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

Quote for today:

“Kerry initially thought about enlisting as a pilot. But his father, Richard Kerry – a test pilot who served in the Army Air Corps – warned him that if he flew in combat, he might lose his love of flying. So Kerry, who sought in so many ways to emulate John Fitzgerald Kennedy, took to the water, just as his idol served on a World War II patrol boat, the 109.”

– Excerpt from yesterday’s second installment of a seven-part Boston Globe series
“John F. Kerry/Candidate In The Making” (See another excerpt below.)

… Report this morning – Dean calls Graham a lower-tier candidate. Graham spokesman counters that his wannabe created more jobs during tenure as FL gov than there are people in VT

...Boston Herald: Kerry scrambles to regain Dem fundraising lead before 6/30 FEC reporting deadline

…The next time Graham blasts the USA Patriot Act, remember this: He co-wrote it – and Edwards, Kerry and Lieberman voted for it too

…Keep the kids and knuckle-draggers away from TV screens in Iowa for the next couple weeks. Dean’s TV spots start airing – and terrorizing (and misleading) most Iowans – today

…Graham pushes to give gay couples a tax break – seen as a blatant move left to bolster Dem nomination hopes

…DSM talk show host Mickelson takes on state’s prohibition against informing jurors about criminal sentencing options

…Des Moines radio talk show host Salier says that three millionaires among the Dem wannabes “redefines the party of the rich” FYI, Register columnist says Salier may be syndicated across IA

…Orlando Sentinel’s syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker says Hillary was an “accomplice” to Bill’s distortions and cover-ups

…Edwards calls for fight against “Bush light” – stealing a basic line – and theme -- from rivals Dean and Kerry

…In second installment of Boston Globe’s series on Kerry’s alleged preparation to become a presidential wannabe: When asked if after three receiving three Purple Hearts he was qualified to leave Vietnam he said: “Yep. Three and you’re out.”

…Waterloo report: Missouri gaming company interested in reopening greyhound park

…Washington Times columnist: Gen. Wesley Clark is “so reticent that he still declines to say whether he is a Democrat or a Republican”

… Iowaism: KCCI-TV (Des Moines) reports that photos of an Ottumwa man will soon start appearing on Post Office walls across U. S

Morning Updates:

…Voters in Palo Alto County (Emmetsburg) go to the polls today to consider a referendum on allowing legalized riverboat gambling in the county, although no decision has been made whether state gaming licenses would be available if it is approved

…Depressing newscasts across Iowa this morning as many city councils met last night to start making budget cutbacks – from DSM to smallest towns. The Des Moines City Council approved $4.7 million in cuts last night, including cutting power to 5,300 street lights and closing most city offices on Fridays, but smaller communities are slashing budgets too by reducing things such as Fourth of July fireworks, mosquito spraying and cemetery mowing.

… It’s the day Iowans eagerly await (and usually end up dreading by January) – and the state’s media account executives love – every four years. Dean is scheduled to launch the first wave of TV spots in IA today. Media reports have indicated that virtually all Iowans will be faced with the prospect of each seeing at least nine Dean spots between now and the Fourth of July. The Quad-City Times’ Ed Tibbetts reports this morning: “The advertisements, coming a full seven months before the 2004 caucuses, are a sign the feisty former governor of Vermont will continue to fight hard for the nomination, a veteran activist said. ‘He’s been aggressive the entire campaign, so I guess he’s going to continue to be aggressive,’ said Jeff Link, who ran Al Gore’s 2000 effort in Iowa. (Iowa News Watch Note: By suggesting that “virtually” all IA markets are covered, it probably means the Dean campaign was too cheap to pay Omaha TV market prices to reach Republican-dominated southwest and western Iowa.)

… “Dean calls Graham lower-tier candidate” – headline from this morning’s The Union Leader. A report from Bedford, NH, says: “Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Monday he regretted making a disparaging remark about Democratic presidential rival Bob Graham’s chances in the race for the White House. Earlier in the day, Dean said at a business leaders luncheon he is the only major Democratic presidential hopeful with experience appointing judges. Asked about the approach he would use in appointing justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, Dean said, ‘I’m actually the only major candidate who’s appointed a judge, and I do not believe in litmus tests, although I do believe in upholding the Constitution.’ Asked later whether he misspoke, given that Graham appointed judges as governor of Florida, Dean said he doesn’t consider Graham a major candidate. ‘Bob Graham is a wonderful, decent human being, but at this time he’s in single digits in all the states you can’t be in single digits in,’ he said. ‘I have enormous respect for Bob Graham, but at this point he’s not one of the top-tier candidates, I think that’s widely recognized.’ He added, “That’s not to say he couldn’t get to be one.’ Later in a phone call to The Associated Press, Dean apologized…’I’m not sure why Dr. Dean thinks it’s in his interest to pick fights with other Democratic candidates, but he underestimates the former governor of the fourth largest state at his own peril,’ said Graham spokesman Jamal Simmons. ‘With all due respect, Bob Graham created twice as many jobs when he was governor of Florida than there are people in the state of Vermont.”

… Over the weekend, the Orlando Sentinel reported that “Graham on Friday began pushing for tax breaks on health-insurance coverage for gay couples and other domestic partners. Experts speculated that Graham’s proposal was part of a larger trend to capture Democratic presidential primary votes by moving to the political left. ‘If he’s going to survive in the primary, he’s got to move farther left,’ said Roger Handberg, chairman of the political-science department at the University of Central Florida. ‘He has to get his campaign off zero. It’s a building block.’ Graham is a relatively late entry in the nine-person Democratic primary field. His voting record has long been considered moderate – he favors free-trade deals and the death penalty. But Democratic primaries tend to attract a high percentage of more liberal voters. The Florida senator’s proposal to help gay and lesbian couples appeals to a constituency that wields power in Democratic primaries and donates to campaigns.”

… The Boston Globe – headline, “Show him the money: Kerry’s foes seen gaining ground” – reported yesterday that “Kerry, scrambling to reclaim the Democratic presidential fund-raising lead, hauled in $300,000 at four Boston events last week. The series of Hub money events Friday were part of an aggressive national fund-raising push by the Massachusetts senator as the June 30 close to second-quarter campaign reporting nears. Kerry hopes a strong showing can help him vault back to the front of the Democratic pack after he has slipped slightly behind in recent months. To stroke his fundraising machine for the deadline sprint, Kerry treated 110 major donors who had raised at least $25,000 each for his campaign to a special one-day retreat in April.” Excerpts from Andrew Miga’s report: “Kerry has successfully mined California’s Silicon Valley, where venture capitalist Mark Gorenberg raised an eye-popping $900,000 for the senator’s campaign at a single event, a March 13 dinner in San Francisco’s Palace Hotel…The Kerry camp was stunned in March when rival Sen. John Edwards (D-N. C.) edged him in the first-quarter fund-raising race with a surprise showing of $7.4 million, much of them from trial lawyers. ‘It was a shock-and-awe moment for us,’ admitted one Kerry adviser. Kerry, assumed by insiders to be the early money heavyweight of the nine-candidate field of Democrats, raised a relatively healthy $7.1 million, but Edwards’ performance dented Kerry’s standing as an early front-runner…There are also concerns in the Kerry and Edwards camps that Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), seeking to rebound from a poor fund-raising start, could make a surprise showing. Lieberman possesses a broad national donor network from his 2000 vice presidential race. Another wild card is U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), who also has built a strong national donor base as House Democratic leader over the years. A party source said Gephardt has pressed hard recently to boost his totals, seeking to forge a breakthrough.”

… Des Moines talk show host – and former GOP U. S. Senate aspirant – Bill Salier said yesterday “the party of the rich has been redefined” by the fact that three of the four senator-wannabes (Kerry, Graham, Edwards) were identified as millionaires in recently released personal finance disclosure statements. On his KWKY program yesterday, Salier also noted that IA GOP Sen. Grassley made the Senate millionaires list – barely by a few thousand dollars. That, Salier said, made Grassley “the poorest of the Senate millionaires.”

… The latest entry in the ongoing competition among the Florida media to find (and exploit) Graham’s faults and missteps is a keeper from the St. Petersburg Times. The headline on a copyright story over the weekend: “Graham quiet about his role on Patriot Act …On the campaign trail, he isn’t bringing up that he co-wrote the controversial bill in the Senate.” The Times’ Bill Adair wrote: “When Sen. Bob Graham campaigned in Iowa last weekend, at least two Democratic activists complained that the USA Patriot Act threatened civil liberties. They asked what he planned to do about it. The Florida senator replied that he was unhappy with Attorney General John Ashcroft’s implementation of the antiterrorism law, but Graham neglected to mention an important fact: He co-wrote it. The controversial law puts Graham in a difficult spot. As the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he wrote sections of the bill dealing with foreign intelligence. But as a presidential candidate, he doesn’t want to alienate supporters. ‘For some people, the Patriot Act will be a major issue,’ said Dr. Julianne Thomas, a Cedar Rapids pediatrician who is vice chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party. ‘There are groups where that could be a problem for Sen. Graham.’ He has avoided the political quicksand by saying little about his role. Graham has not mentioned it in his speeches and he does not include it in his campaign biography. But it is mentioned in his official Senate biography. Graham isn’t alone in facing questions about the law. The other senators in the Democratic presidential race – John Edwards, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman – voted for the legislation.”

… Excerpt from the second installment of the Boston Globe’s seven-part series – “John F. Kerry/Candidate In the Making” – “Kerry, asked whether he is certain a rule enabled him to leave Vietnam after three Purple Hearts, responded: ‘Yep. Three and you’re out.’ For the past several weeks, Kerry’s staff said it has been unable to come up with a Navy document to explain that assertion. On Friday, however, the National Archives provided the Globe with a Navy ‘instruction’ that formed the basis for Kerry’s request [to be released from combat duty]…The Navy could not say how many other officers and sailors got a similar early release from combat, but it was unusual for anyone to have three Purple Hearts. Kerry’s early departure meant he was leaving behind a crew that had suffered through many bloody battles with him. Worried that crew members would be killed, he arranged for them to receive a safer assignment… Then, at the beginning of April 1969, Kerry left Vietnam. ‘I thought it was time to tell the story of what was happening over there,’ Kerry said. ‘I was angry about what happened over there, I clearly concluded how wrong it was.’ By this time, five of Kerry’s closest friends had died in combat [including Yale classmate Richard Pershing and Donald Droz – “a fellow skipper who had provided support for Kerry on the day he won the Silver Star”] …The mounting losses made no sense to Kerry. The boats went up a river, showed the US flag, perhaps killed some enemy, and returned to base without taking any territory. Six months earlier, Kerry had been a gung-ho skipper eager to lead his men and be a hero. Now he felt the mission had changed. He replaced his dream of a life in politics with a path of protest.”

… The Quad-City Times yesterday picked up weekend coverage of Edwards’ visit to Mason City. Times headline: “Sen. Edwards: America needs to fight ‘Bush light’” The Mason City Globe Gazette’s Deb Nicklay wrote that Edwards “told a Mason City gathering Friday that the nation’s Democrats will have to fight hard to take back the White House in 2004 – a White House he says is being operated by ‘Bush light’ politics. ‘There are a handful of insiders running this country,’ Edwards told the 70 people gathered at the Holiday Inn. ‘We have a government of the insiders, by the insiders and for the insiders.’ Big money and big lobbying represent the interests of the American population, he said. ‘The real question is: Who is going to stand up for you? It won’t be George W. Bush,’ he said. Also, the Fort Dodge Messenger – reporting on Edwards’ Friday visit – reported that he “views his bid for the White House as the next step in a crusade to help working people that began over 20 years ago when he started his career as an attorney. Then, the Democrat from North Carolina was representing people in legal struggles with big insurance companies. Now, he is engaged in a campaign that he described Friday as an effort to take the leadership of the country away from a small group of the wealthy and return it to the majority of Americans. ‘We have to take this democracy out of the hands of this handful of insiders and give it back to the people,’ he told a Fort Dodge audience Friday. ‘It’s been the cause of my life to fight for working people.’ Edwards said.”

… In his “Inside Politics” column in yesterday’s Washington Times, Greg Pierce wrote that “Democratic presidential hopeful Carol Moseley-Braun harkened back to her days in the [U.S.] Senate to tell female political activists why she thinks a woman’s place is in the White House. It was at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on the Medicare program, she said, and a senator proposed a 20 percent surcharge on mammograms provided under the health care program. It didn’t occur to the committee’s other senators that this might be a problem, she said. ‘So I raised my hand and said: ‘Fellas, I know none of you have breasts to be worried about, but you have an awful lot of constituents out there who might have a real problem with paying a surcharge to get a mammogram,’ ‘ Mrs. Moseley-Braun said. ‘You could literally see the light bulbs going off in the room,’ she said. ‘Having somebody in the room to make the case is kind of important,’ she said in her speech in Washington to the National Women’s Political Caucus.”

… Weekend headline from the New Hampshire Sunday News: “Graham questions Iraq weapons intelligence” The report: “Behind the pack of Democratic presidential hopefuls, Sen. Bob Graham told New Hampshire Democrats on Saturday that he and his competitors want Americans to fire George W. Bush. Guest speaker at the annual Manchester Democratic Committee breakfast, Graham attacked Bush’s record on the economy and foreign affairs and questioned the accuracy of intelligence on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. ‘While I was governor of Florida, we created over 1 million jobs in that eight-year period,’ he said. ‘In three of those eight years, Florida was listed as the state of 50 that had the best business and investment climate in the country. George W. Bush in 29 months has lost this country almost 3 million jobs. We now have the highest rate of unemployment in nine years.’ Former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Graham said he questions the integrity of intelligence that led the United States to war with Iraq.”

… On the Clark Watch: Under the subhead “Reluctant warrior,” Greg Pierce wrote in his “Inside Politics” column yesterday that former NATO Supreme Commander Wesley K. Clark “continues to have a hard time deciding whether to run for president. ‘I am going to have to consider it,’ he said yesterday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’ For at least the past year, the retired general has been considered a potential Democratic candidate, but he has refused to be pinned down. ‘In many respects, I would like a chance to help this country. And I don’t know if that means being president or doing something else,’ he said. But his interview yesterday was the closest he has come to making an announcement and laying out a potential platform, Agence France-Presse reports. He discussed his opposition to President Bush’s tax cuts, his support for racial preferences, and why the military should rethink its ban on open homosexuals. Gen. Clark, while hinting at a run, is so reticent that he still declines to say whether he is a Democrat or a Republican.”

THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

From the Iowa Pres Watch Vault: The column on Hillary’s book by the Orlando Sentinel’s Kathleen Parker is almost a week old and worth a read – and serious consideration, especially by the misguided contingent of Hillary book buyers and worshipers. Park wrote last Wednesday: “For waiting in line and plunking down $28, Hillary readers get exactly what? Not much more than an expansion of untruths added to what they already knew to be false: In her book and in interviews, which all seem to derive from the same script, Hillary insists: She has no intention of running for president. Not true. She had no idea her husband was a sexual predator: Not true. She wanted ‘to wring Bill’s neck.’ Say what? A mom wants to wring her 10-year-old son’s neck when he tracks mud through her freshly mopped kitchen. When a grown woman finds her husband has become intimate with the help, she wants to invite Lorena Bobbitt to din-din and forget to put the cleaver in the dishwasher. There is about Hillary Clinton a frightening inevitability that ought to send shivers down the spines of those who still have them. Like her husband, she is able to hold a steady gaze and seduce her audience with false virtue even as she dissembles. Of course Hillary Clinton intends to run for president – and is running even as readers consume the book she hired three others to write. Of course she knew what kind of man she was married to and was an accomplice to his distortions and cover-ups. And of course Hillary Clinton – the un-Tammy Wynette who once told a nation she didn’t bake cookies and wasn’t a stand-by-your-man kind of woman – would bake a 12-tiered wedding cake and stand by the devil if that’s what it takes to fulfill her destiny as First Woman. That, in fact, is what’s true.”

… From Rob Borsellino’s column in yesterday’s Des Moines Register: “If you’re one of those who think talk radio around here is too progressive, too open-minded, you might want to check out Bill Salier’s show. Salier is the Nora Springs farmer who ran against Greg Ganske in the U. S. Senate primary last year. His show is pretty much a right-wing rant, but he’s catching on, and now there’s talk about syndication in other markets around the state. I don’t like the guy’s politics, but he’s got a good sense of humor.” On his KWKY (Des Moines) program yesterday, Salier followed up by saying that he wants to invite Borsellino to appear on his talk show.

Des Moines Register, top-front-page headline: “Father’s Day Tragedy…Grief, disbelief grip Greenfield…Quadruple shooting horrifies town, leaves man, 2-year-old daughter dead” Report on the murder-suicide spree by a rural Greenfield man – 28-year-old unemployed electrician Troy Doherty -- that also left wife and mother-in-law wounded.

Nation/World online headlines, Quad-City Times: “CBS News woos Private Lynch” & “Court limits drugging of defendants”

Daily Iowan (University of Iowa), featured online heads: “Bush defends economy & war” & “Despite protests, U. S. continues Iraqi sweeps”

Omaha World-Herald online, nation/world headlines: “Released detainees speak out” Report: Afghans and Pakistanis who had been detained by the U. S. military in Guantanamo in Cuba are describing the conditions as so desperate that some have tried to kill themselves. & “U. S. troops raid Iraqi homes in hunt for ambush suspects”

Top headlines, New York Times online: “Supreme Court Limits Forced Medication of Some for Trial” & “Tales of Despair from Guantanamo”

Sioux City Journal, main online headlines: “Stocks gain 202 points; post new highs for year” & “NTSB searches for cause of fishing boat capsize”

Chicago Tribune, top stories: “U. S. Envoy Meets With Palestinian Leader” & “Sniper Kills U. S. Soldier in Baghdad”

The report by the Courier’s Tim Jamison said: “Weeds have taken over the former track at Waterloo Greyhound Park in the seven years since the gambling facility lost its license and shut down. But renewed interest in establishing a casino in Black Hawk County could breathe new life into the facility.” The report said Waterloo City Council members have agreed to “entertain a proposal from a Missouri-based Grace Entertainment Inc., which is interested in reusing the track at U. S. highway 63 and 20 for dog racing and a new casino…Council members have set a June 23 work session to hear the proposal from the gaming company, which operates casinos in Missouri, Kansas and in Osceola, Iowa…Dogs stopped running at WGP in 1994 when the National Cattle Congress, unable to pay its debts, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Voters that year twice rejected referendums – the second by a slim 72-vote margin – to allow NCC [National Cattle Congress] to add slot machines and enhance revenue at the track.”

Iowa Briefs:

… KCCI-TV (Des Moines) online headline: “Attorney General Investigates Veterans Advocacy Corp… Des Moines Office Closed, Workers Say Paychecks Bounced” KCCI’s report said “the Iowa Veterans Advocacy Corp. bills itself as a nonprofit group, raising money for those who served in the United States military. But now there are questions about its tactics. The Des Moines IVAC office is closed and the people who used to work there are without jobs…Iowa Attorney General Communications Director Bob Brammer says the state is now investigating the situation…’Our concern typically in charitable organization cases is whether there may be misrepresentations to the citizens,’ Brammer said.”

… From the Iranian Front: BBC News – headline, “Iran rejects tougher nuclear checks” – reported “Iran has confirmed it will not sign up to tougher, short-notice inspections of suspected nuclear sites. The European Union joined growing international pressure on Iran on Monday, saying Tehran should comply with the measures ‘urgently and unconditionally.’ The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also urged Iran to agree to strengthened inspections under an additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NTP). But Iran said a ban on the country’s access to nuclear technology would have to be lifted before it can agree to such a move. The head of the IAEA, Mohammad ElBaradei, said Iran had failed to report some of its nuclear activities – an accusation Tehran rejects.”

… Radio talk show host Mickelson goes on warpath against “stupidity of the Iowa law” that prohibits jurors from knowing possible criminal sentences. On yesterday’s program, Jan Mickelson (WHO, Des Moines/ WMT, Cedar Rapids) cited the case of a Clarion man who was sentenced to 25 years for burglary charges after an incident in which he struck his ex-wife. Mickelson emphasized that he was not defending the man’s actions, but noted that – because of Iowa law – the jury could not be informed about the length of the possible sentences involved in the case. This is, Mickelson said, “another example of the Iowa Legislature trying to micromanage everything.” He said the prohibition against telling jurors the sentences – and potential consequences of their deliberations – supports the arguments for “fully informed jury” proposals. The current situation, he added, leaves jurors in the dark and is “bizarre, stupid and, to a point, wicked.” Mickelson noted that the man will now serve 25 years – or at least four years until he’s possibly eligible for release – “because of the stupidity of the Iowa law.” He said some local residents, including jurors, we surprised by the length of the burglary sentence. Mickelson said he was “not [even] arguing against mandatory sentences,” but that the jury should be aware of the possible sentencing options.

… Today’s editorials, Des Moines Register: “Sign the voting reforms…A veto risks forfeiting millions in federal funds to update Iowa election machinery.” Vilsack says he has “deep concerns” about some provisions of the bill, but editorial notes that $35 million for new voting equipment, training and implementing new rules is on line. Excerpt: “Iowa should get to work on these changes as soon as possible. First, Vilsack must sign this bill.” & “Facts about Iraq? Who cares?…Polls reveal an astonishing lack of knowledge on basic information.” & “The American disease: Obesity”

… Headline from David Yepsen’s column in this morning’s Register: “Hostile business climate gives Iowa black eye” Yepsen writes that the Tax Foundation ranks the state’s business climate 38^th in the nation.

… Citizen commentary from the Sioux City Journal: “Considering that so many congressional Republicans support gun ownership, I get the feeling that NRA stands for National Republican Army.’ – Edward J. Mazeika, Sioux City

… Sportscasts report that University of Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby has indicated that some of the school’s non-revenue sports may have to be dumped. The reports say that Bowlsby assured Hawkeyes fans that the programs are safe for the upcoming year, but that some may eventually have to be dropped because of budget problems.

… The Big Ten Conference has announced that 62 University of Iowa student-athletes have been named to the 2003 spring Academic all-Conference team. The list includes student-athletes from baseball (5), softball (5), men’s golf (3), women’s golf (5), rowing (24), men’s tennis (4), women’s tennis (5), men’s track and field (3) and women’s track and field (8). To be eligible for an academic all-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institutions and carry a career grade point average of 3.0 or better.

… DSM 7 a. m. 67, sunny. Temperatures across Iowa at 7 a.m. ranged from 59 in Monticello and Decorah to 70 in Algona, Carroll and Denison. Today’s high 88, isolated T-storms. Tonight’s low 62, chance T-storms. Wednesday’s high 82, chance T-storms. Wednesday night’s low 58, partly cloudy. WHO-TV’s Steve Templeton reports that “our chances of storms [in central Iowa] this evening are much less than we will see in northwestern Iowa this afternoon. A few lingering showers possible early tomorrow morning, but sunshine comes out again tomorrow afternoon as highs will be a bit cooler in the lower 80s.”

… KCCI-TV (Des Moines) reports that an Ottumwa man will soon be seen by thousands of postal customers across the country – but, unlike those in most posters on Post Office walls, he’s not wanted by the law. The U. S. Postal Service poster features Scott Mooney, who operates a successful horse equipment mail order catalog company. Mooney said the Postal Service helped Company Supply, Inc. meet its goals.