The Note
W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 27—
, 2004 -- TODAY SCHEDULE AS OF 9:00 am (all times ET):
—8:30 am: The government releases final 4th-quarter GDP numbers—9:30 am: Vice President Cheney speaks at a breakfast for Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Hagerstown, Md. —9:30 am: The Senate convenes for legislative business—9:45 am: Off-camera briefing by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan—10:15 am: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle meet with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder—11:00 am: First Lady Laura Bush tours The Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C. —11:00 am: Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, former Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, and Sen. Kerry foreign policy advisor Rand Beers, holds a conference call with reporters—11:15 pm: Carole King attends a "Women for Kerry" discussion at the Georgia Freight Depot Blue Room, Atlanta, Ga. —11:25 am: President Bush meets with Chancellor Schroeder, the White House —12:00 pm: The Campaign Finance Institute holds a news conference to discuss campaign money and presidential primaries—12:30 pm: Vice President Cheney speaks at a luncheon for Rep. Tim Murphy at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Latrobe, Pa. —1:00 pm: Politics Live on ABC News Live and AOL—1:00 pm: Sen. John Kerry delivers a speech on terrorism and national security at the University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif. —2:00 pm: On-camera briefing by Press Secretary McClellan—3:00 pm: Sen. Ted Kennedy attends a rally on behalf of Sen. Kerry on jobs at the Labor Temple, Albany, N.Y. —3:00 pm: Carole King meets with voters on behalf of Sen. Kerry at the Metro Coffeehouse, Augusta, Ga. —3:30 pm: Local Latino leaders rally and endorse Sen. John Edwards, Bronx, N.Y. —3:35 pm: President and Mrs. Bush depart the White House for Camp David—3:45 pm: Sen. Edwards meets with Twin City voters at Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn. —4:15 pm: Sen. Kerry participates in a conference call in which he receives the support of leaders of Howard Dean's New York campaign —4:30 pm: Ralph Nader speaks to the press about the state of his campaign at the Los Angeles Press Club, Hollywood, Calif. —5:30 pm: Sen. Kennedy attends a rally on jobs at the UAW Hall Local 624, East Syracuse, N.Y. —7:00 pm: Lynn Cheney and Rep. Paul Gillmore speak to the press at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio—7:15 pm: Mrs. Cheney gives the keynote address at the Congressional Lincoln-Hayes Banquet, Bowling Green, Ohio—8:00 pm: Carole King hosts an event with former Sen. Max Cleland on behalf of Sen. Kerry at Sentient Bean, Savannah, Ga. —8:00 pm: Ralph Nader appears on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher"—10:00 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a rally at the Teamsters Local 70 Office, Oakland, Calif.
NEWS SUMMARY
One of the worst moments in American history occurred when some genius came up with the phrase "issues matrix."
As we psychically and physically transfer from yesterday's LAT/CNN Left Coast debate to Sunday's Viacom/43rd Street Right Coast debate -- and as we gear up for the next phase of the President's aggressive bid to keep his job -- we emerge bleary eyed from another session in the ABC cafeteria with hundreds of Googling monkeys.
As in the past, this morning's meeting was part pep rally, part Q&A, and part tough love reminder to keep the simian eyes on the ball.
Perhaps the dreaded "issues matrix" will change come the spring (Keep your Chauncey Gardner jokes to yourselves.), but for now, on the Big 5, here are today's highlights:
1. the economy: Per this morning's numbers, the economy grows at a 4.1 percent annual rate in final quarter of 2003, slightly better than previously estimated.
2. defining John Kerry: David Halbfinger of the New York Times proves that there ain't nothing like a beat reporter's ability to gather (and, then, unfurl) campaign trail string to bring a story alive. His Purdumian essay on how the Baron of Louisburg Square is trying to find the common touch is a mustest read. LINK
And then there's this: National Journal's new 2003 congressional vote rankings rates John Kerry the most liberal senator. Edwards came in 4th. Should put a great big smile on the faces of the oppo folks in Arlington.
3. Kerry versus Edwards: The Washington Post's David Broder -- still not really over his decade's-long competition with Johnny Apple -- joins the Great Man in leaning into the suggestive notion that Edwards could win Ohio. LINK
4. the politics of national security: Kerry gives a big speech on the topic today, while the Gang of 500 tries to figure out why Speaker Hastert opposes extending the 9/11 Commission, whether he might be convinced to fold, and if there are political implications if he doesn't.
5. the politics of cultural issues: John Kerry's rhetorical relationship with DOMA twists and turns; the President pulls the cloning and abortion arrows out of his quiver; and Kerry refuses (sort of) to play Mike Dukakis to Larry King's Bernie Shaw on the death penalty.
President Bush meets with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at the White House before heading to Camp David for the weekend.
Vice President Cheney speaks at luncheons in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Cheney delivers a keynote speech at the Congressional Lincoln-Hayes Banquet in Ohio.
Sen. Kerry is in California today. He spends Saturday in California and New York and Sunday in New York and Baltimore.
Sen. Edwards is in Minnesota. He spends Saturday in Georgia, Ohio, and New York. He is in New York and Minnesota on Sunday.
Rep. Kucinich is in California. He will be in California on Saturday and New York and Ohio on Sunday.
Rev. Sharpton will be in New York on Sunday.
All four candidates participate in an 11:00 am ET debate on Sunday sponsored by the New York Times and CBS News.
Ralph Nader is in Los Angeles today to celebrate his 70th birthday.
The CNN/Los Angeles Times debate:
Homeboys Barabak and Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times say that "Edwards mostly used humor and an affable manner to draw contrasts with the more staid front-runner in the Democratic presidential race." LINK
Ronny B.'s video analysis: LINK
"At one point, Mr. Edwards expressed doubt that Mr. Kerry could defeat Mr. Bush in a series of swing states that could decide the election next fall because of some of the votes he has cast over the years. Mr. Edwards asserted that he was the candidate with a proven ability to win independent votes," the New York Times' Nagourney and Halbfinger Note. LINK
In his wrap-up of last night's debate, the Washington Post's Dan Balz calls it "lively" and Notes the actual interaction between Kerry and Edwards, and "frequent disagreement" -- no small feat for two guys who agree on so much. LINK
And while Edwards got (slightly) more aggressive, Kerry saved his attacks (if not his eye rolling and smirking) for the President.
"Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) blasted President Bush for trying to 'divide America' over cultural issues such as gay rights, as the four remaining Democratic presidential candidates criticized Republicans for pushing a federal constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman," Balz writes.
Not so fast, John . . . Edwards? Sen. Kerry "protected his commanding lead in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night by dismissing rival John Edwards' suggestion that a Massachusetts senator could not win over people in every corner of America," write Jeff Zeleny and Jill Zuckman of the Chicago Tribune. LINK
Isn't it kind of unfair that Walter Shapiro gets to be so right so often? Today he writes, "John Kerry paid his long-shot rival John Edwards a major compliment in Thursday night's Los Angeles debate: The front-runner played to win." LINK
The Boston Globe's Pat Healy writes, "In one of the liveliest debates of the Democratic primary season, the four remaining presidential candidates skirmished over trade, the death penalty, and lobbyist donations last night, but the culturally charged issue of gay marriage dominated much of the forum." LINK
The New Republic's Ryan Lizza challenges CW: "The conventional wisdom about this final stage of the race is that debates help Edwards and hurt Kerry. Maybe Edwards will surprise everyone Sunday morning in New York at the final debate before Super Tuesday. But I think last night's match-up was a reminder than John Kerry has battled his way to victory in more than half a dozen one-on-one contests -- one of which famously featured some ten televised debates in Massachusetts -- while John Edwards' strategy to this point has been to slip under the radar and avoid confrontation. Now that Edwards has snuck his way into the final showdown with Kerry, he doesn't quite know what to do." LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Robin Abcarian stylizes the scene. LINK
The New York Post's Deb Orin plays up the Kerry gay marriage angle, and her headline writers call it a 'flip-flop.' LINK
The Washington Times' Charles Hurt focuses on Edwards' position that gay marriage is a states' rights issue. LINK
The Baltimore Sun's Paul West writes that Kerry "defended his liberal views" last night.LINK
The San Francisco Chronicle Notes that post-debate discussion mainly "focused on Edwards and his lost opportunity." LINK
USA Today's Lawrence and Kasindorf report that Edwards and Kerry "alternated compliments and veiled jabs." LINK
The Boston Herald's Guarino and Straub write, "Refraining from the harsh negative attacks Kerry's vanquished rivals leveled, Edwards instead focused on surgical -- but still sharp -- cuts." LINK
The Boston Herald's Miga thinks that "civility reigned." LINK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Bob Keefe thinks Kerry and Edwards "sounded more like running mates than rivals." LINK
The AP's Raum wraps up the debate. LINK
The politics of gay marriage:
President Bush's support for an amendment banning gay marriage has drawn fire from gay activists that supported his election in 2000 and who now are organizing in battleground states and planning ad campaigns, Chicago Tribune's Kemper reports.
The potentially heated debate "could turn off moderate voters in states where only a few thousand votes could spell the difference between victory and defeat for Bush."LINK
The Boston Globe's Scot Lehigh writes, "By calling for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, the Republican incumbent has taken an issue he had heretofore treated only gingerly and thrust it to the center of American politics." LINK
The Washington Post's David Von Drehle looks at the confusion over who is married and who is not in the United States today, Noting that "not since the 19th-century fight over polygamy in the Utah Territory and the mid-20th-century struggle over interracial marriages has there been so much legal confusion and contention."LINK
The New York Times' James Dao reports with regards to same-sex marriage "To shore up existing laws, these lawmakers want individual amendments, which can take as little as a year to be enacted. Only four states have enacted amendments concerning same-sex marriage, but nearly two dozen are now considering enshrining prohibitions in state constitutions, according to the Human Rights Campaign,…." LINK
An amendment to the Georgia state constitution that would ban gay marriage failed by just three votes yesterday, but lawmakers have another opportunity to rethink their vote or lobby their side on Monday, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. LINK
What happens if the battle goes to the states?
The Wall Street Journal's Jackie Calmes Notes in Washington Wire: "Indiana House is paralyzed as majority Democrats block a Senate-passed state ban. In Idaho, a Republican Senate committee chairwoman shelves a House-passed ban as 'divisive.' A bipartisan vote in Wyoming kills an anti-gay-marriage bill. But Michigan and Iowa measures advance. In Missouri, Democrats fret push by foes of gay marriage to put the issue on November's ballot."
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:
The Bush-Cheney campaign got one step closer to launching its ad campaign which is still slated to begin next week.
The campaign will feature at least two English language ads (at least one of 30 seconds and one that will be a minute spot) and at least one Spanish language ad, with the potential for more.
According to various Republican, Democratic, and television sources, BC04 will spend about $425,000 on cable networks MSNBC and CNBC, $650,000 on CNN and will focus $1.3 million toward ad time on Fox News Channel, perhaps a sign that the election really is a lot about getting out the base.
An additional $800,000 will be spent to run ads on Fox Sports, mainly during NASCAR events, in an effort to reach out to the trendy swing group of NASCAR dads. But if you are a sports fan who's not into racing, you might also find BC04 ads on ESPN and the Golf Channel.
All these numbers (sketchy as they are) seem to be through May-ish, and if we are wildly off, please don't sue us.
Campaign officials have said that the first spots will be positive.
The New York Times' Rutenberg reports that television execs estimate the buy at $4 million, but it could be more with the additional buy on ESPN and the Golf Channel, and the campaign is looking at 50 markets in 17 states including battleground states Florida and Wisconsin.
"The purchase indicates that the initial campaign will be highly focused and sustained. Nascar, for instance, is hugely popular among white men." LINK
President Bush raised $1.2 million for his re-election campaign yesterday in Kentucky, but a trip to another event in North Carolina was cancelled due to a winter storm in Charlotte.
The New York Times Bumiller reports "President Bush continued his assault on Senator John Kerry on Thursday as he took his new speech to Kentucky, where he also collected hundreds of checks for a campaign that has raised more than $150 million."LINK
Los Angeles Times' Chen Notes that when the President "called on Congress to extend the child tax credit and the tax break for married couples," which are due to expire at the end of this year, it suggested that he would be willing to have Congress take on the tax cut votes one by one. LINK
The Washington Times' James Lakely was with President Bush at his Louisville, Ky., fundraiser yesterday, where he said Democrats, motivated by "old bitterness and partisan anger," are not equipped to handle the war on terror and protect Americans from attack. LINK
The Boston Globe's Washington reports that President Bush uses these conversations to push his economic plan. "With 2.3 million jobs lost since he took office, Bush has focused intensely on the subject, discussing the economy on about half the trips he has made outside Washington so far this year.
Bush has used the trips to tout his six-point plan to strengthen the economy, but key aspects of that plan face an uncertain future in a Congress deeply divided along party lines in this election year."LINK
The Washington Post's Mike Allen looks at a third element added to President Bush's speeches -- culture and Notes that "The change comes at a time when some of the president's most conservative supporters are seeking reassurance about his commitment to their issues." LINK
And poor Charlotte! All dressed up for the President's visit and a winter storm forces him to skip his stop in North Carolina and head back to the White House. The Charlotte Observer writes up how city officials decided to cancel yesterday's $1.3 million fundraiser -- and Notes that Mayor Pat McCrory got Karl Rove on the phone!LINK
Julie Mason of the Houston Chronicle states that "much like the Texas Democratic Party" the California GOP "has grown richer, stronger, more unified and resolved to tip the balance in the general election for Bush." LINK
"Perhaps 2004 will be the year that details of George W. Bush's time in the National Guard -- indeed, his life in the early 1970's -- finally get filled in…Maybe this year, 10 years after Mr. Bush's first political victory, the lingering questions will finally disappear," writes Mimi Swartz, the executive editor of Texas Monthly, in today's New York Times. LINK
The Los Angeles Times says it has evidence that "Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was the guest of a Kansas law school two years ago and went pheasant hunting on a trip arranged by the school's dean, all within weeks of hearing two cases in which the dean was a lead attorney. The cases involved issues of public policy important to Kansas officials. Accompanying Scalia on the November 2001 hunting trip where the Kansas governor and the recently retired state Senate president, who flew with Scalia to the hunting camp aboard a state plane." LINK
The New York Times' Stevenson observes that Bush is reluctant to discuss changes in the Social Security system although his own economists "are more explicit about what his approach to Social Security would require." LINK
Politics of national security:
"President Bush will bar the U.S. military from using certain types of land mines after 2010 but will allow forces to continue to employ more sophisticated mines that the administration argues pose little threat to civilians," reports the Washington Post's Bradley Graham. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: the race for the nomination:
"Kerry is talking nonstop about job losses, about the "haves and have-nots," about hardship and heartache in the industrial heartland," stealing a page from the Edwards' campaign repertoire, writes David Halbfinger of the New York Times. LINK
"Mr. Kerry's transformation into an empathetic candidate with a decidedly blue collar on his navy pinstriped suit began months ago as he struggled to connect with audiences put off by his patrician manner and emotional distance. It has taken on new significance, however, since the Democratic race narrowed to Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards, whose affability, speaking style and up-from-the-bootstraps biography stand in contrast to Mr. Kerry's Boston Brahmin image and background. And it will be even more vital, Democratic strategists say, should Mr. Kerry win the nomination and take on a president whose popularity is based largely on his regular-guy, emotionally direct appeal."
"Win or lose in next week's Super Tuesday primaries -- and lose is a distinct prospect in many of the 10 states at issue -- Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) says he intends to continue contesting for delegates with his front-running rival, Sen. John F. Kerry," writes Paul Farhi of the Washington Post. LINK
John Edwards, Notes John Harwood of the Wall Street Journal, "is trying to catch up to John Kerry's speedboat with a very small paddle. With roughly six million voters in 51 different media markets voting in primaries and caucuses in 10 states on Tuesday, Mr. Edwards has few tools to overtake the Democratic front-runner."
"Mr. Edwards has proved that, in limited circumstances, he can improve his chances with intensive campaigning and a healthy dollop of television advertising. He grabbed his lone victory so far in his native state of South Carolina, and finished just six percentage points behind Mr. Kerry on Feb. 17 in Wisconsin. But on Super Tuesday, designed by the Democratic Party to help bring the 2004 nomination contest to a close, the challenges are even bigger. While Mr. Kerry plays to his home region, Georgia is the only Southern state in play. Edwards advisers figure they can spend just slightly more than $1 million on ads, scattered across their top-tier targets of Ohio, Georgia and New York."
Kerry:
The New York Times' Haberman posits that the "Kerry candidacy provides an opportunity to focus attention on veterans' issues, especially health care." LINK
The Globe's Frank Phillips reports that Gov. Romney "yesterday chided [Kerry] for what he said were Kerry's confusing positions on gay marriage." LINK
The Miami Herald's Peter Wallsten reports that Kerry "accused President Bush's administration Thursday of fomenting conflict in Haiti out of ideological opposition to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide" and recommended sending Sen. Graham as a special envoy. LINK
The Globe's Healy also has a report on Kerry fielding questions about Mel Gibson's movie though he hasn't seen it yet. Healy reports Kerry said he's "interested in seeing" it but "has yet to decide if he will." LINK
But the Herald's Guarino and Straub suggest that he won't see it, writing that Kerry "won't be rushing out to catch Mel Gibson's cinematic ode to Christ's last day, saying yesterday he's worried about its "'anti-Semitic message.'" LINK
Edwards:
Roll Call's Chris Cillizza reports that Edwards "has turned to media consultant Marius Penczner to oversee his advertising campaign in the days leading up to the Super Tuesday primaries, according to several knowledgeable Democratic sources."
The Baltimore Sun's Julie Hirschfeld Davis profiles John Edwards, rounding up his ambitions, his strengths and his critics' sentiments (The subhead reads: "Campaign: His legislative record is thin, so the charismatic Democrat focuses on life experiences and keeps his eye on the White House."). She also includes some excellent spin from former secretary of agriculture and Rep. Dan Glickman. LINK
Jim Morrill of the Charlotte Observer reports on Edwards' evasion of the gay marriage issue even during a visit to a city at the heart of the issue, San Francisco. LINK
Sheri Annis writes in the National Review Online that voters are more than a tad like the gals of "Sex and the City" when it comes to their candidates -- they like a little bad boy in the good man. And unless Edwards lets a little of that bad boy rip, Annis argues, he risks becoming irrelevant. LINK
Dean:
The Boston Globe's Glen Johnson chronicles a supposed battle for control of the Deaniacs between Dean and Trippi. LINK
The AP covered Gov. Dean's address to supporters in Connecticut Thursday. LINK
March 18 is the date to watch for a new Dean organization.
Nader:
Thin gruel on the Nader front today. It is the consumer advocate's 70th birthday, which he will celebrate at a private party in Los Angeles with family, friends and (one would imagine) a few celebrities.
Hotline's Chuck Todd argues the whole Nader backlash is overblown, that the Dems and the media have got their knickers in a twist over nothing:
"The bottom line is that Nader didn't cost Gore a single Democratic-leaning state, including: Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Maine, Iowa and Michigan. Blaming Nader would have been more justifiable if President Bush had narrowly carried these states." LINK
The Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers Jr. on Nader's Texas tour and Ralph's effort to woo the remnants of Perot's Reform Party by slamming Bush on the deficit. LINK
The Village Voice's James Ridgeway also comes out with a pro-Nader piece, echoing the point that a few others have made that a Nader run helps bring certain issues like universal health care and corporate crime into the public debate: LINK
Out on the Left Coast, the Seattle Weekly's Knute Berger adds his voice to the anti-Nader chorus calling Nader "warped," "delusional" and a "hypocritical liar." LINK
Ohio:
The Washington Post's David Broder outlines the lay of the land in Ohio and the stakes not only for the candidates on Super Tuesday, but also for the state's Democrats in the general election. "With the single exception of President Bill Clinton's reelection win in 1996, Ohio Democrats have gone zero-for-everything over the past 12 years," Broder Notes. A further sign of a real live battleground: the University of Cincinnati-sponsored Ohio Poll released last week, which showed President Bush's job approval rating at 49 percent in Ohio -- the first time in his presidency it's dipped below 50. And Ohioans didn't give him great marks on handling either the economy or foreign policy. LINK
Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell is predicting a 34 percent turnout on Tuesday -- nearly 2.5 million of the 7.2 million registered voters in the Buckeye State and in line with turnout in 1996 and 2000, AP reports. LINK
New York:
The New York Times' Raymond Hernandez Notes in New York "this week was all about galvanizing Democratic Party loyalists and beating President Bush. But it was also about -- well, Charles B. Rangel, for one." LINK
Minnesota:
The AP's Brian Bakst reports on the Kerry and Edwards campaign efforts to court Deaniacs in Minnesota. LINK
Norman Draper of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports on the estimated $19 million price tag Minnesota taxpayers will have to shoulder to bring state school testing up to par with No Child Left Behind requirements, Noting that it could cost millions more to bring schools into line with the controversial new federal law. LINK
Maryland:
The Baltimore Sun's Ariel Sabar reports that Rep. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, will endorse Kerry today. LINK
Sabar also writes about the Kerry and Edwards campaigns beating the bushes (pardon the pun) for votes in Maryland on Tuesday. LINK
Rhode Island:
The Providence Journal's Michael Corkery reports, "A crowd of Rhode Island Democrats yesterday urged voters in next week's primary to give [Kerry] the most decisive and overwhelming victory of his presidential campaign thus far." LINK
Democratic National Convention:
The Globe's Rick Klein reports that convention "organizers will build a temporary two-story structure on the site of the old Boston Garden to house members of the media." LINK
And the Globe's Kevin Joy reports that "city councilors yesterday waded into the controversies -- and the political attention -- surrounding the biggest event to come to the city in years. The council has no official authority when it comes to the convention, but in more than five hours of hearings, councilors held forth on everything from the convention's security plan to the caterers it hires." LINK
The politics of abortion:
In conjunction with the so-called Partial Birth Abortion Ban, Attorney General John Ashcroft has subpoenaed the medical records for hundreds of women who have had surgical abortions performed at six Planned Parenthood clinics across the country -- including some abortions performed very early in the second trimester, ABC News' Jake Tapper reports. LINK
Planned Parenthood is calling the actions an invasion of privacy; the Justice Department says it is trying to gather information about the organization's basis for arguing that the procedures can be medically necessary. "According to court documents, the affiliates affected are in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., western Pennsylvania and the Kansas/mid-Missouri region."
The Washington Post's Dan Eggen writes about the subpoenas as well, and Notes that five hospital centers in the Northeast and Midwest whose abortion records were requested in December have refused to comply. LINK
"The House voted yesterday to treat attacks on a pregnant woman as separate crimes against her and the fetus she is carrying. Critics say it would undermine abortion rights by giving fetuses new federal legal status," reports the Associated Press. LINK
Politics:
Education Rod Paige writes an apology for his comments this past week in today's Washington Post, while enforcing that what is most important is providing the best education for our children. LINK
The AP's Will Lester reports that the Macker plans to step down when his term is up in early 2005. LINK
The AP reports that Sen. Lieberman is ready to get back to work in the Senate, and possibly for another six years in 2006 too. LINK
"Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) has broken off negotiations to become the pharmaceutical industry's chief lobbyist to ensure that his retirement after nearly 24 years in Congress is not marred by an ethical cloud," reports Jonathan Krim from the Washington Post. LINK
"The Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to require child safety devices for all handguns sold in the United States and to add the proposal to legislation shielding gun manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits involving firearms violence," reports Helen Dewar of the Washington Post. LINK
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced yesterday that he may introduce an amendment to the gun immunity bill before the Senate to lift the District of Columbia's ban on gun ownership, reports the Washington Times' Brian DeBose.LINK
The Clintons of Chappaqua:
The Boston Herald's Beardsley reports that the "Draft Hillary" folks (How many are there really?) are heading into the Bay State despite all of John Kerry's fancy delegates. LINK