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

… Sioux City Journal and Omaha World-Herald feature coverage this morning about refusal yesterday by Army Corps of Engineers to reduce Missouri River flow. The Corps contends the weekend court order directing lower water levels conflicts with another court ruling

… The Omaha World-Herald reports that a Council Bluffs man – Bruce Turner – drowned in the Missouri River in late May after he was thrown from a boat traveling more than 100 mph. Turner’s body was found four days after he was “ejected” from the boat on 5/31 that struck its own wake. Douglas County (Neb.) authorities were able to determine – through data on the boat’s global positioning system – that it was moving at 116 miles-an-hour when Turner fell overboard.

Iowa Pres Watch Note: Based on reviewing several articles and commentaries over the past couple days – especially after Gephardt failed to reach his fundraising goals for the last reporting period – get ready for a realignment of the “tiers” categorizing the Dem wannabes. Even before the Gephardt numbers were reported yesterday, it appeared that every columnist and pundit already was writing about the “looming” Dean-Kerry “showdown.” (See the report by the Washington Post’s Dan Balz below.) Then in this morning’s editions, AP’s Ron Fournier wrote that questions are being raised about Gephardt’s ability to “remain a top-tier candidate.” (See a Fournier excerpt below.) This situation is further complicated by an earthquake-sized shakeup in the Lieberman campaign – which some have pronounced as a major setback to his campaign. (See LA Times report below.) This sets up a possible Wannabe Shuffle. For months, it was a 3-3-3 alignment – Gephardt-Lieberman-Kerry…Dean-Edwards-Graham…Kucinich-Moseley Braun-Sharpton. Now, the situation is starting to look like a 2-2-2-3 grouping – Dean-Kerry…Gephardt-Lieberman… Edwards-Graham and the usual Final Three. Could Dynamic Dennis Kucinich (who raised $1.5M during the last quarter) – with Graham and Edwards languishing – move up? Or, even more critical to the Big Picture, could another prospective wannabe – like Clark or Biden – spot an opening and jump into the mix?

… “Not prepared: Is Kerry even paying attention?” – Headline from editorial in The Union Leader. After making an unfavorable comparison in Sunday’s editorial about the way Dean and Kerry have treated the Iraq uranium issue, the New Hampshire print flagship take on Kerry again. Excerpt: “Someone on John Kerry's staff ought to show the senator a newspaper every now and then. In Washington on Thursday, Kerry held a news conference in which he likened Iraq to Vietnam and accused the Bush administration of being too proud to let other nations help stabilize Saddam's former playground. ‘I learned a long time ago in Vietnam what happens when pride gets in the way of making honest decisions,’ Kerry said…Kerry's comments came the day after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that 19 countries had people in Iraq assisting in the rebuilding and that another 19 had committed to helping out. ‘Our goal is to get a large number of international forces from a lot of countries,’ Rumsfeld said at the press conference, which was covered by virtually every big media organization in the country. How could Kerry have missed that? That wasn't the first time Rumsfeld announced the administration's intent to involve other nations in Iraq. In May he said the United States was in discussions to bring in other countries and the United Nations. Either Kerry is not paying attention to what's going on, or he's deliberately misleading the voters.”

… Tartanto: Dem anti-Bush push on war-related issue puts three top-tier wannabes in an “untenable position.” Under the subhead “The Antiwar Party,” James Taranto wrote in his “Best of the Web” column on Opinion Journal.com (Wall Street Journal): “‘It's beginning to sound a little like Watergate,’ Howard Dean said over the weekend, referring to last week's hubbub over a 16-word sentence in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address. MoveOn.org, the Deanite political action committee, issued an ad last week labeling the president a MISLEADER. But here's what's really interesting: The Democratic National Committee also put out an anti-Bush ad--a bit less shrill, but with essentially the same message. ‘President Bush Deceives the American People,’ screams the headline on the DNC's Web site. The Democrats are now more united on the war than they've been at any time since that brief burst of bipartisanship immediately after Sept. 11. Trouble is, they're united behind the views of Howard Dean, and that puts the more mainstream candidates--John Kerry, Dick Gephardt and Joe Lieberman--in a logically untenable position. All are now arguing against a war they voted for. To those of us who supported Iraq's liberation without reservation, the 16 words in the president's speech are an irrelevancy. There was an overwhelming legal, strategic and humanitarian case for removing the Baathist regime from Baghdad, whether or not it recently sought to obtain uranium in Africa. And let's be honest: For Howard Dean, the African uranium question is equally irrelevant. His Watergate comparison is telling. Watergate, after all, was a criminal conspiracy; Dean seems to view the liberation of Iraq as a crime (and Saddam Hussein as the victim?). How many Americans found the case for regime change otherwise unpersuasive but were won over by the part about uranium in Africa? It seems likely the answer is very few; and it's surely implausible that three of the four leading Democratic candidates for president fall into this group (especially since they voted for the war 3 1/2 months before Bush mentioned the allegation). Thus the only major Democratic candidate who has a coherent position is Howard Dean--and his position now has the endorsement of his party. What could DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe have been thinking? Surely he's savvy enough to realize that Dean is the least electable of his party's four main candidates, and that running against the liberation of Iraq is not a winning strategy.”

… This is the story yesterday that political news outlets just couldn’t resist: Graham, a six-letter name, believes “deceit” is a five-letter word. Excerpts from AP coverage of Graham’s Miami Beach comments: “Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham, in sharply criticizing President Bush's veracity about Iraq's weapons programs, got a bit confused about the number of letters in the word ‘deceit.’ Graham, who participated in a candidate's forum at the NAACP convention, was asked if the president lied to the American people when he said in his State of the Union address that Iraq had been trying to buy uranium in Africa to develop nuclear weapons - a claim the White House has acknowledged should not have been included. ‘I would not use the three-letter word,’ the Florida senator told reporters. ‘I would use the five-letter word: deceit. That he deceived the American people by allowing into a State of the Union speech at a critical point when he was making the case for war with Iraq, a statement that he either knew was wrong or should have known was wrong.’ If Democrats were in control of the House, Graham was asked if he would support impeachment. ‘If the standard of impeachment that the Republicans set for Bill Clinton - a personal, consensual relationship was the basis for impeachment, would not a president who knowingly deceived the American people about something as important as whether to go to war meet the standard of impeachment?’ Graham asked.”

… Gephardt loses another round in his effort to play in the same political sandbox as Dean and Kerry, fundraising figures come in more than $1M below $5M target. Headline from this morning’s Union Leader: “Gephardt falls far short of goal with $3.87 million” From Washington, AP’s Ron Fournier reported: “Presidential candidate Dick Gephardt fell short of his fund-raising goal by more than $1 million, raising questions Tuesday about his ability to excite Democratic donors and remain a top-tier candidate. The former House Minority leader, who hoped to raise $5 million from April to June, collected just $3.87 million - apparently placing him in a distant fifth-place among the nine Democratic contenders. Gephardt aides pledged to retool their fund-raising tactics as part of a broader reassessment of his campaign strategies. Privately the candidate was reassuring party officials as personnel changes were in the works at the campaign's finance operation. Last week, fearing his political strength would be questioned with release of the money figure, Gephardt shifted his message to increase attacks on Democratic rivals. ‘Four million (dollars) ain't chicken feed,’ campaign manager Steve Murphy said in a telephone interview. ‘We're on plan to raise $20 million this year and be able to spend the maximum in every early state through February, which is when a front-runner, if not the nominee, will be decided.’ Gephardt, the Missouri congressman, holds a narrow lead in most polls in Iowa, site of the first voting of 2004. But former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts have narrowed his advantage. Kerry and Dean lead in polls of New Hampshire Democrats, who vote a week after Iowa. Though he trails the pair in New Hampshire, Gephardt has been considered among the top three candidate because of his strength in Iowa, long ties to organized labor, his experience from running for president in 1988 and a national political network he built while leading Democrats in the House. The network's strength is called into question because of the fund-raising totals. Aides for Kerry and Dean say they are quietly making inroads on Gephardt's labor base, though the Missouri lawmaker has the most endorsements. Gephardt was making the rounds of party leaders and constituency groups, urging them not to give up on his presidential campaign despite the poor fund-raising performance. One meeting was with Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union has not endorsed a candidate although McEntee has spoken favorably about Kerry. Democrats in key states said Gephardt's candidacy will be hurt, but not fatally so, by the fund-raising results.”

… The continuing mystery of people-powered-Howard: Is he the next Bill Clinton or just another hothead opportunist? Excerpts from Fox News report by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos: “Critics of Vermont's former governor say Howard Dean has fashioned himself a humble populist and darling of the Democratic left wing in part because no one has really questioned his record and leadership as governor. While political pundits are quick to compare him with another once little-known governor who would be president, Bill Clinton, Dean's detractors back home call him a hothead and a political opportunist who might crack once the media begins to take him to task on the issues. ‘Personally, I think he’ll self-destruct at some point,’ said Ruth Dwyer, a former Republican state legislator who ran against Dean in 1998 and 2000 re-elections, but failed to beat the six-term popular governor. ‘When push comes to shove, and he’s under pressure, he won’t make it, he never could,’ said Dwyer. Vermont state Rep. Frank Mazur, a nine-year Republican legislator, agrees. ‘He’s got a very short temper; he gets rattled very easily, and when he gets rattled he says dumb things.’ While Dean exhibits some of this propensity, detractors call it hostility and petulance, but supporters describe it as passion and ‘straight talk.’…’He shoots from the hip -- but I appreciate that; it’s a breath of fresh air,’ said Democratic state Rep. Robert Dostis. ‘Most of the press had a wonderful rapport with him -- any editor will tell you that,’ said Ellie Dixon, editor for the Caledonian-Record, which was the first newspaper in the state to endorse Dean's presidential bid, and is considered the only Republican-leaning paper in Vermont. Many people’s first impression of Dean came during the first debate between Democratic candidates in South Carolina on May 2. There, he engaged in -- and subsequently was criticized for -- an unusually testy exchange with one of his rivals, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.”

… WHO-TV Poll: George Bush Vs. Hillary Clinton. Excerpts from WHO-TV (Des Moines) report on poll of central Iowans: “Hillary Clinton’s more popular that all of the Democrats who want to be president. But that’s only among central Iowans in her own party…Clinton may be more popular as an author, but our Survey Iowa 13 Poll shows more central Iowans think favorably of the president. 48 percent to 37. It also shows more central Iowans think unfavorably of Hillary Clinton. 32 percent like her, but 42 percent dislike her. Our survey found party faithful line up behind both candidates, but they're more united for the president. Democrats like Clinton by an average of two to one and dislike the president two to one. Republicans like the president six to one and dislike Clinton seven to one. One thing to keep in mind is independents make up the largest voting block in Iowa. Our survey found more of them dislike Clinton than like her, and more of them like the president than those who dislike him.”

…What would Dean be without Kerry – or Kerry be without Dean? The most popular political story of the week – Dean vs. Kerry – just keeps on giving and giving and giving. Today’s installment: A Washington Post account headlined, “Kerry and Dean Set on a Collision Course…Pointed Toward Same Democratic Destination, They’re Also Vying for Same Voters.” Excerpts of dispatch by the Post’s veteran political reporter Dan Balz from Hopkinton, NH: “They have circled one another warily for months, a study in political contrasts. One is the tall, cool Bostonian who exudes stature and experience in the world; the other the short, intense Vermont transplant who projects energy, passion and a determination to upend the politics of his own party. Now Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and former Vermont governor Howard Dean are on a collision course in their bids for the Democratic presidential nomination. They skirmished briefly in the spring over patriotism, courage and the qualities required of a commander in chief in an age of terrorism. With Dean's sudden emergence, a decisive clash appears inevitable, one that will have a significant impact on the outcome of the Democratic race. Along with Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), Kerry and Dean make up the top tier of the Democratic field of nine candidates, but by dint of geography and demography, the two New Englanders often find themselves fishing in the same pond, fighting over the same voters: white, liberal, moderately affluent, well educated, mostly antiwar, vehemently anti-President Bush. These prospective Democratic voters find themselves in a head-vs.-heart debate over whether to support Kerry or Dean. In Kerry, they see someone who has the credentials to be president, but they worry about his passion and ability to excite an electorate. In Dean, they see the opposite, a blunt and inspirational politician willing to challenge Bush, but they wonder whether someone with his experience and views can win…Neither Dean nor Kerry likes to admit how much each stands in the other's path to the nomination, although the regular potshots between their staffs prove that reality. Dean said there are no hard feelings between the men, although their earlier engagement suggested there is hostility coupled with annoyance. ‘There's certainly no animosity -- certainly on my side,’ Dean said last week between fundraising calls at his Burlington, Vt., office. Kerry, asked about Dean during an interview at The Washington Post on Thursday, refused to be drawn into a discussion about how the Dean insurgency has affected his own candidacy. Here in New Hampshire, for now at least, the race is a two-man, neighbor-to-neighbor contest, with all the other candidates hoping to profit from the fallout of the expected Dean-Kerry showdown in the fall. In Iowa, Dean and Kerry, looking for an advantage that could help them in New Hampshire, are pressing Gephardt, the favorite there and a candidate appealing directly to the party's blue-collar constituency. But as they campaigned through New Hampshire last week, it was clear how much they are paying attention to one another. When Kerry, who last fall voted to give Bush the power to go to war in Iraq, suddenly scheduled a news conference Thursday morning to denounce the administration's postwar policy there, Dean, who opposed the war, laid on a news conference of his own to challenge the administration over misleading the public on the war. As Dean tried to tone down some of the anger that has marked his rise in the Democratic race, Kerry repeatedly told audiences how angry he was: with Bush's foreign policy, tax cuts and energy policy. And as Dean has begun to mobilize an Internet-organized cadre of supporters and donors around the country, Kerry promised audiences to do the same.”

… Choose your favorite headline from yesterday: West Coast entry, Los Angeles Times – “Lieberman’s Top Aide on Fund-Raising Resigns Post” East Coast entry, The Union Leader – “Internal battle leads to Lieberman staff change” Excerpts from the Times report: “The top fund-raiser in the presidential campaign of Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) resigned her position Monday and her deputy made plans to quit after a weekend of turmoil inside the campaign over how to cut costs and put Lieberman into a position to compete with better-funded rivals for the Democratic nomination. Finance director Shari Yost stepped down, and Democratic sources said her deputy, Jennifer Yocham, also intends to resign and that several mid-level staffers could follow them. The sudden shake-up came as Lieberman prepared to report to the Federal Election Commission that his campaign raised $5.1 million in the second quarter and spent about $2.8 million. Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee, got a slow start raising money in the first quarter of the year. His onetime lead in national polls of the Democratic field evaporated in the first six months of the year, and he is running no better than fourth in early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. The disruption in the campaign finance department could put Lieberman at a fresh disadvantage at a crucial point in the fund-raising competition, and Democratic sources said the disputes that led to the shake-up reflected broader management problems of the Lieberman operation. ‘Nobody's been running [Lieberman's] campaign,’ said one Democratic source. Lieberman has neither a campaign chairman nor a designated campaign manager.”

… While most of the coverage of the NAACP convention focused on the three no-show wannabes – who were dismissed as “persona non grata” – six participated. Here’s what some of them said. Headline from VOANews (Voice of America): “Democratic Presidential Contenders Blast Bush at NAACP Meeting” Excerpts from report by VOA’s Jim Teeple in Miami: “Six of the Democratic Party's nine candidates for next year's presidential nomination spoke to the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, Monday in Miami Beach. Instead of their usual criticism of each other, the candidates spent most of their time criticizing their all-but certain opponent next year; George Bush. Domestic politics took center stage at the 94th annual convention of the nation's oldest civil rights organization. Meeting in Miami for the first time in more than two decades, NAACP delegates took delight in hearing tough criticism of President George W. Bush on issues ranging from education and health care, to the appointment of federal judges. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina told a receptive audience that the Democratic Party takes their concerns to heart. ‘We have work to do,’ he said. The civil rights movement is not done in America. And the starting place is to tell the truth about the inequality that still exists in this country. And the truth is something this administration has trouble with don't they?’…Staying away were Connecticut Senator, Joseph Lieberman, Missouri Representative Richard Gephardt and Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich. Also not in attendance was President George Bush who has not attended an NAACP convention since becoming President, a point noted by civil rights activist Al Sharpton. ‘George Bush should be here,’ said Mr. Sharpton. ‘Not only should every one of the candidates be here on the Democratic side, but how does George Bush go to Africa and meet with African leaders and come home and not meet with African-American leaders right in his home country?’ …Former Vermont Governor, Howard Dean, who many experts say is the current Democratic front-runner, told the NAACP delegates white candidates like himself should do more than just court the black vote. He says they should also explain to the majority white population the importance of fighting racism. ‘It is up to people like me not just to come before the NAACP and talk about racism. It is up to people like me to talk to white people all around America about racism, because that is the way it has to happen. We cannot just do this when we come and talk to African American audiences,’ said Mr. Dean. ‘We have to come and talk to everybody about it. Because it is going to take a white leader to stand up and explain to my people why racism is wrong and why it happens in this society and we can do better than what we are doing.’”

… Under the headline ”Nader’s 2004 Sequel: Grumpier Old Man,” Paul Bedard wrote in his “Washington Whispers” column in U. S. News & World Report: “If Ralph Nader's likely 2004 third-party repeat for the White House were a movie sequel, it would have to be called Grumpier Old Man. That's because he seems to hate virtually everybody in the race. Let's start with the Dems: ‘The Democrats don't fight for what they say they believe in.’ He likes gadfly Rep. Dennis Kucinich but not fellow populist Howard Dean. Dean's, he says, "is not that exciting a record." On the GOP side, President Bush, he insists, should be impeached for exaggerating Iraq's threat to America. And don't get him going on Vice President Cheney. ‘First of all,’ says the consumer advocate, ‘he's a snarler on TV, whereas Bush is a smirker. There's a big difference. Second, he's Halliburton . . . and third, he's the driving force. He is the most reactionary networker inside the Bush administration.’ Does Nader, a distant third in 2000, think he has a chance? Unlikely, he grumbles, because the two big parties will try to squash him like a bug. So why run? ‘You never know when the tipping point comes,’ he says. ‘You keep going 'cuz there's no alternative but a white flag.’”

… Only in Florida? How about something to really rally the voters in 2004 – like an abortion-related constitutional amendment on the ballot in case folks lose interest in the presidential campaign. Headline from yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel: “Abortion measure sought for ‘04” Excerpt from report by the Sentinel’s Tallahassee Bureau Chief John Kennedy: “Florida's presidential ballot also could become an abortion battleground next year. Top state lawmakers said Monday that they are prepared to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment next fall that would require parents to be notified if their underage daughters seek abortions. The move comes just days after the state Supreme Court struck down a 1999 law mandating such parental notification. ‘I would predict we will have parental notice on the ballot in November 2004,’ said Senate Rules Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon. ‘I think the probability of that is virtually 100 percent.’ House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, who may run for the U.S. Senate next year, urged Gov. Jeb Bush to expand the agenda of this week's medical-malpractice-insurance special session to allow lawmakers to put the amendment on the ballot.”

… Today’s Pat Watch: Wasn’t it just Monday that he was criticizing GWB on Liberia policy? But now, Robertson is leading a 21-day “prayer offensive” to change the Supreme Court. Several publications carried the story. An excerpt from the Associated Press report: “Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson urged his nationwide audience Monday to pray for God to remove three justices from the Supreme Court so they could be replaced by conservatives. ‘`We ask for miracles in regard to the Supreme Court,'’ Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's ‘The 700 Club.’ Robertson has launched a 21-day ‘prayer offensive’ directed at the Supreme Court in the wake of its 6-3 June vote that decriminalized sodomy. Robertson said in a letter on the CBN Web site that the ruling ‘has opened the door to homosexual marriage, bigamy, legalized prostitution and even incest.’ The same letter targets three justices in particular: ‘One justice is 83-years-old, another has cancer and another has a heart condition. Would it not be possible for God to put it in the minds of these three judges that the time has come to retire?’ Judging from the descriptions, Robertson was referring to Justice John Paul Stevens, who was born in 1920, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had colon cancer surgery in 1999. The identity of the third justice was unclear.”

Quad-City Times online, lead stories: “Deficit will set record in 2003” & Business – “Greenspan vows to keep lid on rates”

Nation/world heads, Omaha World-Herald: Iraq – “Bush increasingly urged to ask Europe for help” & “War, recession, tax cuts send federal deficit soaring”

Featured reports, New York Times: “Crew of Columbia Survived a Minute After Last Signal” & “Rape (and Silence About It) Haunts Baghdad” Since the end of the war and the onset of unrest in Iraq’s capital, women have grown increasingly afraid of abduction and rape.

Sioux City Journal, main online headlines: “Corps defies order; refuses to drop levels on Missouri” & “Hurricane Claudette hits Texas coast with 80 mph wind, torrential rain”

Daily Iowan (University of Iowa), nation/world heads: “China urges N. Korea to join talks” & “Official: U. S. gone as soon as Iraqis can hold election”

Chicago Tribune online, top stories: “Bomb Kills U. S. Soldier, Hunts 2 in Iraq” & “Texas Mess Left in Claudette’s Wake”

Iowa Briefs/Updates:

… Sioux Sheriff Works to Cut Small Town Service. Excerpts from report from Orange City by the Sioux City Journal’s Mike Koehler: “Sioux County Sheriff Jim Schwiesow is working to cancel contracts for municipal police services for seven small towns in the county and restore ‘order and decorum’ in his department by laying off six deputies and terminating another…As of Oct. 1, all contracts for police services for the Sioux County communities of Hull, Boyden, Hospers, Matlock, Granville, Chatsworth and Maurice will be canceled, Schwiesow said.”

… KCCI-TV (Des Moines) reported yesterday that a central Iowa man – Randal Nichols of Colo – could get 30 days in jail and a $500 fine because of an alleged road rage incident last week. Story County officials say Nichols, who was charged with assault, was tailgating a car driven by Nicole Anderson of Nevada. The report said that after Nichols’ pickup passed Anderson he stopped abruptly, got out of his pickup, opened her car door and put his hands around her neck.

… On the Korean Front: Headline from yesterday’s Washington Times – “U. S. to pay N. Korea for MIA search” Excerpts from the Times’ report: “The United States will pay North Korea $2.1 million to conduct four searches this summer and fall for remains of American servicemen missing from the Korean War, the Pentagon said yesterday…The $2.1 million is reimbursement for services provided by the North Korean government, including the provision of aircraft for any medical evacuation of U.S. search personnel, Mr. Greer said. The sides agreed that the Americans would conduct two searches, each for a month's duration, at two sites: in the vicinity of the Chongchon River, north of Pyongyang, and in the Chosin Reservoir area, scene of some of the most savage fighting of the war in late November and early December 1950. The first effort, which would include excavation and repatriation to the United States of any remains found, is to be conducted Aug. 23 to Sept. 23; the second, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 28. The United States had wanted to get an earlier start, but talks on arrangements broke off after North Korea revealed to a State Department envoy last October that it has a nuclear-weapons program.”

… “…the Republican-backed plan would only threaten the continued existence of the 38-year-old [Head Start] program.” – Sentence from editorial in the Daily Iowan (University of Iowa). Editorial excerpt: “The House of Representatives is set to vote next week on a plan to turn over control of the federal Head Start program to the states. President Bush was touting the plan leading up to his trip to Africa, saying the program needed to do more to prepare children for kindergarten. The plan would let states control the Head Start funding, giving state governments control of how the funding is spent and better tailoring it to existing state pre-school programs. However, the Republican-backed plan would only threaten the continued existence of the 38-year-old program…The shift of control would begin with a five-year pilot program allowing eight states to control the Head Start money via grants subject to the governor's control. Under the bill, state funds earmarked for early childhood education wouldn't be allowed to be diverted, but the states would not be prevented from reallocating Head Start federal funds. Head Start programs would also follow a different set of federal guidelines… Putting control of the Head Start resources in the hands of some state governors would allow state officials to diminish the program because it would no longer be governed by federal guidelines. States already have the flexibility to operate their programs in conjunction with Head Start. The plan seems to follow in the footsteps of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ philosophy of new standards without new funding. It would replace overall standards that include social skills and nutritional needs with standardized tests and literacy evaluations. Bush is correct that Head Start needs to do more. It now reaches between one-quarter to one-half of the children eligible for the program, and it doesn't necessarily provide full-day resources. This bill, however, doesn't address the program's shortfalls - it creates the potential for new ones.”

… Today’s editorials, Des Moines Register: “Are these lakes ‘impaired’?…The question shouldn’t need to be asked. Iowa’s waters should be unquestionably clean.” Editorial reaction to EPA announcement it was returning 20 IA bodies of water to the 2002 list of impaired lakes. & “Kiss overtime pay goodbye…New rules help the poorest workers but make it tougher for everyone else…The person who works at the counter can be called a ‘counter manager’ and not be eligible for overtime.”

… The Daily Iowan (University of Iowa) reported yesterday that Jack Dahm, who had a 283-276-2 record during 10 seasons at Creighton, has taken over the university’s baseball program. Dahm, introduced at a Monday news conference, said he believes Iowa is a “sleeping giant” with the potential to be a top baseball competitor in the Midwest and the Big Ten. At Creighton, he was named Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year in 1999 and 2002.

… DSM 7 a.m. 67, fair/mostly sunny. Temperatures across the state at 7 a.m. ranged from 55 in Decorah and 59 in Charles City and Audubon to 67 in Des Moines and Lamoni and 68 in Algona. Today’s high 88, mostly sunny. Tonight’s low 68, chance T-storms. Thursday’s high 90, chance T-storms. Thursday night’s low 71, increasing clouds.

… For security/privacy reasons, University of Iowa to stop using Social Security numbers for ID purposes. The Daily Iowan’s India Morrow reported that Social Security numbers, which the UI has used for decades as identification numbers for students, faculty, and staff, will gradually be phased out over the next year in an effort to increase privacy. The first orientation session marked the beginning of the change to randomly assigned ID numbers, which will never change or be re-used. UI Controller Terry Johnson said he and his staff have been planning the project for almost two years, which he estimated cost $50,000."We have had a number of people complain over the years about having to use their Social Security number in order to identify themselves for so many university-related things," he said. The advantage of the new numbers is that they do not pose a "security breach," Johnson said.