loyd has this preview of Sen. Edwards' speech today:

According to staffers, Edwards will fold some new elements into the modified stump, leaving Iraq all but alone. Edwards will relate his message heavily to Ohioans.

Today, "Edwards will explain why the president's choices reflect the wrong values-focusing on honoring the wealthy and privileged, instead of honoring the worker"- using an economic policy speech to raise questions about the president's values and character.

One example an aide gave: After 9/11, the president pushed for "backward looking tax breaks" for the wealthy, rather than for working people.

There will be a lot of tax reform talk, shifting the burden away from the wealthy (not a new theme). The speech will include lots of stats from Ohio-lost jobs, higher college tuition, higher health care costs, highest foreclosure rate in the country.

Edwards gets a USA Today preview op-ed to make his case. LINK

The Raleigh News and Observer's Lynn Bonner writes that Edwards "came close to calling [Bush and Cheney] liars" at a Raleigh rally on Monday. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush v. Kerry:

The Hotline first reported yesterday that America Coming Together was pulling its resources from Arizona and Michigan. Yes, ACT is moving some resources from Arizona to other states. But it did not have a large operation there anyway.

ACT is pulling out ALL its Michigan resources because many of its operatives are very confident about the Democratic ground game there; because the Democratic turn out operation seems large and in charge; because of trade union help, and because of Kwame Kilpatrick's ability to turn out voters in Detroit.

On the other side, Democratic and Republican sources say they have noticed that the Bush-Cheney campaign is shifting resources and staff from Arkansas to Colorado because they are very confident about Arkansas. Less so about Colorado.

Nick Anderson has the latest CMAG numbers in the Los Angeles Times and Notes the candidates ads last week focused on "shaping their messages in part to address their potential vulnerabilities — Bush on domestic affairs and Kerry on Iraq." LINK

"The Times data, from the independent ad monitor TNSMI/Campaign Media Analysis Group, show Bush spent $7 million on TV ads in the largest markets of battleground states from Sept. 12 through Saturday. Kerry spent $4.4 million."

"The spending showed the emerging contours of the electoral map two weeks after Labor Day. Kerry targeted 11 states, up from eight the week before. They were: Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The new states on Kerry's list were Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Oregon, while West Virginia dropped off."

"Bush matched Kerry in every state and also bought time in Colorado, Arizona, Maine, Missouri, Washington state and West Virginia."

Peter Canellos of the Boston Globe expertly breaks down the Colorado referendum that could split the Electoral College votes of this state for this election if passed. "But in seeking to improve the system, Colorado may be opening Pandora's ballot box." LINK

The New York Times goes metro on Bush and Kerry. LINK

A majority of New Jerseyans polled by Quinnipiac University believe going to war with Iraq was wrong, but the presidential contest has tightened to a tie at 48 points a piece among likely voters. LINK

The CBS documents: politics:

One thing is certain: the Bush political operation, when presented with a gift, knows how to milk it for all its worth (and you'll excuse the semi-mixed metaphor; imagine the gift is a cow . . . ).

There are a lot of facts still to come, but — barring the twist that the Republicans made the phony documents to bring all this about (and there is NO evidence of that) additional details are likely to only help the president politically even more.

What you can count on:

1. The White House, the Bush campaign, Republican politicians, and the RNC all continuing to raise every possible question until CBS answers them.

2. Scrutiny of the ties between those who created and spread the phony documents and Democrats with ties to the Kerry campaign and other Democratic organizations. Two contacts might equal one Ginsberg-esque "connection" in the eyes of the media, and certainly, both Senator Cleland and Joe Lockhart will be pressed to come on camera and explain themselves for a television audience. (Update: We saw Lockhart on CNN where he denied knowing who Burkett was before he spoke with him).

3. Strong Republican efforts to discredit any future stories about the president's Guard record by invoking CBS.

4. Strong Republican efforts to discredit any future stories that are negative about the president on ANY topic from ANY "mainstream" news organization.

5. An instant and ongoing way for the president to rally his base ("Don't let them steal the election!") if things are tight at the end.

6. Talk radio talk galore.

7. Media talk galore — filling days and days NOT spent talking about Iraq, health care, jobs, etc.

8. A bit of a blow to the Democrats' "Fortunate Son" attack on the President.

As of today, the Democratic Party plans to continue its campaign to question Bush's National Guard record. But some of those who are involved in formulating that message daily say they will wait and see how much oxygen the document story requires over the next few days and they did not rule out a change in focus.

They said that repeating the mantra that Bush did not fulfill his Guard obligations keeps it out there and they hope the media will continue to investigate the substance of those allegations. The Democrats are also determined to appear on the offensive, no matter what.

And they recognize that if they suddenly withdraw their claims, it may lend unwitting credibility to the theory that they are somehow in league with the document forgers.

9. That said, there are some demoralized Democratic Party members over this. Others with access to the minds and plans of Doug Sosnik, Theresa Vilmain, Karen Hicks, and Michael Whouley are strangely more confident.

The CBS documents:

USA Today , which obtained and reported on a separate set of documents from Bill Burkett, today moves the story along the furthest. It names Lucy Ramirez, place of residence and true identity (and actual existence!!) unknown, as Burkett's source. Reporters Jim Drinkard, David Moniz and Kevin Johnson say that Burkett told them he got the documents in March at a cattle show.

Burkett initially told CBS News and USA Today he received the documents from George Conn, the former National Guard officer who is now a civilian army employee in Europe. Conn has denied — to ABC News and to other news organizations — that he had anything to do with the documents.

"When Burkett gave copies of the documents to USA TODAY , it was on the understanding that his identity would not be disclosed. USA TODAY honored that agreement until Burkett waived his confidentiality Monday. " LINK

"Sitting in a rocking chair in his weathered ranch house south of Baird, Texas, Burkett recounted his continuing efforts — beginning before he was discharged from the Texas Army National Guard in 1998 — to clean up what he saw as Guard corruption and mismanagement. He said that activity led to a telephone call in March from Ramirez and her offer to provide documents damaging to President Bush. Burkett said Ramirez told him she had seen him the previous month in an appearance on the MSNBC program Hardball, discussing the controversy over whether Bush fulfilled all his obligations for service in the Texas Air Guard during the early 1970s. "There is something I have that I want to make sure gets out," he quoted her as saying."

"He said Ramirez claimed to possess Killian's 'correspondence file,' which would prove Burkett's allegations that Bush had problems as a Guard fighter pilot."

"Burkett said he arranged to get the documents during a trip to Houston for a livestock show in March. But instead of being met at the show by Ramirez, he was approached by a man who asked for Burkett, handed him an envelope and quickly left, Burkett recounted."

"By Monday, USA TODAY had not been able to locate Ramirez or verify other details of Burkett's account. Three people who worked with Killian in the early 1970s said they don't recognize her name. Burkett promised to provide telephone records that would verify his calls to Ramirez, but he had not done so by Monday night."

"An acquaintance of Burkett, who he said could corroborate his story, said he was at the livestock show on March 3. The woman, who asked that her name not be used, said Burkett asked if he could put papers inside a box she had at the livestock show. Often, she said, friends ask to store papers in her box that verify their purchases at the livestock auction. She said she did not know the nature of the papers Burkett gave her, and he did not say anything about them."

"Burkett's emotions varied widely in the interviews. One session ended when Burkett suffered a violent seizure and collapsed in his chair. Earlier, he said he was coming forward now to explain what he had done and why to try to salvage his reputation. In the past week, Burkett was named by many news reports as the probable source of the documents," USA Today reports.

The Washington Post 's Michael Dobbs questions why CBS relied on Burkett so confidently:

"For 10 days, CBS declined to name Burkett as the person who provided the disputed Guard documents, saying only that they came from an "unimpeachable source." CBS spokeswoman Kelli Edwards said yesterday that the network was investigating a Sept. 9 statement that asserted the network had spoken with 'individuals who saw the documents at the time they were written.'" LINK

The New York Times says that Burkett first confessed that he misled CBS last Thursday. LINK

"'I knew him before by telephone,' Mr. Rather said, 'and otherwise had checked out what his reputation was in the community that he lived, and even people who disliked him and had arguments with him, including Republicans and supporters of Bush. They all said he's a truth teller.'"

"Mr. Rather recalled that Mr. Burkett had said he had gotten the documents from a former guard member who was now overseas. Mr. Rather said producers had tried to get in touch with him, but could not. Knowing his identity bolstered the team's confidence just the same."

"'That was a person who could have had direct access to Killian's files,' he said. 'That made it believable.'"

The Los Angeles Times' Hart gives a shot at deconstructing Burkett. LINK

"In interviews with those who have come in contact with Burkett, two contrasting pictures emerge. One is that he is a devout crusader for the truth. The other is that he is an angry veteran on a mission to discredit both the Texas National Guard and George W. Bush."

The San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Marinucci talks to John Bunzel of the Hoover Institution, who says he doesn't think that the National Guard story will matter much to voters. LINK

The CBS documents: Dan Rather, reporting:

The New York Times ' Alessandra Stanley writes that Dan Rather, who "has always been the most compelling of the three network anchors, passionate, confrontational and emotive in a news medium that values deadpan delivery and cool reticence," adopted a "buck stops here" stance in his apology last night. LINK

The New York Times ' Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg examine the possible consequences for CBS News. LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's Joe Flint and Greg Hitt look at Dan Rather's "retreat," Joe Lockhart's conversation with Burkett, and how the story could affect CBS News long-term.

The Chicago Tribune's Zeleny and Cook call it a "stunning confession." LINK

The Washington Post 's Howard Kurtz has media analysts saying that CBS has "badly hurt its credibility." LINK

"'I think it is safe to say that the overwhelming feeling among correspondents and producers on the Sunday program is that we would not have made the same mistakes,' correspondent Steve Kroft said. He added: 'It's hard to know at this point exactly what went wrong, because the Wednesday show is an entirely separate broadcast with entirely different people, and brand-new management. But something clearly went wrong with the process.'"

"Josh Howard, who runs "60 Minutes" Wednesday, said producer Mapes had not told him that Burkett was the source and that this was 'probably one of many things I would do differently next time.' As for Burkett's charge that Mapes, who has declined all interview requests, pushed him too hard, Howard said: 'If anything, we didn't push hard enough.'"

"CBS officials hoped their apology and a subsequent probe would begin to quell the controversy. However, Republican critics found the apologies insufficient, and media observers questioned whether the news division's wounds would heal quickly," writes the Los Angeles Times Getlin/Jensen/Gold trio. LINK

The New York Post 's Don Kaplan writes, "The fallout from Dan Rather's phony-document flap yesterday left many at CBS deeply shaken." LINK

The CBS documents: Get me Lockhart!:

On to Joe Lockhart, whose acknowledgement that he spoke to Mary Mapes and Bill Burkett before the CBS story took many of his Democratic colleagues by surprise.

USA Today was on the story for a while:

"Burkett told USA TODAY that he had agreed to turn over the documents to CBS if the network would arrange a conversation with the Kerry campaign." LINK

"'At Burkett's request, we gave his (telephone) number to the campaign,' said Betsy West, senior CBS News vice president."

"CBS would not discuss the propriety of the network serving as a conduit between Burkett and the Kerry campaign. 'It was not part of any deal' to obtain the documents, West said, declining to elaborate."

"But Burkett said Monday that his contact with Lockhart was indeed part of an 'understanding' with CBS. Burkett said his interest in contacting the campaign was to offer advice in responding to Republican criticisms about Kerry's Vietnam service. It had nothing to do with the documents, he said."

"'My interest was to get the attention of the national (campaign) to defend against the … attacks,' Burkett said, adding that he also talked to former Georgia senator Max Cleland and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean during the past 45 days. 'Neither the Democratic Party or the Kerry campaign had anything to do with the documents,' he said."

ABC News' Dan Harris spoke to Joe Lockhart last night. Lockhart insists he had nothing to do with the documents. He says he did not discuss the documents at all with Bill Burkett; he says Burkett told him, essentially, to get tough about the Swift BoBoat allegations. And he says he only spoke to the man at the behest of CBS.

White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett told ABC News "The fact that CBS News would coordinate with the most senior levels of Senator Kerry's campaign is a stunning and deeply troubling revelation that raises serious questions. It's time for the Kerry campaign to come clean about their involvement in this growing scandal and for Senator Kerry to immediately hold accountable anyone in his campaign that was involved."

ABC News' Beth Loyd reports: "When the news broke that Joe Lockhart had talked to Bill Burkett, the troops huddled at the front of the plane for almost the duration of the 40-minute flight from Cincinnati to Cleveland, and they all looked very serious. When asked about the story, a spokesman honestly seemed to have no idea about it and after having read the story said, 'this is nothing. They already knew that Cleland talked to Burkett.'" But his face did not show indifference."

The AP broke the story: Kerry aide talked to retired Guard officer, the AP reports. LINK

The Boston Herald's headline reads: "Rather messy: White House: Kerry may be behind hoax." LINK

Nader/Camejo '04:

The Nader campaign will hold a press conference in DC today to, according to the release, "discuss the state of the Nader-Camejo campaign, which is now on sufficient ballots to receive over 270 electoral votes, a litigation update and plans for the remainder of the campaign." But quite possibly the real reason is to gloat as Nader has had a good run lately.

For instance, the New York Times ' editorial board is pleased with the decision to let Nader on the Florida ballot and clean up the mess they say Glenda Hood made. LINK

The State Supreme Court in Pennsylvania re-visited the possibility Nader could be on the ballot in this key battleground yesterday when it "reversed a lower court ruling that would have barred him." LINK

A judge in Arkansas ordered Nader's name be dropped from the ballot. Jake Bleed of the Democrat-Gazette reports: LINK

Rounding up yesterday's proceedings, the AP Notes he is also OFF in New Mexico and ON in Maryland. LINK

Chris Gates of the Colorado Democratic Party says they are taking full advantage of the 72 hours they have to deliberate on whether or not to appeal a judge's decision to keep Nader off the ballot.

Looking ahead to today, the Ohio Secretary of State will conduct a hearing today to review protests filed against Nader's Statement of Candidacy as an independent and his nominating petition, 9:30 a.m. LINK

And in Wisconsin, where Nader is vying for the ballot as a Reform candidate, the State Elections Board will review similarly nitty-gritty complaints at 1:30 pm ET.

ABC News Vote 2004: The Big Four: Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin:

The Columbus Dispatch looks at yesterday's court ruling which will allow the constitutional amendment proposal banning same sex marriage to appear on the Nov. 2 ballot despite the proponents' failure to issue a "certified summary." LINK

"Burress' group, after falling 42,321 signatures short of the 322,899 needed to qualify for the statewide ballot an additional 150,000 names it will file by the Sept. 27 deadline, he said."

"Thus, barring an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, which appears unlikely, the issue will be decided by Ohio voters in the November election."

Elizabeth Birch and Gary Bauer debate issues surrounding same-sex marriages today in Cleveland, OH. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

Keying off of the MSNBC/Knight Ridder/Mason-Dixon polls, Steve Thomma's lead story in the Detroit Free Press runs with the headline, "Bush is surging in swing states." LINK

Elizabeth Edwards strolled down Elm Street in Manchester, NH for the first time since the primary campaign and lamented the "Molotov cocktails" being thrown by the Bush-Cheney campaign and the RNC. LINK

Brian Sharp of the Iowa City Press-Citizen reports on the drastic hike in absentee ballot requests this election cycle: LINK

Paul Harasim and Ed Vogel of the Las Vegas Review Journal describe the battle over a medical malpractice proposition on Nevada's ballot. LINK

The politics of same sex marriage:

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports on the proposed state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage: on the legal filings LINK and the opposition LINK

Politics:

The House ethics committee appears deadlocked on whether to launch a formal inquiry into Majority Leader Tom DeLay. LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's David Rogers reports: "The chairmen of House and Senate tax-writing committees, after months of stalemate, said they hoped to quickly enact a package of middle-class tax breaks — and then turn their energies to the more difficult task of resolving a long-delayed corporate-tax and trade bill important to American exporters."

A federal judge has ordered the FEC to enact "tougher restrictions on how millions of dollars are spent on campaigns, saying that its rules have undermined" McCain-Feingold, the New York Times ' Glen Justice reports. But the judge gave no instruction as to how her ruling should be implemented, leaving election lawyers and members of the FEC to argue over whether the tighter restrictions would be implemented for the remainder of this election cycle, or going forward. LINK

The New York Times ed board chides the FEC for making a mockery of its own law. LINK

Smackdown Your Vote With Jake Tapper:

ABC News and World Wrestling Entertainment will announce today that ABC's Jake Tapper will host WWE's first ever presidential fourm for voters between the ages of 18 and 30 in Miami on Sept. 29 — the night before the first formal debate.

Participants include Kerry Florida chair Rep. Kendrick Meek, GOP Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, Florida State Sen. Dave Aronberg (D) and Florida State Rep. David Rivera (R). WWE stars include John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Mick Foley.

From the news release: "ABC News Now will air the debate in its entirety starting the same night at 10:00 pm ET . ABC News correspondent Jake Tapper will moderate and will guide the 90-minute debate on key issues facing young Americans of voting age. Panelists will discuss President George W. Bush's, Sen. John Kerry's and Ralph Nader's responses to a national voter issues paper (The 18-30 VIP) issued by WWE and its Smackdown Your Vote! partners earlier this year."

"40 years Tom Wolfe noted how the elite media refused to even take a look at then-new national pastimes like stock car racing, even though they were sports that attracted millions more spectators than football, baseball and basketball, and its fans were changing the life of the whole country," the historically-minded Tapper said in an exclusive interview with The Note. " The same is true for pro wrestling today. And let's be frank — in a state like Florida, one word from 'The Rock' and the I-4 corridor would no longer be up-for-grabs."

Rumor has it that in 1998, while conducting research for his biography of a certain Minnesota Governor ("Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story," excerpted by the Washington Post Magazine), Tapper bought and watched Wrestlemanias I through X. "I can neither confirm nor deny such a statement," he says.

The land of 5-plus-2-equals-7:

In a piece about the extraordinary power, influence, and fundraising skills of 527s, Michael Kranish looks closely at Peter B. Lewis, "one of America's most colorful billionaires," who has himself given "more than $14 million to the independent political groups, bankrolling attack ads, telephone solicitation drives, and voter-turnout efforts." LINK

Quiz answer: the order of the candidate debate hall walk throughs.

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

—8:00 am: House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer holds a pen and pad briefing at the National Press Club, Washington, DC—8:10 am: President Bush meets with the Prime Minister of India at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY—9:00 am: Sen. John Kerry appears on "Live with Regis and Kelly"—9:00 am: Sen. John Edwards speaks to the City Club of Cleveland, OH—9:20 am: President Bush meets with the United Nations Secretary General at the U.N., New York, NY—9:30 am: Pollsters Celinda Lake and Ed Goeas release the latest George Washington University Battleground 2004 Poll, Washington, DC—9:30 am: The Ohio Secretary of State holds a hearing over a protest filed against the Nader's candidacy—9:30 am: Elizabeth Edwards holds a discussion on healthcare at the Municipal Building, Plumsteadville, PA—9:45 am: The Senate convenes for morning business—9:55 am: Andre Heinz visits a comparative politics class at the University of Akron, Akron, OH—10:00 am: The Center for Responsive Politics, Judicial Watch, Open Debates, and the Center for Voting and Democracy hold a news conference to urge the Bush and Kerry campaigns to make their debate memos public, Washington, DC—10:00 am: Vice President Cheney holds a rally at the Fulton County Fairgrounds, Wauseon, OH—10:00 am: The Senate Intelligence Committee votes on the nomination of Rep. Porter Goss as the Director of National Intelligence, Washington, DC—10:00 am: The Senate Appropriations Committee holds a hearing at the Capitol on the 9/11 Commission's intelligence recommendations with former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger and others, Washington, DC—10:30 am: President Bush speaks to the United States General Assembly, New York, NY—11:05 am: Andre Heinz holds a rally at the Stark County campaign headquarters, Canton, OH—12:00 pm: Former national counsel for Bush-Cheney 04 Ben Ginsberg and DNC counsel Bob Bauer speak about "Legal Issues in the 2004 Presidential Campaign" at the National Press Club, Washington, DC—12:00 pm: The American Indian Museum opens in a ceremony Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small, Sens. Ben Nighthorse Campbell Daniel Inouye, and others—12:10 pm: Vice President Dick Cheney holds a roundtable discussion at Finley's Restaurant, Lansing, MI—12:10 pm: Diana Kerry tours the Navajo Nation Chapter House, Shiprock, NM—12:15 pm: President Bush meets with the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY—12:30 pm: Ralph Nader holds a press conference, Washington, DC—12:30 pm: The House of Representatives convenes for morning business—12:30 pm: The Democratic and Republican policy committees hold their weekly closed meetings—12:45 pm: Andre Heinz holds a rally at Mt. Union College, Alliance, OH—1:15 pm: President Bush participates in The United Nations Secretary General luncheon at the U.N., New York, NY—1:30 pm: The Wisconsin State Elections Board reviews protests filed against Nader's candidacy in the state —1:30 pm: Diana Kerry visits with students and faculty at Dine College, Shiprock, NM—2:15 pm: The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee decides whether to raise interest rates—2:15 pm: The Senate debates the Legislative Appropriations bill—2:15 pm: Diane Kerry visits the Shiprock Senior Center, Shiprock, NM—2:15 pm: Elizabeth Edwards holds a roundtable discussion with Voters at Denunzio's, Jeannette, PA—2:45 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a town hall meeting at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, Jacksonville, FL—2:45 pm: Sen. Edwards holds a town hall meeting about health care at the National Association of Letter Carriers, Tampa, FL—3:20 pm: President Bush meets with the Prime Minister of Japan at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY—4:05 pm: President Bush meets with the Afghanistan President Hamid Karzi at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY—4:40 pm: President Bush meets with the Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY—6:45 pm: Sen. Edwards holds a DNC fundraiser at Wyndham Westshore, Tampa, FL—7:00 pm: Sen. Edwards appears on CNBC's Capitol Report—7:25 pm: President Bush and Mrs. Bush visit with Sister Nirmala, the Superior General for the Missionaries of Charity at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, NY—8:45 pm: President and Mrs. Bush participate in United States Reception, Waldorf-Astoria, New York, NY—9:00 pm: Sens. Kerry and Edwards holds a rally at TD Waterhouse Center, Orlando, FL—9:00 pm: Sen. Max Cleland delivers the keynote address at an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers rally, Cincinnati, OH—9:00 pm: Dan Rather appears on CNN's Larry King Live