Daily Report: 2004 Presidential Watch: Republican conservative news on the Democrat caucus, primary candidates national campaigns.

THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

One can’t run and the other two show no signs to joining the Dem derby – at least in the immediate future – but Gore and the Clintons keep grabbing headlines from the nine wannabes. Headline from yesterday’s Union Leader: “Gore and the Clintons steal Democratic candidates’ thunder” Excerpts from report by the AP’s wannabe watcher Nedra Pickler: “What does a Democrat have to do these days to get a little attention? They can declare their candidacy for president, pound their fists in defiance of President Bush and travel across the country shaking hands. Still, they lack the prominence and headlines that those non-candidates named Clinton and Gore always grab. Former President Clinton, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have managed to dominate Democratic politics in a way the nine White House hopefuls can only imagine. And even when Hillary and Al say they are not running in 2004, no one seems to believe them. ‘When it comes to commanding page one, either Clinton or Al Gore can do it with much less air miles than this group of nine,’ said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. ‘These people cast shadows far larger than any of these candidates could even hope to have even if they were standing on each other's shoulders.’ Consider this. Gore delivered a speech in New York Thursday criticizing Bush on everything from Iraq to the economy, echoing the same complaints that the nine candidates have been delivering to varying degrees during the last few months. And yet the cable news stations cut away to a live broadcast of Gore's speech, something they've rarely done with the nine candidates…And one could imagine the frustration among the Democratic candidates, particularly those who have been sharply critical of Bush's justification for the U.S.-led war against Iraq, when former President Clinton punched holes in their complaints. Appearing on CNN's ‘Larry King Live,’ Clinton said Bush should be given a pass for saying that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium for nuclear weapons production. The White House had acknowledged that those reports were based in part on forged documents, prompting an outcry from the Democratic candidates that Clinton deflated. ‘You know, everybody makes mistakes when they are president,’ Clinton told King. ‘I mean, you can't make as many calls as you have to without messing up once in a while. The thing we ought to be focused on is what is the right thing to do now.’ End of that argument for the Democratic candidates. Still, they insist they don't feel overshadowed by Gore and the Clintons…Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said he was delighted to hear Gore making the case against Bush. His praise also was a concession about the former vice president's clout. ‘Gore still has a stature that none of us has,’ Dean said in a telephone interview while campaigning through Iowa. ‘He's run for the president. At the time when we don't have a head of the Democratic Party, Al is the closest thing to that.’”

… Liberal group sets out to spend unprecedented $75 million to defeat Bush – but RNC fires opening volley, warning they’ll be checking to make sure Americans Coming Together (ACT) comply with fed regs. Headline from the Washington Post: “Liberals Form Fund To Defeat President…Aim to Spend $75 Million for 2004” Excerpts from Friday’s report by Thomas B. Edsall: “Labor, environmental and women's organizations, with strong backing from international financier George Soros, have joined forces behind a new political group that plans to spend an unprecedented $75 million to mobilize voters to defeat President Bush in 2004. The organization, Americans Coming Together (ACT), will conduct ‘a massive get-out-the-vote operation that we think will defeat George W. Bush in 2004,’ said Ellen Malcolm, the president of EMILY's List, who will become ACT's president. ACT already has commitments for more than $30 million, Malcolm and others said, including $10 million from Soros, $12 million from six other philanthropists, and about $8 million from unions, including the Service Employees International Union. The formation of ACT reflects growing fears in liberal and Democratic circles that with Republicans likely to retain control of Congress, a second Bush term could mean passage of legislation, adoption of regulations and the appointment of judges that together could devastate left-supported policies and institutions. Other groups joining the fight against Bush include the American Majority Institute, which was put together by John Podesta, a former top aide to President Bill Clinton. The institute will function as a liberal counter to conservative think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation. A network of liberal groups has formed America Votes to coordinate the political activities of civil rights, environmental and abortion rights groups among others, and former Clinton aide Harold Ickes is trying to set up a pro-Democratic group to finance 2004 campaign television ads. Another factor behind the surge of political activity is the fear that the ban on ‘soft money’ will leave the Democratic National Committee without adequate funds to pay for state and federal ‘coordinated campaign’ activities, which are voter mobilization efforts eight weeks before the election. In the past, the DNC paid for much of the costs with large ‘soft money’ contributions from unions, corporations and rich people. Republicans sent a warning shot across ACT's bow. ‘We are going to be watching very closely to make sure they adhere to their claim that they will not be coordinating with the Democratic Party,’ said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson. Such coordination would violate campaign finance laws. Iverson contended that ACT's financing indicates that ‘the Democrats are addicted to special-interest soft money and this allows them to feed that addiction by skirting the spirit of the new campaign finance law.’”

… They aren’t becoming diehard Republicans yet, but New York Times reports that Dems having some problems keeping younger blacks in line – and voting for their candidates. Headline from Friday’s Times: “Younger Blacks Tell Democrats to Take Notice” Excerpts from report by the Times’ Lynette Clemetson: ”’Democrats just assume my political affiliation, based on my ZIP code or voting precinct,’ said Khayyam Eddings, a 31-year-old labor lawyer, referring to his predominantly black neighborhood…’I don't cast my ballot based on learned behavior’ Mr. Eddings's comments were emblematic of what some Democratic strategists fear may be a growing problem: The party is perilously out of touch with a large swath of black voters — those 18 to 35 years old who grew up after the groundbreaking years of the civil rights movement. It is a group too important and complex to ignore, many strategists caution, when analysts are predicting another close election. Democrats have traditionally counted on more than 90 percent of the black vote. Blacks 18 to 35 make up about 40 percent of the black voting-age population, but turnout among young blacks was so low in the 2000 elections that they made up only 2 percent of the entire vote. Democratic leaders are expressing concern about the disengagement. Young blacks are responding by warning the party not to take their votes for granted…Over the years, African-Americans have proved a reliable source of support for Democrats, whom they viewed as more responsive than Republicans to their issues and concerns. But members of Generations X and Y, reared on hip-hop and the Internet, in a niche-market culture, are proving to be a tougher sell. While still more closely aligned with Democrats than Republicans on issues like affirmative action and health care, younger blacks are more open to at least exploring initiatives shunned by the Democratic Party, like school vouchers and partial privatization of Social Security, polls show…In 2000, 74 percent of African-Americans identified themselves as Democrats. By last year, that number had dropped to 63 percent, according to a recent survey by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research group devoted to African-American issues. Those shifting away from the Democratic Party are not necessarily becoming Republicans. An overwhelming majority of blacks still vote Democratic. But an increasing number, especially those 18 to 35, are identifying themselves as independents. Some 24 percent of black adults now characterize themselves that way. Among those 35 and under, said David Bositis, a senior researcher at the Joint Center who conducted the survey, the figures are 30 percent to 35 percent, with men leaning more heavily independent than women.”

Des Moines Sunday Register, top front-page headline: “Soldiers forever changed by blast” Register columnist John Carlson, from Baghdad, reports on explosion that injured three Iowa National Guardsmen in Iraq.

Main Sunday stories, Quad-City Times online: “4 U. S. soldiers are wounded in fresh attacks” & “Teamsters rally for Gephardt”

Nation/world online heads, Omaha World-Herald: “More than 130 file for California recall vote” & “Two guerilla attacks injure four American soldiers in Iraq”

Featured reports, New York Times: “U. S. Moved to Undermine Iraqi Military Before War” & “Terror Group Seen as Back Inside Iraq”

Sioux City Journal, top stories online: Liberia -- “U. S., African troops find looted warehouses; Taylor’s forces warn of chaos when he leaves” & “Teamsters formalize earlier endorsement of Gephardt”

Chicago Tribune, latest online heads: “U. S. probes jail ministry for Muslims” & “Enron’s deception had banks’ help, investigation says”

… “Man gets jail time for referee assault” – Quad-City Times headline. Excerpt from report by the Times’ Todd Ruger: “A Davenport man who pleaded guilty to assaulting a referee after his son’s high school basketball game must serve a seven-day jail term and pay a $500 fine, a Scott County District judge ruled Friday. The sentence should serve as an example to anyone who considers using physical violence against a sports official and during athletic events, District Associate Judge Douglas McDonald said while sentencing Daniel Ewen, 48. ‘I think the conduct was outrageous,’ McDonald said. ‘It’s a real affront to the behavior that should take place at a high school athletic event.’ Ewen said he will report to the Scott County Jail on Aug. 16, three weeks after he pleaded guilty to injuring a referee during an argument over a call at the end of the Feb. 28 game between Assumption and Davenport Central.”

… The Great Missouri River Flow Feud: Headline from yesterday’s Omaha World-Herald – “Last-ditch appeal on river level loses” Excerpts from report by World-Herald’s Matt Kelley: “After exhausting its legal options, the Army Corps of Engineers will squeeze down flows on the Missouri River by Tuesday, perhaps sooner. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson refused the corps' last-ditch request to rescind an order mandating reduced releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, S.D. Magnuson also denied a motion from several conservation groups asking that the corps be forced to cut back flows sooner in order to assist three endangered species that are breeding on the river. The lower flows are favored by environmental groups seeking habitat for three endangered species - the least tern, piping plover and pallid sturgeon - as well as recreation interests in North and South Dakota. Corps officials said they might bring down the river sooner, but only after speaking with river users to see if it can be done safely. Barge owners were warned earlier this week to get off the river, as the low flows would make the Missouri unnavigable. Downriver in Omaha, river levels will drop by a foot to 18 inches by Thursday or Friday.”

Radio Iowa reported that a fire last week that caused extensive damage to a museum in Forest City – the Timberland Museum in Heritage Park – was set intentionally

The Sioux City Journal reported that a Sioux City man – James Lamonte King, 25 – remained in serious condition this weekend after being hit by a moving train during a scuffle with an Iowa State Patrol trooper. The report said King was stopped for a seat-belt violation, but started running from the trooper along side a slow-moving train and that a fight broke out when the trooper caught him. The Journal said King was hit by the train and pulled under it, causing serious leg injuries. The Journal also reported that the trooper involved was Lynn Olesen, who was involved in another foot chase resulting from a traffic stop less than two months ago that resulted in a man being hospitalized in serious condition.

… Novak report: WDM skeptics and critics to be confronted by “substantial evidence” in September. Excerpt from Novak’s column in today’s Chicago Sun-Times: “Former international weapons inspector David Kay, now seeking Iraqi weapons of mass destruction for the Pentagon, has privately reported successes that are planned to be revealed to the public in mid-September. Kay has told his superiors he has found substantial evidence of biological weapons in Iraq, plus considerable missile development. He has been less successful in locating chemical weapons, and has not yet begun a substantial effort to locate progress toward nuclear arms. Senior officials in the Bush administration believe Kay's weapons discoveries should have been revealed as they were made. However, a decision, approved by President Bush, was made to wait until more was discovered and then announce it -- probably in September.”

… “Iraq blast wounds Iowans” – headline from yesterday’s Des Moines Register. Excerpt from report on DesMoinesRegister.com: “An Iowa National Guard soldier had both his legs amputated after an explosion Thursday afternoon shredded the Humvee in which he and two other Iowans were riding in a commercial district in Baghdad. The other soldiers suffered less serious injuries. Spc. Robert ‘B.J.’ Jackson, 21, a south-side Des Moines man who is married with two young children, had both legs amputated below the knee, said Col. Robert King, an Iowa Guard spokesman. Jackson's wife, Abby, expressed gratitude Friday that her husband survived the blast. ‘There are over 100 people right now who would trade the position that I am in for anything in the world,’ she said, referring to the U.S. war casualties. ‘He is alive, and we couldn't ask for more. I love him and I want him to come home, legs or no legs.’ The other two soldiers, Pvt. Nathan Lienemann, 21, of Earlham and Spc. Ashly Mentzer, 21, of Boone, were treated and returned to the 186th Military Police Company in Iraq. The unit, which is based at Camp Dodge in Johnston and has 124 members, was mobilized in late February. The three soldiers represent the first Iowa National Guard members to be injured in hostile action since the U.S.-Iraq war began in March. Four Iowans have been killed in the war.”

… Justice Department begins compiling list of lenient federal judges as Ted Kennedy accuses Ashcroft of creating a “blacklist of judges.” Headline from Friday’s New York Times: “Justice Dept. to Monitor Judges for Sentences Shorter Than Guidelines Suggest” Excerpts from report by Times’ Eric Lichtblau: “The Justice Department told a federal court administrator today that it would begin compiling data on judges who give lighter sentences than federal guidelines prescribe, a move that critics see as an effort to limit judicial independence by creating a ‘blacklist’ of judges. The new policy will require prosecutors to notify Justice Department officials in Washington whenever a federal judge issues a sentence that falls below sentencing guidelines. The notification will set in motion a review of whether an appeal of the judge's sentence should be filed. ‘The public in general and crime victims in particular rightly expect that the penalties established by law for specific crimes will be sought and imposed by those who serve in the criminal justice system,’ Attorney General John Ashcroft wrote in a July 28 memorandum to federal prosecutors outlining the protocol. The policy, first reported on Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, is part of a bill signed into law by President Bush in April that seeks to make it tougher for federal judges to depart from sentencing guidelines…In 2001, federal judges handed out sentences below guidelines in 35 percent of the 54,851 cases examined, the United States Sentencing Commission found. But more than half the departures resulted from plea agreements, and prosecutors appealed the sentences in only a tiny fraction of cases, officials said. Mary Beth Buchanan, the United States attorney for the Pittsburgh area and the leader of a Justice Department advisory committee that helped develop the policy, said in an interview that there would probably be some increase in appeals by the Justice Department over sentences as a result of the new policy. But she added: ‘I don't think it will be a dramatic increase. Unless we get a tremendous increase in our resources, we wouldn't have the capability to do a lot more.’ Some lawmakers, judges and legal observers, however, said they were deeply troubled by the shift. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, accused Mr. Ashcroft of requiring prosecutors ‘to participate in the establishment of a blacklist of judges.’ He called the policy ‘the latest salvo in the Ashcroft Justice Department's ongoing attack on judicial independence and fairness’ in sentencing.”

… Vilsack says Iowa and other states could benefit from California chaos, but apparently prefers Arnold stay in the movies. Headline on Todd Dorman’s report in yesterday’s Quad-City Times: “Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger’s quest to become governor of California drew a emphatic thumbs down Friday from Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. ‘I think Mr. Schwarzenegger’s going to find that ... nobody’s going to write a script for you as governor,’ Vilsack said while attending the Iowa State Fair. ‘You can’t blast your opponents away, that kind of stuff. You have to deal with people, you have to solve problems. And I’m not sure he has any idea how significant the problems are.’ Schwarzenegger, a Republican, announced this week that he would seek California’s top political job if voters opt to toss out Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in a recall vote Oct. 7. The muscle-bound actor, known best for his portrayal of a menacing cyborg from the future in the series of three ‘Terminator’ films, has pledged to ‘pump up Sacramento.’…’My advice to him, if he’s successful, is he’ll have to surround himself with really smart people who are very experienced,’ Vilsack, a Democrat, said. Vilsack called the entire Davis recall saga a ‘tragic spectacle’ that has made a ‘mockery’ of the political process. But there could be a silver lining for Iowa in the Golden State’s woes, Vilsack said. He said companies looking for a politically stable environment in which to do business may search out locations in states such as Iowa instead of California. ‘We think there are business opportunities for us,’ he said. ‘Businesses are looking for stability. They’re looking for an environment where they know what the tax and regulatory structure is. Iowa certainly can offer that stability. I’m glad I’m not in California, and I’m certainly glad I’m not the governor of California,’ he added.”

Des Moines Register: “Health care: Let change begin” Sunday Register editorial plus detailed health care plans by the Dem wannabes. Editorial excerpt: “Democratic presidential candidate Richard Gephardt has said health care is the ‘moral issue of our time.’ Now it is also the political issue of our time. The Democratic candidates are talking about health care. Some have rolled out plans in excruciating detail, while others offer only a general approach that calls for changes to the current system.” Details plans offered by Gephardt, Kucinich, Edwards, Dean and Kerry. Says proposals by Graham, Moseley Braun, Lieberman and Sharpton do not have cost estimates yet.

Des Moines Register: “2004 looms larger…With Democrats in disarray and Bush’s numbers in decline, the choices of Iowans grow in importance… Democrats are almost as upset with their own party leaders as they are with the Republicans.” (See editorial excerpt above.) & “Great choice at DMU…Branstad will bring energy, focus and connections to the Des Moines medical school.” Editorial commends the appointment of Terry Branstad, who served as IA governor for 16 years, to head Des Moines University.

Radio Iowa reports that Steph Christner won’t be 20 years old for another three weeks, but she’s already the youngest coach to win a state championship. The team she has coached this summer – Cardinal of Eldon – won the Class 1-A state softball championship Friday in Fort Dodge. Christner, who will play softball at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, said she’ll probably continue her high school coaching duties – driving from her home in Sigourney to Eldon during the summer. It’s a 45-minute drive each way – and she puts 100 miles a day on her car.

DSM 7 a. m. 65, mostly cloudy. Temperatures at 7 a. m. ranged from 55 in Decorah and Monticello and 56 in Mason City to 64 in Council Bluffs and Clarinda to 66 in Red Oak and Shenandoah. Today’s high 84, chance T-storms. Tonight’s low 64, chance T-storms. Monday high 85, chance T-storms. Monday night’s low 64, mostly clear. From WHO-TV’s Brandon Thomas: “Becoming mostly cloudy on Sunday, with chance of t’storms in the afternoon. Highs will be in the eighties. Scattered showers and a few strong t’storms Sunday night into early Monday morning. Partly sunny Monday afternoon, with highs in the low/mid eighties. Mostly sunny on Tuesday, with highs in the mid eighties. Sunny on Wednesday, with highs in the upper 80s.”

“Iowa State Fair to feature free ‘Salad-on-a-Stick” – headline from Omaha World-Herald. Excerpt: “Corn dogs, chicken and pork chops at the Iowa State Fair come on a stick. Now comes salad - on a stick. The Midwest Dairy Association plans to hand out 90,000 free samples of ‘Salad-on-a-Stick’ at the fair. Salad-on-a-Stick is a baby spinach leaf and a cheese cube on a toothpick that can be dunked in a honey mustard-yogurt dip. The treats promote full Salads-on-a-Stick that can be made at home, with skewers piercing chunks of cheese, fruits and vegetables. Recipes are available in the dairy group's booth. Shellique Thompson, 19, of Des Moines said it might appeal to some of her health-conscious friends. Her friend, Makita Bolden, 15, was less impressed. ‘I like meat,’ Bolden said.”