Warm in December
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2004 — -- 45 Days Until Inauguration Day
If you didn't carefully read the weekend newspapers, you might not know all this:
1. Those who consider "George W. Bush versus Mary Frances Berry" to be Washington's most entertaining conflict are in for another fun chapter (or two, or three).
2. If you care about the U.S. economy and don't know who Masatsugu Asakawa is, you should Google immediately.
3. Those who read about Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations for work or pleasure are going to be very, very busy for quite some time.
4. John Kerry is starting a leadership PAC and had a lot to say in New Hampshire on Saturday.
5. Mitt Romney's staff curtain-raised their boss's Gridiron speech in an interesting way.
6. Steve Rosenthal has thought a lot about why and how Kerry lost Ohio. LINK
As the White House holiday parties kick into high gear this week, your focus should be on:
1. Just how the intel reform bill is going to come out, if at all.
2. President Bush's short-term Treasury decision and long-term Fed one.
3. The Friday/Saturday Democratic Party state chair meeting, at which some candidates for national party chair will have their public comings out.
4. What other mischief Congress can find itself in while it reconvenes.
5. Whether you will need to get your "Free Matt Cooper" T-shirts out of storage.
6. The final margin in Ohio, for all but the bloggers.
7. Will John McCain continue to get his not-needed name ID boost from dominating the steroid story? (And has anyone else thinking of running for the GOP nomination in '08 commissioned a study on how McCain gets all this airtime?)
8. Again and still: Social Security and tax reform.
For more on (nearly) all of this, read on.
Today, President Bush meets with the interim President of Iraq at 9:00 am ET, the King of Jordan at 10:35 am ET, and the President of Senegal at 1:55 pm ET. At the end first two events, the pool might get to throw a question or two. Scott McClellan gaggles at 10:00 am ET and briefs at 1:00 pm ET. Tonight, the President and Laura Bush participate in the Children's Christmas Reception at the White House.
Beginning at 9:30 am ET and lasting through the day, President Clinton and friends will host a forum on energy policy at New York University. You can see the entire conference, including President Clinton's keynote address and several impressive panels, by clicking here. LINK
On the day Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is expected to certify President Bush the winner in that state, DNC chair Terry McAullife and strategist Donna Brazille will announce that the DNC will fund a full-scale investigation of the reported irregularities there. The report, which is due in the spring of 2005, is also aimed at soothing the antsy Democratic base, portions of which seem to be convinced that the party isn't doing all it can to get to the bottom of some of the alleged problems.
Blackwell is expected to certify the Buckeye State's election results by close of business today. With a few more formalities to meet along the way there, a recount probably would not begin before Dec. 13. On Friday the reported margin of President Bush's win over Sen. John F. Kerry in Ohio shrank when county-by-county results were released. Bush is still up by 119,000 votes -- though that is less than the initial and unofficial margin of 136,000, after provisional ballots an other considerations have been factored in. A difference of 0.25 percent would have triggered an automatic recount…the difference stands today at about 2 percent.
Also today, a hand recount begins in the Washington gubernatorial race. Howard Dean's organization is credited with helping to raise the money the Democrats needed to precipitate it.
We'll also be watching . . .
--reaction to a surprisingly sympathetic Washington Post editorial that suggests borrowing to finance the transition costs might not be a horrible idea; LINK, and a seemingly sympathetic Bob Novak column on Sen. Lindsey Graham "un-Republican" solution to those transition costs. LINK
--The House, where there's lots of internal debate within the GOP caucus about whether to vote on the intel bill today or tomorrow or just wait until January when it'll come up again. LINK. (On page B1 of the Wall Street Journal, Miriam Jordan has an excellent primer on the driver's license issue.)
--The watch dog groups, as they react to Jeanne Cummings' Wall Street Journal assertions that 527s are here to stay.
--Political consultants, to see whether they think Chris Cillizza's capsule biographies of several Hillary Clinton advisers is complete and doesn't miss anyone major.
--New Democrats, to see whether they'll clip a Wall Street Journal editorial that offers explicit praise for Gov. Phil Bredesen's attempt to reform TennCare, while very pointedly bashing the program's "HillaryCare" origins.
Other reads today:
Whoever is writing headlines for Katherine Seelye these days sure knows what they're doing! "How to Sell a Candidate to a Porsche-Driving, Leno-Loving Nascar Fan," delves into the genius of niche advertising in the BC'04 campaign, using terms like "micro-target strategy." LINK
Now that it's confirmed Donald Rumsfeld is staying put, the New York Times' Richard Stevenson clears up the other big Cabinet shakeup mystery. "President Bush has decided to replace John W. Snow as treasury secretary and has been looking closely at a number of possible replacements," he writes. [Andy Card tops the list of possible nominees!] And Norman Y. Mineta is expected to announce he is outta here later this week. LINK
Elisabeth Bumiller examines international travel as speed golf for George W. Bush, after he made a 25-hour jaunt to Canada last week. With a memory like an elephant, Bumiller reminds us this is the president who spent 30 minutes at the Great Wall of China, "which he visited on the way to the airport." LINK
Edmund Andrews discusses "President Bush's biggest economic decision next year" when he will name a successor to clarinetist Alan Greenspan. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook takes heed the swans songs of retiring legislators. LINK
The Boston Globe reports the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia will announce plans today "to record an oral history of the life and career of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a six-year, multimillion-dollar project that is the center's first effort to chronicle the history of a sitting senator." LINK
Jill Lawrence describes the DNC chair's race to America's newspaper's audience. LINK
(By the way: today, we should learn whether Harold Ickes will really run . . . )
Jeffrey Birnbaum on newspapers owned in part by the U.S. Chamber and other unique (some would say sly) means of political communication. LINK
Back to what you missed from the weekend:
Louisiana's runoff elections over the weekend yielded a win one lose one for Republicans as they picked Louisiana's 7th District with retired heart surgeon Charles Boustany's win and narrowly lost one in the 3rd District where Democrat Charles Melancon beat heir apparent Billy Tauzin by "barely 500 votes" the AP reports. LINK
Tauzin has yet to concede, however.
Gov. Romney's staff gave Yvonne Abraham of the Boston Globe a bigger Gridiron curtain raise for Saturday paper than we have EVER seen anywhere -- the new standard, including his opening jokes. LINK
That rollicking, Z. Hallow-like Los Angeles Times story about the U.S. Civil Rights Commission: LINK
Steven Greenhouse on Andy Stern's anxiety of influence; LINK
Advice for Hillary Clinton from several corners: LINK
Press shy (and Kerry leadership PAC head) John Giesser spoke! LINK
Read all the way to the bottom of Pat Hammon's article on Sen. Kerry's trip tp New Hampshire this weekend to get the news that Kerry intends to go to Iraq in January. LINK
On Sunday eve, Kerry was in Washington for the Kennedy Center honors, where he and John Edwards (separately, natch) received what one reporter thought was the loudest applause. LINK
The week ahead:
Tomorrow, President Bush travels to Camp Pendleton, Calif., for a day with soldiers.
On Wednesday, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is scheduled to speak at George Washington University. Some in his orbit hint that he will attempt to burnish his centrist credentials using the same strong, full-throated tone that almost won him a presidential nomination. An announcement posted on his Democracy for America blog says he will speak about the future of the Democratic Party. LINK
Also Wednesday, oral arguments are scheduled for the Judith Miller and Matt Cooper cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
On Thursday, President and Laura Bush light the White House Menorah. In St. Louis, that Eminem-lovin', Nelly-groovin', congressman, Richard A. Gephardt, is feted at a farewell dinner.
On Friday, the President travels to Ft. Belvoir and inspects a USO care package facility.
The Association of State Democratic Party chairs meets this weekend in Orlando, as does the full Democratic National Committee for a brief winter meeting. A commission to study the nomination calendar will be formed and at least four candidates for DNC chair will deliver speeches to the state party chairs.