The Note: Monday Meter
— -- WASHINGTON, June 19
President Bush delivers his final commencement address of the season at 10:40 am ET when he speaks to graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. As always when there are potential or actual American hostages being held anywhere in the world, the White House will try to balance public concern with private concern (that talking about hostages doesn't help the situation.)
Later tonight, Mr. Bush attends the "President's Dinner" fundraiser for the NRCC and NRSC at 6:30 pm ET. The President is expected to make remarks at 8:10 pm ET to the more than 5,000 attendees who will help the Republican committees raise $23 million at the Washington Convention Center.
The questions that those at the Convention Center will be asking each other -- and themselves:
How does the electorate feel about North Korea as a political issue for November?
How does Howard Dean feel about this must-read/must-understand line from Paul Krugman's expensive New York Times column: ". . . tough talk on national security and affirmations of personal faith won't help: the other side will smear you anyway"?
How does Laura Bush feel about all the Superman-here-to-save-the-day coverage that Josh Bolten is getting (for himself), and is she close to saying that Bolten isn't as influential as the Chattering Class believes and that his role is definitely overstated, but he probably loves it and that he's very happy to have his role overstated?
How does the Wall Street Journal's John McKinnon feel about the "first interview" with Bolten that Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times has in the paper today?
How does David Sanger feel about the words "David E. Sanger contributed reporting for this article" appearing on the New York Times lede story about North Korea?
How does The Note feel about that line failing to say from what city Sanger contributed? How does Al Gore feel about Joe Lieberman? (See below.)
How does Ed Reilly feel about the amount of prep Senator Kerry does before an Imus appearance?
(How do Note readers feel about the following clunky transition?)
Kerry's Senate colleague, Vice President Cheney, delivers remarks at 1:30 pm ET at the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize Luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Per ABC News never-lax Karen Travers, the remarks will be largely a tribute to the former President, whom he served as chief of staff. The Vice President will take participate in a Q&A session after his remarks. The audience will be comprised of Ford Foundation trustees and members of the National Press Club.
President Ford's former chief of staff continues his day of appreciation of his former boss when he delivers 9:00 pm ET remarks at the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Awards Ceremony at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
Secretary Rice talked to cameras this morning to announce the resignation of her deputy Robert Zoellick. "His resignation was widely rumored for the past several weeks, so this is not a complete surprise," writes ABC News' Kirit Radia. "Zoellick's most recent high-profile work was as the US representative at the negotiations resulting in the Darfur Peace Agreement, announced in Abuja, Nigeria on May 5," adds Radia.
The Senate reconvenes at 2:00 pm ET and resumes consideration of S. 2766 -- Defense Authorization.
The House convenes at 12:30 pm ET for morning hour and at 2:00 pm ET for legislative business. House Democrats plan to push their plan for a minimum wage increase this week.
Sens. Reed (D-RI) and Levin (D-MI) hold a 2:00 pm ET press conference on the Democratic amendment on Iraq to the Defense Authorization bill.
Jury deliberations continue on the Safavian trial.
Sen. Clinton (D-NY) holds a forum, "Taking Action on Health Care," where she plans to discuss the major issues affecting the health care system, including affordability, quality, and access at 9:00 am ET in Woodbury, NY.
Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) attends the wake of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Paul F. Barry at 5:20 pm ET in Dorchester, MA.
Sen. Mikulski (D-MD), Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD), and others hold a 10:30 am ET press conference in Annapolis to "protect early voting" in Maryland.
Be sure to check out our look at the week ahead in politics below.
Politics of Iraq:
In a must-read, the Boston Globe's Susan Milligan reports that Senate Democrats will unveil a resolution crafted by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today "demanding that President Bush begin phasing out US troop presence in Iraq this year." LINK
"The resolution, expected to come to the floor as early as tomorrow, also would call on Bush to provide a plan to redeploy remaining troops after 2006, but it does not specify where troops should be moved and how many might come home."
"Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, will press ahead this week with his separate amendment to pull virtually all US troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, said his spokeswoman, April Boyd."
Per Eric Pfeiffer of the Washington Times, Democrats have begun to understand the Rhetoric War. Pfeiffer reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is "reluctant" to use the word "withdrawal" in her description of her resolution, and is framing the debate as "phased redeployment." LINK
The Wall Street Journal's ed board writes that "some three-fourths of House Democrats have now put themselves on record as favoring precipitous withdrawal -- a policy that even their own potential 2008 standard bearer, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has said is not a smart strategy." The Journal also suggests that the President and the Army should not to wobbly on them.
While appearing Sunday on "Meet the Press," Rep. Murtha responded to Karl Rove's cut-and-run charge by saying: "He's in New Hampshire. He's making a political speech. He's sitting in his air-conditioned office on his big, fat backside saying, 'Stay the course.' That's not a plan!"
Murtha also responded to Rove's charge that Zarqawi would never have been killed if the US had followed Rep. Murtha's advice and redeployed to the periphery by arguing that Zarqawi was killed through a combination of Iraqi intelligence and US air power coming from outside of the country.
Asked where the United States could redeploy its troops, Rep. Murtha identified Kuwait, Qatar, and Japan.
The New York Times' Hernandez on the same: LINK
The New York Post's Orin on the same: LINK
Since Tony Snow made it clear on "Face" that he does not speak for Rove when Rove engages in politics, the media will have to find someone else to ask.
In his weekly column, Time magazine's Joe Klein asks: "How is it possible -- with 2,500 U.S. solders dead, no discernible progress on the ground and a solid majority of the public now agreeing that the war in Iraq was a mistake -- for the Democrats to seem so bollixed about the war and for the President to seem so confident? A good part of it is flawed strategy. Democrats keep hoping that the elections can be framed as a referendum on the Bush policy, and Republicans keep reminding the public that elections are a choice, not a referendum." LINK
When NBC's Tim Russert asked Rep. Murtha if he agreed with Klein, Murtha said: "I agree with that. I think we have to have a policy. That's why I have been so adamant about this particular issue. . . Democrats are starting to come around -- and some Republicans. . ."
With a report on the alleged Marine massacre in Haditha coming soon, the White House is facing political pressure to forcefully condemn the shootings. But the Wall Street Journal's Yochi Dreazen reported over the weekend that Bush Administration aides say "their hands are tied because a stronger denunciation could derail any trials stemming from the case by allowing defense lawyers to argue that the commander in chief had prejudged their clients' guilt." LINK
Politics of North Korea:
Helene Cooper and Michael Gordon of the New York Times report that North Korea has fueled a long-range ballistic missile; however, it is unclear what the intended target (or intention) might be. Regardless, the discovery led to a flurry of unusual direct diplomatic activity with the North Koreans. LINK
In the article, Cooper and Gordon suggest the possibility that "The Bush administration might step up financing for missile defense; Japan might increase its missile defense efforts as well, while militant Japanese politicians might push to reconsider the nation's nuclear weapons options. Such moves would most likely alienate China."
Bush Administration agenda:
White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten gets a gold star from Sheryl Gay Stolberg in an assessment in the New York Times. LINK
"Now, after months in which the White House has suffered from plummeting presidential approval ratings and missteps, its new detail man is making a mark," writes Stolberg.
Although The Washington Times' Joseph Curl obviously typed the new POTUS poll data into his Thinkpad with apparent glee, he ends his piece with a sobering quote from a "former senior administration official": "The last two-and-a-half years of his administration he will be fighting the label of lame duck," the official said. "This is a nonstop campaign from now until the day he leaves office." LINK
Karl Rove:
In Saturday's Washington Post, Jim VandeHei and Dan Balz had current and former White House officials saying that the CIA leak investigation was "far more of a distraction than either Bush or Rove publicly acknowledged" and that now that Rove has not been indicted, he has "the freedom to concentrate on preserving the GOP majorities in Congress." LINK
Based on recent Rove speeches and interviews with senior GOP officials, the Washington Post duo reported that Rove "hopes to make the election a choice between the philosophies of the two parties, especially on national security" while also stoking "the Republican base with such issues as tax cuts, same-sex marriage and judicial appointments."
Newsweek's Wolffe and Bailey write up the Bush/Rove good cop/bad cop routine on display last week and buoyed spirits at 1600. LINK
And both President Bush and Rove get up arrows this week in Newsweek's CW chart. LINK
Politics of immigration:
The Los Angeles Times takes a fascinating look at the impact Georgia's new immigration law (set to go into effect next year) is having on the Hispanic home-buying market in the Peach State. LINK
Minuteman Project Founder Jim Gilchrist announced today the launch of the "Minuteman Billboard Project" aimed at expressing opposition to the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill in states with Senators who have expressed support for it. The first billboard will go up in Arizona, home to the bill's chief Republican proponent.
On the front page of the Washington Post, Spencer Hsu and Kari Lydersen report that the Bush Administration "virtually abandoned" the practice of cracking down on US companies that hire illegal workers "before it began pushing to overhaul US immigration laws last year." LINK
The Washington Times' Stephen Dinan reports that a collection of Republican think-tankers, academics, and pundits have sent a letter to President Bush -- cc'ed to Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader/Dr./Sen. Bill Frist -- asking him to join 85 percent of congressional Republicans in opposition to the guest-worker program. LINK
The authors write, "Adopting cosmetic legislation to appear to be 'doing something' about enforcement, but which actually makes the situation worse, is not statesmanship, it is demagogy."
GOP agenda:
In his Sunday column, Bob Novak wrote that the minimum wage increase passed by the House Appropriations Committee last week will not likely make it to the House floor. LINK
(There are other can't-miss nuggets in here also.)
Democratic agenda:
In his Sunday New York Times op-ed column, Frank Rich bemoaned the Democrats' inability to tell a compelling, cohesive, alternative narrative to the American people. LINK
". . . as long as the Democrats keep repeating their own mistakes, they will lose to the party whose mistakes are, if nothing else, packaged as one heckuva show. It's better to have the courage of bad convictions than no courage or convictions at all."
Keying off of all of the recent discussions over the Democratic agenda, Ron Brownstein wrote in Sunday's Los Angeles Times that the emerging Democratic ideas are good ones but they will amount too little until the party attains power for parties without power "almost always indulge in the narcissism of small differences." LINK
The Christian Science Monitor's Linda Feldmann Notes that even as the Democratic Party released its "New Direction" agenda on Friday, "its lack of unity on voters' top concern -- the Iraq war -- took center stage." LINK
(Of course, the Democrats will tell you that this is their DOMESTIC agenda rollout.)
Following Friday's press conference, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) got a little testy when a reporter suggested that the Democrats' plan was insufficiently detailed.
REPORTER: "… Do you -- do you -- do you think that this needs to be more detailed?"
DURBIN: "Clean EDGE [Energy Development for a Growing Economy] is specific. Raising the minimum wage is specific. Talking about reducing the interest rates on student loans is specific. All of these things are specific. I know you want to start with the premise that they didn't say anything, but you will have missed the point of the press conference."
Rep. Jefferson:
Steve Kornacki of Roll Call reports that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) may opt to keep Rep. William Jefferson's (D-LA) vacated seat on the Ways and Means Committee open, as a Democratic sweep this November would give her an increased number of positions to dole out, allowing her to satisfy not just one but many factions of her caucus: the CBC, which is calling for an African-American replacement for Jefferson, representatives of the Gulf Coast, as well as Democrats from various regions who have long been aiming for such a seat.
Earmark politics:
Robert Novak weighs in on pork in his Chicago Sun Times column. "Earmarks increasingly are the source of corruption and ethical transgressions on both sides of the aisle in Congress. Yet, the cardinals defend the practice. They argue constituents want pork, not reform." LINK
2006: landscape:
The Wall Street Journal's Brody Mullins detects a shift in giving among the Republican-leaning insurance, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries towards Democrats, signaling that "businesses believe Democrats will have more sway in Washington after the 2006 midterm elections or the 2008 presidential contest."
The Herald Tribune's Sara Lubbes writes that Florida's county GOP parties are having difficulties recruiting qualified candidates, raising the question of whether "decisions plaguing President Bush's administration have made it an uncomfortable time to be a first-time Republican candidate." LINK
2006: House:
Roll Call's Lauren W. Whittington writes on the annual Congressional COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), which until now had been held in place by a pact between Republicans and Democrats not to use the measure, which each year is automatically enacted, for political means in elections. That this agreement seems to be disintegrating (Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) challenger Zach Space released a news release on Friday titled "Out-Of-Touch Ney Votes to Raise His Own Pay") demonstrates the ferocity and competitiveness of many political contests this year.
Past primary challenger Charles Morrison to incumbent Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) stirs things up as he pursues his desire to run as an independent, an act that could result in the victory of Democratic candidate Mary Jo Kilroy. The county elections board is expected to vote on his eligibility for the ballot on Wednesday. The Columbus Dispatch has the story. LINK
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette headline: "Weldon Stays Home for 11th Campaign" LINK
After two decades of effortless elections, incumbent Rep. Curt Weldon (D-PA) finds himself ahead of his challenger by his smallest margin ever and now realizes he must "campaign hard" at home if he hopes to be reelected to another term.
2006: Senate:
The Associated Press has the details of former Gov. Lowell Weicker's endorsement of Ned Lamont in his Democratic primary fight against Sen. Joe Lieberman. LINK
And be sure to Note the return of the bear cartoon. In the Washington Post on Sunday, David Broder had Sen. Lieberman saying that he knows he is taking a position on the Iraq war that is not popular within the party while adding that it is a challenge for the Democratic Party to decide "whether it will accept diversity of opinion" or whether it will go "on a kind of crusade or jihad of its own to have everybody toe the line." LINK
President George Bush's decision last week to make the Hawaiian islands the world's largest marine sanctuary may have been a political gift to Rep. Steve Case (D-HI), the centrist challenger to Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) who has fought for such a designation for many years, writes Nicole Duran of Roll Call. Still, with interest groups and the party establishment behind Sen. Akaka, Rep. Case faces an uphill climb.
Pat Healy of the New York Times wrote on Sunday about the bruising New York-style battle for the GOP Senate nomination between K.T. McFarland and John Spencer. LINK
In his Sunday column, the Washington Post's George Will discussed a hard-hitting radio ad that Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) is running against Bob Casey on the issue of immigration while Noting that the cost of this hard-line on immigration will be "paid in the coin of lost support among Latinos" for years to come. LINK
"Remember this," Will writes. "Out West, feelings of all sorts about immigration policy are particularly intense, and if John Kerry had won a total of 127,014 more votes in New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado, states with burgeoning Latino populations, he would have carried those states and won the election. But for now, the minds of Republican candidates are concentrated on a shorter time horizon -- the next 4 1/2 months."
2006: Governor:
Roll Call's Stuart Rothenberg wonders aloud, "What Ever Happened to Jennifer Granholm?" the Democratic governor of Michigan who not too long ago was seen as a viable vice presidential and presidential candidate -- if the US Constitution were amended. Republican challenger Dick DeVos has waged a strong campaign against Gov. Granholm's economic record. Given recent polls, a "DeVos ally joked: 'We'd be happy to have the election next week,'" Notes Rothenberg.
Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer provided a glimpse into the life of gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann (R-PA) by highlighting his past controversial incident with police. LINK
The New Hampshire Union Leader on Gov. John Lynch's (D-NH) top notch approval ratings: LINK
The Schwarzenegger Era:
In a must-read, Michael Finnegan reported in Saturday's Los Angeles Times that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) declined on Friday to say whether he would back Phil Angelides (D) for governor. LINK
Be sure to Note the way Finnegan raises - but then downplays - that Angelides recently hired Bill Carrick, the media consultant who produced the hard-hitting television ads that blocked Villaraigosa from being elected mayor in 2001.
The Wall Street Journal's ed board writes that "the fact that the liberal political establishment" in Los Angeles and Sacramento would fight Mayor Villaraigosa's effort to put the poorly-performing Los Angeles Unified School District under his control "makes you wonder whether there's any education reform instinct left in the Democratic Party."
2008:
The New York Daily News' Saltonstall wrote on Sunday of the New Yorkers mentioned as possible presidential contenders during this "silly season." LINK
And the Daily News commissioned a poll of New York City voters to accompany the story. Silly season, indeed! LINK
In the Sunday New York Times "Week in Review" section, Mark Leibovich looked at how throwing your hat into the ring of potential 2008 presidential contenders may have little to do with actually winning the office. LINK
In her Sunday look at the ways in which life in the Senate has been complicated by being populated by being inhabited by eleven '08ers, the Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook had a senior Democratic aide saying of the Democratic '08ers: "Every time you send one of them out, the other five or six of them have some kind of tantrum, especially if it's a core Democratic issue that speaks to the base." LINK
In a Sunday Washington Post column arguing that 2008 is so far off that something unforeseen will occur between now and then, NBC's Tom Brokaw writes that he reminds people who question whether Sen. Clinton can be elected that "the Clintons have a way of overcoming conventional wisdom" and that "more and more" Republicans "are confiding that they think" Sen. McCain is "their only hope to hang on to the White House." LINK
Iowa:
The Des Moines Register chronicles Republican presidential hopefuls at Iowa's GOP convention, specifically taking Note of Gov. Mitt Romney's comments on same-sex marriage. LINK
And the paper has a less enthusiastic write-up of the Democrats' convention. "Leftover indifference from a bruising Democratic gubernatorial primary campaign lingered in the air Saturday, as party activists from across Iowa gathered in Des Moines for the state party convention." LINK
2008: Republicans:
The Daily Press' David Lerman reports on the gathering of GOP presidential hopefuls in Iowa for a weekend convention of state Republicans. LINK
"'I've been in this for 20-some years,'" said Andy Cable, 20-year party activist to Lerman. "'When you met Reagan, you knew right away. When you met G.W., you knew he was our next president. Now, there's nobody. You'd have 10 candidates each with 10 percent. No one's stepped forward yet.'"
The Associated Press roundup on the Pataki, Romney, Allen, and Brownback Hawkeye State visits over the weekend including Sen. Allen saying he is unlikely to return to Iowa before the November election. LINK
With four days left in the Albany legislative session, Gov. Pataki wrote a Sunday op-ed for the New York Daily News pushing for a criminal DNA databank. LINK
Pataki hopes to become seen as the "moderate Republican" option in the 2008 Iowa caucuses reports the New York Post's Dicker. LINK
Washington Times columnist Wesley Pruden -- writing from Utah -- elicits a surprising reaction from Mormons to the idea of Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) moving to the White House. LINK
"Too bad, really," Pruden laments, "If Mitt Romney were a Presbyterian or an Episcopalian, he might slay dragons (even a certain dragon lady), in St. George and everywhere else." Keying off of the $700 million in new spending approved by the Massachusetts legislature last week, the Boston Herald editorializes that "cutting the pork" will be left to Gov. Romney. LINK
2008: Democrats:
In case you missed Al Hunt's Bloomberg TV interview with Al Gore last week, take a look at what the former vice president has to say about his former running mate's primary battle:
HUNT: "Sir, We only have about 30 seconds left, let me switch subjects for one final question. You opposed the Iraq war in 2002, your running mate in 2000, Joe Lieberman, had a different view, he supported the war. He's running against an anti-war candidate now. Who are you for?"
GORE: "I am not involved. I typically do not get involved in Democratic primaries. Joe is my close friend, Joe & Hadassah are close to Tipper and me and it would be very difficult for me to ever oppose him. But I don't get involved in primaries typically. He's a great guy and he's right on a lot of other issues."
Wasn't there a Democratic presidential nomination fight in which Gore got involved and chose to back one of Lieberman's opponents -- a fella named "Dean"? Hmmmm. . . In light of Senate Democrats' intentions to introduce a plan for phased troop withdrawal this week, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) repeats his accusations of a bumbling Bush Administration, saying, "If I had known the President was going to be this incompetent in his administration, I would not have given him the authority" to invade Iraq, per the AP. LINK
The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel's Brown writes that Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) break from anti-war Democrats might temper the "knee-jerk liberal" impression she gives to voters outside her party. LINK
The AP wonders about the absence of a metaphoric New York accent in Sen. Clinton's recent appearances and appeals. LINK
Under a "Doubting Hillary" header, The Economist's Lexington column opines that the current danger for Sen. Clinton's '08 ambitions is that "she is annoying the base without persuading the center that she is electable."
In a Father's Day op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sens. Bayh and Obama made the case for, "The Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act." The legislation provides job training, job opportunities, and an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for fathers who are making child support payments. LINK
Per the AP, Gen. Wesley Clark (D-AR) told the Association of Alternative Weeklies meeting in Little Rock that the war on terrorism should not be the country's highest priority. LINK
Gov. Tom Vilsack's (D-IA) fourth-place finish in last week's Des Moines Register poll shouldn't be construed as a defeat, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His "anemic" showing is standard fare when one polls in his own state -- "a prophet without honor in your own land." LINK
2008: conventions:
Delegates from the Democratic National Committee will evaluate the Twin Cities as a site for their 2008 national convention, the AP reports. Though their visit will be costly -- they'll be greeted by hundred-dollar flower arrangements, gift bags, and an elaborate reception -- the cities' expenditures are well worth it, as the convention would cost "only" $53 million and bring in nearly twice that. LINK
Politics of abortion:
In the New Yorker, Cynthia Gorney writes that the South Dakota abortion ban is "testing -- and dividing -- the pro-life movement."
Politics of the Duke rape case:
"The Durham Republican Party will field a candidate to run against the district attorney leading the investigation in the Duke lacrosse rape case in the November election, ABC News' Law & Justice Unit has learned." LINK
More: "Durham Republican County Chairman Steve Monks told ABC News that he will announce his intention to challenge Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong in a press conference at 4 p.m. ET today. Monks and Durham County Republicans acknowledged that the Duke rape investigation weighed heavily in their decision to field a GOP candidate in a traditionally Democratic county."
Hastert:
A slew of Chicago Tribune reporters traced Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-IL) controversial land deal in Kendall County, IL -- the site of a proposed $200 million federally-financed highway that has boosted real estate prices. LINK
Ron Bonjean, the Speaker's press secretary, defended the transaction and discarded any conflict-of-interest suspicions: "'[The highway] is too far away to have an effect. The speaker has bought land like every American has a right to. . . He is not benefiting from the parkway.'"
DeLay:
The Houston Chronicle's Kristen Mack Notes how Harris County precinct chairs are enjoying some time in the limelight, thanks to their role in selecting a successor for Rep. Tom DeLay's (R-TX) vacant seat. LINK
Politics:
In his Political Punch blog, ABC News' Jake Tapper debunks the alleged media bias in analyzing the CA-50 results and Notes that Sen. Clinton may be where the majority of voters are in her search for a third-way in Iraq. LINK
In Sunday's Washington Post, Charles Babington had Sen. Obama suggesting that a presidential bid is a matter of "when, not if." LINK
Though Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) may be stepping aside after two terms, he is not anticipated to exit the national spotlight anytime soon. His "Foundation for Florida's Future" -- already endowed with $1.9 million -- promises to bring continued attention to the governor's pet issues and will "'[keep] the old gang together and functioning,'" in the words of GOP strategist Mac Stipanovich. LINK
Week ahead:
President and Mrs. Bush travel to Austria tomorrow and then on to Hungary. In Austria, President Bush will participate in a European Union summit where the global war on terror and the Iranian threat will be topics of discussion. President Bush will then head to Budapest, Hungary to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. The First Couple will be in Europe through Thursday. On Friday, the President is expected to attend a tee ball game at the White House.
Republican Strategist Mary Matalin hosts a reception for Scooter Libby's defense fund in Washington, DC on Tuesday. Former Commerce Secretary (and Bush friend) Don Evans and former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham are expected to co-host the event with Matalin.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. Mark Warner, and Gov. Tom Vilsack are the three potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidates scheduled to address NDN, a progressive Democratic group with a focus on growing the Hispanic vote for Democrats. The group recently aired ads promoting the Democratic agenda on Spanish-language radio and television during the World Cup to reach a large Hispanic audience.
The title of this years conference is "What Comes Next: A New Politics For America," and is focused on 21st Century politicking. See the program schedule here: LINK
DNC Chairman Howard Dean addresses the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) on Thursday in Dallas, TX.
Dr./Sen./Leader Frist attends a fundraiser for Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) on Tuesday evening and a fundraiser for Michael Steele (R-MD) on Thursday evening.
Kenneth S. Baer and Andrei Cherney -- editors of the new progressive journal "Democracy" -- cut down Michael Tomasky's massive American Prospect feature and add some of their own flair in the introduction to tomorrow's "Is Politics Brain Dead?" panel.
Entitled "Swing Ideas, not Swing Voters," Baer and Cherny's plea to Democrats reflects the theme of the launch-party for the magazine: envisioning new ways to reinvigorate politics. Tomasky and fellow political philosophers/journalists/sages/prognosticators Francis Fukuyama and Bill Kristol join Baer and Cherney at the National Press Club at 1:00 pm ET tomorrow.