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W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 17, 2004—
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13 days until the Republican convention77 days until election day

NEWS SUMMARYWhich of the following sections best sums up the day in American politics:

A. With Don Imus, Larry King, 2/3 of all Googling monkeys, various other cable and broadcast anchors, and assorted print big feet on vacation, we've got proof, as if more were needed, that the Petri dish where the bacteria of political stories incubates is not viable this August week:

Look at what happened yesterday with no real bounce effect into today:

-- In the aftermath of a huge natural disaster, very real questions about Florida's ability to pull off an important election in two weeks come to the fore. (And the supervisor of elections in a county badly hit by the storm — Hardee — dies of a heart attack.)

-- There's a front-page New York Times story about the Bush Justice Department having FBI agents go door-to-door to ferret out would-be violent protestors.

-- The president announces an important, far-reaching, and controversial new policy to reorganize the U.S. military, and Kerry sends Ash Carter and Wes Clark to respond in his stead.

-- Move On, that shadowy 527, runs a new ad which personally attacks the president's military service record and plays the McCain knight, and John Kerry is not forced to respond.

-- In the middle of his positive, turned-the-corner campaign, BC04 launches a major new negative ad against Senator Kerry, criticizing him for his previous votes on intelligence reform and his attendance record. The Kerry campaign's interest in revealing Kerry's private attendance record is on par with the candidate's traveling press corps' interest in getting them to come clean.

-- A court in Florida rules the Sunshine State's path-breaking school voucher law unconstitutional, setting up a state supreme court showdown and giving both presidential candidates a hot-button issue with which to toy.

-- There are news reports that New Jersey Democrats are "privately" threatening Jim McGreevey that if he doesn't "do the right thing" and step down, they will call on him publicly to quit before the September 3 deadline.

B. With Karen Hughes back on the road and the payroll with the president LINK

; the Democrats flailingly try to counter with Whouley, Sosnik, Thomas, Corrigan, Hale, Lynch, and Salemme. LINKC. Match the media-saturated trial with the name of the presiding judge:

1. Michael Jackson2. Scott Peterson3. Kobe Bryant4. Oprah-Winfrey-as-juror

i. Judge James B. Linn ii. Judge Rodney Melvilleiii. Judge Roger Beauchesneiv. Judge Terry Ruckriegle

D. The Washington Post 's E.J. Dionne's Tuesday opus, a must-read, point-by-point layout of what Senator Kerry needs to do to counter President Bush's jabs — from the flip-flopper charge to taxes and Iraq. "The real tests of Kerry's toughness will be whether he can explain himself clearly and whether he can force Bush to defend views that the president would prefer that the public not know he holds," writes the Brookings scholar. LINKThe piece goes farther than most in answering that ringing political question: why did Kerry's "sensitive" remark put him on the defensive for days, while Bush's sales tax remark leaves virtually a trace? The examples are legion, and if Kerry loses the race, this piece will go in a time capsule — or at least will be read aloud by Tad Devine at the Institute of Politics post-election deconstruct, while Matthew Dowd smiles knowingly.

President Bush focuses on manufacturing today, traveling to the Ridley Park, PA Boeing Plant, in a county Gore won easily in 2000, for a tour and speech to employees at 1:40 pm ET. Bush later travels to Republican-leaning Hedgesville, WV for a 6:20 pm ET rally at Hedgesville High.

Senator Edwards, continuing to focus on jobs, heads into Republican-leaning Fort Smith, Arkansas for a 12:00 pm ET town hall meeting at the University of Arkansas. He finishes his day in Birmingham with an 8:00 pm ET fundraiser.

Laura Bush is in Missouri today to speak at a "W. Stands for Women" rally in St. Louis at 4:00 pm ET. She overnights in Denver.

Senator Kerry travels from Ketchum, ID to Cincinnati before his Wednesday morning speech to the VFW Convention.

In North Carolina today, Winston-Salem city councilman Vernon Robinson and state Senator Virginia Foxx face off in the Republican primary.

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

As we said, President Bush heads to suburban Philadelphia today to tour a Boeing factor that makes Chinook helicopters and deliver remarks to employees and supporters.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Harold Brubaker Notes that the Chinook "has been flying platoons of soldiers in and out of hot spots since the early 1960s." LINK"The $416.2 billion fiscal 2005 defense budget that Bush signed this month contains $143 million for eight new Chinooks — the first in more than a decade," Brubaker reports.

President Bush announced yesterday the biggest realignment in almost half a century in a speech at the VFW convention in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's headline read: "I've worked for you, Bush tells veterans."LINK

Mike Allen and Josh White of the Washington Post look at the conversation that President Bush was able to start — "a chance to talk about bringing troops home at a time when his opponent, Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), has pledged to substantially reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq. LINKThey Note that the president's plan, however, does not affect the number of troops in Iraq.

The Los Angeles Times' duo of Peter Wallsten and John Hendren look at the back and forth on the president's troop realignment plan, Noting the "intense partisan exchange offered a glimpse of the underlying differences between Bush and Democratic challenger Senator John F. Kerry and their conflicting visions of how best to assure the nation's security."

LINK

In the New York Times , Elisabeth Bumiller points out the politics of President Bush's speech yesterday: LINK"Mr. Bush's announcement, in a swing state that the White House has identified as essential to the president's chances for re-election, came with heavy political overtones. It is part of an effort leading into the Republican National Convention to promote Mr. Bush's record on national security, which polls show is his greatest advantage against his Democratic competitor, Senator John Kerry."

And Bill Sammon in the Washington Times : LINKThe Wall Street Journal 's editorial page supports the president's military reorganization.

The New York Times ' ed board thinks President Bush's military realignment plan makes "little long-term strategic sense. It is certain to strain crucial alliances, increase overall costs and dangerously weaken deterrence on the Korean peninsula at the worst possible moment." LINKThe Washington Post ed board looks at President Bush's military re-deployment plan and thinks it's a bad idea in Asia. LINKDana Milbank declares that the "Bushism" has returned, Noting "[t]he malapropisms that adorned Bush's 2000 campaign before going into remission during much of his presidency have reemerged to garnish his reelection bid."LINK

The New York Daily News Bazinet catches up with Senator Tom Harkin's recent remarks about Vice President Cheney and his criticism of Senator Kerry last week on a "more sensitive" war on terror.LINKAllison Dobson certainly knows about these spicy remarks, but just in case you missed them:

"'When I hear this coming from Dick Cheney, who was a coward, who would not serve during the Vietnam War, it makes my blood boil,' Harkin said yesterday, elevating an already vicious war of words between the two campaigns and their allies. "

"'He'll be tough, but he'll be tough with someone else's kid's blood,' Harkin said of Cheney."

The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Dane Smith reports that Ralph Reed will stump for the Presidetn in Minnesota for a couple of days.LINKPeter Canellos of the Boston Globe writes of how, should President Bush win re-elections, his administration will likely be an entire sea of new faces. Ex. "Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge act a lot like good soldiers dutifully serving out their enlistments. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft have been on fewer Christmas-card lists every year they've been in office, and each is expected to skip the second term." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney v. Kerry-Edwards:

Kerry goes to Idaho for a little R&R and the Bush attacks keep on comin', Patrick Healy of the Boston Globe reports. LINK

Flouting our lede, the AP's Liz Sidoti looks at the unprecedented number and intensity of campaign ads in August. LINKDick Morris writes that Osama bin Laden will be the one to determine who wins the presidential contest. LINKThe New York Post gives the AP account of Rudy Giuliani's comments on the race for the White House while in Singapore. The DNC response didn't get included here. LINKThe AP reports that findings of a British genealogy say Senator Kerry is more of a blueblood than President Bush. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04:

The Los Angeles Times' Maria LaGanga goes to great lengths to truth squad the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad and provides an overall framework for the debate over John Kerry's Vietnam tenure. However, Ms. LaGanga neglects to explicitly state that the ad is no longer on the air. LINK

"It is too soon to tell whether the claims are resonating with voters, but political observers say they could pose a serious risk for the Democratic candidate, particularly in such a close race."

The Washington Post 's Howard Kurtz examines the new Moveon.org ad which challenges an earlier anti-Kerry ad by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. LINKHe's BA-A-A-CK. Whouley that is. Michael Whouley. The AP's King of Understatement — reporter Ron Fournier — tells us all how the Kerry campaign is not leaving anything to chance and his bringing in such top strategists as Whouley, Doug Sosnik, Jack Corrigan, and more for the last leg of this intense presidential race. LINKFareed Zakaria argues on the Washington Post op-ed page (as he does in Newsweek) that John Kerry is right about Iraq.LINKMatea Gold gives a bit of Los Angeles Times space to Kerry's giving $6 million to the congressional campaign committees. LINK

The New York Times ' Jodi Wilgoren highlights Sen. Kerry's new-old campaign tactic, namely the front porch visit, which "mimics the town-hall style campaigning for the Iowa caucuses at which both Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards excelled." LINKA new poll commissioned by the National Jewish Democratic Council places John Kerry ahead with Jewish voters. "The work that the Bush administration has done over the last three years to reach out to Jewish voters has been largely unsuccessful," says pollster (D) Anna Greenberg of her study. LINKThe Washington Post 's Jonathan Finer Notes from Idaho "Blaine County, where John F. Kerry is spending a few quiet days this week, is very much up for grabs, even if all that is at stake is pride." LINKThe Washington Post 's Vanessa Williams wraps Sen. Edwards' visit to a family farm, during which he "promised to provide seed money for new businesses, expand high-speed Internet access and to make money available for more police officers and equipment to fight methamphetamine production and dealing in rural areas." LINKCharlize Theron and Catherine Zeta-Jones top Senator Kerry's list of sexiest Hollywood stars or so he tells GQ for its September issue. That'll get those undecided voters to take you seriously! LINK

The politics of Hurricane Charley:

The Washington Post 's Ceci Connolly and David Snyder lay out the state of things in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, and the struggles by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to keep up. "By the numbers, the situation on Day Four looked like this: 19 dead, 4,000 National Guardsmen activated, 25 counties declared federal disaster areas, 21 shelters with space for 2,500 people, eight Red Cross mobile kitchens, 2,000 insurance adjusters on the ground, 22,000 applications for FEMA relief filed and an estimated 120,000 Floridians out of work." LINKWhat effect will Hurricane Charley have on jobs? It could cost the economy about 20,000 of them for a month, the Wall Street Journal 's Greg Ip reports.

John Zogby tells Bloomberg News that President Bush's response to Hurricane Charley "could be huge" in the outcome of the presidential contest. LINKThe Miami Herald reports that the state's big priorities at the moment are aid to the hurricane victims and the state primaries. LINKAs of now, the State of Florida will go ahead and hold its primary on Aug. 31, despite damage to polling sites in several counties and the death of an elections official in one of the hardest hit counties.

Election officials will spend the next few days calling up volunteers who had pledged to work the election to see if they can still make it. They'll conduct a full precinct-by-precinct assessment as to whether the polling places themselves will be ready.

Secretary of State Glenda Hood acknowledged that several counties might need more money and an infusion of out-of county volunteers but she was confident that the primary would not need to be rescheduled.

Gov. Jeb Bush said the help would be available.

The state will play closest attention to Charlotte County, as well as Lee, Osceola, Volusia, Polk, Glades, Sarasota, Collier, and Highlands counties.

Dean Cullin, supervisor of elections in Hardee County, died Monday of a heart attack. County officials are scrambling to fill his job temporarily, but they have more pressing problems to deal with, as power is still out for many residents there.

By law, the governor can postpone the election for 10 days. Bush did not seem willing to do that yesterday, but if pressure mounts and if too many precincts are beyond repair, if poll workers can't be trained — he might well be forced to.LINK and LINK

McGreevey: what's next:

Senate Corzine is reportedly in New Jersey today and reportedly having some meetings.

The drumbeat continues to grow louder for New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey to leave office, reports the Newark Star Ledger. Although their spokespersons have denied knowing of their intentions, "former state Senator John Lynch, who was McGreevey's political mentor, Rep. Robert Menendez (D-13th Dist.), who leads the party in Hudson County, and South Jersey power broker George Norcross III are pulling out all the stops to pressure the governor to go." In addition, "Senate Majority Leader Bernard Kenny, who is also Hudson County Democratic chairman, Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and organized labor leaders were among the previously loyal McGreevey supporters who called the governor's office yesterday and pressed for his immediate departure," reports the Star Ledger's Kinney and Lin. LINK

Herb Jackson of the Bergen Record reports that as part of Norcross and Lynch's plan to have McGreevey leave office pre-Sept 3, is a "rumored" financial package, including a "legal defense fund, to ease McGreevey's transition to civilian life." LINK

USA Today 's Rick Hampson has more on how New Jersey Republicans urging McGreevey for an earlier-than-planned exit. LINK"Scandal-scarred New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is willing to resign soon and allow a special election, but only if popular Senator Jon Corzine makes a personal plea, a McGreevey ally told The [New York] Post."LINK

For his own part, Gov. James McGreevey defends his decision to stay in office till November 15 in USA Today , saying his duty to the office trumps his personal issues and that the "constitution in New Jersey establishes a process for allowing the public to select a new governor." LINKKathy Ellis, the communications director for Gov. McGreevey, tells ABC News that "the decision to resign on Nov 15 was a thoughtful decision, made considering what is best for the Governor's family and the state of New Jersey … He has no plans, whatsoever, to resign before November 15."

The New York Daily News reports that Golan Cipel, McGreevey's accuser, "boarded a plane at Kennedy Airport early yesterday morning" to escape the sudden media glare. But "I'm still gonna make some money," Cipel told an airport employee according to the paper. LINKCipel's attorney, Allen Lowy, told CNN's Bill Hemmer this morning that Cipel is in Israel visiting his family.

Cipel spoke to reporters briefly after landing. According to the AP, Cipel said in Hebrew, "I have had a very difficult time. I have come to Israel to be with my family at this time. I cannot expand on anything for legal reasons." LINK

Lowy tells the Philadelphia Inquirer that he thought he and McGreevey's representatives had reached a 11th-hour deal, but the next thing he knew the Governor was resigning. Lowy also said that Cipel is not focused on the lawsuit right now and that the statute of limitations for such a suit expires at the end of this month, which is the two-year anniversary of Cipel's departure from the state payroll. LINKA new Farleigh Dickinson Universtiy poll shows that 48 percent of the state said McGreevey should leave office immediately in the wake of the scandal, while 41 percent back the governor's planned Nov. 15 departure, reports the New York Post . LINKThe AP Notes that in the poll of Garden Staters — "Nearly half of those surveyed said they believed McGreevey resigned because of corruption in his administration, while just 8 percent said they think he is leaving because he is gay. Another 11 percent said he was quitting because of the extramarital affair." LINK

The New York Times profiles the man they want to become governor, John Corzine. LINKRepublicans, searching for a viable big name candidate to take on Jon Corzine, if necessary, have turned their attention to former Governor and 9/11 commission chair Tom Kean, reports the Trenton Times LINK and New York Times . LINKA harassment suit could cost New Jersey taxpayers millions, reports the Trenton Times: LINK

The FBI intensifies their investigation to how Touro College was connected with the Cipel attorneys request for a settlement, with ghosts of New Jersey politics past lurking in the backgrounds. LINKThe Trenton Times editorial board writes that in 2002 Democrats pleaded to allow voters a choice when Senator Robert Torricelli dropped out of his Senate bid early to allow Frank Lautenberg to take his place. The paper now asks — shouldn't voters get the same opportunity this time to choose who becomes governor? LINK

The politics of national security:

The Washington Post 's David Ignatius argues that mixing politics and the war on terror "creating a vicious cycle of hype, skepticism and mistrust that puts the country's security at risk." LINK"A government has no asset more precious than public trust. That's especially true for a nation threatened by a terrorist adversary, where good intelligence and reliable warnings can save lives. By linking its reelection campaign so closely to the war on terrorism, the Bush administration has eroded its credibility — to the point that some members of the public are beginning to wonder whether terrorism warnings are all just politics."

James Goron Meek of the Daily News reports President Bush's top homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, made a $2,000 contribution to the Bush re-election campaign one month before he named her to her job, according to Federal Election Commission records. LINKThe Washington Times ' Audrey Hudson reports Secret Service agents and other armed federal officials are pitching in to protect airplanes from terrorism. But the dress code for air marshals remains a point of controversy. "None of us want to go out dressed like Serpico," one air marshal said. "We only want to look like other passengers and frequent fliers." LINK"A leading Democratic lawmaker said on Monday that a multibillion-dollar effort to better protect the nation's borders from terrorists had so far been "a striking failure," but Bush Administration officials defended the ambitious project," writes the New York Times ' Eric Lichtblau. LINKJerry Seper of The Washington Times writes about border security and terrorism. LINK

The politics of the 9/11 Commission:

"A senior officer for the Central Intelligence Agency who led the unit that tracked Osama bin Laden has written a blistering letter to the Sept. 11 commission, attacking both the C.I.A. and the commission itself over what he sees as a failure to punish "bureaucratic cowards" in the intelligence agencies," reports the New York Times ' Eric Lichtblau. LINK"The Sept. 11 commission's major recommendation for the creation of a powerful new national intelligence director gained momentum on Monday, with an influential Republican senator suggesting that he was willing to oppose the White House and offer legislation providing the new intelligence director with broad budgetary and personnel authority over the nation's 15 intelligence agencies," writes the New York Times ' Philip Shenon. LINK"Members of the Sept. 11 commission urged Congress yesterday to impose strict deadlines on the Department of Homeland Security to close loopholes in the nation's transportation system, even if it means going up against powerful interest groups and spending billions of dollars," writes the Washington Post 's Sara Kehaulani Goo. LINKThe Los Angeles Times looks at some of the costs associated with implementing all of the Commission's proposals. LINK

The politics of Iraq:

Thomas Oliphant opines today on the chaos on Iraq and its potential consequences for the president. "As long as events in the real world appear to be spiraling beyond his control, the urge to seek a fresh start is going to be strong."LINK

"The Halliburton Company said yesterday that the United States Army had granted it additional time to substantiate its costs in Iraq and Kuwait, staving off the possible withholding of 15 percent of its payment," reports the New York Times ' Jennifer Bayot. LINK

The economy:

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Martin Feldstein urges President Bush to take up the flag of Social Security reform and urges Senator Kerry to get honest with his own proposals, saying "In practice, the Kerry plan would mean cutting Social Security benefits by about 80% for those whose benefits are reduced."

Keep this article. It lays a marker for future debate on the issue, even if you disagree with the esteemed Harvard prof.

Bush Administration strategy and personality:

In the third and final part of the Washington Post 's look at the Bush Administration's relationship to regulation, Joby Warrick looks at how the changing methods of coal mining — namely "mountaintop removal" and how rules about where the mining debris goes (i.e., into rivers) are affecting life and the coal industry in Appalachia.LINK"The fill rule is one of several key changes to coal-mining regulations that have been enacted or proposed by the Bush administration, which took office promising to ease bureaucratic burdens for the coal industry and expand the nation's energy production. To administration officials and mining companies, the changes are simply clarifications that eliminated ambiguities in the law. To environmental groups, they are the administration's payback to an industry that has raised $9 million for Republicans since 1998. The coal industry is a political force in West Virginia, a vital swing state whose five electoral votes for George W. Bush helped put him over the top in 2000."

Those who have been saying that coal mining is going to be huge in this election — and those who haven't taken Notice — would be well advised to read.

The Republican National Convention:

Alan Murray sees a challenge and an opportunity for President Bush at the convention: "The challenge is to change the dynamics of a presidential race that is running against him. Polls show voters are, at best, evenly divided between the two candidates. And the relatively few 'undecided' voters are decidedly down on the president. Charlie Cook, one of the few truly independent analysts out there, says only a quarter of undecided voters approve of the job the president is doing. 'Ugly numbers for an incumbent,' Mr. Cook says. Pollster John Zogby thinks the numbers are even uglier, with just 16% of undecided voters approving of the president's performance." LINK

"The opportunity is to present a compelling agenda that establishes him as the candidate of ideas. His Democratic rival, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, passed up that chance in Boston, focusing instead on his biography. That leaves the field clear for the president. If he can give voters a strong sense of what he wants to do with a second term, he just might get one."

The AP's Tom Hays follows-up the New York Times ' story on FBI surveillance of protestors. LINK

The New York Times ' ed board suggests "The F.B.I. should redirect its efforts to focus more directly on real threats," as opposed to interrogating political demonstrators who wish to protest at the Republican convention. LINKThe Washington Post 's Michael Powell and Michelle Garcia preview the protests scheduled during the Republican convention in New York, the groups looking to demonstrate (The nightly horseback rides down Lexington Avenue should draw more than a few cameras — at least the first night.), and the city's plans to deal with them. LINKHead underground! That's the message from city transit authorities for New Yorkers who will find some convention-related disruption in city bus service around Madison Square Garden. LINKWill New York become an economic Boston? LINK

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

The Miami Herald 's Joe Mozingo and Erika Bolstad look at the problems and fears still plaguing electronic touch-screen voting in Florida. LINKTere Figueras of the Miami Herald reports that a Miami-Dade County Commisison candidate noticed a ballot problem when he went to go and cast his vote early: he wasn't on the ballot, and neither were his six opponents. LINKThe Palm Beach Post's Ron Hayes reports that about 150 voters from Palm Beach County took advantage of yesterday's early primary voting. LINKMarilyn Brown of the Tampa Tribune reports that Florida's school voucher program — the only statewide program in the country — was ruled unconstitutional on Monday by the 1st District Court of Appeals, who said it "violates prohibitions against using taxpayer money to support religious organizations." Gov. Jeb Bush has said he will appeal the ruling. LINKThe Wall Street Journal 's editorial board slams the court for striking down the statute.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Greg Borowski reports, "Since the Wisconsin primary in February, President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry have nearly matched each other dollar-for-dollar on state airwaves, spending nearly $8.6 million between them on television ads." LINK

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's headline story today is a decision by the state attorney general mandating health care coverage for birth control even if employers are philosophically opposed to contraceptives. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

The Detroit News' George Weeks reports that during his stop in Traverse City, MI, President Bush promised never to divert water from Lake Michigan to parched areas, and Notes, that the "latest poll by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA had Bush with a 51-38 percent lead in the northern Lower Peninsula. It was his best showing in any region of the state. But Bush trailed Kerry 49-42 percent statewide, with 3 percent favoring Ralph Nader." LINKThe Detroit News explores the costs associated with being a battleground state. All those candidate visits prove expensive for local townships. LINKThe Kansas City Star reports that Kansas City residents are homebodies more so than others in their state or the Midwest. LINKThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Harry Levins reports that the new Bush policy for bringing troops home will not effect the bases in Missouri and Illinois. LINK

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Neil Modie reports that political leaders in Washington are united against a move to give the state a Louisiana-style "top-two" primary. LINKThe Raleigh News & Observer 's Ryan Teague Beckwith reports on some questions being raised about the validity of new voter registration forms being turned in by PIRG in North Carolina. LINK

No Child Left Behind:

The type of education story Robert Pear would write if Robert Pear wrote education stories: "The first national comparison of test scores among children in charter schools and regular public schools shows charter school students often doing worse than comparable students in regular public schools." LINK"The findings, buried in mountains of data the Education Department released without public announcement, dealt a blow to supporters of the charter school movement, including the Bush administration."

"The data shows fourth graders attending charter schools performing about half a year behind students in other public schools in both reading and math. Put another way, only 25 percent of the fourth graders attending charters were proficient in reading and math, against 30 percent who were proficient in reading, and 32 percent in math, at traditional public schools."

ABC News Vote 2004: casting and counting:

USA Today reports that Colorado voters will be asked on election day "to scrap its winner-take-all system of allocating the state's electoral votes in the presidential election. If the amendment to the state constitution passes, Colorado would be the first state to allocate its electoral votes proportionately according to the popular vote." LINKThe New York Times ' Paul Krugman highlights the things we can do to make sure this election is not "suspect." LINK

The politics of prescription drugs:

"Despite opposition from a federal agency, Illinois will soon become the nation's first government to help residents buy cheaper drugs not only from Canada but from the United Kingdom and Ireland as well," reports the Washington Post 's Marc Kaufman. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the Senate:

The Chicago Tribune's Benedikt and Mendell Note that one day after their first meeting, Barack Obama and Alan Keyes were back on the campaign trail yesterday with the attacks flying. LINK

The Chicago Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki and Scott Fornek report that Illinois Senate candidate Alan Keyes on Monday compared women who have abortions and the doctors who perform them to terrorists, "because 'the evil is the same.'" LINKColorado Senate candidate Pete Coors won the GOP primary by drawing out the "lazy" and the unaffiliated, reports the Rocky Mountain News. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the House:

"Former Rep. William Ford, a liberal Democrat from Michigan who championed education and labor issues in his 30 years in the House of Representatives, died Saturday morning at his home in Ypsilanti Township," reports Roll Call . He was 77 years old. LINKThe Winston Salem Journal's Theo Helm and Paul Garber report on the final hours of campaigning for Virginia Foxx and Vernon Robinson as they get ready for today's Republican runoff in North Carolina's 5th district. LINK

Jim Martin, who won last week's Colorado Democratic primary despite his announcement he would withdraw from the race four days earlier, made it clear Monday that he will not run for re-election in November, reports Dave Curtin of the Denver Post. LINKJohn Aguilar of the Rocky Mountain News Notes the Rothenberg Political Report has recently Noted that Democrats are setting their sites on Beauprez' 7th Congressional District seat in Colorado, a national race to watch. LINK

Nader-Camejo '04:

Jon Kamman dons the Nader-reporter hat for the Arizona Republic as the independent presidential candidate filed suit in federal court Monday to challenge the constitutionality of state laws that keep him off the Nov. 2 ballot in Arizona. Note this makes the fourth lawsuit the Nader campaign has filed this run, in attempts to gain ballot access. Suits in Texas and Illinois and Michigan are still pending. LINK

Brad Cain of the AP Notes the Service Employees International Union is accusing Ralph Nader supporters of submitting fraudulent petitions to put him on the ballot in Oregon. After several days of culling through Nader petitions and visiting the homes of Nader signers, the labor union determined two-thirds of a test sample of signatures were fraudulent. Meanwhile, Nader's campaign says its organizers are being harassed and intimidated with legal action. LINKNader's campaign has fallen a few signatures shy of making the ballot in South Cackalacky — but is it really over there? Zeese says there may be a "back up plan." Da da dun … LINKNader had better luck in Maine where today begins a five-day challenge period when any individual or organization can question the validity of the signatures, according to the Portland Press Herald. .LINKCheck another one off the list: the Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo campaign says it has submitted 1,500 signatures in Utah, where the ticket needed 1,000 signatures by September 3. LINK

The Charleston Gazette calls Nader "self-destructive." LINK

Politics:Why are big telecommunications firms giving lots of money to a congressional candidate they know will lose her race? Because she's purportedly a shoo-in for the next chairman of the FCC. LINKThe Wall Street Journal 's demographic whirly-whirl settles today on Indian-American voters, a small but energized and potentially pivotal voting bloc. (Who isn't energized, or potential pivotal, these days?)

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

—8:30 am: The Commerce Department issues Housing Starts for July—8:30 am: The Labor Department issues Consumer Price Index and Real Earnings index for July—9:00 am: The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on "Voicing a Need for Reform: The Families of Sept. 11," Washington, DC—9:30 am: 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean, Vice-Chairman Lee Hamilton, Counterterrorism Coordinator Cofer Black, and Terrorist Threat Integration Center Director John Brennan testify before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing about the 9/11 Commission's recommendations at the Capitol, Washington, DC—10:00 am: The U.N. Security Council holds consultations on Somalia—10:00 am: Gen. Wesley Clark, Adm. William Crowe, and Adm. Turner hold a press conference with several of the men who served on John Kerry's swift boats in Vietnam at the National Press Club, Washington, DC—10:00 am: Diplomatic and Military Professionals for National Security and Diplomats for A Non-Partisan Foreign Service discuss their support for the Bush Administration at a morning newsmakers event at the National Press Club, Washington, DC—10:15 am: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myers testify before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations at the Capitol, Washington, DC—10:30 am: The Hudson Institute and The New Republic host a panel discussion on "George W. Bush, John Kerry and American Policy toward Iran: A Turning Point?" at the Hudson Institute, Washington, DC—12:00 pm: Sen. John Edwards participates in a town hall meeting at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, AR—1:40 pm: President Bush tours and speaks at the Boeing Company's Ridley Park Plant, Ridley Park, PA—4:00 pm: Laura Bush delivers remarks at a "W Stands for Women" rally, St. Louis, MO—6:20 pm: President Bush speaks at a rally at Hedgesville High School, Hedgesville, WV—8:00 pm: Sen. Edwards attends a DNC fundraiser reception at the Summit Club, Birmingham, AL—8:45 pm: President Bush returns to the White House—9:40 pm: Sen. John Kerry arrives at the airport, Cincinnati, OH