The Note

W A S H I N G T O N August 22—
, 2003 -- Today's Schedule (all times Eastern):

—8:00 am: Senator Bob Graham holds a meet and greet, Charleston County, S.C.—10:15 am: Governor Howard Dean tours a renewable energy company, Merrimack, N.H.—11:00 am: Senator Graham holds a roundtable with State Senator Clementa Pickney, Ridgeland, S.C.—11:00 am: Tom McClintock appears on the Armstrong and Getty radio show on Sacramento KSTE—11:00 am: Bill Simon appears on the Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan radio show on San Francisco KSFO—11:30 am: Green Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo appears on the morning show on San Diego XETV—12:00 pm: Reverend Jesse Jackson leads a press conference discussing the state of the civil rights movement, D.C.—12:00 pm: Reverend Al Sharpton attends a press conference to endorse Governor Bob Riley's tax proposal, Birmingham, Ala.—12:45 pm: President Bush tours Ice Harbor Lock and Dam, Burbank, Wash.—1:15 pm: President Bush makes remarks on salmon restoration in the Snake River, Burbank, Wash.—1:30 pm: Governor Dean holds a private meeting with N.H. NEA leaders, Concord, N.H.—2:00 pm: Sharon Davis has lunch with community leaders, Long Beach—3:00 pm: Governor Gray Davis addresses the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, San Diego—3:00 pm: Arianna Huffington holds a private roundtable discussion with the Latina Women's Forum and a press availability, Los Angeles—3:00 pm: Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with local business owners, Huntington Beach—3:00 pm: Governor Dean attends the Inter-Campaign Softball Tournament at Derryfield Park, Manchester, N.H.—3:30 pm: President Bush attends Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser at a private residence, Seattle, Wash. (closed press)—4:00 pm: Congressional and Interior Department leaders unveil a plaque at the Lincoln Memorial commemorating the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, D.C.—4:00 pm: Camejo appears on Talk of the City on Los Angeles KPCC radio—5:15 pm: Huffington appears on the Sean Hannity radio show—7:30 pm: Governor Dean attends an ice cream social at the Governor's Inn, Rochester, N.H.—8:30 pm: Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante attends a dinner honoring prominent Latinos, Coronado—9:00 pm: McClintock appears on FNC's Hannity and Colmes —10:00 pm: McClintock appears on CNN's News Night with Aaron Brown

NEWS SUMMARY

ABC News' Nick Schifrin reports that Schwarzenegger will be in Huntington Beach at 3:00 pm ET today to walk around the area and talk with local business owners. He is expected to make remarks, details TBD.

Governor Davis will address the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in San Diego today at 3:00 pm ET. He "will reiterate his opposition to Proposition 54, renew his commitment to reforming California's workers' compensation system, and discuss pressing issues facing California's Latino community," according to a campaign release. Senator Barbara Boxer will join the governor.

California First Lady Sharon Davis will attend a luncheon in Long Beach with community leaders beginning at 2:00 pm ET.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante will attend a dinner honoring prominent Latinos at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado. The event starts at 8:30 pm ET.

Arianna Huffington will hold a roundtable discussion at 3:00 pm ET with the Latina Women's Forum at the Century Supper Club in Los Angeles and hold a press availability following their private meeting. Huffington also appears on the Sean Hannity radio show this afternoon.

State Senator Tom McClintock appears on the Armstrong and Getty Show on Sacramento KSTE radio this morning. Tonight, he will be a guest on FNC's Hannity and Colmes and CNN's News Night with Aaron Brown.

Bill Simon will be a guest on the Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan show on San Francisco KSFO this morning at 11:00 am ET.

Green Party candidate Peter Camejo appears on San Diego XETV at 11:30 am ET. He also will appear on NPR affiliate Los Angeles KPCC radio for the Talk of the City program at 4:00 pm ET.

President Bush tours the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam in Burbank, Washington, today. He'll make remarks about the salmon restoration effort in the Snake River. He also attends a closed-press Bush-Cheney 2004 fundraiser at a private residence in Seattle.

Governor Dean campaigns in New Hampshire today. He'll tour a renewable energy company this morning, meet with NEA leaders, attend the hotly contested campaign softball tourney, and have some ice cream. He stays in the Granite State on Saturday, holding an economic roundtable breakfast and going to the farmer's market in Portsmouth and an IBEW picnic. Governor Dean then heads to Falls Church, Virginia, to kick-off his Sleepless Summer Tour. He'll head to Milwaukee from there.

Senator Graham is in South Carolina today. He'll have breakfast at a Charleston County meet and greet. Later, he'll hold a roundtable with State Senator Clementa Pickney in Ridgeland. He holds private meetings in Miami Lakes, Florida, on Saturday.

Senator Edwards is in New Hampshire today, Saturday and Sunday. Today, he's in Plymouth, Littleton, North Woodstock, Franklin, Tilton and Laconia. On Saturday, he takes part in the Old Home Day Parade in Allenstown, has lunch with Bedford Democrats, goes to Portsmouth, holds a town hall meeting in Dover, and heads to Exeter and Manchester. On Sunday, Edwards attends a house party in Nashua and holds town hall meetings in Keene and Lebanon.

Congressman Kucinich campaigns in New Hampshire today.

Reverend Sharpton will be in Birmingham, Alabama, today to meet with local ministers and attend a press conference to support Governor Bob Riley's tax proposal. He is also scheduled to go to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a preaching engagement. He may also be in D.C. this weekend to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

Ambassador Braun has no public events scheduled for today, but she will meet with the Democratic Party of Virginia tomorrow in Richmond and attend the Ward 8 picnic at the Anacostia Museum & Center for African American History and Culture in D.C. On Sunday, She will keynote both NOW's Women's Equality Day awards luncheon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Florida "W" Project's luncheon in Miami.

Congressman Gephardt has no announced public events for today or tomorrow. He will join supporters and voters at a free barbecue in Dover, New Hampshire, on Sunday.

Senators Kerry and Lieberman have no public events announced for today.

Today in the recall:

--Congressional Democrats came out yesterday and ended the suspense: the 33-member delegation said that while they oppose the recall, voters should vote for Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante in the event Governor Davis is ousted from office.

--Davis is beginning to show signs of backing away from his all-or-nothing stance on the recall, sending signals that he might support Bustamante.

--Senator Dianne Feinstein's criticism of Arnold Schwarzenegger at an anti-gun event with Davis is getting big play in the papers — as is her refusal to support Bustamante.

--The 335,000-member California Teachers Association endorsed Bustamante yesterday.

Correction: Schwarzenegger said during his press conference this week that he is leaning against supporting Proposition 54.

The rest of the political world, in other news:

1. The Washington Post 's Mike Allen and Dana Milbank combine forces to write about perceptions of the president's handling of national security matters. They write, "Both Republican and Democratic strategists have begun adjusting their plans for what they once viewed as unthinkable: that Bush's handling of national security in general, and the war in Iraq in particular, could become a vulnerability rather than an asset in his reelection race." LINK

2. The Boston Globe 's Glen Johnson reports on Senator Kerry's planned formal announcement speech, in which he has now "decided to trade 'Old Ironsides' for the USS Yorktown, planning to stand before the aircraft carrier on Sept. 2 to publicly declare his candidacy for president" in Charleston, South Carolina. LINK

The AP's Jennifer Holland reports on Kerry's planned return to the Palmetto State. LINK

3. Asserting what he surely sees as executive potential, a certain former governor of Vermont has an op-ed about our economy in the Wall Street Journal today in which he writes, "To keep spending in line, I will not be afraid to use the veto — a power President Bush has yet to exercise." Go read the thing.

4. The Washington Post 's Jim VandeHei writes, "No major Democratic presidential candidate is promising to change the country more dramatically than Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.)." Definitely readable. LINK

5. The AP's Jeff Barnard reports on President Bush's speech yesterday on wildfires and previews his speech today at the dam in Burbank. LINK The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Lisa Stiffler and Matthew Craft write that environmentalists "aren't biting" on the president's "environmental pledges." The story also has the logistics for three separate protests awaiting the president. LINK The Los Angeles Times' Maura Reynolds is watching this trip too. LINK

Also in Seattle, "Boeing Co. workers will face a grim workplace today, as the company hands out 1,250 60-day layoff warnings to local workers, while showing 430 other regional employees the door," reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Paul Nyhan. LINK

6. John Wagner of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that John Edwards faced a question from a person in a New Hampshire restaurant as to whether the presidential hopeful will run for re-election to the Senate. LINK

"'I'm running for president,' Edwards said. 'That's all I'm doing. What I'm doing is 100 percent running for president. … I'm not doing anything to run for the Senate seat.'"

7. An Orlando Sentinel editorial from yesterday said Bob Graham should drop out of the presidential race and stay in the Senate. LINK And the Tallahassee Democrat writes about it in their paper today. LINK

Please also read:

--The Washington Post 's T.R. Reid reports on the fatal accident involving South Dakota Congressman Bill Janklow. LINK

--The Birmingham Post-Herald's Erin Sullivan details what's moving in Judge Moore's courthouse. LINK

ABC News' Melinda Arons reports, "Dennis Kucinich got a warm welcome from the Daily Show audience [yesterday], even though the pre-show warm-up revealed no one seemed to know who he is. He looked very well put-together (the hair has definitely been worked on) and kept his cool throughout, not quite living up to Jon Stewart's favorite clip of Kucinich furiously yelling 'WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?! WHERE ARE THE WMD'S?!'"

"A serious moment … Stewart asked, 'You're considered a long shot … what's the impetus to run?' Kucinich replied 'To change the world.' He went to add that he wanted to change the policies that have taken us into war, and got a huge round of applause."

"When asked if Donald Rumsfeld is a robot, Kucinich answered, 'I'd have to say yes.'"

"At the end he couldn't resist Noting to Stewart that he filed a petition to revoke FirstEnergy's franchise in Ohio."

California recall, the Democrats:

After much public and private hand-wringing over the California recall, the state's Democratic Congressional delegation ended the suspense yesterday, releasing a statement saying that the 33 Democrats oppose the recall but urge voters to choose Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante if the recall effort is successful.

The Washington Post 's Rene Sanchez points out the divide among Democrats over the recall, illustrated by this statement and Senator Dianne Feinstein's protest position that voters should not vote for a candidate on the second question of the ballot. LINK

"The contrasting strategies reflect the growing division among Democratic leaders, interest groups and donors over how to fight the recall, especially now that polls suggest Davis's troubles are deepening."

Bustamante picked up an endorsement yesterday from the 335,000-member California Teachers Association, joining the pack of Democratic organizations that oppose the recall but support him. Depending on who's talking, the shift among Democrats and traditional Davis supporters toward the "no on recall, yes on Bustamante" strategy is either a harbinger of Davis' fate in this recall or a sign that Democrats are coalescing around a single message.

Bustamante, meanwhile, looks like he's picking up support from one more surprising corner: Gray Davis.

The Los Angeles Times' Mark Z. Barabak, Matea Gold and Dan Morain report that Davis commented to The Times last night that "'Cruz Bustamante is a good and decent person, and I believe his involvement in the race will bring out more voters who will vote against the recall.'"LINK

The New York Times ' Dean Murphy turns in a lengthy must-read profile of Bustamante, which acknowledges the Lieutenant Governor earlier long-shot status even while he's rounding up momentum-building support. LINK

"Even Mr. Bustamante's admirers acknowledge that landing the governorship is a tall order for a candidate who some political strategists suspect entered the recall derby only because he had little chance of winning in 2006, when Mr. Davis's four-year term ends and more Democratic officials would be expected to join the fray."

California recall, the Governor:

The Wall Street Journal 's Jackie Calmes has a one-two punch today, opening with a look at Davis' sea change to support Bustamante.

"The emerging shift of strategy, which his campaign hasn't publicly acknowledged but which Davis confidants described Thursday, at bottom reflects a recognition of reality: A growing number of Democrats, fearful Mr. Davis was putting his own survival ahead of the party's broader interest in keeping the governorship, are moving to defy him and back Mr. Bustamante."

"'This is where it's headed anyway. He's just facing reality,' said a Davis confidant. As another party insider put it, 'He's trying to get to the head of the parade.'"

Calmes' second shot is an item in Washington Wire reporting that California Democrats aren't buying Davis' claim that the recall is part of a Republican bid to steal elections nationwide. She also Notes that the Republican Leadership Council plans anti-Davis TV ads before Oct. 7.

But Democrats are still fighting. A senior staffer from the Davis camp tells ABC's Apton that Gore 2000 press operative Mattis Goldman is joining former White House Communications Director Ann Lewis in California to work on the governor's campaign. The Democratic National Committee offered its help two weeks ago, the campaign asked for assistance with national press and rapid response. They got Lewis and Goldman.

And there remains the Feinstein strategy. The San Francisco Chronicle's Martin and Salladay report that Senator Feinstein said she would not support Bustamante and had some harsh words for Schwarzenegger. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Miguel Bustillo on Governor Davis' efforts to rehab his image, trying to show a warmer, unscripted side. LINK

"Campaign spokesmen say that by using the charm offensive, Davis is once again borrowing a page from the political playbook of former President Clinton, who appealed for public sympathy in the face of efforts to impeach him."

"And as Davis gives detailed replies to questions from the audience, he is attempting to draw a contrast between himself and the leading Republican contender for his job, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been criticized for being too vague about how he would solve the state's problems."

The Los Angeles Times' Dan Morain writes about Davis's $1.5 million fundraiser Thursday in San Francisco attended by about 200 donors, saying that even when in trouble, Davis can still bring in the contributions. LINK

California recall, Arnold:

The Washington Times ' Ralph Hallow writes that some conservatives may be coming around on Schwarzenegger. LINK

"'I give Arnold an A-minus,' said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. 'The Hollywood media fawn all over him, and there was speculation that he was unprepared for the political press, that it would eat him for lunch. It didn't.'"

"Mr. Coupal and other conservatives generally agreed that Mr. Schwarzenegger — who leads Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante by 23 percent to 18 percent in the latest poll — showed charm and ease in fielding reporters' questions."

That said, Hallow Notes, social conservatives are thus far less excited about getting on the Schwarzenegger bandwagon.

ABC News' Schifrin reports that Schwarzenegger campaign spokesman Rob Stutzman responded to the CTA's Bustamante endorsement: "Somewhat expected, but Arnold had a good conversation with them on Monday. We worked with them on his prop 49 campaign. And he is very enthusiastic about working with teachers when he becomes governor."

The CTA said yesterday that Schwarzenegger fell out of the running when he refused to respond to its written questionnaire, Schifrin reports. Stutzman said that Schwarzenegger would not respond to written questionnaires from special interest groups because he didn't want to be beholden to them.

Do the clothes make the man? The Washington Post 's Robin Givhan interprets Schwarzenegger the candidate through his fashion sense — particularly the jewelry. LINK

"With his well-known affection for a pricey cigar, the biker-boy rings that adorn his fingers and his saucer-size Panerai watches, he is the essence of Tony Soprano meets Gordon Gekko in Vegas."

The New York Post 's Page Six also reports that Tom Hanks is the vanguard of significant Hollywood opposition to Arnold. LINK

The New York Daily News' Rush & Milloy report that author Wendy Leigh is shopping an updated version of her unauthorized Schwarzenegger biography. (Third section.) LINK

California recall, the rest of the field:

The Los Angeles Times' Steve Carney on how radio stations will deal with the equal time implications of interviewing the gubernatorial candidates.LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Scott Martelle on analysts' misgivings about Ueberroth's tax amnesty plan.LINK

The San Francisco Chronicle's Mark Simon reports that Peter Ueberroth said Thursday that Governor Davis "does not deserve to be blamed for the state's fiscal crisis" and that "'the recall is good for California.'" LINK

The San Jose Mercury News' Dawn Chmielewski reports that reporters repeatedly quizzed businessman Bill Simon at an event on whether or not he is being pressured to drop out of the race and whether he's playing the "spoiler." LINK

Attention daytime cable television news bookers: the AP reports that Vegas odds makers have laid out their lines on the recall. LINK