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Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues IOWA
MORNING REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever. Our
Mission: To hold the Democrat presidential
candidates accountable for their comments
and allegations against President George W.
Bush, to make citizens aware of false
statements or claims by the Democrat
candidates, and most especially, to defend
the Bush Administration and set the record
straight when the Democrats make false
or misleading statements about the
Bush-Republican record.
Tuesday,
May 20, 2003 Quote
of the day: Headline
of the morning: GENERAL
NEWS: Among
the offerings in this morning’s
update: ...
Two
Iraq war heroes honored in Iowa over weekend. See
Iowaisms below ...
Gephardt
– in Cedar Rapids yesterday – calls for
ban on TV drug commercials ...
Although
his comments got little media coverage in
Iowa, Dean predicted total loss of 8 million
jobs if GWB re-elected ...
“Washington
Whispers” says Big Labor giving up on
Congress, focusing on 2004 White House win ...
Dem
wannabes agree to debate
series between now and end of the year ...
Kerry,
in New Hampshire yesterday, outlined new
proposed public service requirement for all
high school students ...
New
section – The Clinton Comedies – debuts
this morning. With Bill & Hillary still
haunting the political scene, IA Pres Watch
will offer periodic updates on the
misstatements and misadventures of the Dem Duo ...
Mississippi
report: Bill Clinton says terror
war eclipsing domestic issues ...
Iowa
Dem Congressman Boswell sends postcard,
smoke signals or whatever to say he’s meeting
with dissidents during his current
Cuban adventure ...
Related
item: GWB meeting with Cuban dissidents
and former political prisoners today ...
Gephardt
tells Ottumwa audience: “I led the fight for
the Clinton health care plan.” Edwards also
visits Ottumwa during the weekend ...
VOANews
this morning: North Korea warns of “an
unspeakable disaster” in a confrontation ...
In
Washington Post op-ed, Edwards says Bush
medical malpractice proposal comes “straight
off the insurance companies’ wish list.” ...
AP
this morning: Republicans plan to wrap up tax
cut plan before Memorial Day recess ...
Former
Republican Jeffords jumps to Dean’s
defense ...
Report:
1 of 6 University of Iowa grads last weekend
has criminal record in Johnson County (Iowa
City) ...
Sioux
City relieved, escaped murderer surrenders
in Georgia All
these stories below and more. NEWS
UPDATE: Morning
report: ...
Washington
Post political reporter Dan Balz reported this
morning that the nine Democratic candidates
have “tentatively agreed” to a series
of debates during the balance of the year.
His report said the wannabes will
“participate in no more than six of seven
debates between now and the end of the year
and appealed to the party chairman to help
rein in organizations and interest groups that
have besieged the campaigns with invitations.”
(Iowa Pres Watch Note: The AP’s Nedra
Pickler reports that the candidates agreed to “conduct
six to eight debates” between July and
the end of the year. So, it appears they will
be involved in six, seven or eight debates –
but when we’re dealing with the Dem jokers
what’s a debate here or there?) ...
This
morning’s Quad-City Times – under the
headline “Gephardt wants to ban
prescription ads on TV” – reported:
“Complaining that television advertising is persuading
people to buy prescription drugs they do not
need, Democratic presidential candidate Dick
Gephardt said Monday that he would ban them
from the airwaves. ‘Doctors need to
prescribe drugs, not television ads,’ Gephardt,
a congressman from Missouri, told a small
group of people at a farm south of Cedar
Rapids. The Times’ Ed Tibbetts reported
“Gephardt said the ever-present
television ads present an idyllic
picture to people, convincing them
they too can enjoy the good life as long as
they buy the featured drugs.” ...
Headline
from this morning’s The Union Leader – “Kerry
would draft students for community service”
Coverage by senior political reporter John
DiStaso: “With a sharp dig at President
George W. Bush, Democratic Presidential
candidate John Kerry yesterday proposed
a new federal requirement that all high
school students perform community service
before receiving their diplomas. ‘High
School Service’ is a component of a new $3.5
billion program Kerry unveiled
yesterday in calling for ‘a new era of
national service’ and an effort ‘to make
national service a way of life for each new
generation of Americans.’ He would spend
$2.5 billion of the total on having the
federal government pay the state college
tuition of youths who commit to community
service for two years. Kerry, who
said he’d pay for the ‘easily
affordable’ program by closing at least one
tax loophole, would also withhold federal
aid to universities that ban campus ROTC
programs …Kerry said Bush and the
Republicans have used calls for volunteerism
as meaningless ‘punch lines’ and
‘commonplace backdrops for political events
– background music for their march to
replace shared sacrifice with
selfishness.’” ...
Edwards
said yesterday that President Bush’s
proposals to rein in the cost of medical
malpractice come “straight off the insurance
companies’ wish list” and outlined an
alternative set of proposed solutions. The
former trial lawyer – and U.S. Sen from NC
– presented his views in an op-ed piece in
the Washington Post that reflected comments
he’s made on the campaign trail. The Bush
administration has proposed capping jury
awards for pain and suffering at $250,000
– but Edwards wrote that such a limit
would “harm the kinds of families I
represented as a lawyer for near 20 years.”
Edwards proposes cracking down on
“price gouging” by the insurance industry,
setting up screening mechanisms to prevent
frivolous lawsuits and increasing disciplinary
efforts against the small number of doctors
who commit a large number of medical
errors. ...
Speaking
of Edwards, the News & Observer of
Raleigh – which has a website section
devoted to Edwards’ presidential
candidacy – reports that a two-day campaign
swing through New Hampshire (which starts
Friday) will include a stop at a paper mill in
Gorham to “highlight his own roots in the
North Carolina mill town of Robbins, where his
father worked in a textile mill.” ...
Under
the subhead “Labor pains,” the
“Washington Whispers” column in the U.S.
News and World Report says big labor has just
about given up on Democrats regaining
control of Congress and will focus on a 2004
White House win. From Paul Bedard’s
report: “When in need …the AFL-CIO is giving
up hope on congressional Democrats. Labor
bosses, including President John Sweeney and
political director Karen Ackerman, say there
is little chance of winning back the House or
Senate, so they’re focusing on the White
House. ‘They better rethink that,’
says a top Democratic Party official angered
by labor’s assessment.” ...
There
are times when – despite the fact
Al Gore invented the
Internet – it’s questionable
whether any of these candidates are aware of
the potential via the Internet to track their
activities and wayward comments. Example: The
Ottumwa Courier reported yesterday that
Gephardt, during a weekend visit, apparently
has decided to identify himself with the
ill-fated Clinton universal health care plan
of a decade ago. Courier staff writer Matt
Milner quotes Gephardt as saying: “I led
the fight for the Clinton health care plan. We
didn’t win, but I learned. It’s a moral
question to me. It’s an economic question as
well, because my plan will stimulate the
economy more than the Bush tax cuts.” ...
Both
Gephardt and Edwards visited Ottumwa during
the weekend. More Ottumwa Courier
excerpts: “Both blamed President George
W. Bush for what they see as the country going
in the wrong direction. A favorite target
was the tax cuts backed by Bush. Gephardt vowed
to eliminate those cuts if elected. ‘The
only thing he has in his head is tax cuts for
the wealthiest Americans. When I’m in
the White House, we’ll rescind all those tax
cuts,’ he said …Edwards also said he
would stop the tax cuts …He said such a
step would save money, thereby making the
country less likely to face budget deficits
…Like Gephardt, Edwards said health care
must be addressed.
The way to do that, he said, is
controlling costs. Edwards blamed the
spiraling costs on serial patenting by
pharmaceutical companies and the power of
lobbyists from the industry. ‘You can’t
move in Washington without bumping into a
group of lobbyists for these people,’ he
said. ‘This president is married to the
pharmaceutical industry.’ …Both [Gephardt
and Edwards] backed trade
agreements, though neither said the current
forms are adequate. The problem, according
to both candidates, is the lack of provisions
in current trade deals for wages for foreign
employees. Ending treaties such as NAFTA and
GATT is not a realistic option, Edwards
said. ‘It’s just not real world. It’s
not going to happen,’ he said.” ...
The
Washington Post reported over the weekend that
Republican-who-abandoned-the- party Sen. James
M. Jeffords is “complaining about extremism
and divisiveness again” – and has
countered Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)
criticisms of prez wannabe Dean. Coverage
by the Post’s Brian Faler said “this time,
the senator, who famously fled a Republican
Party he considered intolerant, is training
his sights on Democrats – specifically, the
Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist
group within the party.” The DLC last week
accused Dean of being a member of the
party’s “McGovern-Mondale” wing,
which prompted Jeffords to issue a statement
about fellow Vermonter Dean – that,
Faler wrote, “sounded strangely familiar.”
Jeffords quote: “I am disappointed to see
leaders of the Democratic Leadership Council characterize
[Dean’s] position as extreme and elitist,
and I call on them to stop their divisive
tactics. I have heard such charges coming
from Republicans most of my political life, but
I find it incredible to hear such charges from
Democrats.” ...
One
of the mysteries of the Harkin-sponsored forum
featuring Dean in Davenport over the
weekend was why – or how – so many
reporters missed his assertion that
eight million U.S. jobs will be lost if the
president is re-elected? Iowa Pres Watch
didn’t miss it – and neither did AP or
Greg Pierce, who writes the “Inside
Politics” column in the Washington Times. An
excerpt of Pierce’s report about Dean’s
comments from yesterday’s Times:
“Sharpening his attacks on President
Bush’s policies, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
asserted [Sunday] that the nation will
face an economic depression if Mr. Bush is
re-elected. Mr. Dean said that 2.5
million jobs have been lost during Mr.
Bush’s term, laying the blame on the White
House’s handling of an economy that has
remained sluggish. ‘Two and a half
million jobs in 2 ½ years,’ Mr. Dean said.
‘If we re-elect this president, we’ll be
in a depression. That’s 8 million jobs in
eight years.’ Mr. Dean sounded a
sharply liberal theme as he sought to
differentiate himself from others in the
nine-member Democratic field, the Associated
Press reports.”
...
News
from Leonard’s Cuban Adventure: WHO
Radio reported this morning that IA Dem
Congressman Boswell has checked in from his
Cuban outpost – where he’s about to
wrap up a weeklong trade mission – to report
that he’s visiting with local dissidents.
The WHO said Boswell indicated he was
making progress on a trade deal, but he
also is meeting with dissidents to send a
message that human rights are as important as
trade. Boswell, according to WHO, said he “looked
them in the eye” and told Cuban leaders that
the U.S. condemned the treatment of dissidents.
He has offered a three-point action plan –
urge the release of the jailed dissidents,
assure Cuba the U.S. has no intention of
launching a military attack against the
communist island, and relax the travel and
trade embargoes against Cuba. ...
Related
coverage – Greg Pierce’s “Inside
Politics” column in this morning’s
Washington Times reported that “President
Bush will observe the 101st anniversary of
Cuba’s independence by meeting today
with Cuban dissidents and former political
prisoners, the Associated Press reports. The
dissidents include family members of some of
the more than 70 Cubans arrested in March as
part of a sweeping crackdown on pro-democracy
activists.” ...
Des
Moines City Councilwomen Christine
Hensley is expected to announce her
candidacy for mayor today. WHO-TV reported
this morning that Hensley – who would be the
first to announce – will be introduced by
Mayor Preston Daniels. He is not seeking
re-election and announced a few days ago that
he’d throw his support to Hensley. This
morning’s headlines: ...
Top
front-page headline, Des Moines Register: “Bombings
threaten Mideast peace plan…Bush hopeful
despite wave of attacks” ...
Quad-City
Times, main online head: Local – “Headaches
mount for drivers on Q-C bridges”
Report: “Quad-City commuters disheartened
while trying to cross the Mississippi River
during Monday’s morning drive to work have
one bit of solace: even the Centennial Bridge
manager showed up at work 30 minutes later
than she usually does.” The problem:
Extensive bridge construction in Quad-Cities
area this spring and summer. ...
Sioux
City Journal, online top story: “Suicide
bombings challenge Mideast peace initiative” ...
Main
nation/world headlines online, Omaha
World-Herald: “New wave of attacks feared”
& “Bush says bombings won’t stop
peace plan” ...
Chicago
Tribune online headlines: “Israeli Troops
Pull Back From Gaza Town” & “5
Dead After Marine Copter Crash in Iraq” ...
New
York Times online, top national headline: “Bush
Insists Peace Plan Will Move Forward, Despite
Bombings” Iowa
Briefs/Updates: ...
KCCI-TV
(Des Moines) carried coverage of a
copyrighted Cedar Rapids Gazette story that
revealed “one in six” graduating
from the University of
Iowa over the past
weekend has a criminal record in
Johnson County (Iowa City). The report
said 18% of the university’s 2,600 spring
bachelor’s degree candidates have at least
one non-traffic criminal conviction. It added
that 14.5% of those were for simple
misdemeanors such as possession of alcohol
under legal age and public intox. A university
task force says the increased arrest rates are
due to more aggressive enforcement – not
because UI students are
wilder than elsewhere ...
Sioux City Journal reports this morning that convicted
murderer Omar Wilkins, who escaped from a
correctional facility near Iowa City last
month, turned himself into FBI agents in
Atlanta. The 19-year-old Wilkins was found
guilty of committing a murder during a cocaine
deal in Sioux City last July 4.
Woodbury County Attorney Tom Mullin said he
notified witnesses and others involved in the
case about Wilkins’ Georgia surrender due to
concerns he would return to the Sioux City area
to seek revenge.
...
From
the Korean Front: VOANews (Voice of
America) headline – “North Korea Warns
of ‘Unspeakable Disaster’ if Seoul Becomes
Confrontational” Report excerpt –
“Economic talks between North and South
Korea opened with a harsh warning from the
North, and produced no progress on the
crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons
programs. North Korean delegates at the
Pyongyang talks warned of ‘an unspeakable
disaster’ if Seoul turns to confrontation. The
comment in North Korea state media was Pyongyang’s
sharpest direct warning
to the South in weeks, and it’s first public
reaction to last week’s meeting of the U. S.
and South Korean presidents.” ...
New
York Times online headline from yesterday: “Looting
Is Derailing Detailed U.S. Plan to Restore
Iraq” Report by Eric Schmitt and David
E. Sanger: “Long before President Bush
ordered the attack against Iraq, the White
House and the Pentagon drew up a plan for
rebuilding and running the country after the
war that was nearly as meticulous as the
battle plan. But over the past two or three
weeks, the wheels have threatened to come off
their vehicle for establishing the peace.
The looting, lawlessness and violence that
planners thought would mar only the first few
weeks has proved more widespread and enduring
than Mr. Bush or his aides expected and is
threatening to undermine the American plan.
Five weeks after Baghdad fell, Mr. Bush
finds himself exactly where he did not want to
be: forced to impose control with a larger
number if troops and to delay the start of
efforts to turn power over to Iraqis.” ...
Tax
break update: From AP’s Mary Dalrymple
– “Republican tax writers plan to send
President Bush an economic stimulus package
just over half the size of the one he wanted,
completing the $400 billion tax cut and
spending bill before Memorial Day.
Republican moderates worried about record
budget deficits blocked the White House from
winning the $726 billion tax cut that the
administration offered as the best recipe for
economic growth.”
...
The
Quad-City Times – under the headline “Iowa
family advocates protest income tax cut plan”
– reported today that “advocates of
children and families urged Iowa lawmakers
Monday to resist income tax changes they claim
would be unfair to low-income Iowans and
harmful to state programs.” Reporter
Todd Dorman wrote in this morning’s Times
that “groups including the Iowa Methodist
Church, the Child and Family Policy Center and
the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA)”
argue that changes in income tax brackets to
be considered during next week’s special
legislative session should be shelved. OPINIONS: ...
This
morning’s editorials, Des Moines Register:
Local issue – “Gateway: Innovative
progress…City, county, business
cooperation will set the stage for
development.” of a five-block public park to
be located in the western sections of downtown
DSM. & Federal issue -- “Danger:
Counterfeit drugs…The FDA should track
prescription drugs from manufacturer to
consumer.” ...
Des
Moines Register political columnist David
Yepsen writes this morning – headline, “Selfish
extremism jeopardizes Iowa’s growth”
– about continuing battle between factions
over the proposed Iowa Values economic
development fund. Yepsen writes that
“rank-and-file legislators, including a lot
of freshmen, must grow some backbone right
now” and support the Iowa Values Fund,
which will be the centerpiece of a legislative
special session next week. Yepsen’s best
line: “Iowa has been too good at doing
too little for too long.” ...
Headline
on Ellen Goodman’s syndicated column in
today’s Register: “Wrangling over
judges isn’t a game of politics…Senate
is to advise and consent – and sometimes
dissent” Excerpt: “Would somebody please
tell George W. Bush that he is not the
Commander in Chief of
the Judiciary?” ...
Results
as of this morning of an online survey by the
Sioux City Journal about the dismissal of
Larry Eustachy as Iowa State’s head
basketball coach – The “Quick Poll”
question: “Do you approve of the way Iowa
State University handled the Larry Eustachy
matter?” With just over 250 votes cast
so far – Yes 44.4%, No 66.6% ...
Despite
the national headlines about ex-coach
Eustachy’s partying antics on other Big 12
campuses and his eventual departure from the
Iowa State basketball program, new coach Wayne
Morgan said junior college all-American
Damion Staple will still join the Cyclones.
It was uncertain whether Staple, a 6-foot
9-inch forward who visited the Ames campus
over the weekend, would honor his commitment
after Eustachy’s departure, but Morgan told
WHO-TV last night Staple had called to inform
him that he’d be on campus next fall. ...
DSM 7 a.m. 46, fair. Chilly morning in most IA
locations at 7 a.m. – from 39 in Estherville
to 50 in Burlington and 52 in Clinton.
Today’s high 65, sunny. Tonight’s low 38.
clear. Wednesday’s high 65, partly sunny.
Wednesday night’s low 48, partly cloudy.
From WHO-TV’s Brandon Thomas:
“Mostly sunny on Tuesday, with highs in the
low/mid sixties. Plenty of sunshine on
Wednesday, with highs in the upper sixties.
Partly sunny on Thursday, with highs in the
upper sixties to low seventies. A chance of
isolated showers/t’storms on Friday and
Saturday, with highs in the low/mid
seventies.”
Two
Iraq war heroes honored: ...
The
Quad-City Times reported that a baseball park
in northern Davenport has been named
for Marine Sgt. Bradley Korthaus – who
drowned crossing Saddam Canal on 3/24 and was the
first Iowan killed during combat in Iraq.
Korthaus, who would have turned 29 years
old yesterday, played Little League
baseball on the diamond two decades ago ...
And
in Des Moines, more than 250 area
motorcycle riders paid tribute over the
weekend to the armed services during the James
Kiehl Memorial Ride – which was named
after a Texas soldier killed 3/23 in Iraq
while his pregnant wife was staying in Des
Moines with her parents. KCCI-TV (Des
Moines) reported that the bikers rallied
at the war memorial on the IA Capitol grounds
for a ceremony, which was attended by
Kiehl’s parents, his wife Jill and newborn
son Nathaniel.
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“Could
someone please tell these people to shut up?…The
Democrats might have a chance of electing a
new president if they could get the last one,
and his defenders, to clear the stage …The
Clintons suck up every bit of available air.
Nothing is left for anyone else.”
–
Susan Estrich,
national
campaign manager for Dem prez candidate
Dukakis in 1988,
in her syndicated column on Creators.com.
(More
below.)
From
today’s Des Moines Register: “Grassley
criticizes probe of dead migrants …Justice
demanded in train tragedy”
Secondary
front page story says Grassley “told
federal law officers Monday that he’s concerned
about the lack of arrests for the horrific
deaths of 11 migrants found last October in a
train car in Iowa.” Grassley quote,
in letter to Attorney General Ashcroft:
“This investigation is important in order to
save the lives of those who dream of living
in America.” The bodies of the migrants
were found in Denison last fall – and
Grassley contended on WHO Radio this
morning a crackdown on human smugglers might
have prevented the deaths of 19 found in a
semitrailer truck in Texas last week.
Late
morning newscasts report that a young Solon
girl has died of carbon monoxide poisoning
at University Hospitals in Iowa City after
a bizarre mishap in rural Johnson County.
Reports indicate that four of her siblings
– also suffering from carbon monoxide
poisoning -- remain hospitalized. Radio Iowa
reported the family’s SUV stalled on a
flooded road Sunday night north of Oxford
and, according to authorities, the tailpipe
became clogged, causing carbon monoxide to
seep into the vehicle. The father found the
five children and their mother unconscious
inside the vehicle when he returned after
seeking help from two nearby turkey hunters.
The
Clinton Comedies:
...
Bill
Clinton – apparently, and mistakenly,
believing he has a shot at the 2004 Dem
nomination – looked a lot like a wannabe
when he lambasted the president during a
Mississippi commencement address over the
weekend. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger
reported that Clinton, during the speech at
Tougaloo College, said the “nation’s war
on terrorism is eclipsing such critical
domestic issues as education, health care
and battles against poverty.” Coverage by
Andy Kanengiser: “For many in the crowd of
more than 7,000 that included such
Mississippi Democrats as Gov. Ronnie
Musgrove and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bennie
Thompson, Clinton hit all the right notes
when he attacked Bush’s tax cut proposal
and questioned new federal court battles
against affirmative action. ‘They want
to pay for the tax cut by kicking 500,000
children out of after-school program,’
Clinton said. ‘It is wrong. It is
wrong. There’s nothing right about it,’
he said to hearty applause.” Another
Clinton quote: “While we are making
progress abroad fighting terrorism, I’m
not sure we are making enough progress at
home right now …I supported the
president when he asked for authority to
stand up against weapons for mass
destruction in Iraq, but we can’t be
forever strong abroad if we don’t keep
getting better at home.”
...
Iowa
Pres Watch first spotted Susan Estrich’s
commentary about the Clintons’
overshadowing the Dem presidential field
during the weekend, but for purposes of
this report, we’ll rely on the insights
and literary talents of Greg Pierce in
yesterday’s Washington Times. In his
“Inside Politics” column, Pierce wrote:
“’Could someone please tell these
people to shut up?’ liberal columnist
Susan Estrich writes, referring to Bill
Clinton, his wife, Hillary, and
former Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal.
‘The Democrats might have a chance of
electing a new president if they could get
the last one, and his defenders, to clear
the stage. It doesn’t matter if they’re
right or wrong. They should be history,’
Miss Estrich wrote in her syndicated column.
‘The Clintons suck up every bit of the
available air. Nothing is left for anyone
else. They are big, too big. That’s the
problem. The 2004 candidates need a
chance to get some attention, to rise to
Clinton’s level, which they’ll never
do so long as the likes of Sidney Blumenthal
are playing into the hands of conservatives
in insisting on debating the scandals of the
1990s.’ Miss Estrich added: ‘If the
issue is ethics, no one has less than Sidney
Blumenthal. He used to call me, during
the Dukakis campaign, which I was running
and he was supposed to be covering, to offer
covert advice, which if I accepted might
result in better coverage. Much later,
when I criticized him, he tried to get me in
trouble with my editors. All the while, I
was defending his boss. That’s Sidney.
He’s Hillary’s best friend. No wonder
Republicans are delighted to see his return
to the spotlight. It raises money for their
causes.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: While Hillary
attempts to dominate the stage in the
Senate and Bill is distorting world reality
for recent college grads in Mississippi,
Blumenthal has a new book that Estrich noted
is due out – ironically – on 5/20.
That’s right, that’s today.)
...
Glover boycott. The Chicago Tribune
online – headline: “Glover draws wrath
of rightists …Boycott sought over
actor’s views” – carried AP coverage
saying: “Actor Danny Glover is the latest
celebrity facing an icy brand of national
pride that puts the pinch on public
figures who question American foreign policy. A
threatened boycott seeks to force
telecommunications company MCI to dump Glover
as its pitchman because of views he
expressed about Cuba and against the Iraq
war.”
to read past Iowa Morning Reports