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

Iowa Pres Watch Note: The Inescapable Lieberman Saga…Or the Wannabe’s Week That Was. Smokin’ Joe’s latest adventure begins with him as one of three Dem wannabes (along with Gephardt and Kucinich) who were branded “persona non grata” for skipping NAACP forum in Miami Beach – which further exposed a contentious meeting with black leaders a week earlier. Of that session, the Hartford Courant reported that Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md. said “basically people were laughing at him.” (Thursday’s Daily Report.) This situation was further compounded by a subpar fundraising effort (fourth among wannabes, $8.1M overall) that resulted in a staff shake-up, and produced reports of excessive campaign spending and cost reductions – including 20% pay cuts for two Lieberman kids who were each making $100,000 a year with the campaign. It also brought out a report that Smokin’ Joe’s campaign was operating without a chairman – or real campaign manager. That’s when the LA Times responded with a headline: “Signs Point to a Rocky Path for Lieberman” And then came the reports from South Carolina – one of the target states in Smokin’ Joe’s grand plan – that his support, especially in the Jewish community, was slipping. (Friday’s Daily Report.) Since then, a new Joe has emerged – or sought to emerge – with the new SuperJoe/Smokin’ Joe image. In today’s Daily Report, Smokin’ Joe disagrees with Graham’s comments about impeaching GWB, takes on Gephardt over NAFTA, compares Bush to Mad magazine’s Alfred E. Newman – “What, me worry?” – for an inadequate response to job losses since taking office, and appears to be ready to go a few rounds with the president and other Dem wannabes if he thinks a bout or two will salvage his candidacy. What’s it all mean? Who knows – or cares – but stay tuned (and keep reading the Daily Reports) as SuperJoe keeps emerging from his campaign cocoon. And, if you can’t recognize Smokin’ Joe in his new tough-guy political attire, he’s the one from the [political] lightweight division in the center[ist] of the ring shadowboxing with himself…Coming soon: Analysis of Kerry’s new “gap strategy” – which apparently was developed during a two-day meeting of the Kerry braintrust a week ago. So far, this week he has accused GWB of a “credibility gap,” said in New York the nation has a “preparedness gap,” and – in Mount Pleasant on Friday – added the “gap is about all the promises made to the American people.”

… Smokin’ Joe comes out of the center corner to take a swing at…Bobbin’ Bob Graham. Says Graham wrong about impeachment call – “No way…It’s not the right thing to do.” From New Hampshire, The Union Leader Senior Political Reporter John DiStaso reported from Salem in yesterday’s online edition: ‘Joe Lieberman disagrees with fellow Democratic Presidential candidate Bob Graham on whether President George W. Bush’s actions, or lack of action, in the pre-Iraqi war intelligence controversy are serious enough to warrant impeachment…Graham said Bush has been ‘deceitful.’ He said the issues facing the President are ‘a more serious transgression of Presidential power’ than the ‘serious personal consensual act’ that led to former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. ‘My opinion is, if the standard that was set by the House of Representatives relative to Bill Clinton is the new standard for impeachment, then this clearly comes within that standard,’ Graham said. It is up to the House to initiate impeachment procedures. Lieberman was asked yesterday if he agreed with Graham. ‘No way,’ he replied. ‘There are orderly processes of government in this country. It’s not the right thing to do. We elect people, and if we disagree with them, we should say to the American people why we do, and the way to handle the problem is to vote those people out of office.’ Repeating his call for CIA director George Tenet to resign, Lieberman said, ‘Leadership is about responsibility, and if I were President and I concluded that the CIA director was responsible for putting me before the nation in a State of the Union speech and saying something that wasn’t true, I’d ask the CIA director to resign.’ But since Bush has instead expressed confidence in Tenet, Lieberman said, ‘Something wrong happened here and nobody’s being held accountable.’ He said he wants ‘a full investigation.’ Lieberman said, however, he believes Granite Staters and all Americans are ‘most interested in answers about their jobs and the future economic security.’”

… “Kerry questions Bush’s integrity” – Headline from yesterday’s Des Moines Register. Excerpts from Mount Pleasant report by the Register’s Thomas Beaumont: “Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Friday the controversy about the Bush administration's use of flawed intelligence before the war in Iraq is just one of several White House blunders leading up to the war. ‘This is not about 16 words,’ Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, said before a campaign stop in Mount Pleasant. Kerry was referring to a passage in President Bush's State of the Union speech in January that the White House acknowledged this month was untrue. Bush asserted that the British government had intelligence showing that Iraq sought nuclear weapons material in Africa. ‘This is about the overall approach to the war and the question of whether or not a lot of the intelligence was accurate,’ Kerry said. CIA Director George Tenet has taken responsibility for failing to stop the passage about Africa from getting into the speech. British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood by the report Thursday, calling it ‘sound intelligence.’ Kerry and rival Democrat Howard Dean, who also campaigned Friday in Iowa, scoffed at Blair's statement. But Dean, the former governor of Vermont, said Kerry and three other Democrats seeking the 2004 nomination bear some responsibility for the Bush mistake because they supported the war. Dean opposed the war. U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, U.S. Sens. Kerry, John Edwards of North Carolina and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut voted for the resolution in Congress last fall that gave Bush authority to attack Iraq. ‘I want to know why the four fellows I'm running against swallowed it hook, line and sinker, if I could figure it out from Vermont,’ said Dean, who completed a two-day Iowa visit with stops around Des Moines…Kerry has said he based his vote on intelligence, but declined to say whether the questions had prompted him to reconsider the decision. ‘I know that the statements of the administration, the certitude of the existence of weapons . . . all those things have not panned out,’ he said. ‘Something's off here.’ Kerry has accused Bush of misleading Americans by his use of some suspect prewar intelligence. He broadened the attack Friday to also accuse Bush of breaking promises to create jobs and control spending, citing rising unemployment and a record federal budget deficit. ‘There is an enormous credibility issue about this administration and this president, not just about 16 words,’ he told about 75 activists during a stop at a Burlington union hall Friday. ‘The gap is about all the promises to the American people.’”

… A bird? A plane? No, it’s SuperJoe. From the center[ist] corner…Smokin’ Joe Lie-ber-r-r-r-man prepares to duke it out with the big boys. Headline from Friday’s The Union Leader: “Lieberman seeks boost with tougher rhetoric” Excerpt from report by AP political ace Ron Fournier on Lieberman’s tough-guy determination to mix it up: “No more Mr. Nice Guy for Joe Lieberman. The mild-mannered Connecticut senator, his presidential campaign stalled in the Democratic Party's middling mass, is directing harsher salvos at President Bush and - most notably - his rivals. He says Howard Dean probably can't get elected, accuses John Kerry of waffling on Iraq and calls Dick Gephardt's health care plan ‘big-government spending.’ The most conservative of the field's nine candidates, Lieberman may finally be following the advice of frustrated advisers and even former President Clinton. Their counsel: Toughen your spine in a primary race dominated by liberal voters and angry partisans. ‘I'm the only Democrat who can win in November of '04 because I can take on the president where he is supposed to be strong - on defense, security and values - and beat him where we know he's weak - on his failed economic policies and on his divisive, right-wing agenda,’ Lieberman told 75 supporters [in Charleston, SC this week]. Lieberman supported both the war in Iraq and the 1991 Persian Gulf War waged under Bush's father. He backs tax cuts, including some authored by the Republican president, supports experimental school vouchers and opposed some forms of affirmative action in the 1990s. Many strategists say such a record is toxic in Democratic primaries, even for the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee. ‘He has a long ways to go. He's pretty moderate for these voters,’ said Waring Howe, a Charleston, S.C., lawyer on the Democratic National Committee …’If we nominate somebody who's against all tax cuts, for big government-spending and sends a message of weakness on defense, the Democratic candidate is not going to have a chance in 2004,’ he said. Lieberman has made the assertion before, but this time he named names - albeit in an interview and not in front of a Democratic crowd…If Lieberman is on the offensive, perhaps it's because his campaign needs a lift. His lead in national polls has evaporated, and he lags in key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. He raised a solid $5 million from April to June, but his fast-spending ways forced a staff shake-up. Lieberman's atypical strategy has the campaign barely dabbling in Iowa and seeking a top-three finish in New Hampshire in January. He hopes to break out Feb. 3 when several states, including South Carolina with its military ties and conservative nature, stage primaries.”

… Was Gephardt’s 1988 caucus success in IA his last – and best – effort in the state? AP’s resident caucus-watcher, Mike Glover, reports that Gephardt – already suffering from disappointing fundraising effort – may now be vulnerable on labor union front. Excerpts from Glover’s report: “Presidential contender Dick Gephardt, who stumbled in the money chase, now has to worry about Democratic rivals using his fund-raising woes to siphon off labor support. The former House Minority leader came in $1 million less than his campaign had predicted in the latest quarter, and his lead in Iowa polls has shrunk. But the Missouri congressman, one of labor's strongest allies, still has the most major union endorsements of any of the White House hopefuls - six at last count. Rivals John Kerry and Howard Dean recognize Gephardt's stellar record with labor on issues from the North American Free Trade Agreement to fast-track authority for the president. Still, they believe they have a chance at nabbing some of that support. And they have set their sights on Iowa, where Gephardt won the caucuses in 1988 in his unsuccessful bid for the White House. On Friday, Kerry and Dean reached out to labor in Iowa, site of the first precinct caucuses Jan. 19. Kerry, the Massachusetts senator, had a series of stops at union halls in eastern Iowa; Dean, the former Vermont governor, stopped by a Des Moines picket line to cheer on striking construction workers. In another critical labor state, Kerry picked up the endorsement of Lu Battaglieri, president of the Michigan Education Association. The unions clearly are following the ebb and flow of the campaign closely. Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, received an invitation to make an appeal to political directors of unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The umbrella organization for some 13 million union workers will meet in early August to decide on a presidential endorsement. …Gephardt, for his part, continues to appeal to labor leaders, criticize his rivals on trade and consistently remind union officials that in his 27 years in the House, he has been one of labor's best friends. His opponents concede that it's Gephardt's political strength. ‘I worked for Gephardt in 1988, and I know how deep the well of affection is,’ Trippi said. Chuck Gifford, the retired head of the Iowa United Auto Workers, has endorsed Gephardt although he has heard doubts from others. ‘People say he can't win, he's had his chance, we need a fresh face,’ Gifford said. ‘We got a fresh face, it's called George W. Bush.’”

… Kerry targeted by Iowa veterans, although other antiwar Dem wannabes come under political attack too. Excerpt from yesterday’s report by the Quad-City Times Ed Tibbetts: “Taking aim at Democratic presidential hopefuls, a group of Iowa veterans said Friday that criticism of President Bush over the war in Iraq is hurting troop morale. U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was the primary target. ‘It’s depressing for those Iowans who are overseas to be reading what’s going on in Iowa with the candidates attacking the president,’ said Peter Welch, a Cedar Rapids lawyer who is a retired Navy captain…This week, Kerry, a candidate for president, called for an investigation into the intelligence matter, saying the president’s State of the Union address ‘trafficked in untruth.’ He also accused the president of failing to protect the homeland from terrorism. Republicans, who arranged a conference call Friday with reporters and the veterans, say the Democratic criticism is driven by political calculations. ‘There’s a tremendous amount of frustration among Iowa veterans with the criticism,’ said Chuck Larson Jr., the chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He complained that Kerry supported cuts in funding to U.S. intelligence agencies during the 1990s, adding, ‘He’s a hypocrite.’ Welch said he has spoken and exchanged e-mail with clients overseas who have told him the Democrats’ comments are demoralizing…Larson said Kerry was the primary target of his criticism because he has ‘ratcheted up’ attacks on the president. Even so, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., have been among the most pointed in their complaints about the State of the Union speech. In Des Moines on Friday, Dean listed 16 questions that should be answered by the president about the controversy. ‘No one could possibly understand the needs of soldiers in war more than combat veteran John Kerry,’ said Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for the senator. “

… A familiar figure known for his conservative activism in Iowa – Joe Petrone – surfaces as point man in New Hampshire counterattack on Kerry, other anti-Bush Dem critics. Go get’em, Joe. Under subhead “The GOP Retort,” The Union Leader’s John DiStaso reports in his regular “Granite Status” political roundup. An excerpt: “The state GOP countered John Kerry’s New York City speech blasting George W. Bush’s credibility on security issues with a telephone news conference featuring longtime state party activist and contributor Joseph Petrone, a former ambassador to Geneva. The ambassador said he was ‘ashamed and disappointed’ by Kerry and other Dems who’ve criticized Bush in the wake of the White House uranium ‘yellowcake’ embarrassment. Kerry accused Bush of failing both on Iraq and homeland security. …’Bottom line: There’s a gap here in the security capacity of the country, and we need to close it,’ even if it takes billions of dollars, Kerry said. Petrone countered, ‘I grew up where politics stopped at the water’s edge.’ He labeled as ‘a little throw away line’ Bush’s statement in the State of the Union address that British intelligence had learned that Saddam Hussein was importing uranium ‘yellowcake’ from Africa — a statement the administration last week acknowledged was inaccurate. Griffin Dalianis, chairman of the State Veterans Advisory Council and commander of the Disabled Veterans of Nashua, said the Dems’ criticism is hurting our troops’ morale, adding, ‘God bless our commander in chief.’ Petrone said that although he is upset by the Democrats’ criticism of Bush, he was ‘not questioning their patriotism.’ Kerry later shrugged off the charges that Democratic criticism of Bush was mere political rhetoric. ‘That’s a very weak response to a very legitimate national security issue.’ he said. ‘I don’t think they can wish this one way…I feel sorry for them.’ The Republicans contrasted Kerry’s call to beef up funding for homeland security with votes he cast in 1994 and 1995 that the GOP calls evidence he supported ‘slashing $2.6 billion in intelligence funding.’ But the Kerry camp says one vote cited by the GOP reallocated $80 million from the FBI to crime prevention programs that ‘had been deeply slashed and redirected by Sen. Phil Gramm, then a Republican Presidential candidate, in committee.’ Kerry’s camp said the FBI didn’t even request the $80 million.”

… Under the subhead “Edwards vs. Russert,” Robert Novak reported in his Chicago Sun-Times column today that Edwards appears more eager than his staff to return to site of past fiasco – “Meet the Press.” Excerpt from Novak’s column: “While Sen. John Edwards's staffers indicate their boss will not return to NBC's ‘Meet the Press’ after his dismal appearance on the program May 5 of last year, the Democratic presidential candidate himself signals he wants to try again. On July 10, Edwards sent this brief message to moderator Tim Russert: ‘I'm looking forward to finding the time to come to your show. (signed) John.’ That message was sent three days after Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri was quoted in The Washington Post as saying the ‘great elite audience’ that watches Meet the Press is ‘not the audience we need to reach this summer.’ Edwards was riding high before his grilling by Russert last year. Since then, he has slipped out of the top tier of Democratic candidates.”

… “Dean says Bush owes Iraq explanation” – Headline from yesterday’s The Union Leader. Excerpt from report on Dean’s news conference in Johnston by AP’s Glover: “Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Friday that President Bush owes the American people an explanation about the accuracy of the evidence used to justify war against Iraq. ‘If we went there under false pretenses, then American soldiers died because we weren't given the right information,’ Dean, a staunch opponent of the U.S.-led conflict, told reporters at a news conference. Dean and his Democratic rivals have questioned whether Bush misled the public about the Iraqi weapons program. They stepped up their criticism after the White House's admission that a sentence in the State of the Union address about Iraq seeking to purchase uranium from Africa was suspect. Seeking to bolster its case for war, the White House on Friday released an intelligence assessment from last October citing compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein was attempting to reconstitute a nuclear-weapons program. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair also argued Thursday that the critical issue was the removal of Saddam from power and the elimination of the threat he posed. That did not mollify Dean, who issued a list of 16 questions for Bush - one for each word in the State of the Union statement on Iraq and uranium. The questions focused on statements made by Bush administration officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on Iraq's weapons, the war and its costs. The list included the pointed query of why Bush said on May 1 ‘that the war was over, when US troops have fought and one or two have died nearly every day since then and your generals have admitted that we are fighting a guerrilla war in Iraq.’…Calling for an investigation, Dean said, ‘I don't think it's OK to mislead people, whether it's deliberate or inadvertent. I thought it was fundamentally wrong for the president to mislead the American people on this uranium business.’”

… Dean, trying to blunt Gephardt hit on NAFTA, says he knows they differ on one issue: the war – “he voted for it, and I didn’t.” Excerpt from report on Dean’s Cedar Rapids visit in Friday’s Daily Iowan (University of Iowa) by Annie Shuppy: “Howard Dean has a knack for creating clamor with just a few words. Employing his oft-repeated mantra, ‘We can do better than that,’ while addressing the economy, foreign policy, and the concept of a more-unified America, the former Vermont governor garnered cheers and applause for what seemed to be every other sentence he spoke from a crowd of more than 350. ‘Because I didn't support the war, some of my opponents say I'm unelectable,’ Dean said. ‘As another day goes by, I may be the only one who is.’… The 54-year-old attempted to deflect remarks made by Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., on July 12 that Dean supported the North American Free Trade Agreement. Gephardt said NAFTA has done little to improve the quality of life for workers and has sent American jobs to Mexico. ‘My position on NAFTA is that we need labor standards, and we need environmental standards; I think that's his stance, too, but I'm not sure,’ said Dean, who was never in Congress to vote on the issue. ‘The issue we do disagree on is the war; he voted for it, and I didn't.’”

… Lieberman – in his new Smokin’ Joe mode – aims at both Bush and Gephardt on economy and NAFTA, drills the president for an Alfred E. Newman “What, me worry?” approach. Excerpt from coverage of Lieberman’s comments during Salem appearance in yesterday’s Union Leader by political ace John DiStaso: “Lieberman said manufacturing jobs have dropped by 2.4 million nationally and by 20,000, or 20 percent, in New Hampshire since Bush became President. All the while, Lieberman charged, Bush, rather than getting tough, has acted like Mad magazine’s Alfred E. Newman. Said Lieberman, ‘The man in the Oval Office seems to be saying, ‘What, me worry?’’ He then targeted Gephardt, a veteran foe of the 1993 North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement. ‘Rather than trying to build walls around our economy, as some Democrats would have us do,’ Lieberman said, ‘I want to open up markets around the world for American-made goods.’ He said the nation cannot ‘go back to protectionism.’… ‘But some don’t get it,’ Lieberman said. ‘Just a few days ago, one of my opponents pledged never to sign trade treaties like NAFTA . . . That’s the wrong answer. The path to prosperity for America isn’t going backwards and pulling out of global economic competition.’ In Iowa a week ago, Gephardt told machinist union members he led the fight against NAFTA even while fellow Democrat Bill Clinton favored it as President. Gephardt said he had predicted ‘it would cause the beginning of the race to the bottom,’ for the cheapest labor, ‘and that’s exactly what has gone on. And so, just understand when I am President I will work against and I will never sign a trade treaty of any kind that will send our jobs and our money and our welfare off to the highest bidder,’ Gephardt said. Gephardt spokesman Erik Smith said yesterday, ‘The difference between Dick Gephardt and Joe Lieberman is that Dick Gephardt knows a good trade deal from a bad one. Senator Lieberman has supported trade policies that have sent millions of manufacturing jobs overseas.’”

… Graham bashes Bush, outlines plan to increase taxes on wealthy. Headline from Friday’s Union Leader: “Graham issues plan for economic renewal” Excerpt from Concord report by Union Leader senior political reporter John DiStaso: “Democratic Presidential candidate Bob Graham yesterday detailed a plan to hike taxes for the wealthy and cut them for the middle class. He’d also spend more than $300 billion over five years to build schools, highways, water facilities and parks while beefing up homeland security and balancing the budget by 2010. The plan came with a 40-page book and is dubbed ‘Opportunity for All: Bob Graham’s Plan for Economic Renewal.’… Calling himself ‘an eternal optimist,’ the U.S. senator from Florida told about 40 workers at the Concord factory that his plan ‘will create more than 3 million new private-sector jobs’ and ‘give hope and opportunity to all Americans.’ Graham decried projections of a $450 billion budget deficit this year. He said that since President George W. Bush took office, 2.5 million have lost their jobs and 1.4 million have lost their health insurance coverage, while the stock market has lost 20 percent of its value. ‘By any standard, the record is clear. Most Americans are not better off today than they were the day George Bush took office,’ Graham said. ‘And Democrats do not deserve to be elected unless they have a solid plan for economic growth. Today, I am offering the first comprehensive economic plan.’…Graham said he would rely on ‘shifting the tax burden from working Americans to the wealthiest of Americans’ by repealing the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, except for those directed at the middle class. He would raise the former top tax rate to 38.6 percent and add a new ‘Millionaires Tax Bracket’ at 40 percent. He also would repeal the dividend and capital gains tax cuts recently signed into law by Bush. Graham would eliminate payroll taxes on the first $10,000 of salaries and wages in fiscal 2005 and 2006, which he said will put $760 into the pocket of each middle-class American.”

… Smokin’ Joe says stick a label on him – centrist – and let me go a few rounds against the president on security, defense and values. Excerpt from report on Lieberman’s campaign stop in Council Bluffs by Robynn Tysver in Friday’s Omaha World=Herald: “Joe Lieberman is one politician who wants to stick a label on his campaign. The Democratic presidential candidate, who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and who supported the Iraq war, noted several times Thursday that he was the ‘centrist’ in the race. He said he is the candidate who is best able to beat President Bush in 2004. ‘I'm the Democrat who can best take Bush on where he is supposed to be strong - security, defense and values,’ said Lieberman, who made a quick trip into Iowa on Thursday. ‘I'm the center-aisle candidate. That's where elections are won,’ Lieberman said. ‘George Bush misled the American people in 2000 into believing he was the centrist.’ Lieberman is one of nine Democrats flying in and out of Iowa this summer in anticipation of the Jan. 19 vote in the Iowa caucuses - the first major test of the 2004 presidential election. A senator from Connecticut, Lieberman is considered a top-tier candidate. He has, arguably, the most name recognition out of the nine because of his 2000 run with Gore, and he leads in many national polls. However, the first two major tests of the election, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, are not in his favor. Missouri Sen. Richard Gephardt, who won the Iowa caucuses in 1988, is considered the front-runner in the state again. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean are expected to duke it out in New Hampshire. Lieberman, who visited Iowa on Thursday for the first time in a month, is hoping to win big on Super Tuesday, the name given to the Feb. 3 primaries held in Delaware, South Carolina, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. The question is whether he can survive a third- or fourth-place showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. ‘This race is not going to thin out until after Feb. 3,’ he said.”

… “Democrats see a crack in the Bush armor” – headline from Friday’s Boston Globe. Report says postwar situation “becoming a serious political liability for Bush” while the White House has been “uncharacteristically slow to contain the fallout.” Excerpts from coverage by the Globe’s Anne E. Kornblut: “Republicans and Democrats agree on one point in the raging debate over the justifications made for going to war in Iraq: The real problem for President Bush is not his 16-word sentence about Iraqi attempts to purchase uranium from Niger. The fundamental problem is the backdrop against which the debate is playing out. Soldiers are dying in Iraq virtually every day, almost three months after Bush declared that major combat had come to an end, and the number of deaths from hostile fire has now matched the number from the first Persian Gulf War. Troops are bitterly complaining about their conditions, and do not yet know when they might go home. A senior Army commander finally conceded this week that the resistance in Iraq is organized, not the random acts of violence that the administration had asserted. And the occupation could last for years, costing US taxpayers billions more than prewar estimates. Taken together, the postwar environment is becoming a serious political liability for Bush -- and it is only made worse by the revelation that the president made a dubious assertion in his State of the Union speech as he justified confronting the regime of Saddam Hussein…A prominent GOP strategist said Republican officials are dismissing the debate over the speech as a minor distraction. ‘Their concern is slowly mounting about the casualties,’ said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘Republicans are confused about, what are the yardsticks of victory in all of this? What's the finish line?’ The Bush administration, which has been uncharacteristically slow to contain the fallout from recent events, has revived a familiar rebuttal to criticism of its approach to Iraq: Democrats are ignoring the dangers that Hussein posed. White House officials also dismiss the critics as partisans who did not vote for the war in the first place, or who are running for higher office…Republican strategists also argue that Democrats are overplaying their hand, appearing too impatient and immature about the complexity of foreign policy. But they admit that if the situation continues -- and if Hussein, his weapons of mass destruction, and Osama bin Laden continue to elude coalition forces -- then Bush could be vulnerable on foreign policy, once considered his strong suit. And although Bush is the main target for the nine Democratic candidates for president, they are also attacking each other on Iraq-related issues, potentially diluting the impact of the criticism on Bush. Campaigning yesterday in South Carolina, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut accused Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts of wavering on Iraq, apparently hoping his own strong support for the war will help distinguish him from the rest of the field. Some Democrats believe that the State of the Union issue handed them a weapon to also combat Bush's two strongest personal traits: his honesty and his leadership.”

Des Moines Sunday Register, top front-page headline: “Swift victory, ill-planned peace…Iraq strategists failed to foresee ‘tons of problems’ RAGBRAI headline: “Pedals prepped, helmets strapped” Excerpt: “The wait ends today for some 10,000 bicycle-riding and pork chop-eating enthusiasts from Iowa and around the world.”

Quad-City Times online, featured stories: “Dismayed by U. S. policies, some contemplate a move to Canada” At least a few discontented Americans are planning to move north and try their neighbors way of life. & “Iraqi governing council fails to choose president”

Nation/world heads, New York Times online: “North Korea Hides New Nuclear Site, Evidence Suggests” & “U. S. Air Raids in ’02 Prepared for War in Iraq”

Sioux City Journal, online heads: “West Bank official beaten by militants” Palestinian militants beat and held governor of a West Bank town for five hours on Saturday. & “Explosions shake edge of Liberian capital”

Omaha World-Herald, nation/world headlines online: “Trip from Iraq ‘longer than the war’” When Marine Cpl. James Hood of Omaha left for Iraq in January, his father lit a candle on the TV next to James’ photo – now, nearly seven months and 52 candles later, James will get to blow it out. & “N. Korea may have secret plant”

Top stories, Chicago Tribune online: “Nuclear power may get new life” Report says three firms may seek to build first new plants in decades. & “Japan’s economic woes out of sight”

… The Sioux City Journal reported yesterday that Sioux County Sheriff Jim Schwiesow told reporters his wife found threats against him on Thursday. He said a letter was found on the steps of their Orange City home – “It says ‘kill’ on it, and there is a bunch of filthy stuff written on it and filthy drawings. It is just abysmally vile…It is an absolute cesspool out there, and I am drowning in it.” The Journal said that Schwiesow interpreted the letter as a death threat. The revelation about the letter came as the sheriff reversed a decision – announced earlier last week – to terminate law enforcement contracts to seven Sioux County communities and to layoff or fire seven deputies. The Journal also said there has been a “negative backlash” against Schwiesow after demoting Dan Altena from chief deputy – after Altena announced his candidacy to run against Schwiesow in the GOP sheriff’s primary next year.

… A memorial service was scheduled this afternoon (2-4 p.m.) for former Iowa State University President W. Robert Parks, who died last Sunday at age 87. The service for Parks, the university’s longest serving president, will be held at the Memorial Union on the ISU campus.

…The Iowa Quality Beef Cooperative is scheduled to open its meatpacking plant in Tama tomorrow. KCCI-TV (Des Moines) reports that about 175 workers have been hired so far at the facility – the former Tama Pack plant – and some 630 workers will be needed when it reaches full production…WHO Radio (Des Moines) reported that Iowans should be on alert for imposters posing as state child protective service workers. The Dept. of Human Services reported that two western IA families were contacted by a man – apparently not associated with the state agency -- who asked about their children.

… “U. S. May Be Forced to Go Back to U. N. for Iraq Mandate” – Headline from yesterday’s New York Times. Excerpt from report by the Times Christopher Marquis: “The Bush administration, which spurned the United Nations in its drive to depose Saddam Hussein in Iraq, is finding itself forced back into the arms of the international body because other nations are refusing to contribute peacekeeping troops or reconstruction money without United Nations approval. With the costs of stabilizing Iraq hovering at $4 billion a month and with American troops being killed at a steady rate, administration officials acknowledge that they are rethinking their strategy and may seek a United Nations resolution for help that would placate other nations, like India, France and Germany. Administration officials contend that they are being practical, but within their ranks are policy makers sharply critical of the United Nations and those who would consider it humiliating to seek its mantle after risking American lives in the invasion that ousted Mr. Hussein. The administration's quandary deepened [Friday], when Russia announced that it would consider sending peacekeeping troops but only with a United Nations mandate that set out a specific mission and timetable. President Bush's meeting this week with Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, was part of a flurry of consultations in recent days between administration and United Nations officials. Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, reached out to diplomats on the Security Council, and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell emerged from a meeting with the German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, saying he was discussing ways to expand international support for the Iraq occupation, including seeking a new United Nations resolution.”

… House leaders concerned Grassley will join with Dems in conference committee on prescription drug bill. In his column in today’s Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Novak reported: “On the eve of a Senate-House conference to hammer out the final version of the prescription drug bill, House Republican leaders are pleading for help from President Bush, or at least from his aides. So far, the White House has shown no support for the so-called 50-50 plan: adopt in the conference a bill close to the more market-oriented House version of the drug subsidies for seniors, which could get a 50-50 Senate vote with Vice President Dick Cheney casting the decisive vote. Instead, Bush's signal has been that he will sign any bill. What really worries House leaders is the prospect that Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, the Senate Finance Committee chairman, will side with Democrats in the conference. A stronger position by Bush might bolster Grassley.”

…From the state’s gaming frontlines. Iowa Gaming Commission wants further study on new riverboat gambling licenses. Excerpts of report from Johnston by the Times’ Kathie Obradovich: “State gaming regulators will take time to gather data before they decide whether to lift a ban on new riverboat casino licenses, Racing and Gaming Commission Chairman Mike Mahaffey said Friday. The five-member panel agreed unanimously to commission an economic study of the state’s gaming market, a move that state officials had expected to open the debate over whether to allow expansion of the industry. Community leaders from Worth (Northwood) and Palo Alto (Emmetsburg) counties, where voters recently approved ballot issues to allow gaming, asked the commission to consider lifting the freeze it approved on new licenses in 1999. There are 10 riverboat casinos operating in Iowa. Worth County Supervisor Dennis May, a former state representative, said economic conditions in his area today are similar to those that lawmakers sought to ease in river communities such as the Quad-Cities and Clinton when riverboat gambling was created 14 years ago. ‘North Iowa needs the opportunity. North Iowa wants the opportunity,’ he said. Gambling opponents offered their own studies, including a new opinion poll of 400 Iowans that shows 41 percent believe the state has ‘about the right amount’ of gaming outlets. Thirty-six percent of those surveyed said there are too many gaming outlets, while 8 percent said there are too few. ‘I urge you ... to go slow, to do an objective study of your own on whether expansion is a wise thing for the state of Iowa,’ said Chuck Hurley of the Iowa Family Policy Center, a former state representative from Fayette County.”

… Today’s editorial, Des Moines Sunday Register: “A case of child neglect – by the state…Not helping the kids doesn’t make the problem go away” Excerpt: “Iowa is flat-out failing nearly 200 kids. Worse than just being made to wait, some are being treated like criminals.”

… Saturday’s editorial, Des Moines Register: “Young and homeless: Can they be helped?…The problems can’t be overcome by providing a roof alone…The same young people who are 19 and homeless were once 17 and in foster care.” Editorial reaction to Register series during the past week about homeless young Iowans.

… Are you ready for some female football? Radio Iowa reports that some Des Moines football enthusiasts are trying to organize a Women’s Semi-Pro Professional Tackle Football team. Tryouts have been scheduled for next Saturday – which organizers say will be a barometer for interest in creating a local team, which would compete against opponents from bigger cities.

… DSM 7 a.m. 71, fog/mist. Temps across Iowa at 7 a.m. ranged from 63 in Harlan and 64 in Clarinda to 72 in Spencer, Algona and Estherville and 73 in Waterloo. Today’s high 90, severe T-storms. Tonight’s low 65, severe T-storms. Monday’s high 81, mostly sunny. Monday night’s low 59, mostly clear. From WHO-TV’s Brandon Thomas: “Partly sunny on Sunday, with severe t-storms likely in mid-late afternoon. The main threat will be large hail, damaging winds and heavy rains. Isolated tornadoes are possible as well. Highs will be in the mid eighties to low nineties. A dry start to the workweek on Monday, with highs in the upper seventies to low eighties. Mostly sunny and less humid on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs in the low eighties.”

… It’s that time of the year when seven letters – RAGBRAI – can be heard from border to border across the state as more than 10,000 embarked today on annual bicycle ride. The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa is a continuing weeklong celebration during which communities along the route – from the bars and taverns to church-sponsored pie stands – hope to reap a bonanza from the visiting cyclists. The Air Force team – Aim High Air Force, including up to 130 riders – is one of 950 registered teams in the ride. This year’s ride – covering 440 miles -- takes a southern route from Glenwood to Fort Madison includes overnight stops in Shenandoah, Bedford, Osceola, Oskaloosa, Bloomfield and Mount Pleasant. Tradition calls for serious riders to dip the rear tire of their bikes in the Missouri River today – and the front tire in the Mississippi River next Saturday.