AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Hart Preparing Major Policy Speeches STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 10:51:09 PM ----- BODY: Michelle Cottle covers Gary Hart's political re-emergence and though he is "still publicly coy" about whether he'll run for president again, "Hart is preparing a series of policy speeches that he will deliver at universities across the country beginning in January. The first will be on national security, the second on economic policy, the third on foreign affairs, and so on... Hart says public reaction to these speeches will help him decide whether the climate is right for a run." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Gary Hart ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Most Mentioned Books in 2002 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 03:49:03 PM ----- BODY: My book, You Won - Now What?, is one of the top 100 most frequently mentioned books of 2002! ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0684852039 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: you won now what? ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman Gives Inside Look At Veep Selection STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 03:11:29 PM ----- BODY: The Norwich Bulletin has seen an advance copy of An Amazing Adventure by Sen. Joseph Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, and says the book offers "a rare and revealing inside look behind the scenes, beginning with the call and ending with the final concession. For the first time, Lieberman acknowledges his behind-the-scenes campaign to be selected, a process that involved more than just a decision based on the friendship he shared with former Vice President Al Gore."

Reuters notes Lieberman "said Saturday he would probably seek the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination" and "would make a final decision by mid-January." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: GOP Has Lock On Rural Voters STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 11:50:11 AM ----- BODY: In the midterm elections, rural voters supported Republican congressional candidates by a 60 percent to 36 percent margin -- "the third straight election in which the GOP has carried rural America by at least 59 percent," the Chicago Sun Times reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: rural voters ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Pennsylvania, Rendell Had Support Of $100,000 Club STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 11:47:37 AM ----- BODY: Pennsylvania Gov.-Elect Ed Rendell (D) "had more $100,000 contributors than all but two other people who ran for office this year in the United States," and they were incumbent governors running in the two most populous states: California's Gray Davis (D) and Texas' Rick Perry (R), the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Ed Rendell ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Minnesota, Ventura Leaves With Mixed Reviews STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 11:45:41 AM ----- BODY: "History is not likely to confer greatness on Gov. Jesse Ventura, according to most of the respondents in the latest Star Tribune Minnesota Poll." Nearly two in five thought Ventura "would go down in history as below average or as one of the worst governors, compared with fewer than one in five who say he'll go down as better than average or as one of the state's great governors." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Jesse Ventura ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Media Outlets May Pull Plug On Exit Polls STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 10:16:52 AM ----- BODY: "The major television news networks and the Associated Press are seriously considering dissolving the Voter News Service," the New York Times reports. John Ellis says it is "something that the nets should have done long ago but didn't (for all the usual stupid corporate reasons)."

Mickey Kaus asks the most overlooked question: "What does that mean for the Iowa caucuses, which have, at times in the past, been virtually creatures of the VNS?" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Voter News Service ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Tones Down White House Pomp STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/30/2002 08:10:27 AM ----- BODY: "President Bush has sought to shape White House life in a way that suits him, his preferences and his political agenda," the AP reports. That means: "Less Hollywood glitz. Rarer formal state dinners. Fewer renditions of Hail to the Chief." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: White House Bush ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Governing America Begins STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/29/2002 11:39:09 PM ----- BODY: "Unlike their anti-incumbent predecessors, the 52 men and women who will join the House next week are a class born out of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reflecting voters' desire for stability and experience in a time of uncertainty," the Washington Post reports. "More so than in recent campaigns, candidates from both parties touted their government backgrounds and, even better when applicable, a military record." To learn more, the New York Times looks at "the early days for two new members of Congress" which "provide a telling glimpse into the lives of freshman lawmakers."

In the Senate, the New York Times notes that "every two years some of the most powerful men and women in America begin a 'Kabuki dance,' in the words of one aide, in which they negotiate with one another for Capitol hideaways." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0684834111 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Senate office space ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Takes "Permanent Campaign" To New Level STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/29/2002 09:50:15 PM ----- BODY: "With the race for the Democratic presidential nomination already in motion, President Bush and his advisers are studying their potential challengers, and plan to hold strategy meetings next month to discuss everything from Catholic voters to the budding candidacy of Senator John F. Kerry," the Boston Globe reports. "But that is not a sign that the White House is just now awakening to politics, both Democratic and Republican strategists say. It is the latest stage of political planning and maneuvering by a campaign operation that never slept."

Meanwhile, the AP notes "an internal White House document outlining President Bush's re-election agenda starts with 'War on terrorism (Con't)' and domestic security" and is "the latest sign, critics say, that presidential advisers are seeking political gain from the Sept. 11 attacks." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bush reelection ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: New Senators Who Wanted Bush's Job STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/29/2002 09:34:07 PM ----- BODY: Elizabeth Dole and Lamar Alexander, "who share distinction of having once taken on the president, will be the most closely watched new senators," the New York Times reports. They "have known each other since they were junior aides in the Nixon administration. They insist that there are no lingering hard feelings between them from the presidential campaign. They have also patched things up with the man they tried to keep out of the White House." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Elizabeth Dole Lamar Alexander ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Hart Keeps People Guessing STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/29/2002 08:09:57 PM ----- BODY: Gary Hart "has done nothing to turn away attention generated when he hinted that he might seek the Democratic presidential nomination again," the Hartford Courant reports. The AP notes that "Fifteen years after withdrawing from his second presidential bid and quietly settling back into private law practice, Gary Hart has found his voice again." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0195155866 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Gary Hart ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards To Announce In January STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/27/2002 11:57:33 PM ----- BODY: The Scrum reports that Sen. John Edwards will formally announce his presidential campaign in North Carolina on January 4th. "The basic strategy developing in the Edwards camp is a redux of the 'Southern strategy' Al Gore employed in 1988 during his unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination. In that campaign, Gore was sidetracked by Jesse Jackson who carried the Democratic primaries in a number of states in the South. Edwards is in a similar situation: so far the field of 2004 wannabes leans heavily to the North and Midwest, much like the 1988 crop of Democrats. If another Southerner entered the race (paging Bob Graham!) the Edwards team may have to go back to the drawing board."

The New York Times says "If Democrats hungry for a winner in 2004 are hunting for a presidential candidate who has what the last guy lacked," Edwards "stands out as the anti-Gore." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Price Of Being A Maverick STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/27/2002 11:28:25 PM ----- BODY: "After 15 years in Congress, it should be Chris Shays' turn to become a power broker. But because the reputation he's carefully crafted is that of a maverick with a history of embarrassing his own Republican Party, he may never get that chance," the Hartford Courant reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Chris Shays ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: White House Looking For Court Nominees STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/27/2002 11:19:09 PM ----- BODY: "White House officials are so convinced that there will be at least one Supreme Court vacancy by the end of the current term in early summer that President Bush's senior aides have been quietly conducting serious internal discussions about possible nominees," the New York Times reports.

The AP says "a leg injury and a Republican majority in the Senate have combined to further speculation that this Supreme Court term will be the last for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0743226070 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Supreme Court nominees ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush's Economic Team Faces Tough Hearings STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/27/2002 11:12:28 PM ----- BODY: SEC nominee William Donaldson and Treasury nominee John Snow "will get a grilling at confirmation hearings next month," the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. "In a survey by Broadgate Consultants, just 40% of investors say Donaldson is the best choice for SEC; others think he may bring baggage from his firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post says "White House officials are rethinking a plan to accelerate last year's tax cut for upper-income taxpayers." The Wall Street Journal says the White House is "intent on winning quick passage of its plan" and "increasingly is reaching out for Democratic votes, particularly in the fractious Senate." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Donaldson John Snow ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Graham May Run For President STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/23/2002 02:27:50 PM ----- BODY: Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) said "he is seriously considering running for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination" because "he is not satisfied with President Bush's leadership as the country faces 'unprecedented' economic and military problems," the Miami Herald reports. "Graham said he will discuss the decision with his wife and family over the holidays." WPBF-TV says "He expects to make an announcement one way or the other early in the new year." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bob Graham ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Frist Will Become Senate Leader Today STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/23/2002 09:06:35 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) "is poised today to become the first Senate majority leader elected over the telephone, an unusual end to one of the strangest political sagas in the Senate's recent history," the Washington Post reports. The Wall Street Journal reviews Frist's "rapid ascent" in hardball Washington politics. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bill Frist ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: McCain On Bush STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/23/2002 09:02:49 AM ----- BODY: John McCain gives President Bush midterm grades in the New York Times magazine. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0375505423 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John McCain ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Newspapers Battle On Capitol Hill STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/23/2002 08:57:19 AM ----- BODY: "In the center of Washington, where 40,000 people work, fight and connive in and around Congress, the two small newspapers that chronicle these matters are starting to compete seriously," the New York Times reports. "Until recently, executives of the 48-year-old Roll Call have tended to treat The Hill, born in 1994, as an upstart with more chutzpah than clout. But now Roll Call is trying to shoulder its rival aside by expanding beyond its traditional Monday and Thursday publication days to add an issue on Wednesday -- the day The Hill is published. Last week, The Hill abruptly announced that it was changing editors and planning to publish three times a week, as well: Tuesday, Wednesday and either Thursday or Friday." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: political newspapers ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Matalin Wooed By CNN STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/22/2002 09:36:31 PM ----- BODY: According to the New York Times, CNN wants to hire Mary Matalin again now that's she's left the White House. But don't count on seeing her across the table from her husband and Crossfire host James Carville: "There ain't enough money to get me to go in there and argue with my wife on television." Meanwhile, Matt Drudge says Matalin is "in conversations with Simon and Schuster about writing a book." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 1573624578 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Mary Matalin ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: A More Powerful White House STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/22/2002 09:24:38 PM ----- BODY: "President Bush has created one of the most powerful White Houses in at least a generation, prominent Democrats and Republicans say, reshaping the Washington political equation in a way that provides him both considerable opportunity and peril in the year ahead," the New York Times reports. Meanwhile, a Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that "15 months after the terrorist attacks that transformed his presidency, President Bush continues to be buoyed by an enduring impression among Americans that he is a powerful leader."

Time says Bush and Cheney are the "partners" of the year. "Cheney's force is gravitational; his relationship with Bush is so close and so big that he is the fixed weight who pulls policy in his direction."

Meanwhile, The Economist asks an interesting question: "Why are the heirs of Ronald Reagan doing so much better than Margaret Thatcher's?" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: President Bush Karl Rove ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Says He "Fell In A Trap" STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/22/2002 08:29:25 PM ----- BODY: "Sen. Trent Lott, in his first public remarks since resigning as Senate Republican leader, said Sunday he had fallen into a 'trap' set by his political enemies and had 'only myself to blame,'" the AP reports. However, Lott "wouldn't say who those political enemies were." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Illinois, Mosely-Braun Gears Up For Rematch STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/22/2002 07:25:54 PM ----- BODY: "Illinois politicos expect former Democratic senator Carol Moseley-Braun to announce after the holidays that she will run, once again, for the Senate -- a move that would set up a rematch against the man who unseated her, Republican Peter Fitzgerald," the Washington Post reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Carol Moseley-Braun ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Alaska, Murkowski Picks Daughter To Succeed Him STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/22/2002 01:44:45 AM ----- BODY: "Saying it was time for the next generation of Alaskans to start building seniority in Congress, Gov. Frank Murkowski Friday appointed his daughter to succeed him in the U.S. Senate," the Anchorage Daily News reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Murkowski ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Steps Down STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 10:53:38 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Trent Lott said he will step down as GOP Senate leader effective January 6, 2003, CNN reports. He will remain a Senator from Mississippi, allowing Republicans to keep control of the chamber with a slight majority.

CNN's Jeff Greenfield says a Senate leader has never before been ousted in this fashion. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Frist Will Run For Majority Leader STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 09:29:41 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) launched his campaign to become Senate Majority leader, the Washington Post reports. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Frist "said he had been approached by several senators and agreed to let them test the waters for him." The Boston Globe says Frist's entry "sets the stage for a dramatic struggle for the majority leader's post."

The New York Times says "Frist's candidacy came as a relief to Mr. Bush's top political aides, who have despaired as the travails of" Lott "have dominated the political headlines and events have veered out of their control, an unusual occurrence for a disciplined White House that has become accustomed to controlling much of the agenda of Washington." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0742522458 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bill Frist ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Fall Of A Senate Leader STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 09:24:25 AM ----- BODY: "In his rapid rise to power in the Senate, Trent Lott employed every resource at his disposal: relentless ambition, hard work, luck, cunning, Southern collegiality, sharp elbows, a penchant for order and a self-confidence that stands out even by Senate standards," the Washington Post says in a profile. "Even so, his base of support has always been shaky, broader than it was deep."

A CBS News/New York Times poll shows "Lott is losing support among fellow Republicans... Just one in five Republican National Committee members interviewed this week think Lott should stay on as Senate majority leader; more than twice that number say he should step down."

Jules Witcover says that Lott's "paying homage" to Abraham Lincoln's "abolition of slavery 150 years after the fact hardly will mollify the Democrats, and particularly their black caucus, in exploiting his political gaffe." And Peggy Noonan explains to Republicans why "we mustn't cast our lot with Lott."

On a side note: If you find the Lott story the least bit interesting, you really should read Robert Caro's Master of the Senate. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0394528360 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Anatomy Of A Political Scandal STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 09:08:39 AM ----- BODY: William Powers looks at recent political scandals and asks "Why do some transgressors become such pariahs that they are driven out of public life (think Jim Wright, Bob Packwood), while others not only survive their ignominy but go on to prosper (Bill Clinton)?" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: political scandals ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Russert's Book Will Focus On Hometown STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 09:01:02 AM ----- BODY: "The memoir Tim Russert is planning won't detail the backroom political machinations in Washington, D.C., or dish the dirt on his Meet the Press guests," the Buffalo News reports. "Instead, the famed NBC newsman and South Buffalo native said he will be writing about two topics close to his heart: his father, Timothy, and the city where he grew up." The New York Post says Russert's "book deal will come in somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: tim russert ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Emerging As Clear Front Runner STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 09:00:07 AM ----- BODY: Though Sen. Joseph Lieberman "was expected to be the big winner" if Al Gore dropped out of the presidential race, Sen. John Kerry "is seen as gaining. A rival camp reports surprising interest in New Englander Kerry in Iowa," the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. A new CBS News/New York Times poll confirms Kerry is the front runner.

The American Prospect says Kerry "may have a bit of a jump on the rest of the field," but his "problem is that he's more a liberal than a populist." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Daschle Looks Like A Candidate STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 08:58:08 AM ----- BODY: Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said "that he is seriously considering running for president and that retiring from politics is not as viable an option as seeking either the White House or re-election," the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. He also "said his wife, Linda, who last year expressed concerns about her husband running for president, has changed her mind." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tom Daschle ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dean Compared To Clinton And Carter STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 08:55:07 AM ----- BODY: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) "is about to get his moment in the sun," the Salt Lake Tribune reports. "Dean is following in the footsteps" of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter "as a progressive chief executive with a proven record of accomplishment." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Howard Dean ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In New York, Schumer Says He'll Run Again STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 08:37:46 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) "said he plans on running for re-election in 2004" despite a recent poll "saying he'd be a distant second to Rudy Giuliani (R)," the Albany Capital News reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Schumer Giuliani ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Treasury Turnover Continues STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 08:22:05 AM ----- BODY: Following Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill "out the door are his deputy, Ken Dam, and Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor, who the White House sees as indecisive," according to the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire. "Glenn Hubbard, chief Bush economist, could take one of the jobs; Harvard economist Greg Mankiw could succeed him as head of the Council of Economic Advisers." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Treasury Secretary ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: McCain Will Stay In GOP Despite McConnell STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/20/2002 08:15:06 AM ----- BODY: The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire says Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "assures senators he won't leave the party if foe" Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) replaces Sen. Trent Lott as Majority Leader. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John McCain ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Alaska, Murkowski May Pick Daughter STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 10:40:01 AM ----- BODY: Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) "has told several fellow Republicans they are no longer in the running to fill out his vacant U.S. Senate seat, and many Republicans say his daughter could be the top choice to replace him," the AP reports. The Anchorage Daily News says Murkowski will make his choice Friday morning. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Frank Murkowski ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Russert Gets Book Offers STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 09:03:48 AM ----- BODY: Meet the Press host Tim Russert "ignited a red-hot auction for his memoirs yesterday, attracting advance offers of nearly $2 million," the New York Post reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tim Russert ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: GOP Thinks Edwards Is Weak At Home STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:57:46 AM ----- BODY: "Sensing weakness," Republicans have focused on the 2004 North Carolina Senate race "with a laserlike intensity in the hope of forcing" Sen. John Edwards (D) "to show his hand about whether he will run for re-election, the presidency or both," Roll Call reports. "Legally, Edwards can simultaneously run for a second Senate term and the presidency, though almost no one - on either side of the aisle - expects him to launch this sort of two-front campaign." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Clark Making Plans In Iowa STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:53:49 AM ----- BODY: Retired Gen. Wesley Clark "has made some preliminary steps toward an Iowa caucus bid," the Des Moines Register reports. Clark's friends have been "calling Iowa Democrats with campaign experience to set up meetings and make contacts with influential party insiders."

The Boston Phoenix's Seth Gitell says "Clark has a few qualities that Democrats should find interesting. The Arkansan would be a Southerner in a field with just one other candidate from that region -- North Carolina senator John Edwards. He would also be a fresh face, one not as closely associated with the grind of politics as the other candidates." ----- EXTENDED BODY: B00006JO72 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Wesley Clark ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dean Could Be Spoiler STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:51:24 AM ----- BODY: The Boston Phoenix 's Seth Gitell says Vermont governor Howard Dean is poised to be a spoiler in the 2004 Democratic presidential primary and that front runner John Kerry should be worried. Dean "hopes to bridge the gulf between New England and the Western states, and bypass the socially conservative South."

Meanwhile, WCAX-TV covers Dean's exit from Vermont state politics as his term as governor ends. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Howard Dean ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman Heads To Middle East STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:45:59 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "heads for the Middle East today, beginning a 10-day trip that could showcase him as a potential peacemaker, tough advocate of forceful action against Iraq, and someone with the stature to take on President Bush," the Hartford Courant reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joe Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Reid Says He Has The Votes STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:40:53 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) "has secured commitments from 35 Democrats to succeed Sen. Thomas Daschle if the South Dakota Democrat steps aside as Minority Leader to run for president," Roll Call reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Daschle ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Blames White House STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/19/2002 08:27:54 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) "lashed out at the White House for undermining his campaign to remain Senate Republican leader, as pressure mounted on him to step down," the Washington Post reports. The Biloxi Sun Herald says Lott "vowed to retain his position as Senate Republican leader" saying that he is "going to hang in there." This leads Andrew Sullivan to say Lott reminds him of "the knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail who gets both arms and then both legs cut off by a fellow combatant, but still refuses to give in."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has bad news for Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), the first senator to call for a change in leadership. "Lott supporters are privately furious at Nickles, and the feud could cause Republicans to look for someone other than Nickles to replace Lott -- if Senate Republicans in fact decide to oust him."

It's a different story for Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), who "is in the midst of one of those sublime Washington weeks where his stature seems to grow every day," the Washington Post reports. "He has achieved a rarefied political station: reluctant savior." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 6302293553 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Clinton Blasts GOP Over Lott STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:15:14 PM ----- BODY: Former President Clinton said it is "pretty hypocritical" of Republicans to criticize Sen. Trent Lott for stating publicly what he said the GOP does "on the back roads every day," CNN reports. Said Clinton: "How do they think they got a majority in the South anyway? I think what they are really upset about is that he made public their strategy." Josh Marshall says "No one compares to Bill Clinton when it comes to cutting to the chase and telling truths in a way sure to make Republicans howl."

Meanwhile, the AP says Lott "sustained a double-barreled setback" as Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) "broke ranks to call for a change in party leadership" and Secretary of State Colin Powell "forcefully criticized his controversial remarks on race." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott Clinton ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dodd And Reid Prepare For Leadership Battle STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 03:26:31 PM ----- BODY: In the latest sign that Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) might run for president, Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Harry Reid (D-NV) "have started calling colleagues this week in an effort to lock up votes if there is a race for Democratic leader," Roll Call reports. "Insiders said the early jockeying by these two senior Democrats means Daschle is leaning toward running for president." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Daschle ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Those Who Throw Stones... STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 11:45:44 AM ----- BODY: The Reliable Source says Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK) "may have some explaining to do" because he belongs to the men-only Burning Tree Club. "The club's leadership is so committed to its 80-year policy of excluding women -- who are banned from the premises except during the annual spring cocktail party and by-appointment-only Christmas shopping in the pro shop -- that in the 1980s it was willing to forgo a multimillion-dollar tax break from Montgomery County to preserve its gender purity." Nickles, of course, was first to call for new leadership elections.

The New York Times says "the next step up has always been just out of reach for Don Nickles." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Don Nickles ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Wanted: The Eli Lilly Bandit STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 10:55:03 AM ----- BODY: TomPaine.com is offering a $10,000 reward for the first person who identifies the member of Congress who inserted a provision into the Homeland Security bill giving drug maker Eli Lilly a shield against lawsuits from by parents who claim the company's vaccines caused their children's autism. The site also has a roundup of articles about the issue.

Update: Glenn Reynolds has claimed the award by pointing to Dick Armey's admission that he put the provision in the bill. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Eli Lilly Homeland Security ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: What About Strom Thurmond? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 10:39:09 AM ----- BODY: Howard Kurtz wonders why Sen. Strom Thrumond (S-SC) is avoiding the heat, yet the man who praised him, Sen. Trent Lott, is in danger of losing his leadership position: "Here is a man who, as a 46-year-old governor -- he can't very well say he was young and irresponsible -- sought the highest office in the land by arguing to keep 'the Negro' out of white society. And yet, if Lott hadn't blurted his remarks, Washington was perfectly happy to send him into retirement with birthday cakes and warm jokes about his pinching the ladies. There was an unspoken pact of silence, apparently, not to bring up the bad old days, or to mention it only briefly, like a long-ago drunk driving incident." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Strom Thurmond ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Said It Another Time STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 10:31:51 AM ----- BODY: Trent Lott must be surprised at the trouble he's in, because he's apparently said similar things many times before in public. Now, it's the Chicago Tribune that reports Lott said Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) "should have been president," during a 2000 legislative ceremony on Capitol Hill. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: GOP Now Targets Byrd STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 10:24:28 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) "is talking about censuring" Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) over racially-tinged comments he made in a 2001 television interview, the Los Angeles Times reports. "In a town where moral equivalency is always a danger, the national conversation about race seems to be provoking an almost biblical instinct to extract an eye for an eye." As a young man, Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Robert Byrd ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Turns Up Heat On Lott STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:55:04 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Trent Lott "fought ardently to save his post, picking up key endorsements even as some senior GOP senators privately discussed asking him to step down before Christmas," the Washington Post reports. The New York Times says President Bush's advisers "worry Senator Trent Lott's defiance will undermine the image of the Republican Party." U.S. News and World Report's Washington Whispers says the buzz is that Lott may resign this weekend. Glenn Reynolds says "Lott's going out like a bum. People won't forget this."

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times says "Lott has one wild-card advantage in his struggle to hold onto his Senate Republican leadership post: There is no consensus about who should succeed him." However, the Washington Post notes the stock of Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) "soared in his party after he helped engineer last month's midterm victories as chairman of the Senate Republicans' campaign committee" and "now he may in line for" Lott's job. The New York Daily News says Frist is Bush's choice.

The Hill has this warning: "The handful of Republican senators who want to replace" Lott "as majority leader should be forewarned that the post often leads to political defeat, historical irrelevance, and even premature death."

Update: Mickey Kaus says Sidney Blumenthal was the spark that lit the fire under Lott. The Gannett News Service notes "In the annals of scandals, Lott's situation may be unique."

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Will Gore Ever Run For President Again? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:53:04 AM ----- BODY: Jules Witcover says "a puzzling aspect of Al Gore's declaration that he won't run for president again in 2004 was his further comment that he probably won't ever again seek the office that so narrowly - and controversially - eluded him in 2000." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In New York, Giuliani Fares Well In Senate Poll STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:45:20 AM ----- BODY: A Marist poll finds that Rudy Giuliani (R) "would crush" Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., "if the two dueled for Schumer's Senate seat," the New York Daily News reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Giuliani ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dean Hires Iowa Coordinator STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:41:38 AM ----- BODY: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) "became the first 2004 Democratic presidential candidate to hire an Iowa coordinator, naming former state Democratic Party executive director Jeani Murray to lead his caucus campaign," the Des Moines Register reports. The New York Times runs a mixed profile of Dean saying he's "governor of a tiny state, with no national network and no money, he is a lesser-known version of the brainy outsiders like John Anderson and Bruce Babbitt and Paul Tsongas, who had their day -- and lost."

Update: CBS News says history is on Dean's side. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Howard Dean ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards To Call Bush Weak On Terrorism STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 09:39:30 AM ----- BODY: Later today, Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "will pointedly accuse the Bush administration of doing too little to protect the country against future terrorist attacks and outline a series of initiatives that he says would reduce the risk," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. Edwards has a Washington Post op-ed today about the subject. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Chicago, Jackson Not Running For Mayor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/18/2002 08:26:38 AM ----- BODY: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) declared "that he will never run for mayor of Chicago, even though the South Side congressman said his father and other advisers have urged him to keep the option open for the 2007 municipal elections or even later," the Chicago Tribune reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Jesse Jackson ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Alaska, Murkowski Closer To Picking Replacement STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 04:23:51 PM ----- BODY: Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) "said he has whittled the list of candidates for his old U.S. Senate seat to six, but said it may take him until Christmas to make his selection," the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Update: The Anchorage Daily News says "Several of the leading candidates to replace Gov. Frank Murkowski in the U.S. Senate have been eliminated from the running." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Frank Murkowski ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Timely Holiday Gifts STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 02:18:42 PM ----- BODY: "The intrigue that always lurks behind American politics is at the heart of the Elections board game. Players become presidential candidates aiming to win over as many state electoral votes to win... It's a terrifically fun game of political strategy, and a great way to introduce kids to what really happens during presidential campaigns and caucuses."

Also available is Run Off: The Game of Presidential Campaigning which "lets you and your family participate in the race for public office. As a presidential candidate, each player earns electoral votes by answering questions. Instead of proving your worthiness, you merely need to demonstrate your knowledge of the United States, with categories such as Civics, History, and Requirements for Citizenship." ----- EXTENDED BODY: B00000IS57 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Christmas shopping ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman And Kerry Lead In New York Primary STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 01:14:23 PM ----- BODY: Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John Kerry are leading in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination among New York party members, according to a poll by Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion. Lieberman has the support of 23 percent of Democrats with Kerry close behind at 20 percent. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: New York primary ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: How To Keep A Secret STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 09:11:56 AM ----- BODY: The New York Daily News has the inside scoop on how Al Gore planned to make his announcement on 60 Minutes two weeks ago -- and how he kept it secret. The Washington Post says "Nobody got a bigger kick out of" Gore's performance on Saturday Night Live than 60 Minutes boss Don Hewitt. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: White House Wants Lott Out STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 09:01:05 AM ----- BODY: There's bad news for Trent Lott in the morning newspapers. The New York Times says Republicans "with close ties to the Bush administration" said that Lott "had no chance of remaining majority leader and that the White House wanted him out." And the Washington Post reports President Bush "has decided not to intervene" to save Lott "after concluding he has become an albatross to the party and no longer has any chance of surviving as Republican majority leader."

Meanwhile, a reader points out that it's not true that if Lott resigns from the Senate entirely, his seat will go Democratic, even though Mississippi's governor is a Democrat. Mississippi law says that there has to be a general election within 90 days of the vacancy so long as there's more than 1 year left in the term. Update: Another reader notes that if the vacancy occurs in a year in which a general election is to be held, the special election will can be put off until then. So, if Lott waits until January 2003 to resign, Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) could appoint a Democrat who would serve until November 2003, when statewide elections take place. The Biloxi Sun Herald speculates former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy could be appointed to Lott's seat.

The Cogent Provocateur has very interesting analysis on how Lott's troubles give the Democrats an upper hand in negotiating a new Senate Organizing Resolution. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Vilsack Will Not Run For President STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 08:48:01 AM ----- BODY: Responding to speculation, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said that he will not run for president in 2004, the Des Moines Register reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tom Vilsack ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Friends Say Edwards Will Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 08:44:31 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "will almost certainly run for president in 2004, his closest friends and advisers say, and is expected to take the first formal step soon," the Charlotte Observer reports. The Raleigh News and Observer notes that "as the only remaining Southerner contemplating the Democratic presidential race, Edwards stands to benefit from Gore's departure." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Daschle Urged Not To Make White House Bid STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 08:18:20 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Tom Daschle's (D-SD) "friends and advisers have urged him to reconsider a 2004 presidential run, arguing that he may be more valuable to the Democratic Party as Senate minority leader," the Washington Post reports. The Chicago Tribune says "no prospective candidate bears watching more than" Daschle, who "has been circumspect as he travels around the country."

Meanwhile, the Hartford Courant says Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) may run for Democratic leader if Daschle runs for president. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tom Daschle ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman In No Rush To Announce STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 08:10:13 AM ----- BODY: "For a man who has spent nearly two years preparing his bid for the White House, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman seemed uncharacteristically subdued Monday - less than a day after the single most significant barrier to his candidacy had been removed," the Hartford Courant reports. But the New York Tmes notes Lieberman did call Al Gore's former campaign manager "within hours" of his announcement not to run. And the Boston Globe notes Lieberman was campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday.

Dick Morris says that Lieberman "seems like a man of conscience because he is one. He is willing to take unpopular positions and he often does. The public may be looking for a man they can trust -- and they'll like what the see in Lieberman." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0684867745 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Indiana, Andrew Ponders Gubernatorial Bid STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 08:02:44 AM ----- BODY: Former Democratic Party Chairman Joe Andrew said Al Gore "had asked him to play a 'significant role' in a presidential campaign," but that Gore's decision not to run "makes it more likely that he'll seriously consider" a run for governor in Indiana, the Indianapolis Star reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joe Andrew ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Another Bush Aide Plans Departure STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/17/2002 07:37:21 AM ----- BODY: Joe Allbaugh, "the no-nonsense member" of Bush's "iron triangle" of advisers "who orchestrated his presidential run, will step down early next year as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Washington Post reports. "He is part of a growing group of administration officials who are leaving their jobs in order to help Bush's re-election effort." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joe Allbaugh ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Gore Should Head DNC STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 10:55:15 PM ----- BODY: The New Republic's Ryan Lizza says Al Gore should replace Terry McAuliffe as the new chairman of the Democratic Party: "Gore could be the anti-McAuliffe. One close Gore associate said a few weeks ago that the rigors of fundraising were a big obstacle to him getting in the race. The next DNC chairman won't have to worry about that. Gore is also hugely popular with the party's African-American base. Gore could help heal some of the racial tension at the Democratic headquarters that marked McAuliffe's appointment, and he could help energize black voters during the campaign." The Scrum "can't help but remember that TNR is owned by long-time Gore supporter Marty Peretz. Which makes us wonder if little birdies whisper louder in that neck of the woods when it comes to what Gore wants to do in the future."

E. J. Dionne argues that "oddly, Gore becomes a stronger and more important Democratic spokesman for not running. While other Democrats scramble for advantage in the 2004 nomination contest, Gore can make arguments... without anyone saying he's fermenting sour grapes." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Seduction of Scotty Reston STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 10:34:05 PM ----- BODY: A "rare and rich exploration" of the "encounter between journalism and power can be found in Scotty: James B. Reston and the Rise and Fall of American Journalism by John F. Stacks, a Business Week review says. "The absorbing, first-rate biography of one of the 20th century's greatest journalists has a provocative thesis: As a correspondent and later Washington bureau chief for The New York Times, the legendary Reston walked the line more skillfully than anyone before or since--and yet it was 'so difficult that in the end even Scotty Reston could not sustain it.' In fact, as Stacks shows, it's shocking how hard he fell." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0316809853 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Scotty Reston ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Senate Will Meet Again To Choose Leadership STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 10:28:15 PM ----- BODY: "Senate Republicans plan to hold a conference January 6 to decide whether they want Trent Lott to lead them as majority leader," CNN reports.

Meanwhile, Editor and Publisher notes that Lott is facing scathing criticism from Mississippi newspapers, "including his hometown paper, which on Thursday joined the push for him to step aside as incoming Senate Majority leader."

Update: "Lott asked black Americans on Monday for forgiveness for his seeming nostalgia for segregation, announced a change of heart on some civil rights issues and promised to use his position to help push through initiatives that would benefit minorities," the AP reports. His appearance on Black Entertainment Television "was at least his fourth apology, as Lott tries to hang on to his job as Senate majority leader." Josh Marshall saw it and says Lott "is toast." Rod Dreher says Lott is "melting down" and that "Republican senators now have the obligation to perform a mercy killing by removing Lott as their leader, before he sells out conservative principle any further." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Senate TV Viewers Get Shock STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 03:27:23 PM ----- BODY: "When Senators and their aides tune in to Channel 5 on the chamber's internal television system each morning, they normally get a replay of the previous night's edition of Nightline or a dry tutorial on parliamentary procedure conducted by the Congressional Research Service," Roll Call reports. But two Capitol Police officers "noticed something quite different emanating from Channel 5 and making its way to all Senate offices: a pornographic movie." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: capitol hill ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Does Writing A Book Make You An Expert? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 02:22:02 PM ----- BODY: Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton's "decision to ask ABC network anchor John Miller to join the LAPD as his special assistant in charge of homeland security has raised questions about whether the practice of journalism confers policymaking credentials," the Los Angeles Times reports. Bratton says Miller's qualifications to advise him "include having interviewed Osama bin Laden in May 1998 -- two months before the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania -- and co-writing a bestselling book, The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot and Why the FBI and the CIA Failed to Stop It."

Miller responds to the article in a letter to Romenesko's Media News. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0786869003 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Bratton ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Reich: The Death Of Opposition STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 11:25:35 AM ----- BODY: Robert Reich dusts off his "Democratic Party is dead" thesis once again: "The Republicans have a network of conservative think-tanks, which produce ideas that are marketed and sold by a boatload of money and spokespeople... Contrast this with the Democrats' mixed message leading up to the recent elections, where they were unclear on whether to support Bush on Iraq; they fulminated over social security privatisation and health care policy. Although they managed to agree that last year's giant 1.3 trillion Bush tax cut was wrong, they failed to offer a coherent, alternative suggestion. If the emerging presidential candidates do not produce clear policies they can kiss goodbye to victory in 2004." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Democratic party ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Morris: Republicans Will Keep Lott STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 11:15:25 AM ----- BODY: Dick Morris makes the case for keeping Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) as Majority Leader: "If this were June, Lott might not survive. He'd have to be in Washington every day, getting hit and picked at. But it's December; everybody will leave that hateful place and go to their homes for Christmas. When they reconvene in January, Trent Lott will still be there for one good reason: The Republican senators don't want him to go."

Slate notes that the attack on Lott is coming from conservatives with poor civil rights records: "If politeness to bigots, comfort with principles congenial to them, and amnesia about struggles for equal rights are now crimes worthy of ending people's careers, then let the inquisition begin. Lott's accusers will be sorry they started it." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: A Wide-Open Fight STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 09:08:36 AM ----- BODY: Al Gore's "surprise announcement that he will not run for the White House in 2004 transforms the Democratic nomination contest from a referendum on the last nominee into a wide-open fight for the right to challenge President Bush," the Washington Post reports. The Los Angeles Times notes "one of several new, comparatively fresh Democratic faces now will have a chance to emerge over the next 12 months." The Des Moines Register handicaps the Iowa caucuses given the changed political landscape. PoliticsNH.com does the same for the New Hampshire primary.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "had no comment Sunday night," but "would comment today after consulting with his family," the Hartford Courant reports. The Boston Globe reports that Lieberman "is expected to announce his candidacy as soon as today."

Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) "could be the chief benefactor of Gore's decision to forgo a White House bid, possibly even making him the front-runner for 2004," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "breathed a sigh of relief," the Boston Globe reports. The Washington Times says Kerry "is the Democratic hopeful who probably benefits the most." The Boston Herald reports Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) thinks Kerry is now the front runner.

Sen. John Edwards' (D-NC) supporters "insisted that it ultimately will have little bearing on whether the North Carolina Democrat decides to run," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. But Roll Call says Edwards "took it hard" when Kennedy recently told him he would back Kerry's candidacy.

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) said "he was surprised" by Gore's decision but that it "would not affect his campaign strategy," the AP reports.

Likewise, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) said "Gore's decision would not affect Daschle's plan to announce his intentions after the holidays," the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.

John Ellis reviews the field and Mickey Kaus reviews his analysis. Glenn Reynolds says "the big winner so far is Al Gore."

Meanwhile, Roll Call says the DeweySquareGroup "is the most important player in the 2004 presidential primaries that you've probably never heard of." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Most Over-Hyped Candidates of 2002 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 08:18:47 AM ----- BODY: "Every election cycle there are candidates who are largely discounted but who in the end emerge as strong contenders," Stuart Rothenberg writes. "And there are often even more candidates who get early star billing but turn out to not deserve the hype." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: 2002 elections ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Art of Deception STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/16/2002 08:04:07 AM ----- BODY: "Politicians have been engaging in Washington feints probably since the dawn of the nation," the New York Times reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: political deception ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Gore Will Not Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/15/2002 11:41:11 PM ----- BODY: Al Gore "has decided against running for president in 2004, ending a month-long flirtation with another candidacy," the New York Times reports. Gore made the announcement on CBS's 60 Minutes. The Washington Post notes "Gore said his decision not to run in 2004 made it less likely that he will ever seek the presidency again, but he did not rule out another campaign in the future."

The New York Times notes that "in typical Gore fashion, he kept the guessing alive until tonight, choosing his own time for revealing his decision and his own way of doing it. He had quite a bit of fun stage-managing the game up through his Saturday night television appearance, befuddling anyone looking for clues."

Slate reviews Gore on Saturday Night Live and notes it wasn't the performance of a man who to be president -- "not even candidate Clinton could have gotten away with making homoerotic jokes and impersonating senators (some boundaries were observed, and cannily so: George Bush wasn't mentioned even once). So, it wasn't surprising when the news arrived today that Gore won't run in 2004. Last night was his kiss-off, and you've got to admire that he delivered it sitting in a hot tub and wearing a silly wig." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Nickles Calls For New GOP Leadership Elections STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/15/2002 10:47:59 PM ----- BODY: Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), "the second-ranking Senate Republican, this morning said Republicans should consider ousting Sen. Trent Lott as their party leader," the Washington Post reports. The Wall Street Journal notes "Under Senate GOP rules, a meeting of the rank and file must be called if five senators request it... Nickles had not yet asked other senators to support his call for a meeting to consider Mr. Lott's fate." Interestingly, Roll Call's Heard on the Hill notes that Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT) -- the man who took the Majority Leader's job from Lott when he switched parties -- jumped to Lott's defense late last week.

Meanwhile, Lott is playing hardball. The Washington Post notes Lott has hinted "he might resign from the Senate if he is forced out as leader, a move that could jeopardize the party's one-seat majority. Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) presumably would appoint a Democrat to replace Lott... That would leave the Senate evenly split, enabling Democrats to regain the majority if they could persuade a moderate Republican to switch parties."

The best commentary on the entire story comes from David Brooks and Mark Shields.

Newsweek calls the story "a Washington classic: History suddenly rears up and threatens a safe pol’s security." Time says "Lott's remarks on race raise a storm and a hot question: Have Republicans really outgrown their past?" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Don Nickles ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Behind the War STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/15/2002 03:06:54 PM ----- BODY: The New York Times reviews Bush At War and says what's remarkable about Bob Woodward's book "is the same thing that was remarkable about many of his others -- extraordinary access to secret documents, like contemporaneous notes of National Security Council meetings, and to high officials, including President Bush, who submitted to a 2-hour-25-minute interview of lively give and take... Woodward has been writing books in roughly this way for 20 years, and during that time he has rarely been attacked by his subjects for getting things wrong." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0743204735 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bob Woodward ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Indiana, Bayh Considers Another Run For Governor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/15/2002 02:53:59 PM ----- BODY: Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) "is contemplating a return to the Hoosier state to run, once again, for governor," the Washington Post reports. "Bayh is widely believed to have at least vague presidential aspirations -- and he knows that precious few senators make it directly to the White House. Complicating his decision is the fear among Democrats that they would have trouble keeping his Senate seat if he steps down."

The Indianapolis Star says White House budget director Mitch Daniels "refused to say he would run for the GOP nomination for Indiana governor in 2004, but he acknowledged Saturday that he was seriously thinking about it." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Evan Bayh ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Maryland, Ehrlich Taps Schaefer Aides STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 02:21:31 PM ----- BODY: Maryland Gov.-elect Robert Ehrlich "may be putting together Maryland's first Republican government since the 1960s, but the cast he is assembling is starting to look like a Democratic reunion of the William Donald Schaefer administration," the Washington Post reports. The Baltimore Sun notes that Ehrlich also laid out a "modest" legislative agenda for next year. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Robert Ehrlich ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Beats Gore On Sunday Morning STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 01:11:54 PM ----- BODY: The New York Post's Michael Starr has this interesting fact: "NBC's Meet the Press notched 4.7 million two weeks ago with likely Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry as the guest - a 68 percent advantage over Al Gore's appearance last Sunday on ABC's This Week." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Kerry Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Skullduggery Abounds In Louisiana Runoff STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 10:51:46 AM ----- BODY: "Dirty tricks aimed at smearing candidates and confusing or discouraging voters were in ample supply during the primary and runoff elections for the U.S. Senate and a Louisiana congressional seat," the AP reports. "Mostly anonymous, the skullduggery was aimed at disrupting the usual racial and ideological voting patterns." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 1591960363 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: dirty tricks ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Illinois, Moseley-Braun Tells Daschle She'll Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 09:34:22 AM ----- BODY: Ex-Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) reportedly told Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) "last week she definitely will run again for her old seat," the Chicago Sun Times' Michael Sneed reports. Moseley-Braun also told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that "she may run again for the Senate from Illinois." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Carol Moseley-Braun ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Matalin Leaving White House STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 09:31:47 AM ----- BODY: "Mary Matalin, Vice President Dick Cheney's top public relations strategist, is leaving the White House," the AP reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0684801337 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Mary Matalin ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bradley Aide Backs Edwards In 2004 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 09:30:12 AM ----- BODY: Ed Turlington, a top aide in Bill Bradley's 2000 presidential campaign, "is in line to play a leading role in the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. John Edwards if the North Carolina Democrat moves forward with a 2004 White House bid," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dean Prepares Family For White House Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 09:25:44 AM ----- BODY: As Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) "continues to prepare for life as a presidential candidate, he has begun preparing his family as well," WPTZ-TV reports. "Dean said his children will remain off-limits, but he said his wife, Dr. Judith Steinberg, will have more of a public role in the coming year as he campaigns." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Howard Dean ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Gore Leads In Iowa, But Not New Hampshire STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 09:22:55 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "leads in New Hampshire but trails" Al Gore "by significant margins in Iowa and South Carolina, according to a new poll of Democratic voters in those three early primary and caucus states," the Boston Globe reports. The AP says Gore "is caught in an emotional tug-of-war on whether to run for president again, knowing he would be the likely front-runner for the nomination and very aware of lingering criticism from fellow Democrats about his 2000 bid." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Supply Side CEO STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 08:24:09 AM ----- BODY: "Conservative supply-siders grouse John Snow puts deficit-cutting over tax-cutting, but he's got a low-tax record as CSX chief. CSX paid no federal taxes on continuing operations in 1998, 2000 or 2001, but reported profits to shareholders," the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. Meanwhile, Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) "sees potential backers among moderate Republicans, even Minnesota's Coleman, to rein in a stimulus package Bush will offer." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Snow ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Are Voters Having Second Thoughts? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 08:21:28 AM ----- BODY: "Before last month's elections, voters split over whether the same party should control the White House and Congress. But now that Republicans have won total control," a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows voters "prefer divided government by 2 to 1." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: congressional control ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Picks Friedman As Economic Advisor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/13/2002 01:19:37 AM ----- BODY: President Bush "appointed Wall Street veteran Stephen Friedman as chief White House economic adviser. He succeeds Lawrence Lindsey, who was ousted along with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill last week," the Wall Street Journal reports. The AP notes "Bush selected Friedman last week, but his appointment was delayed because of questions about his health and to give White House lawyers time to review Freidman's huge investment portfolio."

The New York Times asks the most interesting question: "What is it about Goldman Sachs that makes it such a popular feeding ground for Democratic and Republican administrations alike?" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Stephen Friedman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Blasts Lott Over Remarks STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 04:45:04 PM ----- BODY: "President Bush delivered a stinging rebuke to the embattled Senate Republican leader, Trent Lott (R-Miss.), over his statements in support of Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 presidential campaign," the Washington Post reports. The New York Times says "Bush took the rare and extraordinary step of publicly criticizing a senior Congressional leader of his own party partly reflected deep Republican concern over the potential for political damage caused by Mr. Lott's gaffe." However, the Wall Street Journal says "the White House said the president doesn't think Lott should step down as Senate Republican leader."

Andrew Sullivan calls the speech "a watershed" and says "Lott must now resign. He has no other choice." Charles Krauthammer also sums up why he thinks Lott is unfit to be Senate Majority Leader: "This is not just the kind of eruption of moronic bias or racial insensitivity that cost baseball executive Al Campanis and sports commentator Jimmy the Greek Snyder their careers. This is something far more important. This is about getting wrong the most important political phenomenon in the past half-century of American history: the civil rights movement. Getting wrong its importance is not an issue of political correctness. It is evidence of a historical blindness that is utterly disqualifying for national office."

Lott's past statements are likely to continue to haunt him. Josh Marshall is still on the case and has unearthed a lengthy interview Lott gave to Southern Partisan magazine, a publication which once argued "Slave owners . . . did not have a practice of breaking up slave families. If anything, they encouraged strong slave families to further the slaves' peace and happiness." And Time magazine has now found that Lott "helped lead a fight to keep blacks out of his national fraternity." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Democrats May Halt Senate STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 12:58:24 PM ----- BODY: "Emboldened by Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) win last week, Democrats are prepared to prevent the Senate from organizing in January unless Republicans agree to near-equal committee funding in the 108th Congress," Roll Call reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Senate control ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Friends Say Gore Not Running STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 09:00:57 AM ----- BODY: "In a notable shift of sentiment, several associates of former Vice President Al Gore said today that they were becoming increasingly convinced that he would not run for president in 2004 and would instead announce in early January that he was stepping aside to allow a new face to challenge President Bush," the New York Times reports.

Don Campbell argues that "the closest parallel to Gore's situation is that of Richard Nixon. Like Gore in 2000, Nixon ran as a sitting vice president in 1960 and lost. He then ran for governor of California in 1962 and lost.... Then, after the Barry Goldwater debacle in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson defeated him, Nixon regrouped his forces and stormed back to two presidential victories."

Meanwhile, George Will says that Donna Brazile, "who in 2000 worked for Al Gore as the first black woman to manage a presidential campaign, is planning to apply some lessons of the Louisiana success to 2004, and not on Gore's behalf."

Variety says Saturday Night Live borrowed the West Wing's Oval Office set for a skit this weekend with Gore, who will be the show's host. "In the scene, Gore is reluctant to leave the Oval Office" ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Calls For Lott To Step Down STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 08:40:55 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "demanded that Senate GOP Leader Trent Lott resign his powerful leadership post for making racially charged comments praising Sen. Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 presidential campaign," the Boston Herald reports. Despite Lott's third apology, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger looks at Lott's past ties with segregationists.

Meanwhile, the New York Times weighs in: "Unless the president wants to spend his next campaign explaining" Lott's "behavior over and over, he should urge the Senate Republicans to get somebody else" to serve as Senate majority leader. The Chicago Tribune adds that "the Republican Party has an enormous problem on its hands, and the way to resolve it is to choose another leader for the U.S. Senate. Lott has forfeited his claim to the role."

CNN reports Lott said "he will not step down from his leadership post." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman's PAC Spending In Early States STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 08:38:17 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D-CT) New Democrat Network PAC "has made large donations to state candidates and parties in the traditional presidential testing grounds of Iowa and New Hampshire," the Gannett News Service reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dean Gets Lukewarm Reception At Home STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/12/2002 08:34:47 AM ----- BODY: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) "threw his first big home state fund-raising bash Tuesday night and 29 Democrats from all over the state came," the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Howard Dean ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Feels The Heat STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 03:09:39 PM ----- BODY: Josh Marshall locates an Amicus Brief filed in a 1983 landmark case by then Rep. Trent Lott (R-MO) on behalf of Bob Jones University supporting the "primary fundamentalist conviction of the [University]... that the Scriptures forbid interracial dating and marriage."

Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg writes "For several days now, I've been searching for a conservative to come to the defense of incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. I haven't found one. In fact, I constitute one of his biggest defenders simply because I don't think he should be dumped from the GOP leadership because he's allegedly racist. I think he should be dumped because he's politically stupid." And Ralph Luker piles on: "While President Bush is reorganizing the leadership of his economic team, Senate Republicans should reorganize their leadership. It is time for Trent Lott of Mississippi to step or be pushed aside."

Oliver Willis has already put out the Democrats' first 2004 campaign ad on the issue. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman Running As If Gore Isn't STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 11:09:21 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "sure isn't acting like a man who's still playing second fiddle to Al Gore," the Concord Monitor reports. In his sixth trip to the Granite State since the last presidential campaign, "the senator clearly looked like he was gunning hard for the White House and starting to set up shop in New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: New York Is Likely GOP Convention Site STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 10:12:23 AM ----- BODY: "New York City is close to winning the prize of the 2004 Republican National Convention," the New York Daily News "has learned, despite White House concerns that Mayor Bloomberg is not enough of a team player." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Republican National Convention ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Said It Before STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 09:01:15 AM ----- BODY: In 1980, Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), "then a House member from Mississippi, told a home state political gathering that if the country had elected segregationist candidate Strom Thurmond to the presidency '30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.' The phrasing is very similar to incoming Senate Majority Leader Lott's controversial remarks at a 100th birthday party for Thurmond last week," the Washington Post reports.

Andrew Sullivan is outraged: "Sorry to those who think I'm making too much of this. But it seems to me that the G.O.P. has zero credibility on racial matters until they get rid of this man as Senate Majority Leader." The Hill says Lott "was roundly condemned Tuesday by conservatives and liberals on and off Capitol Hill." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Picks Donaldson To Head SEC STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:45:38 AM ----- BODY: "President Bush selected William Donaldson, a former head of the New York Stock Exchange, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission," the New York Times reports. The Washington Post says Donaldson "will need his legendary skills to revive the wounded agency."

Slate is right about Bush's latest economic appointments. William Donaldson "has a record of serving investors well," but Treasury Secretary designate John Snow "has a record of serving them poorly. In fact, the two former CEOs stand as mirror images of the Republican Party's long and evolving association with the business world." Josh Marshall notes "the Snow model is a pretty common one in this administration -- including the president, vice-president, defense secretary, and many others."

The Wall Street Journal says Snow now says he will "give up about $15 million he could collect for stepping down from CSX to become Treasury secretary." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Donaldson ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Daschle Mulling White House Bid STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:38:40 AM ----- BODY: Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) "has begun in-depth conversations with confidants about running for president but probably won't decide on his political future until early next year," the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. "They're telling Daschle he has a little time because he has name identification and a national fund-raising base but probably shouldn't wait beyond February to announce his decision." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tom Daschle ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Harkin Wants Democrats To Move Left STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:36:58 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) "plans a series of speeches in January designed to move the Democratic Party leftward after setbacks in last month's midterm elections, and establish himself as a leading liberal voice," the Des Moines Register reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. Tom Harkin ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Hoyer Criticizes His Own Party STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:35:15 AM ----- BODY: "As House Democrats struggled to assemble an economic plan that might stand up to the Bush administration's," Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) "the chamber's second-ranking Democrat criticized his party today as failing to challenge the Republican plan aggressively for the last two years," the New York Times reports. Jules Witcover says Democratic governors at their winter meeting agree and "made it clear they believe their congressional brethren dropped the ball in not offering an effective party message in the fall and said they intend to do something about it." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Steny Hoyer ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: First Test For 2004 Candidates May Be In Senate STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:11:24 AM ----- BODY: "The first battleground in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination may not be Iowa or New Hampshire, but the Senate floor," the Chicago Sun Times reports. "With at least five Senate Democrats--about one out of every 10 Democrats in the chamber--thinking about running for the White House in 2004, the upcoming presidential campaign is sure to spill over into the next session of Congress." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: 2004 presidential race ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Getting Early Favorable Press STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/11/2002 08:09:35 AM ----- BODY: "While most Americans aren't ready to focus on a campaign 23 months before election day, media and political insiders say now is a critical time for any presidential wannabe to plant the seeds of success by attracting significant and reasonably friendly media coverage. And, they say, John Kerry is off to a sprinting start," the Boston Globe reports. Meanwhile, the Newark Star Ledger says Kerry was raising money in New Jersey last night. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dukakis Backs Kerry For President STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 05:02:44 PM ----- BODY: In an interview with the Providence Journal, former Democratic presidential nominee Mike Dukakis "calls himself a strong backer" of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), "who once was his lieutenant governor, and asserts he has a 'very, very good' chance of becoming the nominee." Here's the best quote: "John was getting shot at in Vietnam while the guy in the Oval Office and his vice president were doing everything they could to stay out of the thing." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Illinois, Democrats Want Daley For Senate Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 04:45:36 PM ----- BODY: Ex-Commerce Secretary Bill Daley is "being recruited by" the Democrats to run against Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL), Congress Daily reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Daley ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In New York, Pataki Told Silver He Will Not Run Again STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 03:34:14 PM ----- BODY: New York State Assembly leader Sheldon Silver (D) said that Gov. George Pataki (R) "told him he has made his last run for governor," Newsday reports. "During his re-election campaign and immediately after his re-election this year, Pataki refused to say whether he might run for a fourth term in 2006." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: George Pataki ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Doonesbury On John Kerry STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 02:11:05 PM ----- BODY: A reader has found a 1971 series of Doonesbury comic strips featuring John Kerry as the "gorgeous preppie" leading anti-Vietnam war rallies. It's pretty funny stuff and gives you at least one reaction to Kerry as he stepped into the spotlight for the first time. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush To Pick Friedman As Economic Advisor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 02:00:37 PM ----- BODY: After picking a new Treasury Secretary, President Bush "is expected to appoint another budget-deficit hawk, Stephen Friedman, a former co-chairman of the Goldman Sachs investment firm, to head the White House's National Economic Council," the Washington Times reports. USA Today says Friedman "is relishing the prospect of turning the tables on" his "longtime friend and confidant Robert Rubin" who held the job in the Clinton administration.

Update: CNN reports "White House officials said Tuesday that the leading candidate for top White House economic adviser may not get the job." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Stephen Friedman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: How To Leave A Cabinet Post STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:46:49 AM ----- BODY: The New York Times gives a lesson in manners to outgoing Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill: "The etiquette of surrendering a cabinet post in Washington is clear -- whether one is a Democrat or Republican, whether one leaves willingly or is shown the door. The departing cabinet member stands next to the president and talks about what an honor it was to serve. Recriminations, if any, are left to the memoirs." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Paul O'Neill ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Snow Hoped For Government Appointment STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:38:44 AM ----- BODY: The Wall Street Journal notes that Treasury Secretary-designate John Snow's "last contract with CSX allowed for a new, permissible reason for him to leave the company with his executive benefits intact: to 'fulfill an appointment to public office.'" Another WSJ piece notes that "Snow has spent his career moving with agility between government and business, along the way helping himself and the railroad-holding company he has run since 1989." The Washington Post says Snow is a "politically savvy version of his pugnacious predecessor."

But Andrew Sullivan points out a potential problem: "Isn't it a mite bit embarrassing that the new candidate for Treasury secretary ran a company, CSX, that didn't pay a dime in federal taxes for the last four years, despite making profits? I think I just wrote Paul Krugman's next column." The New York Times highlights Snow's own generous pay package as a potential line of questioning in his confirmation hearings. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Snow ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Indiana, Will Bayh Run For Governor Again? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:31:37 AM ----- BODY: "Pundits are tossing around names like Evan Bayh to run for Indiana governor on the based on the fact that Lt. Governor Joe Kernan says he won't run, as he had been expected to do," the Bedford Times Mail reports. The Indianapolis Star says "there were more questions than answers as to why Kernan backed away from a nomination that Democrats virtually had gift-wrapped for him." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Evan Bayh ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Los Angeles, Bratton May Tap TV Anchor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:27:54 AM ----- BODY: The New York Post has this interesting tidbit: ABC News 20/20 co-anchor John Miller is about to give notice that he's going to leave his job and join new Los Angeles police chief William Bratton as a top aide. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0679452516 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Bratton ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lott Apologizes For Comments STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:22:54 AM ----- BODY: Senate Republican leader Trent Lott (R-MS) apologized "for suggesting that the country would have been better off if segregationist candidate Strom Thurmond had been elected president in 1948," the Washington Post reports. The AP says Al Gore demanded that "Lott should be censured for his "racist statement.'" But Paul Krugman puts it best: "Lott has apologized for a 'poor choice of words.' But choice of words had nothing to do with it. What he did, quite clearly, was offer a retroactive endorsement of a frankly racist campaign."

Howard Kurtz wonders why, "until this morning, most major newspapers hadn't done squat on the story." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Trent Lott ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Distances Himself From Reich STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:18:51 AM ----- BODY: "Faced with resistance from key Senate Republicans," President Bush "is backing away from renominating Otto Reich, symbol of the administration's hard-line stance toward Cuba, as his top diplomat for Latin America," the Los Angeles Times reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Otto Reich ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards Hosts New Hampshire Activists STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:13:28 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "entertained about a dozen party activists from New Hampshire at his home Monday night, including a key worker for Al Gore in the state in 2000," the AP reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Dorgan Urges Gore Not To Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/10/2002 09:11:20 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) "burned by the way" former Vice President Al Gore "and the national Democratic Party ran the 2000 presidential campaign, sent the former vice president a three-page letter in April outlining his complaints" and urging him not to run for president again, the Washington Post reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Snow Resigns From Augusta National STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 04:41:13 PM ----- BODY: Treasury Secretary nominee John Snow "resigned his membership in Augusta National Golf Club, which has been under fire for not allowing women to join," the AP reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Augusta National ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Is Weld Planning A Comeback? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 04:20:35 PM ----- BODY: "Not too long ago many people were saying that Bill Weld was done for. He'd left the Massachusetts governor's office mid-term after unsuccessful bids for both a senate seat and an ambassadorship, left his wife of 26 years, and left the commonwealth altogether to join the scores of other out-of-work politicians taking up residence in Manhattan," Newsday reports. "But these days, the 57-year-old Smithtown, NY native seems less like a washout and more like a man preparing his next move... And he's putting away a little money, he says, so that in a few years he'll be ready to make a play. A play for what? Perhaps for another governor's seat, he says. Only this time in his home state." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: William Weld ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In New Hampshire, Gore And Kerry Lead The Pack STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 04:07:39 PM ----- BODY: Former Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "are the early leaders for the 2004 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary," according to a new Marist poll. Among registered Democrats Gore receives 31 percent to Kerry's 28 percent. "Without Gore in the race, Kerry is the frontrunner among the potential Democratic presidential candidates." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Gore Kerry New Hampshire ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Chicago, Daley Wants Fifth Term STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 04:04:27 PM ----- BODY: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) announced his bid for re-election for a fifth term, the Chicago Tribune reports. "His father, Richard J. Daley, won six mayoral elections, serving more than 21 years before his death in December 1976." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Richard Daley ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Gore Cares About Family STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 04:01:22 PM ----- BODY: "Al and Tipper Gore's Joined at the Heart is a moving tribute to the courage, resilience and diversity of contemporary American families," according to a Washington Post review. "If their effort falls short as a prescriptive for the multiple ills that assail today's family units, they nonetheless convince us of their genuine concern for struggling households across the nation." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0805068937 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Stop Them Before They Run Again! STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 03:57:16 PM ----- BODY: "Running for office can be an addiction for some people. And it's an addiction that some repeat losers need to break," Stuart Rothenberg writes in Roll Call. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: running for office ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman Leads In Fundraising STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 09:58:42 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) "outshined his would-be opponents for the Democratic presidential nomination in the scramble for hard dollars during the 2002 cycle" as his PAC brought in $2.9 million in hard money, Roll Call reports. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Toobin writes in The New Yorker that Lieberman "is seldom happier than when he is talking about his own Presidential ambitions" but calls his new book "substance free."

Update: In a Fox News Sunday interview, Lieberman addressed rumors he would pick Sen. John McCain as his potential running mate: "There's nobody I'm closer to in the Senate than John McCain... So, who knows? It's far ahead. John's a Republican, I'm a Democrat, but we're really good friends. And I just have the highest respect for him." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Stakes Out Foreign Policy Advantage STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 09:56:17 AM ----- BODY: The New York Times kicks off a series of profiles of potential 2004 White House aspirants with a piece on Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), "a three-term United States senator with a résumé steeped in foreign affairs. He is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who later became an antiwar leader. He is an articulate, telegenic and wealthy candidate known to savor a fight on the political field." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Domain Name Race Is On STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 09:49:51 AM ----- BODY: The Chicago Tribune reports on the scramble to register Internet domain names for potential 2004 presidential campaigns. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: domain names ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Mississippi, Barbour Gears Up For Race STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 09:39:05 AM ----- BODY: Former National Republican Party Chairman Haley Barbour "has filed paperwork necessary to begin receiving contributions" for a run for Mississippi governor in 2003, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Haley Barbour ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Lousiana, Landrieu Wins Runoff STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 09:06:36 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) held on to her Senate seat Saturday, defeating state Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell (R) "in a bitterly contested runoff stoked by negative ads, national politics and personal animosity," the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The New York Times notes analysts credited Landrieu's "emphasis on economic issues and her conservative cultural leanings, like her support for several pro-gun measures." The Washington Post says President Bush's "eleventh-hour visit, and the relentless barrage of advertising attacks on Landrieu, may even have backfired." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Mary Landrieu ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Calio Expected To Leave White House STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 08:57:59 AM ----- BODY: Nicholas Calio, the head of the White House Legislative Affairs Office, "is preparing to voluntarily leave his post in the near future," Roll Call reports. "An announcement by Calio is anticipated by the end of this year or in early January 2003." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Nicholas Calio ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Picks Snow For Treasury STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/09/2002 08:55:49 AM ----- BODY: President Bush "has chosen CSX Corp. Chairman John Snow as the new treasury secretary," the Washington Post reports. The Wall Street Journal notes that Snow "has been a champion of balanced budgets as a chairman of the influential Business Roundtable and has recently pushed for reforms of corporate governance."

Meanwhile, CNN says Stephen Friedman, a former Goldman Sachs chairman, "is the top choice to replace" former economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: treasury secretary ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Candidate That Doesn't Smile STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 02:25:36 PM ----- BODY: The Economist reviews Sen. John Kerry's presidential candidate and asks "Can the Democrats really afford to send a dour Massachusetts liberal to do battle with an affable Texan?" But Marianne Means thinks Kerry could make a good candidate: "We are most comfortable when we like our leaders, but it is crucial that we respect them. It is Kerry's task to make the country respect him, and what we know of him thus far suggests he can do that." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush Shakes Up Economic Team STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 10:00:53 AM ----- BODY: "Paul O'Neill, whose outspokenness won him praise as a captain of industry but often landed him in hot water as President Bush's treasury secretary, announced his resignation Friday," the AP reports. Reuters says O'Neill's tenure was "marred by public gaffes and criticisms of his ability to be the U.S. economy's chief spokesman." The Washington Post notes "O'Neill's is the first Bush cabinet-level resignation." The Wall Street Journal says White House economic advisor Larry Lindsey also resigned.

The Washington Post notes that White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, "while not acknowledging that the two men were pushed out, did little to discourage that impression and professed no regret that they were leaving." The Economist says the moves came "noT a moment too soon."

Jonah Goldberg wonders "Does this mean the Bush Administration is taking advice from Al Gore? I mean it's good news, I think (especially about O'Neil) but it will be interesting to see what Gore says. This could be another classic example of the Bushies flummoxing their opponents by doing exactly what they say." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: treasury secretary ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Will Bush Toss Reich Overboard? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 09:16:44 AM ----- BODY: Opponents of Cuba's Fidel Castro "gripe that Bush is abandoning a torchbearer," the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reports. "Bush named Otto Reich, a favorite of anti-Castro hard-liners, as State's top Latin American diplomat during a congressional recess last year, to avoid a Senate confirmation fight. Reich had to exit when Congress adjourned this month." But now many doubt the White House will fight for his reappointment. One congressional staffer summed up the controversy: "Having Reich was important for the Florida vote, but now that that's over, he's no longer needed." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Otto Reich ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: McCain - Bush Fued Heats Up Again STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 09:10:36 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) accused President Bush "of breaking a written promise to speedily appoint" a Democrat to the Federal Electioins Commission, "reigniting their roiling feud," the Washington Post reports. Said McCain: "I will assume all future assurances and promises by this administration to be quite possibly insincere." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John McCain ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman Tries The Dinner Strategy STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 09:05:32 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) "will begin 2003 with about $1 million to spend on his political activities as he quietly prepares for a presidential bid by wooing top Democratic activists at private dinners," the Hartford Courant reports. "Tonight, Lieberman will hold the fourth in a series of meetings where he and wife Hadassah speak about a future presidential run."

The Raleigh News and Observer notes that Sen. John Edwards' (D-NC) is trying the tactic as well and his "dinner guests Monday night will include" several "politically active" visitors from New Hampshire. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Gore Steps Up Criticism Of Bush STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 08:53:12 AM ----- BODY: Al Gore "used a book promotion stop in Chicago" to "lambaste" Bush for "his positions on taxes, foreign policy and the environment," the Chicago Tribune reports. Gore also "said he would announce his presidential aspirations for 2004 'sometime after the holidays.'" An American Prospect review of his book notes the political risks and asks "Does Al Gore know what he's doing?" Meanwhile, Matt Drudge stirs up allegations of a recent Gore trip to China "where he is believed to have been paid to speak at a communist government-linked think-tank." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0805068937 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Lousiana, Candidates Spend Last Day Campaigning STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 08:50:24 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Suzanne Haik Terrell (R) "are on whirlwind flying tours of Louisiana today, the final day of full campaigning before voting begins at 6 a.m. Saturday," the Shreveport Times reports. The Washington Times points out that "the tight race is a near duplicate of the elections in Georgia and South Dakota last month that pitted a Republican challenger" supported by Bush "against a first-term Democratic incumbent who had the support of the state's other, powerful Democratic senator." And the New York Times notes "the tenor of this campaign strikes many political leaders as unusually harsh," with recent negative ads capturing "the tone of the demolition derby."

Of course, in the end, it's all about voter turnout. The New Orleans Times-Picayune says Landrieu and Terrell are waging "a ground war to energize their core supporters and get them to the polls." And the AP notes that while Saturday is a test, "Republicans' success at turning out voters in the 2002 midterm election means the GOP will make the aggressive voter turnout strategy borrowed from Democrats and organized labor an essential part of its campaigns."

Update: A reader notes that none of the potential Democratic 2004 presidential candidate campaigned for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in either the fall campaign or the runoff. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Landrieu Terrell ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Three Governors Controversy STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/06/2002 07:03:13 AM ----- BODY: Here's your political history lesson of the day. About Politics points us to an interesting piece on Georgia's Three Governors Controversy in 1947, "one of the most bizarre incidents" to take place in Georgia politics. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: political history ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Thurmond Is 100 Years Old STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/05/2002 08:52:33 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) celebrates his 100th birthday today "adding yet another extraordinary distinction to an extraordinary life," the Columbia State reports. He is "the first U.S. senator to turn 100 while in office." The Greenville News says Thurmond will make brief remarks this afternoon and will later celebrate his birthday at the White House. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Strom Thurmond ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Louisiana, Terrell Gets Bush Bounce STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/05/2002 08:47:52 AM ----- BODY: "That presidential pose may have paid off in Louisiana on Tuesday as it did in other states this election year," the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports. Senate candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell (R) "got a big boost from Bush's campaign stops with her in Shreveport and New Orleans," according to a new poll. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Times-Picayune notes that "in the final 48 hours before" Saturday's Senate runoff, "it will be hard for anyone who turns on a radio or flips on a television to avoid seeing attack ads from the two candidates and the political organizations that back them." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Landrieu Terrell ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards Meets Blair STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/05/2002 08:44:13 AM ----- BODY: Based on his "own account," Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) demonstrated "another characteristic of a man ready to be president: the ability to hobnob with world leaders," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. "During a conference call with reporters," Edwards "reported that he had 'hit it off' with British Prime Minister Tony Blair during an impromptu meeting at 10 Downing St. in London." The Financial Times says British officials also "described him as sharp and well-informed." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Frank Urges Gore Not To Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/05/2002 08:38:35 AM ----- BODY: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), "voicing strong support" for Sen. John Kerry's presidential ambitions, "bluntly urged former Vice President Al Gore to stay out of the 2004 White House race," the Boston Herald reports. The New York Post says "maybe it's just wishful thinking, but the December buzz among Dems is starting to be that maybe, just maybe, Al Gore will bow out of the 2004 presidential race and deprive Republicans of their dream race -- a Bush-Gore rematch." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Court Challenge To Campaign Finance Law Begins STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/05/2002 08:35:51 AM ----- BODY: "A team of prominent lawyers told three federal judges that the nation's new campaign finance law tramples First Amendment rights and gives special-interest groups undue sway over federal elections," the Washington Post reports.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe says "Advocates of campaign finance reform are pressing regulators to apply new fund-raising rules to political conventions, which could disqualify millions of dollars worth of corporate pledges that persuaded party leaders to choose Boston as the site for the 2004 Democratic National Convention." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: campaign finance ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Bush's Invisible Domestic Policy Advisor STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 10:53:09 PM ----- BODY: Chatterbox searches for White House Domestic Policy Advisor Margaret LaMontagne and concludes she "keeps an amazingly low profile." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Margaret LaMontagne ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Journalistic Outsider STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 10:40:32 PM ----- BODY: I just received a copy of Scotty: James B. Reston and the Rise and Fall of American Journalism by John Stack and look forward to reviewing it soon. The book promises to be interesting to anyone discouraged by corporate control of major media outlets and many of today's sensational journalistic practices. A recent New York Times review noted that Reston "was the most powerful voice at the country's most powerful newspaper, and yet his power derived in large measure from his moderation and restraint in wielding it." And a Columbia Journalism Review piece said "Stacks has woven a narrative at once empathetic and unblinking. In this it reflects the virtues of its subject." I'll write more on this book later. ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0316809853 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Scotty Reston ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Alaska, Rumors Swirl Over Murkowski's Replacement STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 01:46:38 PM ----- BODY: With Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) "still mum about whom he will appoint to take his place in the U.S. Senate, suspense has given rise to baseless speculation, in Alaska and elsewhere," the Anchorage Daily News reports. Murkowski "has said that he would make the appointment Dec. 9 or 10." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Frank Murkowski ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: You Lost, Now What? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 10:20:42 AM ----- BODY: "Some politicians who fared poorly in the 2002 elections are learning, for better or worse, how to get on with their lives," The Hill reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: election losses ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Blair And Brown Differ Over The Euro STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 10:10:33 AM ----- BODY: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown "are at once the two mightiest and the two most rivalrous members of the British government," the New York Times reports. "Unchallenged by anyone else, they have developed one of the most powerful partnerships in British political history. But if their association is sometimes thought of as a dream team, the partners themselves are at other times likened to terrible twins. This is one of those times." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Tony Blair ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Klein Leaving The New Yorker STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 09:56:16 AM ----- BODY: Joe Klein is leaving The New Yorker to write a weekly national and international-affairs column called "In the Arena" for Time magazine, the New York Observer reports. The column is named for Teddy Roosevelt's famous 1910 speech in Paris. ----- EXTENDED BODY: B00007BK3L ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joe Klein ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: SEC Appointment Expected Soon STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 09:48:11 AM ----- BODY: "The Bush administration has begun background checks on its choices to head the Securities and Exchange Commission and expects to choose a nominee within two weeks," the Wall Street Journal reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Securities and Exchange Commission ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Democrats Wage "Ideas Primary" STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 09:17:15 AM ----- BODY: USA Today reports that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D), Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "have been most active" Democrats considering presidential bids, and lists proposals each has made in the "ideas primary." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: presidential primary ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Clinton Says Democrats Lack Plan For Homeland Security STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/04/2002 09:11:46 AM ----- BODY: Former President Bill Clinton said in a speech to the Democratic Leadership Council that the Democratic Party "lost the midterm elections because its candidates had failed to offer a convincing case that the party could manage national security during dangerous times," the New York Times reports. Even though Clinton insisted "that there were many Democratic leaders of stature coming up through the ranks, he named none. The attention paid by many Democrats to a president in retirement underscored the difficulties the party has had in finding a new generation of leaders to carry its banner."

The Washington Post says Clinton "called upon the Democratic Party to stiffen its spine and take on the Republican Party and what he called its right-wing personal 'destruction machine.'"

Update: The Hotline sums up the story beneath the story: "The debate over what role Bill Clinton should play in the Dem party will not go away until the party elects a president not named Clinton. Until then, there will always be folks on both sides of the argument on whether Clinton helps or hurts." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bill Clinton ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Louisiana, White House Smells Victory STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 10:10:26 PM ----- BODY: "President Bush swooped into Louisiana to try to grab one last Republican prize, a 52nd Senate seat, to extend his control on Capitol Hill," the New York Times reports. The AP says it's "just the kind of race Bush helped tip in his autumn fund-raising campaign, a dead heat where a late injection of money could help the Republican." Meanwhile, the White House tells Washington Whispers that "victory is theirs" in this weekend's runoff "if the candidate doesn't screw up and if there's enough money for last-minute advertising. Which is why the GOP is sending out an all-points-bulletin to regular donors that begs for hurried contributions."

Update: The Washington Post says "Republican cash, ads and officials are deluging Louisiana for a postscript to the midterm elections that one party official is audaciously calling 'Operation Icing on the Cake': unseating Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) in Saturday's runoff." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Landrieu Terrell ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Political Site Update STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 10:04:05 PM ----- BODY: Political Wire readers will be pleased to know The Note has returned from its post-election hiatus. In addition, Political Professional is back from many months off. And Politics1 is also updating regularly now that publisher Ron Gunzberger is off the campaign trail. But, alas, The Scrum is still experiencing technical problems.

What are your favorite political web sites? Let me know. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Does Gore Have A Chance? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 09:51:18 PM ----- BODY: Although the conventional wisdom says Al Gore faces an uphill fight if he challenges President Bush to a rematch in 2004, Slate's David Greenberg notes an interesting historical fact: "On six occasions, a defeated presidential candidate ran four years later against the man who beat him -- and four times the challenger won."

Meanwhile, the Hartford Courant's David Lightman discusses the pros and cons of announcing your candidacy early. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Al Gore ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Why We Fought The Revolution STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 03:56:07 PM ----- BODY: The British government has banned a television advertisement that shows an animated President Bush "trying to play a video by placing it into a bread toaster. That's way too mean, according to British law," the Baltimore Sun reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bush ad banned ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: The Reluctant Revolutionary STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 03:10:40 PM ----- BODY: Max Hall reviews Benjamin Franklin by Edmund Morgan in the Boston Globe: "So much has been written about Benjamin Franklin in the 212 years since his death that you might imagine there's nothing left to say. But there always is. Now comes another biography of the man, a fairly short one, and in my opinion it's one of the best." Susan Dunn's review in the New York Times was equally favorable. Morgan "does more than recount the colorful and gripping story of Franklin's long, action- and idea-filled life; he also skillfully dissects the man's personality and mind, his social self and political beliefs, deftly exploring... how the two halves of his being lived together, not always in harmony." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0300095325 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Benjamin Franklin ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Stephanopoulos Ratings Fading Fast STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 09:19:30 AM ----- BODY: "George Stephanopoulos is finding out quickly what it's like to run with TV's big dogs," the New York Daily News reports. "Just 11 weeks into his stint as host of ABC's Sunday morning issues series This Week, Stephanopoulos has finished third out of the four major public-affairs shows in the recently completed November sweeps -- a first for the show since at least 1987." CNN notes that This Week "has so far struggled in the ratings and in key demographics against its half-hour CBS rival." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: George Stephanopoulos ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: One Nation Under Fox STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 09:05:19 AM ----- BODY: Michael Wolff looks at the poor ratings of The West Wing this season and notes "earnest politics makes for bad TV -- which is why the scrappy, outsider, underdog approach championed by Fox News has made it the new psychic heart of the Republican Party." Dennis Roddy makes this point: "It does not matter whether Fox executives are conservative. What matters is that they are cynical." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Roger Ailes ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: DiIulio Apologizes For Comments STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 08:46:16 AM ----- BODY: Former Bush aide John DiIulio apologized "after being quoted as saying a band of 'Mayberry Machiavellis' is running a White House in which politics trumps policy," Reuters reports. Fox News notes that DiIulio's statement "followed an earlier statement in which he claimed" the piece "contained factual errors, mentioned a conversation that never took place and mischaracterized his viewpoints." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John DiIulio ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Lousiana, Senate Runoff Heads Into Final Days STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 08:43:03 AM ----- BODY: "In their final debate before Saturday's decisive runoff," Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) and challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell (R) "argued about which of them is responsible for the negative tone of the campaign and which of them has run a campaign most consistent with 'Louisiana values,'" the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. A new University of New Orleans poll shows Landrieu and Terrell "in a dead heat." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Landrieu Terrell ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards Leaves On Foreign Trip STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 08:40:14 AM ----- BODY: "In an apparent bid to bolster his foreign-policy credentials," Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "headed to Europe on Monday on a trip that will include meetings with high-ranking NATO officials and possibly British Prime Minister Tony Blair," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Kicks Off Campaign STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 08:38:55 AM ----- BODY: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "is kicking off his presidential campaign with an economics speech today that will flesh out his proposal to freeze Bush administration tax cuts in favor of a payroll tax cut for workers and new investment incentives for businesses," the Boston Globe reports. The Boston Herald notes that after the speech, Kerry "will embark on a major fund-raising swing to key states such as Florida and Pennsylvania" and "will chase campaign dollars in Arizona and California next weekend." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Office Shuffle Begins On Capitol Hill STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/03/2002 08:36:59 AM ----- BODY: "The process of moving 193 House offices is under way on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers snagging better offices for this term and at least one office giving up a prime view of the Capitol," the Washington Times reports. For more on running a successful transition, see You Won - Now What? ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0684852039 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: newly-elected lawmakers ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Blagojevich Plotting Presidential Run STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 01:53:56 PM ----- BODY: Illinois Gov-elect Rod Blagojevich (D) "is already coveting an even higher office," the Chicago Sun Times' Steve Neal reports. Blagojevich "is openly discussing a future bid for the presidency of the United States. He isn't ready to compete in the 2004 presidential election but is plotting a run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Rod Blagojevich ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Cornyn Replaces Gramm In Senate STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 01:39:16 PM ----- BODY: John Cornyn (R-TX) became the newest U.S. senator being sworn in to replace outgoing Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX), the AP reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Cornyn ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Mississippi, Tuck To Join Republican Party STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 12:58:48 PM ----- BODY: "Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck will bolt the Democratic Party Monday and join the GOP," CNN reports. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger says "Tuck's expected party switch and the attendant endorsement of the state GOP royalty would seem to signal that she will seek re-election to her current post. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour is expected to have the solid support of the state's GOP congressmen as a 2003 gubernatorial nominee." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Amy Tuck ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Ventura: No Regrets STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 12:54:43 PM ----- BODY: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has an "exit interview" with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Sun covers Ventura's last public speech. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Jesse Ventura ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Playing Bob Woodward STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 12:25:02 PM ----- BODY: Richard Blow reviews Bob Woodward's Bush at War: "You have to give George Bush credit for one thing. He was smart enough to figure out how to play Bob Woodward like a maestro, and now he has the hagiography to show for it." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0743204735 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Bob Woodward ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kicking Nixon Around Some More STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 12:21:39 PM ----- BODY: Ethan Rarick, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, marks the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon's "bitter farewell to the political world and the troublesome press corps" after losing his 1962 California gubernatorial bid. The famous quote: "You won't have Nixon to kick around any more." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Richard Nixon ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: DiIulio Blasts Rove STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 10:27:42 AM ----- BODY: Former Bush advisor John DiIulio says in an Esquire interview that "the White House values politics over domestic policy, lacking both policy experts and an apparatus to support them, and has failed to achieve a 'compassionate conservative' agenda," the New York Times reports. The Washington Post says DiIulio charges "the administration's domestic policies are determined entirely by political considerations."

Update: Fox News says DiIulio denies making the remarks. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John DiIulio ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Democrats Prepare To Take On Bush STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 09:02:27 AM ----- BODY: "The first winnowing of the Democratic field" could happen "when early fund-raising numbers are disclosed in 2003," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. "Party insiders say that to be considered seriously, hopefuls will need to raise roughly $20 million before voting begins in Iowa." Meanwhile, the Des Moines Register says "the field of Democrats expected to run in the 2004 Iowa caucuses is beginning to take shape, although most of the action right now consists of private conversations between the likely candidates, their families, close advisers and fund-raisers."

CNN runs down the list of possible 2004 presidential contenders along with "some factors" they are weighing "as they consider whether to enter the 2004 race for president." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Iowa caucuses ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Kerry Is Running STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 08:59:53 AM ----- BODY: As expected, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said that "he is forming a committee to explore a bid for the White House in 2004," the AP reports. The Boston Herald says the announcement "signals a new phase for Kerry, who can expect intensive new scrutiny from the media of both his personal and political background as the race unfolds." USA Today quotes Kerry: "On almost every issue facing the country, I believe there is a better choice for this nation." But Josh Marshall and Mickey Kaus are not enthusiastic.

Update: See Kerry on Meet The Press make his announcement. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: John Kerry ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Lieberman And Dodd Still Considering Campaigns STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 08:49:14 AM ----- BODY: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) "continue to say they are seriously considering presidential bids, moves that would result in four New Englanders vying for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination," the Hartford Courant reports. The New Haven Register notes that Lieberman "spent nearly $2.3 million in the last two years traveling to about 30 states, boosting Democratic candidates, delivering policy speeches, and honing his national profile for a possible presidential bid."

Update: The Hartford Courant says Dodd "is seriously considering a very unorthodox run for the nation's biggest prize. But make no mistake, he said in a half-hour interview: He is serious." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Joseph Lieberman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Edwards Has Edge In Early South Carolina Primary STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 08:47:02 AM ----- BODY: Restating the conventional wisdom, the Columbia State says Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "would have an edge in South Carolina's 2004 presidential primary." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. John Edwards ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Campaign Finance Law Faces Legal Challenge STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 08:36:58 AM ----- BODY: "The new campaign finance law, which took effect Nov. 6, faces its first major legal test Wednesday in oral arguments before a special panel of three federal judges," the Washington Post reports. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: campaign finance ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Democrats Tap Jeffords STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 07:56:52 AM ----- BODY: Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT) delivered the Democrats' weekly radio address, "becoming the first independent to deliver that speech, CNN reports. Jeffords "slammed the administration's record on the environment and said" Bush was "undoing his father's legacy." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: James Jeffords ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Illinois, Democrats Line Up To Face Fitzgerald STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/02/2002 07:52:12 AM ----- BODY: With Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) "considered the most vulnerable Senate incumbent up for re-election in 2004, an energetic handful of Democrats began laying the groundwork to take on the Illinois Republican even before this year's votes were tallied," Roll Call reports.

Update: The Chicago Sun Times' Steve Neal says "Fitzgerald's vulnerabilities were exposed last week when the GOP State Central Committee spurned an attempt to have party leaders endorse Fitzgerald's 2004 re-election." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Sen. Peter Fitzgerald ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: In Hawaii, Case Will Finish Mink's Term STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/01/2002 10:38:52 PM ----- BODY: With just 13 percent of eligible voters turning out, former state Rep. Ed Case was elected "to fill out the remainder of the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink’s term," the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports. "Case will serve out the remainder of Mink’s term that expires on Jan. 3. Unless Congress goes back into session between now and then Case will not be sworn in to office." The AP says Case's win "provides momentum" in his campaign for the Jan. 4 election to serve the two-year term Mink won posthumously in the Nov. 5 general election." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Patsy Mink ----- -------- AUTHOR: Taegan Goddard TITLE: Is Bush Like Lyndon Johnson? STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 0 CONVERT BREAKS: 0 ALLOW PINGS: 0 PRIMARY CATEGORY: CATEGORY: DATE: 12/01/2002 07:39:19 PM ----- BODY: U.S. News and World Report's Washington Whispers says President Bush "looks more each week like" former President Lyndon Johnson. "And the latest example cinches the comparison: Like Johnson before him, Bush hates unsanctioned press leaks so much that he'll put off a decision just to show up the leaker and embarrass the media." For more on LBJ's brand of politics, see Robert Caro's Master of the Senate.

Another interesting item from Whispers: "Add Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to the growing list of likely Democratic presidential candidates interviewing potential 2004 campaign staffers." ----- EXTENDED BODY: 0394528360 ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Lyndon Johnson ----- --------