GENERAL NEWS:  Among the offerings in today's update:

• Kerry, after resting to get ready for kickoff, encounters another familiar headline – in the Washington Times -- that he’s lost early lead in polls to Dean

• Dean’s latest gimmick – and goal: Raise $1 million during Howard’s “Sleepless Summer Tour”

• Novak column: Gephardt signs up two more unions – but still lacks numbers for AFL-CIO endorsement

• The story getting big play this weekend: NOW to put credibility and status on the line with Moseley Braun endorsement

• Clark may still surface on CNN, but not on Lou Dobbs’ show

• John D. Rigazio – who? – takes on NH Dem party. In today’s New Hampshire Sunday News, he claims to be a real Dem wannabe – but the Dems ignore him

• Willie Nelson postpones planned concerts to enhance “momentum” later for Kucinich campaign drive

• FOX NEWS, reporting on Dean’s New Hampshire success, says Kerry’s been “driven to distraction” by the VT insurgent’s success – and that Kerry’s taken a weeklong break to “rest up and retool”

• Graham launches petition drive to attract rural support to stop mega-ag operations, but as of this morning only 66 signed up – which is probably indicative of his support: .66 supporters per IA county

• The question Edwards can’t escape – will he or won’t he stay in prez field? – follows him to New Hampshire

• Washington Times commentary examines the “new Wesley Clark”

• Kerry, planning announcement in front of aircraft carrier in SC, believes he can carry southern states based on military record

• In Hew Hampshire, Edwards – who sometimes embarks on an issue-a-day agenda – calls for power grid upgrades, says he’d create a “watchdog office” to protect civil liberties

• Iowaism: Iowa Games new record – 18,719 participants

All these stories below and more.

 CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES: 

… Gephardt weekending in Iowa. Gephardt continues a two-day campaign swing with events in Winterset and West Des Moines today. He attended the Iowa Farmers Union convention in Boone and made appearances in Marshalltown and Adel yesterday.

… Persona non Clarka -- Clark banned by CNN’s Dobbs. Under the headline “Straight talk or nothing from CNN’s Dobbs,” Paul Bedard reported in his online “Washington Whispers” column:  “Retired Gen. Wesley Clark may still be a CNN analyst while he contemplates a run at the White House, but there's one network show he has been barred from: ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight.’ The reason? Dobbs believes that when Clark came on his show during the Iraq war and teed off on the Pentagon blueprint, the possible Democratic candidate was pushing his personal political agenda, not providing straight military analysis.”

… FOX NEWS: Dean continues to take New Hampshire by storm. Headline: “Dean Makes Tracks in New Hampshire” Excerpt: “Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is the undisputed phenomenon of the 2004 Democratic presidential campaign. At diners, even on the street, he's setting the pace, agenda and routinely drawing enthusiastic crowds to campaign events. ‘I'm going to do everything I can to get you elected,’ a ready-made volunteer told him on Thursday as he crossed New Hampshire whipping up the troops. Campaigning at one watering hole in this first-in-the-nation primary, Dean cast himself to Fox News as the anti-establishment insurgent. ‘I'm definitely an outsider,’ he told Fox News…After months on the trail, Dean, rather than being the come-from-behind insurgent, is leading polls in key early states and has a huge war chest. The self-proclaimed outsider is the closest thing to a front-runner, normally reserved for an establishment candidate, in this type of race. In short, Democrats seem to find him the most interesting pick of the nine hopefuls vying to take on President Bush next year. ‘The one thing we are doing that nobody else can do is bring a lot of new people into this race. The way we are going to beat George Bush is to give the 50 percent of Americans who don't vote a reason to vote again, try to bring 3 to 4 million new voters in and they will be voting for Democrats,’ he said. Dean's success has forced all of his rivals to adjust strategy. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, in particular, appears driven to distraction. Kerry has taken a weeklong break from campaigning to rest up and retool for a post-Labor Day rally formally kicking off his campaign. Kerry aides are divided about going negative. Dean is bracing for it. ‘I think they will all pound me. These guys want to be president, so do I. I'm now ahead of them, they're going to come after me with everything they've got. I understand that,’ Dean said. The other candidates may have trouble finding something to pound. Dean said he can't be labeled, making it much harder to figure out what he stands for. ‘I'm liberal on some things, conservative on others and in the middle on some things,’ he said.”

… “Edwards: Upgrade grid to improve home security” – headline from Friday’s The Union Leader. Excerpt from AP report from Newington: “Presidential hopeful John Edwards said Thursday that upgrading the nation’s power system and ending market manipulation will strengthen homeland security.  Edwards outlined his plan for better homeland security and emergency preparedness at a parking lot near Newington’s fossil-fuel power plant. The press conference was part of a 29-stop, six-day bus tour to woo more New Hampshire voters before the tentatively set primary on Jan. 27.  Calling last week’s blackout a ‘call to action’, the senator from North Carolina said lawmakers need to pass mandatory reliability standards for the nation’s power grids. Edwards also proposed giving $50 billion to state and local governments, $10 billion of which would be designated for firefighters, policemen and emergency medical technicians in local communities. State and local governments would have a ‘fair amount of discretion’ on spending the remaining $40 billion, which is intended to prevent cuts to education and first-responder departments. Improving the energy system and investing money in local governments are just two ways Edwards said he will improve emergency preparedness. Edwards wants to strip the FBI of domestic intelligence duties and create a Homeland Intelligence Agency, he said, returning to an earlier campaign pledge.  ‘(FBI agents) are structurally, poorly prepared for fighting terrorism here at home,’ Edwards said, adding he would supplement his intelligence agency with a ‘watchdog office’ to protect civil liberties. Better neighborhood watch programs, reliable emergency warning systems and more security for attractive terror targets like stadiums and skyscrapers is also needed, he said. He also targeted the chemical industry as a major flaw in homeland security.  ‘We have 123 chemical plants in America, any one of which — if subjected to a terrorist attack — that could mean one million lives or more,’ Edwards said, pledging to stop ‘special interests’ like the chemical industry.”

… Are Kucinich and Willie Nelson serious about this? Nelson concerts postponed to capitalize on Dennis’ “momentum” toward the Dem nomination. From report on TheIowaChannel.com (KCCI-TV, Des Moines): “Two Willie Nelson concerts to support Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich have been postponed. The concerts for the Ohio congressman were Sept. 1 in Des Moines and Sept. 6 in Cleveland. According to a statement from Kucinich's campaign, both concerts will be rescheduled for later in the fall, so he can make better use of the momentum heading into the primary season. People who already bought tickets will get refunds.”

… Just as Kerry and other wannabes gear up for Labor Day events, Dean counters again with another headline-grabbing, money-raising gimmick. Who wants to bet Dean won’t raise $1M during his five-day “Sleepless Summer Tour” – or miss his other goals? Excerpt from AP report from Montpelier, VT: “Howard Dean’s Democratic Presidential campaign kicks off a high-profile national tour this weekend that aims to raise $1 million in five days. Up to now the campaign has described its ‘Sleepless Summer Tour’ as an opportunity to take Dean’s message to large crowds in states that are important early in the nominating season. But there’s always been a fund-raising component to the event, too, with at least three formal fund-raisers planned at stops along the way. The campaign announced yesterday that it is going to make the tour a multi-media event supported by fund-raising over the Internet. ‘We can’t let George W. Bush continue to rack up millions while the American people are left out in the street,’ campaign manager Joe Trippi said in an e-mail message to supporters. The Dean campaign has become adept at attracting supporters from among the technology-savvy Web users. They have contributed by the thousands through his campaign Web site and a graphic image of a baseball bat has become their rallying cry. Dean said during a campaign stop Thursday in Derry, N.H., that raising money in small increments from a lot of people via the Internet was particularly important to his campaign. ‘Something like 93,000 people gave us money,’ he said. ‘The way you beat the President... is you bring in 3(million) to 4 million people who give you $80.’ As they have done twice before this summer, Trippi and his staff have posted the bat on their Web site to serve as a yard stick measuring how close they are to their fund-raising goal. ‘The only way to compete with Bush’s ability to raise so much money from so few is if millions of Americans come together and contribute what they can to Howard Dean,’ Trippi said. Trippi already has said the campaign expects to match its second-quarter success, when it raised $7.6 million. Although the campaign hasn’t said it, several staff members have suggested that the goal is much higher than that. The current fund-raising quarter ends on Sept. 30 and ability to raise money has become a key measure in a campaign’s viability. The Sleepless Summer Tour is one of the ways that the Dean campaign intends to build excitement about the campaign again and reinforce its message. ‘While he’s down in Crawford on vacation we’re going to be talking to a lot of people in America who are having a sleepless summer because they lost jobs, they’re worried about the economy,’ Trippi said in a recent conference call. A couple of the stops on Dean’s tour will follow closely visits by the President, such as the Northwest.”

… Under the subhead “Gephardt’s Unions” in today’s Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Robert Novak reported: “Rep. Richard Gephardt, inching toward an AFL-CIO presidential endorsement, has pinned down support from two more unions to be announced after Labor Day: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA). That would bring the number of unions supporting Gephardt to 13, with about 6 million members. He would still need backing from approximately 2 million more to reach the two-thirds level required for AFL-CIO endorsement. Gephardt's principal target is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), currently polling its members' presidential preference. SEIU President Andy Stern is considered friendly toward Howard Dean, but Gephardt has not given up on him.”

 …  Another sign of current Dem insanity: Two major political feminist groups – including NOW – to endorse Moseley Braun this week. The Chicago Sun-Times – now referring to the wannabe as only “Braun” – also reports that Braun or Moseley Braun expects to go forward with formal announcement next month. Headline from Friday’s Sun-Times: “Women’s groups to give Braun 1st endorsement” Report – an excerpt – by Lynn Sweet: “Longshot Democratic presidential hopeful Carol Braun picks up her first major endorsements next week--from the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Braun, the former one-term Illinois senator and former ambassador to New Zealand, is the only woman in the crowded Democratic presidential primary field. But so far Braun's shoestring campaign has not been able to capitalize on her gender and rally female voters to her candidacy in any significant way. Her presence in the race as the only woman running for the White House in 2004 is a constant theme in her stump speeches. Braun's campaign views the endorsements as the beginning of a drive to capture more attention from women and as a boost to Braun's uphill fund-raising effort. NOW's members could also bring a volunteer base that the Braun campaign now lacks. The endorsements are expected to be announced Tuesday in Washington by Kim Gandy, NOW's president, and Roselyn O'Connell, the president of the National Women's Political Caucus, a source said. The National Women's Political Caucus was founded in 1971 and recruits, trains and raises money for female candidates who support abortion rights. Braun has a longtime relationship with NOW, whose mainly Democratic members flocked to her 1992 Senate campaign. Braun met with one of her rivals, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), while both were campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa, last week, prompting a rumor that Braun may be dropping out and throwing her support to Kerry. Braun's campaign said the speculation was wrong. Braun has said she intends to officially announce in September.”

… This is hardly breaking news since Dean has been mopping the political floor with Kerry, but here’s the headline from Friday’s Washington Times report: “Kerry loses early lead in polls to rival Dean” Excerpt from report by Times political ace Donald Lambro: “Sen. John Kerry, once considered the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, is falling behind his chief rivals in the national polls and in key primary and caucus states. The Massachusetts senator, who led polls in neighboring New Hampshire for months, has slipped badly there in the past few weeks. Meanwhile, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has surged into first place with a 7 percentage-point lead on a wave of TV ads and the fierce support of liberal activists opposed to the war in Iraq. Mr. Kerry runs no better than third or fourth among Democrats in Iowa and has dropped to fourth place nationally. His support registers in single digits in the national polls. Election analysts say Mr. Kerry's decline is largely the result of his inability to fashion a strong political message that can overcome the combative Mr. Dean's sharply partisan message against Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq, the economy and jobs. ‘It's message versus no message,’ said pollster John Zogby. ‘Dean is focused. His messages can fit on a bumper sticker. They're clear. You know who he is and you know where he stands...Kerry just hasn't found a focus yet. He is all nuances.’…Democratic strategists acknowledge that Mr. Kerry has one of the best professional campaign teams in the business. But they say he has not been able to get any traction for his attacks against Mr. Dean, who is in a dead heat with Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri for first among Iowa Democrats. In some polls, Mr. Dean is slightly ahead of the former House Democratic leader. Earlier this month, Gallup found that support for Mr. Kerry fell 3 percentage points nationally in just 10 days. Mr. Kerry sank behind Mr. Dean, Mr. Gephardt and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Regionally, Mr. Zogby's polling shows Mr. Kerry running well behind his rivals in the East, South and the Midwest. Mr. Kerry's third- or fourth-place position in Iowa was bad enough, but his decline in New Hampshire — now 21 percent to Mr. Dean's 28 percent — has some rival campaigns forecasting the end of Mr. Kerry's candidacy if he loses the first 2004 primary.”

… Graham joins the petition parade. Using petition gimmick Dean and Kerry have employed, the FL Sen targets anti-competitive ag consolidation. Excerpt from statement on Graham’s IA website site – BobInIowa.com: “I told many of you that I would try my best to be your advocate in Washington. As the first follow-up, I am starting a petition drive to urge the U.S. Justice Department to stop the anti-competitive consolidation of corporate agribusiness and to enforce anti-trust laws. It is my strong belief after talking to many farmers in Iowa that if the Justice Department does not get involved, many independent producers will be driven out of business. Once we obtain enough signatures, I will present the petition to Attorney General John Ashcroft. Please sign the petition at the link provided below and forward this petition to everyone you know so that we can save Iowa's family farmers.” Specifically, Graham’s petition is focused on the announcement that Smithfield Foods, the nation’s top pork producer, is attempting to purchase the hog-producing operations of Farmland Industries.

… Another threat to Kerry’s New Hampshire aspirations? But will John D. Rigazio – if the NH Dem party gives him a chance -- have enough political firepower to challenge Dean?  Headline from this morning’s New Hampshire Sunday News: “NH Presidential candidate blasts Democratic chairman” Report – an excerpt – by staff writer Tom Fahey: “John D. Rigazio is turning into a lesser-known, but angry Democratic candidate for President.  The 72-year-old businessman from Barrington says the state Democratic party chair refuses to recognize him as a serious candidate. He attacks state chair Kathy Sullivan, in a paid ad in today’s New Hampshire Sunday News, for refusing to recognize his bid. The party can’t block him from appearing on the Jan. 27 ballot, but it can refuse to post him on the party Web site that provides links to candidate sites. His ad states he has been invited to participate in the Iowa caucus and complains that Sullivan told him he’d need to campaign in California and Arizona before he could be recognized here.  ‘She’s trying to shut me out of the process,’ Rigazio said last week. Rigazio’s complaint raises the issue of where a political party draws the line between first-tier candidates and the lesser-knowns who have every right to run, but receive scant, if any, media attention. The chairs of both the Democratic and Republican parties here said that they want to treat candidates even-handedly, but emphasize that their interest is in serious candidates. Sullivan said the state party’s executive committee set three criteria for devoting limited resources to candidates for President. The candidate must have national press coverage, show up in national polls and be an announced candidate for office.  ‘I have told others the same thing, including someone, interestingly enough, named Mel Thomson from Connecticut,’ she said. She said the party has recognized nine Democratic candidates so far, and will be open to others who meet its criteria. But extending its resources to all who announce as Democrats would be a logistical nightmare for the party and a blow to the state’s first-in-the-nation Presidential primary, she said. ‘Can you imagine inviting 40 people to speak at a fundraising dinner? It would make the dinner too long, for one, but how the press would see it is we lack seriousness in this process. The primary is very important not just for Democrats but for the state of New Hampshire. If we allow this to become something that is not taken seriously, we won’t keep the primary,’ she said.”

… Kerry – the most outspoken critic of GWB’s aircraft carrier landing – to announce in front of aircraft carrier as part of his backup Southern strategy, in case things go south in IA and NH. Headline from Friday’s Boston Globe: “Looking ahead, Kerry to use carrier as campaign launch” Coverage – an excerpt – by the Globe’s Glen Johnson: “Senator John F. Kerry has decided to trade "Old Ironsides" for the USS Yorktown, planning to stand before the aircraft carrier on Sept. 2 to publicly declare his candidacy for president. The Massachusetts Democrat had considered using the USS Constitution in Charlestown, the Navy's oldest commissioned warship, as a backdrop for the announcement. But campaign aides said Kerry decided to change the location to the Yorktown, which is docked off Charleston, S.C., both to gain publicity in the politically important state as well as to counter the trip President Bush took to an aircraft carrier May 1 to declare an end to major combat operations in Iraq. In recent speeches, Kerry has challenged Bush's supposed strength on national security matters by highlighting his stature as the only current presidential candidate to have fought in a war. ‘I have worked with aircraft carriers for real,’ Kerry has said, mocking the widely photographed landing Bush made on the USS Abraham Lincoln. South Carolina follows Iowa and New Hampshire in the primary process. Bush swept the South in the 2000 election, but Kerry believes he can win in Louisiana, Georgia, and perhaps Alabama by highlighting his military service in Vietnam, as well as his support for gun ownership and other traditionally conservative positions. The senator will be joined at his announcement by most of the members of the two boat crews he commanded while in Vietnam, his aides said. He will be introduced by former US senator Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat who lost both legs and an arm while fighting in the war. Kerry plans to preview two themes of his candidacy with major speeches before his announcement tour. On Monday in San Antonio, the senator will speak about national security and veterans affairs before a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On Thursday, Kerry will deliver an economics speech in New Hampshire. After his speech in South Carolina, Kerry and his entourage will travel to Iowa. On Sept. 3, Kerry will speak again in New Hampshire, before concluding his announcement tour with a 6 p.m. public rally outside Faneuil Hall.”

… Edwards – like Graham – faces another obstacle in getting message about candidacy to Dem voters. Question about whether he’ll abandon pres bid for Senate re-election haunts him wherever he goes, including New Hampshire. Headline from Friday’s News and Observer in Raleigh: “Edwards quizzed about Senate” The N&O’s Washington correspondent, John Wagner, reports from Durham, NH: “U.S. Sen. John Edwards' indecision over whether to seek re-election in 2004 has been an issue back home for some time. But the subject is starting to echo on the presidential campaign trail. On Thursday, Edwards was questioned pointedly about his election plans while holding a meeting at a restaurant here. A questioner wanted to know how the North Carolina Democrat could be running in both 2004 races at once. ‘I'm running for president,’ Edwards said. ‘That's all I'm doing. What I'm doing is 100 percent running for president. ... I'm not doing anything to run for the Senate seat.’ Despite such declarations, Edwards has yet to foreclose the possibility of returning to the Senate race. Nor has he publicly given his blessing to other Democrats to start campaigning for his seat. His questioner here -- who later identified himself as a Carrboro resident who happened to be visiting New Hampshire -- said he fears that Edwards' delay could jeopardize the Democratic Party's chances of keeping the seat. ‘I disagree with you, and I know North Carolina well,’ Edwards told the man, Donald Esterling . Esterling later volunteered that he had given money to former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, one of Edwards' 2004 presidential rivals. The exchange came just days after Iowa reporters grilled Edwards about his intentions during a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa. At that event, a picnic that drew an enthusiastic crowd of more than 200 people, Edwards dismissed the notion that he was considering withdrawing from the presidential race as ‘fantasy.’…’I am totally in this race to stay,’ Edwards said. Campaign aides have been pleased with the size and enthusiasm of crowds drawn by Edwards in the past week -- a sign, they hope, that Edwards is starting to gain traction…Meanwhile, Edwards' dilemma about his Senate seat has been highlighted in newspaper stories this week in The New York Times and the Boston Globe, the latter of which circulates in New Hampshire. George Stephanopoulos and a crew from his Sunday morning ABC News program were on hand here to witness Thursday's exchange.”

… In South Carolina, Graham tells group at the Weed and Seed Center he has a plan to improve economy – repeal much of the Bush tax cuts. The main problem, however: Folks had to check Graham brochures to recognize the FL wannabe. Excerpt from Friday’s report by Valeria Bauerlein, staff writer for The State of Columbia: “Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham touted his economic plan Thursday in the job-hungry Pee Dee, where unemployment is 13.6 percent, twice the state and national average. Graham spent an hour at the Weed and Seed Center in the northern part of town, meeting with 40 community leaders. The center is the hub of a federally backed project in which activists try to take back public housing and rotting crack houses from drugs and decay. Graham chose to spend time in Florence and the Pee Dee region, which have lost textile jobs one after another, with manufacturing giants such as Sara Lee and La-Z-Boy going where labor is cheaper. Little has come to take their place, especially in places like neighboring Marlboro County, where unemployment for July was 21.3 percent. ‘It's hard to imagine how a community could survive, if one in five of its people is out of work,’ Graham said. Graham, a U.S. senator from Florida since 1986, stood in front of the center's red, white and blue boxing ring and took questions about his plan: What kind of jobs would it create? How soon? The plan would repeal much of President Bush's tax cut, he said. In its place, Graham would eliminate income taxes on the first $10,000 of wages, a boon to low- and middle-income people. It also would maintain the tax credit of $1,000 per child and provide more money for college and technical school scholarships…So far, Graham has hired six S.C. staffers, believed to be the largest state staff among the candidates. Still, he is battling low name recognition -- some guests at Thursday's event were scouring brochures for his picture so they would recognize him when he came in. He is also battling public perception, first, that he should not be running -- the Orlando Sentinel Thursday urged him to drop out -- and second, that he is actually seeking the vice presidential nomination.”

… “Kucinich says war hurt U. S. credibility” – headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader. Excerpt from coverage – datelined Keene – by UL correspondent Stephen Seitz: “Support for Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich’s Presidential campaign may be small at this point, but it’s not invisible. About 75 Kucinich supporters, many of them from Massachusetts and Vermont, filled the Pub Restaurant in Keene yesterday during a campaign stop…Kucinich attacked Bush administration policies in Iraq, noting that he voted against the war and does not believe the administration planned adequately to secure the peace. He said the war in Iraq undermined U.S. credibility in the Middle East. ‘You can’t run a war in Iraq and then tell the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace,’ Kucinich said. ‘I want the U.S. out and the U.N. in. The administration has too many conflicting interests in Iraq. Don’t forget that this administration comes from oil companies, so there are interests in oil contracts. Halliburton (the corporation once headed by Vice President Cheney) had no-bid contracts in place before the war was even declared. The U.N. should take over in Iraq, and should take over quickly, and that includes administering the oil for the Iraqi people.’ Kucinich also took the opportunity to promote a single-payer health-care plan and also take a swipe at Democratic front-runner Howard Dean, a physician and former governor of Vermont.  ‘We have enough for a health-care system now,’ said the congressman. ‘There’s about $1.4 trillion that goes into a pot. My plan would cost $1.4 trillion. It’s a question of how the money is allocated. Right now, the pharmaceutical companies spend it on profits, advertising, stock options, executive salaries and lobbyists. With universal health care, all you’d need is a card.’  As for Dean, Kucinich said, ‘If you’re looking for change, he’s not your guy. When you’ve got a doctor who’s not in favor of universal health care, then it’s time to get a second opinion.’”

… Kerry’s southern strategy – believing his military record will appeal in southern states – hits the group with SC headquarters opening. Excerpt from Friday AP report from Columbia: “Richland County Council Chairwoman Bernice G. Scott promises she’ll need a new pair of shoes after months of knocking on doors telling residents about Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry. Even though it’s been more than three months since Kerry’s last visit, Scott says elected officials like her are the ones who will get voters to the polls for the state’s first-in-the-South primary Feb. 3. Those ‘who believe in him have got to go out and carry his message,’ Scott said yesterday night among more than 80 people gathered to open Kerry’s state campaign headquarters. Kerry, one of nine White House hopefuls, missed the opening of his headquarters here and made a phone call to the crowd instead. The Massachusetts senator peppered those in the crowd with gratitude, but said the hard work was just beginning.  ‘I’m really excited by everybody’s presence there,’ he said. ‘We need to get to work. Campaigns are won ... by the hard work of talking to neighbors, getting on the phones, getting out the message and building a really strong national effort.’”

… Edwards takes on No Child Left Behind Act, opposes vouchers and expresses reservations about charter schools during New Hampshire tour. Headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader: “In Franklin, Edwards criticizes charter schools” An excerpt: “Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina told a small but enthusiastic group at the Franklin Diner yesterday that he opposes school voucher programs and has serious doubts that charter schools will improve education. ‘I doubt that charter schools can be used to regenerate our educational system,’ said Edwards, who believes a better approach would be to focus on improving public schools. The state Board of Education earlier this week gave a green light to the proposed Franklin Career Academy, which a group of business leaders hopes to open by January. It would be the state’s first charter school. Edwards told the approximately 20 people in attendance that he also has reservations about accountability of charter schools, which operate independently of the public school system and don’t have to follow the same standards. Discussing Bush administration policies, Edwards accused the President of shifting the tax burden to local communities through the No Child Left Behind Act. He also said the administration was dragging its feet on a prescription drug benefit program for the elderly and on other social programs.  ‘They give tax cuts to people at the top and now say that there’s no money for the programs that people need,’ he said.  Edwards also blasted the Pentagon’s plan to reduce combat pay for those serving in Iraq and said that the nation needs a President ‘who comes from the same world as other Americans,’ pointing out that he is the son of a millworker while Bush comes from a wealthy family.”

… “The new Wesley Clark” – headline on Friday commentary in Washington Times. Excerpt from article by columnist Paul Greenberg: “Wesley Clark hasn't formally announced his run for the presidency, but he's already talking in sound bites. Here's what he says about the current president and commander in chief: ‘You'd be taking him to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went to war in Iraq.’ The general still speaks of the war in Iraq and the war on terror as if they were separate endeavors, rather than different fronts in the same war against a common ideological foe. Speaking of the war in Iraq, Gen. Clark argues: ‘We haven't made America safer by this. We've made America more engaged, more vulnerable, more committed, less able to respond. We've lost a tremendous amount of good will around the world by our actions and our continuing refusal to bring in international institutions.’ Ah, for the good old days when Saddam Hussein was still in power, the not-so-United Nations still dithered, and America was less engaged and committed. Like those halcyon years in the Balkans when we left the maintenance of peace to Europe and the United Nations. The result: Hundreds of thousands were killed and still more displaced before American air power was called in. (Wesley K. Clark, commanding general.) You would think the general would have learned more from the days when we were still tolerating Slobodan Milosevic and his crimes. Namely, that the time to confront a clear and ever-growing threat is soon — before it becomes imminent. Wait until then to confront evil and we will have waited too long. As we all should have learned on September 11, 2001. But an American general now seems about to base a presidential campaign on those 16 words the president and commander in chief has conceded should never have been allowed into one of his numerous speeches on the danger Saddam presented. Not to mention any number of other flaws in British and American intelligence. (That's why they call it raw intelligence.)…If Wesley Clark is looking for some red meat for his presidential campaign, he might consider this piece of heated rhetoric served up to the American people before the war: ‘If you allow someone like Saddam Hussein to get nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, chemical weapons, how many people is he going to kill with such weapons? He has already demonstrated a willingness to use these weapons. He poison-gassed his own people. He used poison gas and other weapons of mass destruction against his neighbors. This man has no compunction about killing lots and lots of people.’ — Al Gore, Dec. 16, 1998. Shall we report Mr. Gore to the Better Business Bureau, too?”

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