Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news">
Iowa primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues IOWA
DAILY 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. Quote
of the morning: Friday,
May 30, 2003 GENERAL
NEWS: Memorial
Day. Traditional
observance Among
the offerings in this morning’s
update: ...
Guv
Vilsack handicaps the Democratic hopefuls
again – now puts Gephardt, Kerry and Dean in
the top tier ...
Dem
strategist-loudmouth James Carville calls
the “Bush crew” a bunch of liars ...
Edwards
claim in California: GWB hasn’t spent 30
seconds thinking about average Americans ...
Dean,
in rainy New Hampshire, would make tax cut
repeal a top priority ...
Boston
Herald: “Dean’s caustic criticism
has, to some degree, slowed Kerry’s early
ascension to the top tier of Democratic
candidates” ...
Report:
Kucinich – still in California –
becomes the first wannabe to endorse
liberalized marijuana proposal. Edwards and
Dean would do studies first on the pot
issue ...
Low-profile
visit: Kerry nearly invisible
during stop in Sioux City yesterday ...
Washington
Post reports on Lieberman’s “Tech
Success” and inroads in Silicon Valley ...
Sioux
City residents could vote as soon as early
August on referendum changing city government
structure ...
Miami
Herald: Kerry scores “a coup of sorts”
by hiring top FL Dem political operative ...
National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force report says 2004
Dem wannabes are the “most pro-gay field
ever” ...
U.S.
congressional group scheduled to visit North
Korea today ...
As
expected, Edwards released the names of
more than 70 Iowans supporting his candidacy ...
Humane
Society launches effort to promote
‘humane’ practices in Iowa’s hog
industry ...
IA
GOP Congressman Nussle wanders into
anti-Bush protest in the Quad-Cities over
possible change in Department of Defense
civilian workforce rules that would impact
Rock Island Arsenal employees ...
Iowaism:
Adventures in renaming an Iowa minor league
baseball team All
these stories below and more. Morning
editorial cartoon: Morning
updates: ...
A
three-judge federal appeals court panel refused
yesterday to issue an injunction to reopen the
Meskwaki casino near Tama, but appointed a
mediator to try to resolve differences in the
bitter tribal dispute. Next court action
scheduled for 7/3 ...
A
skeleton crew of IA legislators will continue
working through the weekend to resolve
differences on Iowa Values Fund and other
priorities. Others sent home after
yesterday’s special session, but leaders
hope to reconvene special session next Tuesday
or Wednesday to secure final action on the
proposals. Vilsack – at 10 p.m. news
conference last night – lashed out at
Republicans for failing to reach agreement.
KCCI-TV (Des Moines) headline this
morning: “Lawmakers Pass Massive Bill,
Governor Not Happy” ...
Des
Moines City Councilman Frank Cownie yesterday
announced his candidacy for mayor of Des
Moines. He joins another council member,
Christine Hensley, in the race to succeed
retiring Mayor Preston Daniels ...
During
yesterday’s legislative special session –
on a straight party-line vote – lawmakers
sent a GOP-back bill aimed at complying with
the federal Help America Vote Act to Vilsack,
who immediately promised a veto ...
Newscasts
this morning say charges unlikely in death of
9-year-old Jon Lloyd during church-sponsored
hayride accident near Colfax on
Wednesday night. Colfax-Mingo school
officials said 15-20 students were on the ride
when Lloyd, a third-grader, fell off the
hayrack. ...
Edwards
– fresh from western states campaign
swing – due in western Iowa tomorrow for
appearances in Sioux City and Council
Bluffs. ...
In
yesterday’s Washington Post, political
reporter Dan Balz wrote that Lieberman “outlined
a technology-friendly economic program in
California yesterday and picked up the
endorsements of several prominent tech leaders
in Silicon Valley for his presidential
campaign. The biggest catch was venture
capitalist John Doerr, who has been at the
forefront of Silicon Valley’s political
involvement and remains close to former vice
president Al Gore. Doerr told reporters in a
conference call that Lieberman, more than
his rivals for the Democratic nomination,
‘gets it’ when it comes to the needs of
the technology industry. Today, Lieberman
expects to pick up the endorsement of Lt.
Gov. Cruz Bustamante, California’s
highest-ranking Latino official. Lieberman’s
economic package, which he announced in
San Diego, appeared tailor-made to attract
support in the technology industry. He said
his proposals would significantly boost the
long-term growth of the economy…Lieberman
is making up for lost time in raising money,
after a disappointing first quarter nationally
in which Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) raised
almost $1 million in Silicon Valley.” ...
Under
the headline “Edwards argues his case in
S.F., Lawyer-senator says Bush is out of touch
with everyday people,” the San Francisco
Chronicle’s Carla Marinucci wrote that Edwards
“told a ballroom of fellow attorneys in
San Francisco on Wednesday that President Bush
‘has not spent 30
seconds since he was
elected’ thinking about the interests
of average Americans. ‘I hope we can
still believe the son of a mill worker can
beat the son of the president of the United
States,’ said Edwards – the son
of a mill worker – during his speech to 500
people at the Bar Association of San
Francisco. Even as he sounded a ‘people
versus the powerful’ theme that echoed
Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 campaign motto, Edwards
– in a nod to his colleagues who packed
the Hyatt Regency ballroom – proudly and
vigorously defended his background as a trial
attorney. ‘You’re looking at one of
the few people who will stand on the floor of
the United States Senate and defend what you
do,” he told the lawyers…He saved his
toughest criticism for what he called the
‘politically dangerous’ topic of the war
on terrorism, saying to applause, ‘We
cannot…let people like (Attorney General)
John Ashcroft take away our rights, our
freedom and our liberty’ under the guise of
protecting American from attacks.” ...
Vilsack
names Gephardt, Kerry and Dean as the top
three in the nine-wannabe field. Fox News
reported: “Iowa’s Democratic caucus voters
are weighing the candidates and have some
bad news to would-be presidential contenders
– not many of them can count on making it
very far in the primary season. Democratic
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, the unofficial
gatekeeper of the crucially important first
presidential caucuses in the nation –
scheduled for Jan. 19, 2004 – said that with
eight months to go, he has already narrowed
down the field of nine to three serious
contenders – Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt,
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and
former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. ‘The
first tier is Gephardt, Dean and
Kerry. They either have very aggressive
organizations or they’ve spent a lot of time
in the state,’ Vilsack told Fox News.
This could come as tough news for the likes
of Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Joe
Lieberman of Connecticut and Bob Graham of
Florida, whom Vilsack relegates to second-tier
competitors. The Iowa governor has all but
anointed Gephardt the man to beat if
the former House minority leader can win over
Iowa’s influential labor unions. ‘If
Gephardt gets those endorsements as I think
folks expect him to, then he’s clearly in
the driver’s seat. If he fails to get
those endorsements, it’s going to be a very,
very competitive race,’ Vilsack said.” ...
If
it weren’t for this morning’s Sioux City
Journal, Kerry’s visit to Sioux City
yesterday might have gone largely unnoticed.
Headline – “Kerry pushes health care,
national service plans” Bret Hayworth
coverage says Kerry was on familiar turf
Thursday speaking with fellow military
veterans at Sioux City VFW Post 1973…Meeting
with a dozen veterans gathered around five
tables, Kerry took a folksy manner in
completely avoiding the podium and sitting
down with the men. The first presidential
candidate to visit Sioux City without a
suit-and-tie, he was attired in khakis and
running shoes.” Excerpts: “He said his
[health care] plan wasn’t a case of yet
another Democrat putting forth a
big-government solution…Kerry also
discussed his plan to engage more than one
million Americans in national service. He said
the vets in attendance understood how to give
back to their countries, that citizenship is a
two-way street. Kerry said, ‘When I
am president, I am going to grow national
service in America.’…Kerry spoke at
length on the problems experienced by war
veterans, particularly with underfunded
Veteran’s Administration hospitals.” ...
The
Union Leader headline: “Tax hike a top
priority for Dean if elected” The report
yesterday noted that Dean – while
standing on Manchester sidewalk under an
umbrella – “called for repeal of the
$350 billion tax cut that President Bush
signed into law Wednesday, describing it
as ‘part of a radical agenda to dismantle
Social Security, Medicare and our public
schools through financial starvation.’ Dean’s
rival, Rep. Dick Gephardt of
Missouri, labeled the tax cuts – the third
largest in the nation’s history –
‘unfair, unaffordable and ineffective’ as several
of the Democratic candidates stepped up their
criticism of the president’s economic
policies. Their complaints came as Bush
signed the bill in an East Room ceremony
surrounded by congressional Republican
leaders…In stark contrast to that fanfare, Dean
stood in the rain on a Manchester, N.H.,
sidewalk to assail the bill, sharing his
umbrella with two reporters who showed up. He
said all of Bush’s tax cuts – including
those passed in 2001 – must be repealed…The
former Vermont governor, like his Democratic
rivals, cited 2.7 million jobs lost during
Bush’s tenure in the White House and pointed
to the fact that a day earlier, the president
signed a bill allowing the federal government
to borrow as much as $7.4 trillion to increase
the federal debt limit. ‘The president
promises everything and delivers nothing,”
said Dean.” ...
More
Dean in New Hampshire. From coverage of
Dean visit to Warner in this morning’s The
Union Leader: “’I’ve never lost an
election and I have no intention of losing
this one,’ Howard Dean told a
crowd huddled inside a bookstore in Warner
last night as he campaigned for the Democratic
nomination to take on George W. Bush in 2004.
‘My career is not about getting elected
and elected and elected,’ the former
Vermont governor said. ‘My career is about
changing this country and changing America for
the better and including people and building a
country where we respect each other and
we’re responsible for each other,’ Dean
said while explaining his position of support
for gay rights. ‘I believe that’s
the only way we can beat George Bush,’
he said.” ...
Florida
Dem political ace named to No. 2 slot in Kerry
campaign. The Miami Herald’s Peter
Wallsten – whose byline usually appears on
reports about the Graham candidacy –
reported that Kerry has “named one of
Florida’s leading Democratic political
operatives to a senior post in his
presidential campaign. Marcus Jadotte,
formerly chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Peter
Deutsch, D-Pembroke Pines, is now Kerry’s
deputy campaign manager – the campaign’s
No. 2 staff job. The appointment is a
coup of sorts for Kerry, of Massachusetts,
who is raising money and campaigning
aggressively in Florida despite the fact that
the state’s favorite Democratic son, U.S.
Sen. Bob Graham, is one of his rivals
for the party’s presidential nomination.”
The Wallsten report continues that Jadotte,
31, could “help Kerry navigate primaries
in key southern states such as South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida. Kerry, a
Vietnam veteran, and Graham, former
chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
are touting themselves as the most credible
wartime rivals to President Bush, but each
is battling the impression that he is a
regional candidate – Kerry in the Northeast
and Graham in South. While recent polls
suggest that Sen. Joseph Lieberman of
Connecticut would place a distant second
behind Graham in the Florida presidential
primary, Kerry has raised the most money in
the state behind Graham...A spokesman for Graham,
Jamal Simmons, said Wednesday in an interview:
“We wish Marcus well, but not too well.’
” ...
San
Francisco Chronicle headline: “Democrat
Kucinich endorses medical pot use… He says
he’d issue executive order if elected
president” The Chronicle report said Kucinich
“became the first Democratic
presidential candidate to endorse the
legalization of medical marijuana when he told
The Chronicle on Wednesday it should be
available ‘to any patient who needs it to
alleviate pain and suffering,’ regardless of
the current federal drugs laws.
‘Compassion requires that medical marijuana
be available,’ Kucinich said during a
telephone interview after a campaign stop in
Cupertino. ‘We must have health-care systems
which are compassionate…so I support it
without reservation.’…Kucinich said
that as president, ‘I’d sign an executive
order that would permit its use.’” ...
And
more Chronicle coverage on the medical
marijuana issue: The newspaper reported
that Edwards – also campaigning in
San Francisco – told reporters, “I
wouldn’t change the (marijuana) law now, but
I would set up a committee to see if pain
relief is different with marijuana.” The
Chronicle coverage added: “Edwards,
however, showed little sympathy for people
arrested for behavior that’s legal under
California law. ‘It’s the job of the
Justice Department to enforce the law as it
presently exists,’ said Edwards,
a lawyer. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean,
a doctor, is another candidate who has called
for a study of the medical use of marijuana.
But he threatened to veto a measure that would
have legalized that use in Vermont.”
...
As
expected, the Edwards campaign in Iowa yesterday
released the names of “over 70 people from
across the state” who have endorsed the
North Carolina senator’s presidential
candidacy. A news release posted on the
campaign website quoted Edwards as
saying he is “proud of the strong network of
support I have in Iowa. I will continue to
campaign vigorously in Iowa so I can tell caucus
attendees about my plans to revitalize rural
America, to get the economy growing again, and
to make quality education for all a priority.”
Two members of the Iowa Democratic Party State
Central Committee – Sandra Dockendorff of Danville
and Don Wanatee Sr. of Tama – were
among those endorsing Edwards’ candidacy.
Among other notables Polk County (Des
Moines) Sheriff Dennis Anderson, former
State Rep. Mike Moreland of Ottumwa,
veteran Dem activist Bart Rule of Dennison,
Cherokee County Dem chair Janet Melton of Cherokee,
and Des Moines attorney Maggi
Moss. ...
News
services and most major newspapers gave the
following story solid play and – for
somewhat obvious reasons – Iowa Pres Watch
has chosen to go with the San Francisco
Chronicle headline: “’The most pro-gay
field ever’…Advocacy group rates
Democratic presidential candidates on the
issues” Excerpts from the Chronicle
coverage: “Democratic presidential
candidates running in the 2004 election are
more sympathetic to gay and lesbian issues
than any field in history, according to a
report released Wednesday. A study by the
country’s oldest national gay and lesbian
political organization details differences
among the nine announced Democratic
candidates, from former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s
support for federal civil unions to
Florida Sen. Bob Graham’s opposition
to allowing gays to serve openly in the
military…’As a group, this is the most
pro-gay presidential field ever,’ said
Matt Foreman, executive director of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which has
compiled records of candidates since 1988.”
The Chronicle report said Moseley Braun “received
the highest rating, agreeing with the group on
all 11 issues identified as most critical to
gay rights.” Dean, who signed a civil
unions measure in 2000 as governor, came in
second while Graham was last –
primarily because he opposes gay marriages and
voted in 1994 against spending federal dollars
on educational material that discussed
homosexuality. Foreman said, however, that
even Graham is hardly ‘terrible on gay
issues,’ the Chronicle reported. ...
Leftover
from earlier in the week (Tuesday), Boston
Herald headline: “Republicans grin as
Dean attacks foe” Andrew Miga reports
from DC: “You can almost hear Republicans
cheer whenever the sniping breaks out between
Democratic presidential hopefuls Howard Dean
and Sen. John F. Kerry. ‘Howard Dean is
pretty much doing our dirty work,’ laughed
one senior Massachusetts Republican.
‘We’re enjoying the show for now.’ The
bitter feud between Kerry (Mass.) and the
former Vermont governor has provided plenty of
fireworks and political theater as the 2004
White House race unfolds. Kerry and
Dean pointed accusatory fingers when they
shared the stage at the Democratic debate in
Columbia, S.C., earlier this month, squabbling
over health care, gay rights and who is fit to
be president. Dean’s caustic
criticism has, to some degree, slowed Kerry’s
early ascension to the top tier of
Democratic candidates. Dean’s unabashed
liberalism has forced Kerry to court his
party’s left wing. Dean has made
strong inroads in New Hampshire, a must-win
state for the Bay State senator. Most
Democratic analysts agree that Kerry botched a
golden opportunity to lift himself from the
pack at the South Carolina debate, sparring
with Dean instead of offering a positive
message.”
Carville
lips off – calls “Bush crew” liars.
James Carville rose to political prominence
because of his association with the Clintons,
so he qualifies for inclusion in the
“Clinton Comedies.” – In his “Inside
the Beltway” column in yesterday’s
Washington Times, John McCaslin, under the
subhead “Fighting words,” wrote:
“His wife gone from the White House,
Democratic strategist James Carville is
calling the ‘Bush crew’ that remains a
bunch of liars. ‘Worst of all, they
lie,’ Mr. Carville writes to this column on
Democratic National Committee letterhead
(they’ve been trying for three years to get
us to join the party). ‘These people are
playing for keeps,’ says Bill Clinton’s
former adviser, ‘and if we give this Bush
crew four more years in the White House to do
their dirty work, we won’t recognize the
America they’ve created.’ ‘Let’s
stick it to these guys,’ he says.” ...
Time
to call out the Iowa militia? KCCI-TV (Des
Moines) reported that a Nebraska lawmaker
– Sen. Pam Brown of Omaha – proposed
going to war with Iowa to keep Nebraskans from
gambling at casinos in the Hawkeye State.
The proposed amendment read: “The sovereign
state of Nebraska declares a
state of hostility with the sovereign state of
Iowa until such time as the state of Iowa
ceases the unjust and relentless appropriation
of the resources of the citizens of Nebraska.”
She proposed the amendment to draw attention
of colleagues during debate on a measure that
would ask Nebraska voters to allow casino
gambling in the state. Brown withdrew the
amendment. ...
The
Sioux City Journal reports that local
“residents could go to the polls as soon
as Aug. 5 to decide whether they want to keep
or change their form of government. On
Wednesday, self-appointed city watchdog Rudy
Salem turned in 124 sheets of petitions to
City Hall calling for that change in
government.” The Journal said 2,421 valid
signatures were needed to call an election,
and Salem indicated there were 2, 885
signatures on the petitions he submitted.
Salem is seeking to drop the current
council-manager municipal government system in
favor of a commission structure. This
morning’s headlines: ...
Des
Moines Register, top front-page headline:
Legislative special session -- “Vilsack
to Senate: No deal, yet… Democrats:
Compromise plan not adequate…Republicans:
Optimistic a deal can be struck.” ...
Omaha
World-Herald online, nation/world headline:
“U.S. plans significant offensive in Iraq”
& “U.S. plans troop shift in Asia” ...
Top
story, Sioux City Journal online: Legislative
special session – “GOP leaders say
agreement near” ...
Quad-City
Times, main online headline: Legislative
special session – “Iowa reps close in
on tax reform” ...
Chicago
Tribune, top online head: “In Europe,
U.S. power a quandary” Report – With
chagrin bordering on fear, America’s oldest
and closest allies – the Europeans – agree
that their No. 1 foreign policy challenge
right now is America itself. ...
New
York Times, top stories: “AOL Time Warner
and Microsoft End a Bitter Rivalry”
& “Mockup Wing Is Torn by Foam in
Shuttle Test” Iowa
Briefs: ... Radio
Iowa reports that an 18-year-old Decorah High
School senior – Kyle McCormick – has been
identified as the victim of a
meningitis-related illness. McCormick, who was
scheduled to graduate from high school this
Sunday, became ill last Sunday and died Monday
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. ...
On
the Korean Front: The Washington Times
reported that six U.S. lawmakers – three
Republicans, three Democrats – were
scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang today to
visit with North Korean officials. The
report said the members of Congress hoped to
“case tensions with North Korea in the first
visit by American officials since a crisis
began last fall over the country’s secret
nuclear program. They will tell North Korean
officials that economic aid and trade lie
ahead if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear
program and improves relations with the United
States, said delegation leader, Rep. Curt
Weldon, Pennsylvania Republican. Mr.
Weldon stressed that the lawmakers weren’t
traveling as Bush administration envoys and
won’t negotiate.
He said the administration did not encourage
the trip, but didn’t try to prevent it.”
They also plan to visit South Korea during the
trip. ...
Under
the headline “Q-C union members march
against Bush proposal,” the Quad-City
Times reported yesterday that Iowa Republican
Rep. Nussle – and his cross-river
counterpart, Illinois Dem. Rep. Lane Evans –
“both stood in a downtown Davenport
parking lot Wednesday while union officials
ripped into a Bush administration proposal to
revamp federal work rules for more than
700,000 Department of Defense employees,
including thousands on Arsenal Island.”
The coverage by Ed Tibbetts said “more than
50 union members and their allies marched
through downtown streets to draw attention to
the proposal, which was folded into a U.S.
House of Representatives bill that authorizes
$400 billion in defense programs for the 2004
fiscal year.” Basically, the administration
plan would bargain with unionized employees
only on the national – but not local –
level and would make it easier for the
department to hire and transfer people. It
also would revise how workers are evaluated. So,
how did Nussle get there? Tibbetts
reported that “Nussle was in the
Quad-Cities for meetings Wednesday, and he
showed up unexpectedly at the rally just as
the rally began to listen to Evans. Nussle
told the group the country needed to
strengthen its national defense and that it
also must ‘respect’ the civilian work
force, which he said actually might be
bolstered by the proposal. Currently, soldiers
often perform jobs that would be done by
civilians but cannot because of work rules, he
said.” ...
In
the Sioux City Journal, Kathie Obradovich
reported that the nation’s largest animal
welfare organization – The Humane Society
– has launched a multi-year campaign to
promote ‘humane’ and environmentally
friendly livestock management practices in
Iowa’s hog industry. The report said the
society plans “advertising, fund-raising and
grassroots efforts aimed at convincing Iowa
farmers and consumers to switch from
‘factory’ farming methods and products,
Chris Bedford, coordinator of the Care4Iowa
campaign, said…Although the campaign is an
offshoot of the organization’s ‘Halt Hog
Factories Campaign,’ and the group’s
literature highlights the problems the group
has with ‘animal factories,’ Bedford said
this effort will ‘emphasize positive
solutions.’ The Humane Society will promote
its efforts at 150 farmers’ markets across
the state, as well as organize meetings and
other events.” The Obradovich report added
that Iowa Farm Bureau spokesman Aaron Putze
said some farmers may question whether the
Humane Society has a hidden agenda –
“Although the group says its members eat
meat, Putze says materials on the group’s
Web site encourage ‘a reduction in meat
consumption and/or a substitution of meat
products with meat substitutes.’” Today’s
editorials: ...
Today’s
editorials, Des Moines Register: “Cheat
kids, call it ‘redesign’…Can a
‘facilitator’ and a ‘plan for a plan’
help DHS do more with less?…The consultants
began by acknowledging they have no expertise
in child welfare.” & “Iraq: Now the
hard part…Before there can be democracy,
there must be order.” ...
Citizen
commentary from Sioux City Journal online:
“Dear Mr. President: After the automatic
weapons have been removed from Iraq, could you
please get them off the streets of the USA?”
– Linda Hopp, Moville ...
Des
Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu this
morning: Headline – “A year later,
mother waits for action on abusive priest”
Basu writes that a mother, Mary Polich, has
been “waiting for the Des Moines Catholic
Diocese to mend a hole in her heart caused by
an abusive priest she blames for her son’s
suicide.” ...
State
boys track meet begins today – through
tomorrow – at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. ...
Radio
Iowa reports Iowa Associate Athletic Director
Fred Mims will lead the search to replace
Hawkeyes baseball coach Scott Broghamer, who
resigned on Wednesday. He had spent the past
17 seasons in the Iowa baseball program,
including six as head coach after succeeding
Duane Banks. Broghamer’s head coaching
record was 123-183. ... Former
Marshalltown High School star Jeff
Clement – who last year set the national
high school home run career record – has
been named freshman of the year in the
Pacific 10 Conference. Clement, a catcher,
tied for the conference lead in homers (21)
this spring – the most for a freshman in
school history at Southern California.
...
DSM
7 a.m. 64, overcast. Temperatures at 7 a.m.
mostly in the low 60s – range from 54 in Decorah
and 55 in Charles City to 64 in Carroll,
Clarinda, Ames and DSM. Today’s
high 82, scattered T-storms. Tonight’s low
50, windy. Saturday’s high 72, sunny.
Saturday night’s low 48, mostly clear. ...
This
probably looks like a sports item, but it’s
too serious to be included in the sports
section above. In the Quad-City Times, Don
Doxsie comments on a current contest to
rename the Quad-City River Bandits minor
league baseball team before next season.
Doxsie’s commentary: “So the Quad-City
River Bandits think they need a new nickname,
huh? Well, OK. But, we’re skeptical. We
remember all too well the last time they
renamed our local minor league baseball
franchise with one of those name-the-team
contests nearly a dozen years ago. There
were 800 different names proposed by the fans
and about 799 of them smelled worse than the
stuff that washes up onto the banks of the
Mississippi after the ice melts. Does anyone
remember some of those suggestions? Mud
Daubers? Visigoths? Puds? Sofas? Attitudes?
Ho-Ho Sox? Pencil Necks? And those were
the good ones.”
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“I’ve never lost an election and I have no
intention of losing this one.”
–
Howard Dean in this morning’s The Union
Leader coverage
of a
campaign stop in Warner, NH, yesterday.
Front-page cartoon in today’s Des Moines
Register – GWB seated at table looking a
menu during the “Group of Eight Summit”
with counterparts from France and Germany.
The president turns to a waiter and says: “I’ll
have that with freedom fries and a Lone Star
beer. They’ll have crow, with a slice of
humble pie for dessert.”
THE
CLINTON COMEDIES continue:
to read past Iowa Morning Reports