The Note

W A S H I N G T O N, Nov. 10—
, 2003 -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—8:00 am: Senator Joe Lieberman meets with patrons at Lindy's diner, Keene, N.H.—10:30 am: Governor Howard Dean holds a press conference, Des Moines, Iowa—11:30 am: First lady Laura Bush attends a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser at a private residence, Wilmington, Del.—12:00 pm: President Bush makes remarks at a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser luncheon, Little Rock, Ark. —12:15 pm: Senator Lieberman makes remarks on long-term care for seniors, Concord, N.H.—12:30 pm: Senator John Kerry meets with veterans, Des Moines, Iowa—1:00 pm: Senate convenes for legislative business—1:50 pm: General Wesley Clark tours a veterans hospital, Tucson, Ariz.—2:30 pm: Senator Kerry meets with veterans, Marshalltown, Iowa—3:00 pm: Congressman Dennis Kucinich attends a rally with progressives and holds a press conference at San Francisco State University, San Francisco—4:00 pm: General Clark tours a veterans hospital, Phoenix—4:10 pm: President Bush makes remarks on the economy at a BMW plant, Greer, S.C.—4:30 pm: General Clark holds a "Conversations with Clark" town hall forum, Phoenix—4:30 pm: Senator John Edwards meets with supporters at the Commerce Club, Atlanta—5:00 pm: Senator Kerry meets with veterans, Cedar Rapids, Iowa—6:00 pm: President Bush makes remarks at a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser dinner, Greenville, S.C.—6:00 pm: First lady Laura Bush attends a Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser dinner, South Portland, Maine —6:45 pm: Senator Kerry meets with veterans, Iowa City, Iowa—8:00 pm: Louisiana gubernatorial debate between Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal, Baton Rouge, La.

NEWS SUMMARY

Using techniques taught us by the Republican staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, The Note has obtained a draft of a memo that fired Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan apparently intended to send to his successor, Mary Beth Cahill.

What is striking about the document (besides the Heineken smudges and the Post -midnight time stamp) is its sweeping tone.

But, then, it IS only a draft.

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DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT

TO: MBC FROM: JJ RE: Big Bad John

Congratulations — you are inheriting a great national staff, a great Iowa staff, a great New Hampshire staff, and Judy Reardon's agita.

There ARE, however, some things to watch out for to make sure the machine continues to hum.

1. At the slightest provocation, particularly during live television interviews, The Candidate will throw the staff under the bus. For instance, I was once sacrificed on "Meet the Press" for some on-the-record criticism of HoHo that in retrospect reads in tone and substance like a Connie Morella press release compared to what The Candidate is now saying about Dean.

2. Make some sort of deal with a Boston-area milk company to get Michael Whouley's picture on cartons. We have to find the guy.

3. The Candidate is in Iowa today; may I suggest no custard stops?

4. The corrollary of "Let The Spouse Be the Spouse" is "Let Chris Black Be Chris Black." You'll know what I mean shortly if you don't already.

5. I have no fu***** (REDACTED) idea what Cam is doing, but The Candidate seems to believe he is the second coming of Tad Devine.

6. Jeanne Shaheen seems smart, ruthless, and knowledgeable about how to win New Hampshire. But, then, I gather you two have been spending some time together lately, so you probably knew that.

7. If you can find a way to get the national political press corps to hold HoHo accountable for the things he says, more power to you. Most of them don't much like The Candidate, and don't cut him a break — ever. And I think there is a connection between those things.

8. You'll be tempted to ask the research shop to get you a memo on The Candidate's achievements in Congress. Save yourself some time and don't.

9. Often, we line up endorsements and come up with a plan about how to unveil them for maximum strategic effect. Remember: this works best if the endorsers don't just blurt out their support whenever they feel like it. Also, if you set up endorsement press conference calls, remind the endorsers not to trash the significance of their own endorsements.

10. Getting into Canada requires proper ID. (Actually, that one belongs on a different list — ignore it … .)

11. Bob Shrum was right — "The Courage to do What's Right" is a really effective campaign slogan.

12. Going to war publicly against the Boston Globe might make you feel good, but it won't effect what is the most relentlessly negative coverage of any presidential candidate EVER by a hometown paper — and I mean the news page. Don't even get me started on the op-ed page.

13. Your friend Jill Alper should run the world — see if you can make that happen.

14. You'll be wondering what the fourth-quarter fundraising number will be like. It's not something I want to commit to paper. Just have Gibbs practice in front of a mirror: "We'll have enough resources to get our message out."

15. I think we finally have an answer on the Iraq vote that works. As John Sasso always says, "8th time's the charm."

16. Best to get The Candidate to stop musing in public about decisions that he hasn't made yet. And, since we have budgeted to take those matching funds, make darn sure that The Candidate is fully ready to write a personal check before you let him make any announcement. In fact, I'd suggest having the check in hand — certified.

17. Finally, have fun. There are still a lot of people in the party like you who believe that The Candidate is the party's best and only hope of beating George Bush, and we have all seen moments and flashes in which John is That Man.

Your task, in the few short weeks you have, is to somehow make him perform at that level each and every day. There's no evidence it can be done, but you gotta try. You and New Hampshire can make The Candidate The Comeback Kid.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As for Cahill, who becomes the only woman running a major presidential campaign this cycle, she has a lot of fans. She met with her new D.C. team this morning, in a meeting that was described by one knowledgeable source as "very subdued but very receptive."

So, as Robert Bartley would say, who is Mary Beth Cahill? We all know her resume — Kennedy, Barney Frank, EMILY's List — but who is she really?

And no, she's not the "charismatic karaoke" host of Boston area fame LINK or the guitarist LINK.

Cahill, an alum of Emmanuel College where she received her B.A., has run three Senate races. She won with Leahy and Pell, but fell short with Aucoin. She's also been part of dozens of House races. She was an Assistant to the president for Public Liaison under President Clinton, and oversaw China WTO.

She also spent time under Governor Michael Dukakis in his office of the Commonwealth and on the staff of Rep. Robert Drinan.

And sorry guys, she's taken.

The Massachusetts native has been described as "savvy" and win-oriented and has known Kerry for some 20 years leading up to their union on this campaign.

Said one wily Democratic observer who knows her well, "She is as talented and savvy as any presidential campaign manager out there, but her greatest attribute is that her only agenda is to win. After being courted by several presidential races over the last year, she's joining Kerry because he is the only one that can beat George Bush in the general election."

Another Democratic fan of hers told The Note, "She is very smart, very focused, extremely disciplined, and very tough. Very tough."

Before we got the draft of the Jordan memo, our lead was going to be "The Top Ten Casualties of Howard Dean's Success," with Jordan as Number One.

Before the news of the firing, our lead was going to be Howard Dean's strength in the nominating process. The weekend must-reads were pretty much about the one topic dominating presidential

Politics:

Dean. When Brownstein (Saturday), Balz (and Diamond Jim), and Bagourney (the latter two pieces on Sunday) all write about the same thing — in this case, just how high Dean's current catbird seat is — you know it is Big. LINK; and LINK

Note in particular the must-read paragraph in the Post story that says that some Democrats wanting the Clintons and Al Gore to come to the rescue and stop Dean!

Every presidential cycle the Chatterers in one or both parties (and the press) go through a period of "buyer's remorse" — sometimes it is BEFORE the nominee is effectively chosen, sometimes it is after.

In 1992, as Bill Clinton kept on rolling up delegates, Johnny Apple had Lloyd Bentsen, Dick Gephardt, and all sorts of other people as shoo-ins to accept the nomination in New York.

It's become common wisdom to say that Howard Dean's biggest enemy for the nomination is … Howard Dean, but a corollary of that is that the stronger he seems, the more energy builds up in the lingering remnants for what passes for the Establishment of the Democratic Party to stop him.

This seems unlikely, what with the facts that

a. such talk only serves to rile up Dean's supporters (most of whom have NEVER eaten at Tortilla Coast … ) and b. Note the use of the word "remnants" above (and we were being generous … )

Let's face it: on the current economy/deficit/war trajectories Al Gore or Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket could probably hold (we are reading this off the back of an envelope) 200 to 220 electoral votes without breaking a sweat. There are plenty of Democratic wisegals and wiseguys who think Dean will be lucky to win half that number.

At some point, if the race doesn't look close at the top of the ticket, Democrats could start seeing ugliness all around them, and begin to worry about downballot effects.

REMEMBER: THE NOTE IS WRITING ABOUT HOW THINGS LOOK TODAY, AND *MIGHT* LOOK DOWN THE ROAD. WE AREN'T PREDICTING ANY OF THIS, AND/BUT, AS KEN MEHLMAN KNOWS, THE PRESS ALWAYS CHEERS FOR A CLOSE RACE!!

Anyhoo, our point is that until and unless one of the other Democratic candidates emerges as a strong enough candidate to be the clear anti-Dean, the hand-wringing is going to be deafening.

Speaking of … .

Just as Elizabeth Kolbert could have predicted, the Hillary-Clinton-for-president stories aren't going away anytime soon. Michael Blood of the New York Daily News stirred the pot again this weekend wondering if New York's junior Senator could emerge as the ultimate anti-Dean candidate. LINK

"Sources close to the New York senator and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have made it clear that they think the dovish Dean would be ruinous for the Democratic Party," writes Blood.

And, a Quinnipac University poll has Bush trailing the five leading Democratic candidates and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York. LINK

Senator Kerry campaigns in Iowa today. He's in Arizona tomorrow. He appears on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday. He's in New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday, and Iowa on Friday and Saturday.

President Bush attends Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraisers today in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Greenville, South Carolina. He'll also make remarks on the economy at the BMW plant in Greer, South Carolina, today. He's in D.C. on Tuesday and Wednesday. He heads to Florida on Thursday for a pair of Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraisers. He's back in D.C. on Friday.

Mrs. Bush attends a pair of Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraisers today in Wilmington, Delaware, and South Portland, Maine.

The Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson dinner is this Saturday in Des Moines. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (There she is again!!) will keynote the event, and Governor Dean, Senator Kerry, Congressman Gephardt, Senator Edwards, Congressman Kucinich, and Ambassador Moseley Braun are scheduled to attend.

Senator Lieberman is scheduled to be in D.C. on Saturday, Reverend Sharpton is scheduled to be in South Carolina, and General Clark has no public events scheduled for that day.

Governor Dean is in Iowa today, where he'll hold a press conference this morning in Des Moines and attend a private campaign fundraiser tonight in Cedar Rapids. He's in Iowa again on Tuesday. On Wednesday, SEIU and AFSCME are scheduled to make a joint announcement in D.C. about an endorsement for Dean. He campaigns in New Hampshire on Thursday and then back in Iowa for the weekend.

Congressman Gephardt attends private fundraisers in New York today. He does more of that in New York and New Jersey tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. He's in Des Moines on Saturday for the J-J dinner.

General Clark campaigns in Arizona today. He's in New Hampshire Tuesday through Friday.

Senator Edwards is in Atlanta today. He campaigns in South Carolina on Friday. He's in Des Moines on Saturday.

Senator Lieberman campaigns in New Hampshire today. He's in Oklahoma on Tuesday and D.C. on Saturday.

Congressman Kucinich campaigns in San Francisco today. He's in Des Moines on Saturday.

Reverend Sharpton is in Chicago with no public events today. He's in New York City tomorrow, D.C. on Wednesday, and New York City again on Friday. He is scheduled to go to South Carolina on Friday and campaign there through Saturday.

Ambassador Moseley Braun is in Chicago and has no public events announced for the week. She's in Des Moines on Saturday for the J-J dinner.

Louisiana voters will go to the polls on Saturday for the gubernatorial run-off election between Democratic Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco and Republican Bobby Jindal. Blanco and Jindal will have two final debates this week; the first is in Baton Rouge tonight, the second is on Wednesday night.

Iowa:

The Des Moines Register 's Jonathan Roos reported on Sunday that Gephardt "has overtaken" Dean in a poll by the Des Moines Register of likely caucus participants. LINK

David Yepsen comments on the poll, Noting, "The only good news for Dean in today's poll is that he still leads among the diehards, those zealous folks who say they'll most definitely show up on caucus night." LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Lynn Okamoto reports, "Five of this year's Democratic presidential candidates have spent more than $6 million on television advertising, including $2.5 million in Iowa, but some political spectators say the ads haven't left a lasting impression." LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Jane Norman reports on how much is raised in Iowa … and spent on catering. LINK and LINK

On Sunday, the Des Moines Register 's Ken Fuson wrote about the magic of organizing trail events that might end up on C-SPAN's "Road to the White House." LINK

District of Columbia:

On Friday, the Edwards, Clark, Lieberman, Kerry, and Gephardt campaigns informed the D.C. Board of Elections that they would not participate in the delegate-less January 13 primary, citing Democratic Party rules prohibiting contests before Iowa and New Hampshire. The AP reports on the disrespect felt by some D.C. officials, including Tony Bullock, a spokesman for Mayor Williams, who said, "We have been royally dissed by these five candidates." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary:

Salon captures Will Marshall's hand-wringing on the Dean surge in a piece focusing on the Dems' inability to capture the public imagination. LINK

(P.S., We get confused too, but wasn't the American Majority Institute the LAST name for what is now the Center for American Progress?)

We admire Tom Edsall a very good deal but respectfully disagree with this ayem's piece comparing Bush and Dean fundraising because:

--The Governor and the president have wildly different fundraising methods.--Few mortals who live outside the White House can raise money fast enough to make abandoning the federal match worthwhile.--While everyone knows the president will be just fine without any federal dollars, thank you very much, we shall wait and see how outside money and donor support helps the Governor thrive in life off the federal dollar dole. LINK

The Wall Street Journal 's editorial page finds a new Axis of Evil in the Soros-Ickes-527 connection, arguing that Dean isn't giving up much by turning down matching funds now that BCRA has left unlimited soft-money spending to the outside groups.

(We can only imagine how many chuckles this editorial will induce over at 888 16th Street!) The Boston Globe 's Ellen Goodman wrote on Sunday, "Call it a female gap, call it a male gap, but no matter how heavy the Florida hand on the electoral scale in 2000, the Democrats need to appeal to more men in 2004." LINK

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tom Diemer wrote on Sunday about how both parties recognize the importance of Ohio, especially the GOP, because, as Diemer Notes, "No Republican has captured the White House without also carrying Ohio." LINK

On Sunday, the Boston Globe 's Glen Johnson processed the free-floating complaints about all the Democratic debates and produced a calendar of all the engagements the original pack of nine, the short-lived pack of 10, and now the new pack of nine have had to incorporate into their schedules. LINK

Of all the crazy things Bob Novak has ever made up, the notion that Dick Gephardt skipped the Rock the Vote debate because his "high command determined" that Anderson Cooper would be a "hostile moderator," well, let's just say we hope he got that from Jack Kemp. LINK

The St. Petersburg Times reports that "even in the face of a promised boycott by all nine presidential candidates, state Democratic activists appear bent on holding a straw poll to show the nation the presidential preferences of Florida Democrats." LINK

Dean and Kerry criticized Bush while referencing arguments among Democrats at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Maine, according to the AP. LINK

Dean:

The Wall Street Journal 's Jeanne Cummings takes a look at Dean's decision to go it alone on campaign cash, including a comment from "one Gephardt aide" who repeats what many have been writing — particularly in the last week, when Dean tied up endorsements from SEIU and AFSCME, but Gephardt claimed a 7-point lead in the weekend's Des Moines Register poll.

"'If we don't win in Iowa, I don't see anybody who can stop him,' one Gephardt aide says."

Dean explains his reasoning — in case you didn't catch his speech … and all the press releases — in giving up matching funds for the primary season in a Wall Street Journal op-ed today. The insurgent-turned-frontrunner throws in a precious and utterly unbelievable story about thinking that his campaign Web site had been hacked because the tally of money raised exceeded their expectations.

"In an ideal world, no candidate would have to consider declining public financing. But when one candidate declines it, and that candidate's opponent accepts a $45 million spending cap, the playing field is clearly not level. President Bush plans on raising around $200 million for a primary election in which he faces no opponent."

"On Saturday, our supporters delivered a message that was loud and clear: Our campaign is reform itself. They gave our campaign a great gift — they ensured we would not be beholden to any powerful individual or group. Instead, they freed us from answering to anyone except the people themselves. That is a different kind of reform; one that comes from the bottom up, and not the top down. It proves that when the American people come together, they can be the most powerful special interest of all."

The Washington Post 's Balz and VandeHei wrote on Sunday that "Dean is shaking up the Democratic presidential race by busting federal spending constraints, locking up two of the campaign's biggest endorsements and, for the first time, threatening to pull away from the pack." LINK

The Washington Post editorial page writes that Dean "should promise to stay within the spending limits until he emerges as the Democratic nominee. [Kerry], who's considering a similar move, has made this pledge. But the Dean campaign isn't going along." LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Tom Beaumont on Dean's decision to forgo matching funds. LINK

Knight Ridder's James Kuhnhenn reports, "The abandonment of the Post -Watergate campaign-finance system by leading candidates could end the program and unleash a torrent of money from private donors into the presidential election." LINK

The Boston Herald's Andrew Miga writes that Kerry "yesterday slammed Howard Dean for rejecting federal public campaign funds — even as the Bay State senator prepared to make the same move." LINK

USA Today 's Drinkard and Lawrence report that Kerry may follow in Dean's footsteps within days. LINK

On Sunday, Beaumont wrote that success is putting pressure on Dean — especially in the caucuses. LINK

The Portland Oregonian's David Reinhard looked yesterday at a memo from Republican pollsters Bob Moore and Hans Kaiser that tags Dean as a true believer appealing to the Democratic base, and Notes that he's a threat to President Bush that can't be ignored. LINK

The Boston Globe 's Sarah Schweitzer reported on Saturday that Dean said — seemingly off the cuff — that he plans to air new ads using footage from President Bush's landing on the aircraft carrier. LINK

David Broder didn't seem to think the tide had turned yet when he wrote about the Democrats' problems in the South on Sunday, "By inadvertently reopening the deepest wound within the nation, the race issue, Dean hurt himself and did a disservice to his party." LINK

Fred Dicker of the New York Post reports Howard Dean's Confederate flag comment cost him the endorsement of State Senate Minority Leader David Paterson. LINK

On Sunday, Schweitzer reported on how the Dean campaign was handling the flag fallout, writing, "Indeed, for all the criticism, by week's end the tide had seemed to turn for Dean … " LINK

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Dick Polman profiled the dark side of Howard Dean yesterday, with a laundry list of adjectives and quotes of people who marvel at the Governor's … "pluck," we believe was the word. Don't miss it. LINK

The Boston Herald's David Guarino reports on the trouble Dean has had with Vermont's teachers and Notes that Massachusetts teachers have taken notice. LINK

Read more from the trail with Dean on abcnews.com: LINK

Kerry:

Matea Gold's Kerry campaign assessment may have been overtaken by events, but it is still worth your read. LINK

Kerry should decide sometime this week whether to forego public campaign financing. LINK

The New York Daily News' James Gordon Meek writes up John Kerry's "Face the Nation" appearance highlighting his upcoming campaign finance decision. LINK

Lloyd Grove and Chris Black had some odd e-mail exchange about which of her husband's opponents Mrs. Heinz Kerry hugged and who was left hugless at last week's Rock the Vote forum. LINK

From ABC News' Kerry campaign reporter Ed O'Keefe:

Senator Kerry emerged from the Rochester, New Hampshire, VFW on Saturday having heard the news he expected all day: his chief rival Howard Dean had become the first Democratic candidate in history to reject public financing, allowing him to spend without limit in pursuit of the Democratic crown.

"I'm disappointed that campaign finance on the Democratic side is coming apart," Kerry said. "(Dean's decision is) a reversal of his own statements and a reversal of his signing of legal statements."

Kerry, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, then added of his own campaign finances, "It may well involve personal money. You know, if we're out of the system, we're out of the system."

On Saturday night, Maine Democrats who had been expecting a fight between the two Democratic heavyweights locked in a nomination battle were disappointed, as they charged into to Saco to win their hearts and minds at dinner between the chicken and a chocolate dessert.

Kerry and Dean remained relatively civil if not chilly in their dislike from a distance. As expected, Dean rapped "Washington insiders" for not getting the job done and supporting programs such as No Child Left Behind and military actions such as the Iraq war.

Shortly after Dean's raucous introduction, Kerry took a seat in the far rear of the room sitting at the last seat on the table. Never once clapping for his opponent's stump, Kerry listened casually in between scribbling notes for his upcoming speech.

When Dean concluded, he headed straight down the center of the crowd, nearing the exit and Kerry. As the anticipated "moment" inched handshake by handshake closer, the cameras gathered and pens poised over paper. Alas, as Dean reached Kerry's table, Kerry turned his back toward Dean and chatted with restaurant workers at the bar.

After a videotaped introduction from former Senator George Mitchell, Kerry literally climbed the tables over the path down which Dean had just exited. Delivering a full-throated stump, Kerry appealed to the need for a "strong and right" candidate who will rally against "special interests in Washington," plug the loophole-filled tax code, and repeal the high end of the Bush tax cuts in favor of health care, education and other programs.

Read more from the trail with Kerry on abcnews.com: LINK

Gephardt:

The Des Moines Register 's ed board colorfully writes, "An editorial board session with Dick Gephardt feels a little like a graduate seminar in political science." LINK

The Kansas City Star's Steve Kraske writes that "when you watch [Gephardt] in person, right there in front of you, a lot of people can't believe what they're seeing." LINK

From ABC News' Gephardt campaign reporter Sally Hawkins:

Still smarting from last week's news of union endorsements for Howard Dean, the Gephardt campaign was on a rollercoaster ride this weekend: first with Dean's public financing decision, then with a Des Moines Register poll showing Gephardt gaining ground and Dean dropping in Iowa.

In response to Dean's decision to forgo public financing, Gephardt told ABC News, "I think it's unfortunate. George Bush has done this; now Howard is doing it. Howard said he wouldn't break the caps and now he's breaking the caps. He can disguise it with a poll but I really think it's bad for the system. We have this system in place and the caps — and all that we've done to try to contain finance spending is being blown apart."

The Sunday poll, however, brought relief, showing Gephardt with a 7-point lead over Dean in Iowa among likely caucus goers. Taken last week, the survey could reflect some backlash among Iowans upset by the Confederate flag flap, but it was also taken prior to the news that Dean will soon be adding thousands more AFSCME and SEIU foot soldiers to rally support for him on caucus night.

While Gephardt frequently jokes to his over-65 supporters at Iowa campaign stops that "January 19th will be a warm and balmy evening," the poll also shows how important it will be for the Gephardt camp to get those folks out, balmy evening or blizzard.

More potential good news: the United Auto Workers announced they are releasing their locals to endorse the candidate of their choice. The UAW has a huge membership base in Iowa and Michigan, and some Gephardt staffers feel confident that key UAWs will be theirs.

Bill Carrick, a senior strategist for Gephardt, told ABC News that none of the recent Dean news will change their strategy. "There is no magic campaign rabbit that we're going to pull out of a hat." Another campaign source said they feel they are right on track and predicted wins in Iowa and February 3 states Missouri, North Dakota, and Oklahoma and "that's four of the seven states up until then." February 3, he said, is an "advantageous lineup" for Gephardt.

Sounds good, but beyond Iowa money will be a key factor and Dean will have lots more of it. Adding insult to injury, it was reported that some top Gephardt campaign staffers have been asked to take pay cuts.

Read more from the trail with Gephardt on abcnews.com: LINK

Clark:

The New York Times ' Leslie Wayne takes a look at how General Clark built such a lucrative career in the three years since leaving the military.

"His investment portfolio is worth about $575,000. He also has $1 million in a checking account and short-term certificates of deposit, and another $1 million in a checking account in the name of Wesley K. Clark and Associates, which he set up in 2002." LINK

And in yesterday's paper … The New York Daily News' Lloyd Grove asked Clark about his reaction to Dean's Confederate flag comments during an exclusive MTA subway trip last Thursday.

Clark said: ""Well, he shouldn't have said those things. I think all Americans — and this is a joke! — all Americans, even if they're from the South and 'stupid,' should be represented." LINK

From ABC News' Clark campaign reporter Deborah Apton:

It seems like a positive break for the Clark campaign may take some time, but in the interim, The General's staff remains hopeful that by arguing union endorsements and money don't win the nomination or equal votes, they can convince their supporters that while Dean has the passion at the moment, "passion can't get you over the finish line."

Senior staffers told ABC News that Dean plays to the hearts of only partisan Democrats and, in the end, Dean's essentially "negative" and "a disaster waiting to happen." While Dean has the popularity in the North, Clark plays well in the South — the Clark campaign's peace of mind comes in thinking that if Dean wins New Hampshire and even Iowa, Clark could come in first in the February 3 states, making this a two-man, Dean/Clark, race to the finish.

On a charter flight from Atlanta to Columbia, South Carolina on Friday, General Clark told a small group of reporters that he didn't know how the endorsements by SEIU and AFSCME for Dean would affect his campaign, saying that "the real impact is on other people, not me." Two Clark staffers said on background that while the campaign never thought Clark had a chance of winning the SEIU endorsement, they can say that their decision to pull out of Iowa lost them the AFSCME nod.

Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK

Edwards:

Edwards courted North Carolina's black voters Sunday, asking for a turnout at the polls in 2004 reminiscent of his 1998 Senate campaign. LINK

Edwards launched his "African Americans for Edwards" campaign in North Carolina over the weekend. LINK

Speaking at a rally sponsored by the North Carolina African Americans for Edwards Committee, Edwards told African Americans "You put me in the Senate," and asked them to help him again in the primaries. LINK

In the Raleigh News & Observer, John Wagner sums up the weekend campaign in New Hampshire and North Carolina, Noting that on Saturday evening when asked who he looks to for advice by a member of the audience, Edwards named retired General Hugh Shelton and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs as one of his unofficial advisers on foreign policy. LINK

The New York Times ' Bob Herbert praises John Edwards' focus on the middle-class debt trap. LINK

Edwards continued to blast Dean for his Confederate flag remark this weekend on "Meet the Press" LINK and said he favored quickly moving to share power in Iraq with international forces. He also pledged not to withdraw from the public campaign finance system. LINK

In the Boston Globe Alan Schroeder gives Edwards the advantage vs. Bush in his evaluation of potential 2004 debate matchup: "An Edwards-Bush meeting would be less a debate than a scene from the class struggle. The earnest, self-made son of a millworker taking on the smug, silver-spooned son of a president is the stuff of Frank Capra movies — and in Capra movies we know who prevails. Advantage: Edwards." LINK

The New York Times ' Randy Archibald wrote yesterday about the turning point of last week's flag flap. LINK

In "The Democrat's Campaign Blues" Salon.com's Tim Grieves writes about Edwards' challenge on the Iraq issue: "At a debate in Detroit last month, Edwards began his closing statement by saying: "George Bush's America is not our America, but we have to do more than say, 'I told you so … The trouble is, Edwards can't even say "I told you so" when it comes to Iraq. Indeed, on what is becoming the central issue in the presidential race, Edwards can't credibly claim to have "told" anyone anything at all. When Bush asked for authority to go to war last fall, Edwards said yes." LINK

From ABC News' Edwards campaign reporter Gloria Riviera:

Saturday, Senator Edwards capped off his New Hampshire bus tour three quarters of the way to his goal of holding 100 town hall meetings in New Hampshire. Asked about his circle of policy advisers, Edwards named retired General and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and fellow North Carolinian) Hugh Shelton as an informal foreign policy adviser, as well as Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger.

Edwards was in North Carolina Sunday evening to rally support from the African-American voter base that was so critical in helping him win his Senate seat in 1998. Craig Kirby, Edwards' deputy national campaign chair, told the audience they needed to make the campaign a grassroots powerhouse, getting into diners and coffee shops to tell people who John Edwards is. And, ever mindful of the long-term campaign strategy, Kirby told the room the election would start in South Carolina.

Campaign staffers say Clark's decision to focus on South Carolina only makes the state more of a battleground and increases its relevance as never before. "Because we know we will win South Carolina," one senior aid said, the reaction to Clark is simple: Bring it on, General.

Read more from the trail with Edwards on abcnews.com: LINK

Kucinich:

PoliticsNH.com is running full steam ahead with their "Who Wants to Be a First Lady?" contest at the top of their site, complete with an American Gothic take-off with Kucinich's faced superimposed next to the blank face of his mystery future partner. So far two women have applied: LINK

The Washington Post 's Milbank recounts Kucinich's shining comedic moment at the Planned Parenthood forum: LINK

Ever wondered exactly what it is that vegans eat? Kucinich makes the Post again, this time in Mark Leibovich's profile of the first vegan candidate: LINK

The Boston Globe 's Alan Schroeder scores Kucinich and the other candidates on how they'd match up against Bush in a debate: LINK

The Olympian covers Kucinich's visit to Seattle Friday: LINK

As does the Seattle Times: LINK

From ABC News' Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:

7:30 pm Welcome to Temple and Evening 8:00 pm Invocation, Meditation and Prayer 8:40 pm: Performance of "Tantric Gospel" by the Radical Spirit Band 11:00 pm Collective Visualization Process

It's not the evening schedule at Canyon Ranch, but just some of the program notes from Dennis Kucinich's Saturday night fundraiser at a private home in Marin County. And you won't find any un-P.C., manifest destiny-tinged titles like "Pioneers" among this group. Organizers described fundraising levels as Prophets ($2000), Trailblazers ($1000), Visionaries ($500), Change Agents ($250), and Soul Allies ($100).

So if Kucinich watchers ever had any question as to whether the Congressman is actually into all that so-called "new age" stuff, they need look no further than the last two days, where Kucinich spoke like a spiritual guru trapped in the suit-wearing body of a politician throughout a jam-packed schedule of speeches and fundraisers in Seattle, Marin County and Santa Cruz.

While Seattle offered the usual fare of well-received, populist-themed speeches to audiences like U Dubb students, King County Democrats (Washington Senator Patty Murray also spoke but did not appear with or mention Kucinich), and local labor groups, the Bay Area events felt more like a Berkeley class of '69 reunion, with the campus green replaced by sprawling homes built into the cliffs of Marin County.

To the attendees of Saturday night's fundraiser, where guests took their shoes off at the door and asked questions like "How do we bridge the paradigms?" Kucinich is a dream candidate who speaks their language. Indeed, the Congressman sprinkled his usual stump speech with enough new age flavor it seemed he might start to meditate right there, with such passages as, "A singer speaks that we are all made of stars. The concepts of [names three philosophers I couldn't determine] all speak to the energy of the stars being within us, and we then are also of the energy of the stars."

When speaking about inner knowledge later on, he said to event host (and former Timothy Leary cohort) Ram Dass, "On my way here I could hear you calling me."

But even that warm welcome was outdone in Santa Cruz, where crowds at folk singer Michelle Shocked's benefit concert screamed "We love you!" and pamphlets on world peace, ecological harmony and veganism sat alongside campaign materials. As the Santa Cruz Sentinel says, the area is "Kucinich country." The city council recently voted for a resolution to impeach President Bush.

Read more from the trail with Kucinich on abcnews.com: LINK

Sharpton:

Sunday's Washington Post examines Sharpton's large donor percentage and his campaign contributors — mostly African-American media moguls.

"Sharpton is among the leaders in one category: the percentage of campaign funds that have come from large donors (those giving $1,000 or more to a candidate). Thanks in part to Johnson, Hughes and others, Sharpton has raised 82 percent of his funds from large donors, third among all candidates behind President Bush at 84 percent and Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) at 83 percent … "LINK

The Washington Post 's Hanna Rosin assesses the Sharpton campaign and its efforts in South Carolina. On the Sharpton sermon:

"The result is a beautiful thing, a mix of politics, rage, sentiment, Scripture, saucy jokes, the weather, his mama." LINK

Sunday's Boston Globe Noted both Sharpton's wit and his guts.

"Whether he is throwing out another one-liner or hushing hecklers in the audience, Sharpton has been a crowd-pleaser throughout the Democratic presidential debates, so adept at onstage delivery that he performs oral gymnastics over the rest of the contenders. But in recent weeks, the man New Yorkers simply call "Rev" has been more than a gadfly buzzing his challengers. By pressing his opponents on touchy issues ranging from affirmative action to the Confederate flag and the Middle East, Sharpton also has shown himself to be a politician with a strategic dimension. LINK

Sharpton continues to take heat for his flip-flop on the Janice Rogers Brown nomination — this time from Project 21, a group of African-American conservatives.

"Members of Project 21 question Sharpton's commitment civil rights in now seeking to deny the black judge a fair and timely confirmation process, especially as Sharpton's new position violates not only the U.S. Constitution but Sharpton's own views." LINK

From ABC News' Sharpton campaign reporter Beth Loyd:

Reverend Sharpton spent the weekend doing voter registration in Maryland, preaching in Delaware, opening his Washington, D.C. campaign headquarters (complete with "Slap the Donkey" T-shirts), and addressing the story of the week: Howard Dean.

Sharpton said that Dean's apology over the Confederate flag flap was "a little weak," and that Dean had damaged himself, particularly among black voters and in the South. Sharpton Noted that, given the events of the last week, he is less concerned about the threat of the Dean campaign usurping any of his supporters.

On Dean refusing federal matching funds, Sharpton, who believes that all campaigns should be funded in full with federal money, urged Dean to be consistent on campaign finance. Yet he is clearly less concerned with how Dean raises money than he is with qualifying for matching funds for his own campaign (10 states down, 10 to go).

On Sunday, Sharpton cut the ribbon at the campaign's D.C. headquarters in front of the Bowie State marching band, a pack of press, and about 20 supporters — a rather disappointing turnout, according to one campaign source. Sharpton stood on the podium in front of a sea of red "Sharpton 2004" posters taped on the windows of the campaign office, and challenged the other candidates to participate in the D.C. primary — although Kerry, Lieberman, Gephardt and Edwards have already opted out — an action that could dramatically decrease the significance of a Sharpton D.C. primary victory.

"If we can go to Iowa and New Hampshire, then what is the standard you use to not come to the District of Columbia? Those double-standards need to be dealt with."

Read more from the trail with Sharpton on abcnews.com: LINK

Moseley Braun:

In Muriel Dobbin's article in the Fresno Bee yesterday, Carol Moseley Braun explains how important the NOW and NWPC endorsement was to her campaign. LINK

"Braun asserted that her campaign received a 'tremendous boost' from the endorsement of the National Organization for Women. 'If I had not had the support of women, I would have had to think really hard about declaring my candidacy,' she said."

From ABC News' Moseley Braun campaign reporter Monica Ackerman: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun was out of the public's eye this weekend, reportedly moving in her hometown, Chicago. And speaking of moving, the Ambassador has someone new "managing the operation": Paula Xanthopoulou, the Florida president of the National Women's Political Caucus, has temporarily moved to Chicago to, in her words, "manage the operation," but not necessarily to be the campaign's manager.

Read more from the trail with Moseley Braun on abcnews.com: LINK

Nader:

"Ralph Nader called Democrats chronic whiners for continuing to accuse him of spoiling the 2000 presidential election for Al Gore," writes the AP. LINK

New Hampshire:

Faye Fiore of the Los Angeles Times delivers an absolute must-read suggesting economic concerns may not be foremost in the minds of Granite Staters. LINK

" … the sluggish economy that has battered places like Iowa, Michigan and Ohio has left New Hampshire only slightly bruised."

More Fiore: "Times are relatively good in New Hampshire. The unemployment rate is more than a point below the nation's … "

Michigan:

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Deirdre Shesgreen reports, "Party officials in Michigan are touting a plan to allow Internet voting, a step they hope will double turnout and make it easier for candidates to get their supporters to cast a ballot." LINK

Democratic National Convention:

The Democratic National Convention is making a push for the college vote, tying together the 2004 DNC in Boston with that city's reputation as a college town.

In a Harvard Crimson editorial, Roderick O'Connor, convention CEO, attempts to link data in a Harvard survey (a questionable survey, some say) that showed college students were active in communities but not in politics. Says O'Connor, "to confront national issues through volunteerism and never engage in politics is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back." LINK

The politics of national security:

Newsweek leads with a cover story on "How Dick Cheney Sold the War," reporting that while Cheney aides "took strong exception to the notion" that the vice president "was somehow carrying water for the neocons," it does nonetheless appear "that Cheney has been susceptible to 'cherry-picking,'" intelligence as he "created a parallel government that became the real power center" in the run-up to the war in Iraq. LINK

Meanwhile Time reports that "CIA Director George Tenet is hammering out a new National Intelligence Estimate on post-Saddam Iraq, which will assess the threats to national security posed by the nation now that some 135,000 US troops are stationed there." LINK

In Iraq news, in an interview with the Washington Post Friday, General John Abizaid said he told his commanders, "'We are not as far along as I would have liked to have been by November'" and told the Post he was concerned recent attacks against U.S. forces "have enabled the enemy fighters to create an impression in the news media worldwide that 'they are stronger than they are.'" LINK

While the Times of London offers an interview with Ambassador Bremer in which he says, "there are going to be increased attacks and increased terrorism because the terrorists can see the reconstruction dynamic is moving in our direction" and admits that "unless our intelligence gets better, we're going to have a problem" in battling the insurgents.

The New York Times has White House aides admit a "string of missteps" in U.S.-Turkish relations as the State-Pentagon tug-of-war spills into the pages of the Paper of Record — yet again. LINK

The Washington Post reports that local news stations wanting an interview with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld also must air interviews with "three or four other Pentagon officials" as "a condition" for getting time with The Don. LINK

With a New Orleans date line, the nifty William Safire deconstructs the president's speech on democracy in the Middle East, offers praise for Bush's Big Idea, and urges readers to read the address for themselves. LINK

The Washington Times picks up on Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts' weekend comments that the leaked memo from his committee's Democrats has poisoned the committee's well, and "stunned" and "shocked" him. LINK

While the New York Times ' Bumiller profiles the CIA-produced President's Daily Brief now being sought after by "the nonpartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Senate Intelligence Committee," Noting that "so far the White House has claimed that the P.D.B., as it is called, is off limits under executive privilege." LINK Stay tuned!

Gore:

Ron Brownstein writes up Al Gore's "blistering critique" of the USA Patriot Act and what Gore sees as the Bush Administration's violations of civil liberties. LINK

Al Gore tells a crowd of 3,000 at Constitution Hall the Patriot Act is "on balance, a terrible mistake." LINK

Gore railed on the Bush Administration for using fears mounting from terrorism for political gain. He also called for the repeal of the Patriot Act. LINK

The Washington Post 's Rick Weiss reports, "Looking energized and fit, Gore told 3,000 cheering supporters in Washington's DAR Constitution Hall — and innumerable others who watched on C-Span and on a live Internet Webcast — that President Bush was taking the wrong approach to protecting the nation from terrorist threats." LINK

Knight Ridder's Shannon McCaffrey reports that Gore called for the "repeal of the USA Patriot Act and accused the Bush administration of exploiting Americans' fear of terrorism for political gain." LINK

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

The president and First Lady hit the road today for several BC04 fundraisers — President Bush will be in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Greenville, South Carolina, while Laura Bush heads to Wilmington, Delaware and South Portland, Maine. LINK; and LINK

Attorney General John Ashcroft has become a lightning rod for criticism from the Democratic presidential contenders, the Dallas Morning News reports, serving as "something of a 'heat shield' for the administration, one former Justice Department official says, deflecting blame that otherwise might be directed at the White House and Mr. Bush. LINK

New York Governor George Pataki has become a top surrogate for the Bush re-election campaign, writes Newsday's Jordan Rau, prompting talk of aspirations on the national level. LINK

And the Des Moines Register 's Lynn Okamoto reports on Pataki's visit to Des Moines last week, where he stressed that "his immediate goals are to be the best governor of New York and to help re-elect President Bush." LINK

After a week of positive economic numbers, more Americans said they approved of the president's handling of the economy, according to a Newsweek poll released Saturday, and a third of those polled said that the economy will be a more important issue than terrorism and homeland security in 2004.

"While more registered voters say they disapprove rather than approve of the way Bush is handling the economy (48 percent vs. 44 percent), the margin has narrowed considerably since October's 37 percent vs. 56 percent." LINK

The economy:

It might be the holidays, not tax cuts, that spur job growth — at least in the retail sector, report the Wall Street Journal 's Jon Hilsenrath, Ann Zimmerman and Amy Merrick. Retailers have been dealing with price slumps for the past two years, but see things looking up this season, and retail employment reflected that optimism in October — 30,000 new jobs were added. Sales growth between 3% and 7% is expected as well.

Big Casino budget politics:

The Wall Street Journal 's David Rogers looks at the competition hospitals face from chains focusing on cardiac and surgical services, and how Medicare payments for those lucrative procedures is leaving community hospitals struggling. Those reimbursements are part of the core argument over changes to Medicare.

To compete or not to compete, that is the question. The New York Times ' Robert Pear reports "House and Senate negotiators are trying to reconcile Medicare bills passed by the two chambers, and they hope to finish before Nov. 21, when Congressional leaders plan to adjourn for the year" but a "proposal for competition, also known as 'premium support'" could sink the legislation. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Vicki Kemper explores Ted Kennedy's influential role in trying get some form of a prescription drug benefit added to Medicare, a fight he began 26 years ago. LINK

The Washington Times ' Amy Fagan reports that Republican leaders are stepping up efforts to push their Medicare prescription-drug bill through the House as the Senate-House compromise nears completion. LINK

California's new governor:

With California Republicans espousing relief over Schwarzenegger appointments, Bob Novak asks if the Terminator can really save California. LINK

ABC News Vote 2003: On to Louisiana:

USA Today 's William Welch profiles Bobby Jindal. LINK

Thanks to Jindal's declaration that he is "not a Muslim," the Pakistani American congress is actually working against his bid for the Governor's seat in Louisiana. LINK

The Times Picayune takes a look at all the negative campaigning that's going on in the Louisiana governor's race. Or is it? LINK

Large sums of Jindal's money have come from a handful of wealthy families, reports the Lafayette Advertiser. LINK

Politics:

In a request sure to delight Europeans who already harp on the American withdrawal from Kyoto, the U.S. is seeking "international support for broad exemptions to a 2005 ban on a popular pesticide." LINK

The Chicago Tribune's Mike Dorning chronicles the revolving door story "of how the wiry, hyperkinetic 43-year-old" Rahm Emanuel "made more than $16 million in just 2 1/2 years" in a "tale of money and power, of leverage and connections, of a stunningly successful conversion of moxie and a network of political contacts into cold, hard cash." LINK

(We can't wait for the movie!)

According to the AP's Robert Tanner, several states are dropping their presidential primaries in order to save money. LINK

A Pew Research Center Poll released last week shows a "patriotism gap" between Republicans and Democrats. LINK

Democrats are assailing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for causing "mismanagement" and turning the Senate floor into a "carnival," writes Roll Call 's Paul Kane.

DeLay and Rep. Vito Fossella are pushing for a luxurious cruise ship to serve as a hotel for Republicans during their national convention, according to Roll Call .