Monday, March 10, 2003

GENERAL:  Confident, reassuring words from GWB -- tells father, “It’s my job to worry.” Former President George H. W. Bush tells TIME magazine’s Hugh Sidey – a Greenfield native from an Iowa newspaper family – the decision about possible war with Iraq “must be made by one person – the President.” The comments are in Sidey’s column, “The Presidency,” in today’s edition of the magazine...OVERNIGHT: Reports a cluster bomb found in Iraq that is “definitely off limits.”…State Patrol reports that roads in southwest Iowa – including I-29 from Council Bluffs south to Iowa/Missouri border, I-80 from Council Bluffs east to U. S. 169 (DeSoto exit) “partially covered” as snow moves into state. Orient-Macksburg schools delaying two hours due to snow…Further illustrating the insignificance of western Iowa in the Democrat caucuses, C. David Kotok of the Omaha World-Herald reports in today’s coverage of Gephardt’s four-city swing yesterday that Dean is only other candidate of the nine Dem wannabes to campaign in “rural, heavily Republican western Iowa.” Des Moines Register notes that heavyweight Gephardt had national media traveling with him – L. A. Times, N. Y. Times, Chicago Tribune – during Sioux City, Onawa, Harlan, Council Bluffs campaign stops. (See more below)…Harkin participating in town hall meeting today to discuss uninsured Iowans as part of “Cover the Uninsured Week.” The session at 9 a.m. is part of an extensive effort, including a current paid media buy in Iowa, to attract attention to the nation’s uninsured. Sponsored by a coalition of organizations, including business, labor and senior groups. Report: One in four Iowans without coverage at some time during the past year. For most Iowans, this effort – and “Cover the Uninsured Week” – is just another episode in the continuing parade of interest groups that surface every four years...Variety Club – The Children’s Charity of Iowa reaps $3.7 million during 21-hour weekend telethon on four state TV stations.

CANDIDATES/CAUCUS: Gephardt gets extensive coverage during western Iowa swing yesterday. According to KMEG-TV (Sioux City), Gephardt said U. S. needs to expend all possible efforts for approval of pending United Nations resolution giving Saddam a deadline to disarm, but “blasted the administration” for inadequate efforts on North Korean situation, saying GWB “repudiated the agreement” Clinton made with Koreans and then included them in the “axis of evil without even telling them what that meant.” Gephardt said the key to defeating GWB will be for Dems to win the “industrial heartland” – PA, OH, MI, IL, MO, IA, WI, MN, areas where Gephardt claims to have “strong support.” Des Moines Register headline: “War opponents grill Gephardt on his Iraq vote” Thomas Beaumont, a Sioux City dateline, writes that “some unexpected tension” created during Gephardt western Iowa visit. Omaha World-Herald headline: “Gephardt stresses need to deal with Iraqi threat” Staff writer Kotok covers Harlan-Council Bluffs leg of Gephardt visit, reports: “U. S. Rep Richard Gephardt attacked the Bush administration’s policies Sunday from A to Z, but he skipped I for Iraq.”…Dean finally ventured from his one-issue, anti-war rhetoric on NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday, but his comments about homosexuality weren’t any better than his inadequate analysis of the Iraqi-Saddam situation. Dean, a physician and former Vermont governor, said he doesn’t believe “homosexuality is a choice of lifestyle. Most scientific research shows that it is genetic. So, it is not a lifestyle choice.”…Political Plagiarism 101: Which Dem candidate is stealing ideas, issues and concepts from the other? On Friday, two candidates – Kerry in New Hampshire and Kucinich in Iowa – made similar statements about the nation’s energy policy: Both said the U. S. should have the same kind of commitment to energy independence that JFK (John F. Kennedy, not John F. Kerry) made in the 1960s to put an American on the moon…. Political Plagiarism 102: Is Kerry a serial plagiarist? During his weekend stop in Des Moines, Kerry said the Bush administration has “not lived up to the standards of diplomacy set forth” in the Iraq resolution Kerry supported last fall. He said, “The president’s diplomacy has been completely lacking.” Sound familiar? On Thursday, Harkin – also a resolution supporter last fall -- told the Des Moines Register he had been fooled by the Bush administration and the Iraq situation (outside of Vietnam) was the nation’s “biggest failure of diplomacy.” On Friday evening during a live interview on WHO-TV, he said President Bush “didn’t live up to his end of the bargain” after Harkin supported the Iraq resolution.

MORNING SUMMARY: Omaha World-Herald top online headline: “Powell sees veto by France” of U. N. resolution…Des Moines Register top front page headline: “The battle for support” also re the U. N. resolution…QCTimes.com (Quad-City Times) top online headline: “Figures show majority of violent crimes go unreported” AP coverage of Justice Department report covering violent crime figures for 2000…Top online story from Chicago Tribune: “N. Korea Test-Fires Missile into Sea”… VOANews (Voice of America) reports prosecutors in the Philippines have filed charges against Muslim separatist guerillas for the March 4 bombing that killed 21 – including Baptist missionary and Cedar Rapids native William Hyde…Front page Des Moines Register headline: “N. Liberty (North Liberty) to fight Muslim camp plan” Community will oppose plans for camp near Coralville Reservoir…BBC News reports “Bowling for Columbine” – described by BBC as an “anti-gun documentary” – has been selected as the best original screenplay in the Writers Guild of America’s Awards. The BBC said the documentary by filmmaker Michael Moore is “an essay on America’s obsession with firearms” and has generated $18 million – more than any other documentary in U. S. history. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: It shouldn’t be unexpected an anti-gun film would get the award. The BBC report says the Guild “represents writers in the movie, TV and new media worlds” – the kind of people who wrote big checks for Al Gore in 2000.)

WAR/TERRORISM: Des Moines Register headline: “Call-ups hit prisons, police hard…The state corrections agency and town patrols rush to cover for staff called to military duty.”…VOANews (Voice of America) reports “well more than 100,000 people gathered (in Indonesia) to call for a peaceful end to the crisis over disarming Iraq.” The rally was organized by Indonesia’s largest Islamic group – which says it does not support Saddam, but that they “oppose war to solve the Iraqi problem.” …From BBC News: “Tony Blair has suffered the first resignation from his government over the Iraq crisis and has been warned that more could follow. Loughborough MP Andy Reed announced on Sunday that he was quitting as parliamentary aide to Environmental Secretary Margaret Beckett.”…Also from England, the Telegraph reports Blair will soon get a “specially designed Jaquar” that would protect him from possible gas attacks. The armor-plated car, costing more than $500K, will be fitted with a compressed air system, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

FEDERAL ISSUES: Headline on Jane Norman report, front page of today’s Des Moines Register: “Social Security on back burner in D. C…Sen. Charles Grassley and Bush aides say Iraq, the economy and Medicare have taken priority in the capital.”

STATE ISSUES: Sioux City Journal reports residents of the Iowa Great Lakes area (Okoboji, Spirit Lake) are divided about the possibility of having a riverboat casino in the northwest Iowa lakes region, saying “political battles are already raging behind closed doors.” The state legislature is considering a proposal to expand gambling in Iowa, including a provision to authorize three more casinos in the state. Quotes veteran state lobbyist Dick Thornton, a West Okoboji property owner and lobbyist for Prairie Meadows in Altoona, as saying, “I would never do anything to hurt this area. I love Okoboji…People need to realize that gaming is here to stay. Documented social gambling problems are greatly outweighed by the positives of the industry.”…It’s “funnel week” in the Iowa Legislature. In today’s Quad-City Times, Todd Dorman reports legislation – except appropriations and tax proposals – that have not been cleared for full legislative action this week will be “considered procedurally dead” for rest of the session…Iowa Credit Union League has full-page ad in the Register, countering ads and commercials by state’s banks demanding not-for-profit credit unions pay taxes...Register headline: “Too much phosphorus threatens 17 lakes in Iowa…Fertilizers, manure, sewage and dead plants are blamed for hazardous levels.” – six in eastern IA, six in NW IA, five in SW IA.

OPINION: Des Moines Register editorial: “Heed this warning: Economy off course…Top business leaders insist that deficits do matter.” Says Iraq headlines overshadowing “gloomy” economic indicators – unemployment figures, federal deficit projections, possible record gas prices in April.

SPORTS: Iowa women Hawkeyes looking at possible prospects for post-season bid this morning after losing big-time in Big Ten tournament semi-finals last night 84-57 to 12^th-ranked Purdue. May be out of running for an NCAA berth, but NIT bid – with a game or two in Iowa City – looks good…More than 1,000 attend memorial service in Ames yesterday for veteran Iowa State broadcaster Pete Taylor. ISU will honor Taylor next fall, with “PT” initials on 2003 football uniforms. Private services this morning in Des Moines… Hawkeye wrestlers finish second to Minnesota at Big Ten Conference tournament over weekend…Girls state basketball tournament finally here with opening game at 10 a.m. Four small-school games today and big schools from Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Des Moines and West Des Moines play tonight…Big conference tournament week for Iowa university basketball teams: At 11 a.m. Thursday, Iowa at Big Ten tournament in Chicago, ISU vs. Texas A&M at noon Thursday in Dallas at Big 12 tournament. Iowa State women vs. Kansas on Tuesday at Big 12 tournament in Dallas. Missouri Valley Conference womens tournament opens in Des Moines on Thursday – Northern Iowa vs. Bradley, Drake vs. SW Missouri State. Other MVC Thursday games at the Knapp Center: Indiana St. vs. Wichita St., Creighton vs. Illinois St.

WEATHER: DSM 5 a.m. 10, wind chill –5…Radar shows band of light snow moving eastward across southern Iowa…Most morning temps across Iowa in single digits and teens, Dubuque coldest at –2. Colder in eastern IA than west with all wind chills in eastern sections below zero – Davenport –13, Independence –18, Ottumwa -6 …High today 25 with chance of snow. Low tonight 22 partly cloudy. High Tuesday 45 cloudy. High next Sunday 62…The Weather Channel says Omaha area-western Iowa could see some snow this morning, possible light snow as far east as DSM…WHO-TV meteorologist Brandon Thomas continues to promise better weather: “Upper forties on Wednesday, with a slight chance of rain along the Iowa/Missouri border. Plenty of sunshine on Thursday, with highs in the mid fifties. The sixties return on Friday and Saturday, with a chance of rain Saturday night.”

IOWAISMS: Fourteen-year-old Chelsey Bohr of Royal, an honor student at Clay Central-Everly Middle School, spells seneschal (a steward of a medical noble) during weekend to win state spelling bee over 50 other entrants. Gets savings bond, trip to D. C. – and a dictionary…For non-Iowans (or even Iowans) baffled by the state’s obsession with the girls high school basketball tournament – including the map of downtown Des Moines parking facilities in yesterday’s Des Moines Sunday Register – consider the daily adventures of first-year PCM coach Chris Honeck, who every day rolls about 115 miles onto his odometer. Honeck lives in Ankeny north of DSM, teaches in West Des Moines and then heads eastward – about 30 miles southeast of DSM – to coach the girls basketball team in Monroe. It must be working, however, since PCM (Prairie City-Monroe) begins tournament play in Class 2-A at 10 .m. Wednesday vs. Maquoketa.

click here  to read past Iowa Morning Reports