The Note

W A S H I N G T O N, May 27, 2004—
-- NOTED NOW

TODAY SCHEDULE (all times ET)

FUTURES CALENDAR

NEWS SUMMARY

Noted Now: Q1 GDP grows 4.4 percent. Stronger than expected. Noted Now

Noted Soon: The DNC's $50 million CoH!

Noted A Little Later: Will any of Kerry's foreign policy advisers go off the reservation?

Noted Yet Later: What Don King says to Ed Gillespie, and vice-versa.

Noted Yesterday:

With his brio-filled speech and acrid punch lines (George W. Bush is running a "gulag" of sorts at Abu Ghraib), former vice president Al Gore has successfully placed at the feet of Sen. John Kerry a marker for the Democratic nominee's evolving strategy to communicate about foreign policy.

Kerry today delivers what aides are billing as the first in a series of major addresses to fill the gaps between disparate strands of policy. For the next 11 days, Kerry will try to fashion a new vision for the Democratic Party.

But Kerry has an enormously broad spectrum of opinion to cover, as Gore's speech yesterday precisely illustrates. Though Gore himself gave Kerry an out of sorts, the contrast between the former veep's speech, which clearly excited Democrats, and Sen. Kerry's speech, which must at least appease them, could not be more striking.

The big question: does Gore et. al. give Kerry cover? Or do they rachet up the pressure and cleanly reveal the gulf between their two sides?

In a New York Times article about Sen. Kerry's preference for caution over aggression, Gore's speech is Adam Nagourney's device to lead in to an interview with the candidate.

As usual, the Los Angeles Times' Brownstein puts it best: "Senator John F. Kerry faces a stark new challenge in the campaign skirmishing over Iraq: As President Bush has moved toward his position, the Democratic Party is moving away from it." LINK

"The withdrawal idea is certain to receive more attention now that Win Without War, whose members include the influential liberal Internet advocacy group, MoveOn.org, has endorsed it after extensive deliberations."

"In the long run, these shifts in Democratic attitudes and Bush's strategy may pressure Kerry to break more sharply from the administration on Iraq, a step he has firmly resisted."

"More immediately, the squeeze is encouraging Kerry to subtly shift his critique of Bush on the war. In his response to Bush's speech on Iraq on Monday night, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee focused less on criticizing the president's policies than on questioning whether he could provide the international leadership to implement them."

Let us state for the record that there are many prominent Democrats (the article mentions Misters Gelb and Steinberg) — including some who might surprise you — who will soon be arguing publicly for withdrawal.

The New York Times' Nagourney gives page-one treatment to the same debate, framing it as a choice between aggressiveness and caution, rather than as a struggle between two competing policies. LINK

Nagourney's fine opus includes the following:

— It's somewhat Kerryesque to go the more cautious route.

— In a matter of seconds John Kerry can assert he has either a "plan" or "specific plan" seven times and yet that still doesn't make it so, does it?

— The vice presidential pick may be somewhat tame (due to Kerry fundraising success and Bush poll troubles) and may be announced before your July 4 holiday getaway.

(Though we have to say: John Edwards is not necessarily a "safe if unexciting" pick to John Kerry himself, and the last time we checked, it's Sen. Kerry himself who will make this important decision. And we're still relatively certain that Mr Kerry would like to have Sen. McCain if Sen. McCain would agree to be had).

More on today's speech:

"Aides said Kerry on Thursday will draw sharp distinctions with the president by highlighting his support of stronger alliances with U.S. allies, greater respect for other nations and their leaders, transforming the military and increasing spending to defend the homeland and reward veterans. The speech will serve as framework for Kerry's worldview on the nature of current threats and combating terrorism offensively and defensively," report Dan Balz and Jim VandeiHei in the Washington Post. LINK

"A top adviser, who requested anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said the 11-day campaign is designed to clear a big hurdle: convincing voters Kerry has superior ideas for protecting the United States here and abroad and winning the war on terrorism. In the early days of the campaign, this has sometimes proved a more difficult task for Kerry. Several polls show Bush is still viewed as a stronger leader in the war on terrorism, which is troubling to some Kerry advisers."

Another Democratic oppo dream, encapsulated by this headline: "2006 Cuts In Domestic Spending On Table" LINK

The AP on Secretary Snow's "$10 million mistake." LINK

Money, politics and the convention: Washington Post: LINK, Washington Post LINK and USA Today: LINK. Also, Boston Globe: LINK , St. Petersburg Times: LINK, and the New York Times: LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Cummings and Schlesinger Note that the Bush-Cheney campaign "already has purchased expensive ad time during the Olympics."

Jeanne Cummings of the Wall Street Journal goes beyond the "caricature" and takes a look at John Kerry's youthful "gypsy" years.

Mr. Gore's call for cleaning house got some prominent paper play and two of three networks used it in their evening broadcasts last night:LINK

MoDo appears somewhat weepy and nostalgic after listening to Al Gore's NYU speech and then suggests John Kerry may want to think about staying at home during the convention. LINK

From MoDo to MaDo: Washington Times' Sammon springs off of Matthew Dowd's memo to reporters, er, campaign leadership to Note that the BC04 campaign "has taken solace in largely overlooked poll numbers that show Mr. Kerry's support plummeting in several crucial areas." LINK

Today, President Bush meets with the president of El Salvador at the White House, participates in a conversation on healthcare information technology at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville and attends a fundraising reception at a private residence also in Nashville. LINK

Sen. Kerry delivers a major speech outlining his plans for national security at the Seattle Center in Seattle, Wash., and attends a rally with veterans and families at ShopKo Hall in Green Bay, Wis.

Former President Bill Clinton makes an announcement regarding the expansion of the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation's Small Business Initiative program into Brooklyn and the Bronx in New York City. And a different kind of Clinton expansion might be happening on Manhattan's Upper West Side. LINK

Clinton's new book is slated to come out a bit earlier: June 22.

Elsewhere:

Craig Gilbert of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at Kerry's focus on veterans while talking about national security during his swing through Wisconsin today. LINK

"Coming at the front end of an 11-day stretch devoted to national security issues, the intent of the Kerry visit is pretty plain: to appeal to the state's nearly half a million veterans, who represent 12% of the voting-age population; to portray the Massachusetts senator and Vietnam War veteran as a tough, security-minded critic of President Bush's wartime performance, now suffering in the polls; and to underscore the costs of Bush's policies."

Chris McGann of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Kerry took in $2.2 million at his fundraiser last night. LINK

John Kamman of the Arizona Republic previews Sen. Hillary Clinton's headlining speech tonight at an Arizona Democratic Party fundraiser, Noting that the event, touted as the most lucrative ever for the party, is expected to bring in $850,000 — surpassing the $500,000 record set by former President Clinton in 2002. LINK

The Media Fund will announce today that it's contributed $1.2 million to the New Democrat Network's Hispanic Project, and will collaborate with NDN closely on future endeavors involving Latino voters.

You might find this shocking, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and John Ashcroft do not see eye to eye on assisted suicide. LINK

Tom Friedman of the New York Times supports a 50-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline. LINK

Could a Libertarian candidate be Bush's Nader, asks the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Quinn? LINK

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET): —8:30 am: The Labor Department releases the weekly report on initial jobless claims.—9:30 am: President Bush meets with the President of El Salvador at the White House.—10:00 am: HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and others, announce a new partnership to sign up seniors for the Medicare discount drug card, Washington, D.C.—11:00 am: Former President Bill Clinton makes an announcement regarding the expansion of the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation's Small Business Initiative program into Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York, N.Y.—12:00 pm: RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, boxing promoter Don King, and others kick off the "African American Economic Empowerment Tour," Detroit, Mich. —12:00 pm: Education Secretary Rod Paige, U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi and others announce the national "Educators for Bush" team and highlight the President's record on education reform, Washington, D.C.—12:30 pm: U.S. Rep. David Vitter and U.S. Sen. Bill Frist discuss their efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible, Baton Rouge, La.—1:00 pm: Sen. John Kerry delivers a major speech outlining his plans for national security at the Seattle Center, Seattle, Wash.—2:00 pm: Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a courtesy call to the ambassador-designate of Nigeria, Washington, D.C.—2:00 pm: Syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington and the Detroit Project hold a press conference to unveil a new ad campaign urging a new energy policy, Los Angeles, Calif.—2:20 pm: President Bush receives a briefing at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Nashville, Tenn.—2:55 pm: President Bush participates in a conversation on healthcare information technology at Langford Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.—4:30 pm: Troops from each branch of the Armed Forces will place American flags on more than 290,000 graves, as part of the annual "Flag In" ceremony, Arlington, Va. —6:35 pm: President Bush attends a Victory 2004 Reception at a private residence, Nashville, Tenn.—8:00 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a rally with veterans and families at ShopKo Hall, Green Bay, Wis.—11:00 pm: Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge appears on PBS' "Charlie Rose Show."