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Iowa 2004 presidential primary precinct caucus and caucuses news">
Iowa 2004 presidential primary precinct caucus and caucuses news, reports
and information on 2004 Democrat and Republican candidates, campaigns
and issues Iowa
Presidential Watch's
IOWA DAILY REPORT Holding
the Democrats accountable today, tomorrow...forever.
THE DAILY
REPORT for Monday, October 13, 2003
“ [Clark was a] hardworking, ambitious
individual . . . [but] some of us were concerned
about the fact that he was focused too much upward
and not down on the soldiers,”
-- Dennis
Reimer, a retired general and former Army chief of
staff.
"I don't think he's [Kucinich] in the race
because he thinks he has a chance to win it. He's
in the race, at the very least, to give public
vent to some of his concerns."
-- Dave Rohde, a
Michigan State University political science
professor, on Kucinich.
"There are two ways for you to have lower
prescription drug costs. One is you could hire
Rush Limbaugh’s housekeeper. Or, you can elect me
president of the United States."
– John Kerry at
Thursday’s debate in Phoenix, referencing
Limbaugh’s alleged penchant for prescription
painkillers. [on
CBSNEWS.com today]
"[Bush has to] take
charge, settle this dispute. Let your secretary of
defense, state, and your vice president know,
'This is my policy. Any one of you that
divert from the policy is off the team.' " –
U.S. Senator Joe Biden, yesterday on CBS’ “Meet
the Press”
“She [Hillary
Clinton] hasn’t done the groundwork. She’s
probably not ready for a presidential campaign,
and if she got out there and performed badly it
would devastate any chance for her in the future.”
-- Emmett H. Buell, professor of political science
at Denison University.
Lieberman launches 6-state, 5-day tour – tax
shakeup proposal to come today in NH
President Bush under fire
Clark’s Pentagon past not a rosy one
Edwards’ TV ad
Kucinich formally announces candidacy today
Has Hillary run out of time?
CBS News clocks the talk
Dean Web Log unresponsive to IPW’s Joe Trippi
challenge
… Here is IPW’s follow up to yesterday’s IPW
report regarding the Dean Campaign’s Official Web
Log (blog) holier-than-thou response to the
Kerry-Gephardt double-teaming of Dean AND the
report that Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi appears
equally guilty due to his attempt to hook up with
Gephardt staff to double team on rival candidate
Wesley Clark. IPW posted the following comment
on the Dean Blog yesterday: “
“I am the webmaster for conservative website
www.IowaPresidentialWatch.com. I often check in on the
various blogs to read comments posted. Regarding the
Kerry-Gephardt alliance against Dean: not one of you
has responded to Joe Trippi's attempt to join forces
with Gephardt's crew against Wesley Clark. This
puzzles me, as the majority of you seem highly
truth-oriented. I am preparing a piece for today's
website and unfortunately cannot find any comment
here acknowledging Joe Trippi's equally damning
actions. Whassup?
To which the Official Dean Campaign Web Log
managed only ONE response:
“Would love to see a reliable source for your remark
about Trippi & Gephardt sweety.
IPW extends thanks to JIm Whitaker, but takes
note at the lack of even-handedness that is event in
all campaigns – even Dr. Dean’s. Playing the ‘show
me the reliable sources’ card is pretty lame. But at
least ONE Deanie responded…
… Smokin’ Joe Lieberman has launched a
six-state, five-day Tour, beginning today in New
Hampshire.
CNN.com carries the story today, excerpts: “Lieberman,
the most conservative '04 Dem, and Kucinich, one of
the most liberal, will embark today on comprehensive
"tours" designed to give each a much-needed splash
of good press. The senator is focusing on
"integrity" in six states over five days but will
make the biggest headline by proposing a shakeup to
the U.S. tax code today in New Hampshire. …
Lieberman hopes to make news. Real news. Tax-code
news. The senator begins his tour Monday morning at
a breakfast in Hartford, Connecticut. He then
travels to New Hampshire, where aides say he'll
release an economic agenda -- in book form -- that
calls for a major restructuring of the U.S. tax
code. Under his plan, a married couple earning
$50,000 annually would save up to $1,000, according
to details Lieberman provided to The Associated
Press. Lieberman would do that by changing income
tax brackets. He also would reverse Bush-backed tax
breaks given to people earning more than $200,000
annually and impose a limited surtax on them.
Lieberman is scheduled then to take this tax message
to Oklahoma on Tuesday, South Carolina on Wednesday,
and Florida on Thursday. On Friday, the senator will
conclude his tour with a "major" speech to the
Arab-American Institute in Detroit. Also, this word
from the Lieberman campaign: George
Stephanopoulos is traveling on part of the tour, and
his segment on Lieberman is expected to air on ABC's
"This Week" next Sunday.”
… Dennis Kucinich begins his three-day,
eleven-state Tour, beginning today in hometown
Cleveland, Ohio. According to
CNN News, Kucinich formally announces his 2004
bid at City Hall at noon, and takes time for a
reception at the Cleveland Sheraton Hotel before
dashing off to Detroit (Michigan), Manchester (New
Hampshire), Madison (Wisconsin) and Albuquerque (New
Mexico). Tomorrow’s roster? Albuquerque, Austin
(Texas), Oklahoma City, Minneapolis (Minnesota),
Chicago (Illinois, and St. Louis (Missouri).
Wednesday Kucinich will appear at St. Louis events
and then attend the AARP Forum in Des Moines, Iowa.
… So, exactly how much talk-time did each
Democratic candidate get in last week’s nationally-televised
DNC-sponsored debate?
CBS News has the answer:
·
Dean: 14 min, 7 seconds
·
Kerry: 12 min, 31 seconds
·
Clark: 10 min, 36 seconds
·
Gephardt: 10 min, 2 seconds
·
Lieberman: 9 min, 26
seconds
·
Braun: 8 min, 39 seconds
·
Sharpton: 8 min, 28 seconds
·
Edwards: 8 min, 00 seconds
·
Kucinich: 5 min, 9 seconds
… Wesley Clark’s Pentagon past holds room for
question, regarding Clark’s ability to lead.
Today’s
BostonGlobe.com carries an Associated Press
article highlighting some of the prickly spots,
titled, “Pentagon battles dog Clark.”
Excerpts: “Wesley Clark, the retired four-star
general who is running for president, got himself in
hot water with his Pentagon bosses more than once in
his 34-year military career. Clark
matter-of-factly recounts when the chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff grumbled that Clark had "one
foot on a banana peel and one foot in the grave."
Less than a year later, Clark was yanked out of
his job as NATO's supreme allied commander. …it
is notable that a number of fellow retired officers
now speak frankly about what they see as the
Democratic candidate's shortcomings as a leader.
Last month, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
Hugh Shelton, gave a barbed answer when asked what
he thought about Clark as a presidential candidate.
"I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe
early had to do with integrity and character
issues," Shelton said. "I'll just say Wes won't get
my vote." … Dennis Reimer, a retired general and
former Army chief of staff, describes Clark as an
intelligent, "hardworking, ambitious individual .
. . [but] some of us were concerned about the fact
that he was focused too much upward and not down on
the soldiers.”
… Perhaps Democratic presidential candidate John
Edwards could have picked a better day to begin
airing his television ad than the day after the
California recall election. But, the Edwards
campaign pressed on, and the TV ads took to the
airwaves. Now, a week after they began running,
the
BostonGlobe.com offers opine, titled, “Edwards
milks Southern charm.” Excerpts: “… it stands to
reason that his television ads would try to
capitalize on his charms. Set in a small-town
cafe somewhere in America (hint: Old Glory hanging
in the window), it's a verite-style glimpse of
Edwards in his shirt sleeves, addressing a crowd of
regular folks. Edwards challenges President Bush's
tax-cut plan … while touting his intention to
provide health insurance for every child in the
United States. No details on the health plan are
given. Just a reference to Edwards's website, some
dramatic, soaring music suited for movies on
Lifetime, and approval from the regular folks, who
nod as Edwards speaks and applaud when he finishes.
…. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of
the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University
of Pennsylvania, agrees that the ad helps
solidify Edwards's image. For once, he doesn't
mention that he's the son of a millworker. But she
wonders if the ad is timed well enough to accomplish
what Edwards badly needs: a media buzz. "Any ad that
is an attack on George Bush is more newsworthy than
any ad that doesn't attack George Bush." But
launching your ad the day after California voters
ousted their governor and elected Arnold
Schwarzenegger? Perhaps unwise. The press, she said,
was a little distracted last week.”
… Lowest-tiered in the polls, Dennis Kucinich
doggedly presses on today, formally announcing his
candidacy for president.
BostonGlobe.com carries the Associated Press
story. Excerpts: “…Kucinich, who has been
campaigning for months, planned to make the
announcement Monday in his hometown of Cleveland,
the first stop of a 12-state tour that will include
Michigan, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Iowa. … The
kickoff speech at Cleveland's City Hall serves as a
reminder of Kucinich's political triumphs and bitter
disappointments. … He raised $1.7 million during a
three-month period ending June 30 and hopes to show
an additional $1.5 million when campaign finance
reports are filed Wednesday. "I don't think he's
in the race because he thinks he has a chance to win
it," said Dave Rohde, a Michigan State University
political science professor. "He's in the race, at
the very least, to give public vent to some of his
concerns."
… Criticism of President Bush’s handling of the
Iraq reconstruction now comes from within his own
party. High-ranking Republican Senator Richard Lugar
(Indiana), appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press”
yesterday and spoke of his concerns. The
WashingtonPost.com ‘OnPolitics’ column carried
the story, titled, “Senators Say Bush Needs to Take
Control.” Excerpts: “A key Republican lawmaker
urged President Bush yesterday to take control of
his fractious foreign policy team and plans for
Iraq's reconstruction… "The president has to be
president," Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on
NBC's "Meet the Press." "That means the president
over the vice president, and over these secretaries"
of state and defense. National security adviser
Condoleezza Rice "cannot carry that burden alone."
… Lugar noted that Vice President Cheney,
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Rice had given
speeches whose tone "was distinctly different" and
that senators were rightly concerned about "the
strength, the coherence of our policies." … He
and the ranking member of the committee, Sen. Joseph
R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), predicted narrow approval of
the $87 billion Iraq reconstruction request. … Biden,
responding to news that Bush had asked Rice to unify
the differing views on Iraq, said Bush had to "take
charge, settle this dispute. Let your secretary of
defense, state, and your vice president know, 'This
is my policy. Any one of you that divert from the
policy is off the team.' "
… Has Hillary Rodham Clinton run out of time to
enter the 2004 presidential race? An online
Fox News report today: some say, Nope.
Headline, “Clock Ticking for a Hillary
Presidential Bid.” Excerpts: “Oct. 4 “was the
12th anniversary of Bill Clinton running, so most
people have seen that date as a benchmark as the
latest date a candidate could get in the race to
win,” Democratic Party spokeswoman Deborah DeShong
said. Hillary Clinton has regularly and clearly
denied an interest in running in the 2004 election,
but that has not stopped rumors from circulating, or
some Democrats from hoping the New York senator
makes a go of it. But success in a presidential
contest is heavily dependent on grassroots
organization and early campaigning. …
“Conventional wisdom is sometimes wrong, but we do
have a process that favors and indeed has
prohibitively favored front-runners who start early,
raise money and build organizations in the early
states,” said Emmett H. Buell, professor of
political science at Denison University.
“She hasn’t done the groundwork. She’s probably not
ready for a presidential campaign, and if she got
out there and performed badly it would devastate any
chance for her in the future.” … “People are
lining up their commitments. The longer it goes on,
the harder it would be to disengage people,” said
Donald Robinson, professor of government at Smith
College. Robinson does not agree, however, that
it's too late for Clinton to enter the contest.
… There is no deadline to be on the ballot in the
Iowa caucus, but for many other states the deadlines
are rapidly approaching. ….Experts say the longer
Clinton denies she will make a bid, the sooner
Democrats are going to have to accept her decision.”
… North Korea news: Article today in the
Washington Times, headlined, “North Korea Says
Pact is Key to Standoff.” Excerpts: “North
Korean demands for a nonaggression pact with the
United States are the key to any resolution of the
nuclear standoff between Pyongyang and Washington,
North Korean diplomats say. "A nonaggression pact is
the litmus paper for a settlement," said a North
Korean diplomat who spoke on the condition of
anonymity. The United States, while saying it
has no plans to attack North Korea, has been
unwilling to negotiate a formal agreement to that
effect. "That's not in the cards," State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said last week. However
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Friday that
the Bush administration has "some ideas with respect
to security assurances that we will be presenting in
due course." The North Korean official also said
during a visit to Geneva late last week that the
United States had been unwilling to negotiate
seriously during six-way talks in Beijing, and said
the Bush administration had failed to respond to
Pyongyang's proposals. Asked Friday about the
prospects for another round of talks, Mr. Powell
said the North Koreans were reported to be
considering a new round of talks in December but
nothing has been scheduled. … A diplomat close to
both Washington and Pyongyang, who declined to be
identified, said: "I don't think the North Koreans
realize this is a different [U.S.] government to the
previous one. "They need to be aware this is a very
ideological administration. One cannot rule it out
that in the end [the United States] might bomb
them." So far, South Korea and Japan have
discouraged the United States from such action, the
diplomat said.
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