Bob Graham

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

June 2003

From Friday’s “Inside Politics” column in the Washington Times, Greg Pierce wrote: “Florida Sen. Bob Graham might have a tough time winning Iowa and New Hampshire, but he’s the front-runner in Margaritaville, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Singer Jimmy Buffet plans to make appearances for the Democrat’s presidential campaign, according to spokesmen for Mr. Buffet and the campaign. Mike Ramos, a Buffet spokesman, told reporters ‘Jimmy’s going to be helping out,’ but campaign officials and the singer have not determined when or where he will perform. It’s likely to be after Mr. Buffet’s summer tour. Graham campaign spokesman Jamal Simmons said, ‘It’s a matter of figuring out when, where and if it will be a solo event or whatever.’ Among the possibilities: campaign events in Iowa or New Hampshire and fund-raisers in other states, reporters Bill Adair and David Adams said.”  (6/1/2003)

If Graham somehow ever becomes president, there’s not much doubt about his first action in the White House – releasing the report on the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Few wannabes – except Dean on the Iraq war and Gephardt on his health care proposal – have gotten more media mileage out of an issue than Graham has for his comments about the terrorism report. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: The difference is that some Dems cared about what Dean and Gephardt were saying.) The Miami Herald’s Peter Wallsten – headline, “Bush trying to hide 9/11 information, Graham says” – reported yesterday that “Graham, trying for traction in a crowded Democratic field, accused the Bush administration Sunday of overzealous editing of the public version of a report on the causes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks…the criticism came two days after his office issued a statement pledging to confront the White House about the proposed deletions and accusing the administration of axing ‘two key sections’ and all but eliminating a third one. Graham’s comments Sunday fit into a broader campaign theme is he carving out as he builds a campaign for the Democratic nomination: attacking the White House on secrecy. In recent days, he has used unusually strong words to accuse President Bush of hiding information on topics ranging from the Sept. 11 report to the economy to the war in Iraq – talking about a coverup and referring, as he did in a conference call with reporters last week that was reported by the Associated Press, to a ‘Nixonian stench.’… Graham on Sunday welcomed the call from other Senate leaders for a congressional inquiry into the intelligence that led to the widespread belief that Hussein’s regime had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction. If those weapons are not found, Graham said on CNN, ‘that will indicate a very significant intelligence failure or the attempt to keep the American people in the dark by manipulating that intelligence information.’”    (6/3/2003)

… In the New York Times yesterday, reporter Carl Hulse reported from Washington about Graham’s obsession with keeping detailed accounts of his daily activities. Under the headline “One Senator’s Life, Minute by Minute,” Hulse writes: “It will never be a best seller, cannot be found on Amazon.com and is devoid of sex and violence. But if you are interested in the minute, often mundane details of the life of a veteran Democratic politician from Florida, Bob Graham has the book for you. Actually, thousands of books. Pocket-sized, color-coded and spiral bound. Mr. Graham, a third-term senator and former two-term governor now seeking his party’s presidential nomination, is known for meticulously recording his day’s activities, the people he encounters and his detailed to-do lists on 3-by-5 notepads he keeps at the ready. Whether it is a breakfast of cereal at his 3STH (Third Street town house) near the Capitol, his clothing for the day or the sports telecast he watches before pronouncing himself ready for sleep at his MITH (Miami Lakes town house), Mr. Graham jots it down. And he has done so religiously since his first race for governor, in 1977, when he wanted to make sure he got the name of every possible supporter of his underdog campaign. Now, as he seeks the nation’s highest office, the questions must be posed: Are American voters ready for a president who could all but moonlight as a stenographer? Is his habit a disqualifying eccentricity? The candidate himself sees his penchant to leave a paper trail only in the most positive light. ‘If anything is peculiar, it is that more people don’t do it,’ he said. The main benefit, he said, is that he can keep track of his obligations to people he encounters. ‘One of the criticisms of a lot of politicians,’ he said, ‘is that they don’t really listen and therefore they don’t hear and don’t feel a commitment to following up.’ Nevertheless, Mr. Graham and his advisers acknowledge that the notebooks could be a stumbling block if seen by the electorate as weird or wacky, and they made some available in an effort to defuse the issue. The notebooks, which Mr. Graham fills out in a rotation dictated by their color – red, green, blue or yellow – bear remarkable detail about his days: the main course at each meal, the newspapers he reads, the model of the particular family car he has chosen to drive. They also include reminders for his staff and instructions for following up with constituents or other people he runs into.”   (6/5/2003)

… The Register, at the very least, must think this is a big story. In a front-page, copyrighted report – headline, “Bush manipulated facts on Iraq, Graham says” – Beaumont reported that “Graham on Saturday became the first Democratic presidential candidate to accuse President Bush of deliberately misrepresenting intelligence information about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq for political purposes. Graham said the Bush administration withheld uncertainties about Iraq’s weapons stockpile and production capability in order to build support for war. ‘That information was essentially politicized, manipulated,’ said Graham, a U.S. senator from Florida, during a campaign stop in Council Bluffs. ‘Those parts that the president liked became placed in the president’s speeches, and those that they didn’t like got put in the trash can.’ Graham, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, was basing his allegations on reports that surfaced Friday that the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency provided classified information to the Bush administration last fall that was less than conclusive about Iraq’s weapons potential.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: There’s little doubt that Graham was the first – and basically only – Dem wannabe accusing the Bush administration of “manipulating” the Iraq info, but whether it’s a great revelation, deserving front-page, copyright coverage, is questionable. Graham has been making similar comments in the Florida media and during a West Coast campaign swing before coming to Iowa. In fact, the Iraq intelligence issue has been a cornerstone of Graham’s candidacy – including his announcement speech in Florida – although he has become increasingly accusatory and employed hotter rhetoric in recent days.)   (6/8/2003)

… The Arizona Republic report from yesterday: “As the glow of military success in Iraq fades, President Bush will face the same decline in popularity his father experienced after the first Gulf War, U.S. senator and presidential candidate Bob Graham said Friday. A bad economy sack the first President Bush, and ‘we’re having a very parallel. Indifferent, clueless” approach to the current slump, the Florida Democrat said on his first visit to Arizona. With a $350 billion tax cut benefiting mostly the richest taxpayers, the son is ‘using the economy cynically to pay off contributors rather than to generate jobs and economic growth,’ Graham charged. ‘From the economy to the war on terror, to the environment, education and health care, America is on fundamentally the wrong track today,’ the Florida Democrat told a new conference before delivering the same message to 30 Democratic leaders at a Phoenix luncheon…He promised a vigorous campaign in Arizona, where the Feb. 3 presidential primary is among the first to follow New Hampshire’s. Of the five current members of Congress seeking the White House in 2004, Graham was the only one to vote against authorizing Bush to go to war in Iraq. Graham said the nation should have finished the war on terror by focusing on al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups.” (6/8/2003)

… Ethanol politics. In his Chicago Sun-Times column – under the headline “Ethanol abstainers” – yesterday, Robert Novak reported: “The only four senators who abstained from Tuesday’s 62-34 vote supporting mandatory use of ethanol are the four senators seeking the Democratic nomination. Three have abandoned previous positions opposing government mandates for the corn-based gasoline additive. Senators Joe Lieberman, John Kerry and Bob Graham in 1994 voted to kill a Clinton administration regulation requiring more ethanol use, but now they want to force increased use, and they cast other pro-ethanol votes on the energy bill last week. The fourth senatorial candidate for president, John Edwards, was not yet a senator in 1994 and says he always has back ethanol. Ethanol is important in corn-growing Iowa, first on the presidential selection circuit.”(6/9/2003)

… Dems spend Sunday afternoon bashing Bush at Guv Vilsack’s family picnic in Mount Pleasant. Excerpts from this morning’s coverage: …Graham, former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and one of the first to get into the Iraqi intelligence fray,  “accused Bush of ‘a pattern of deception and deceit of the American people.’”  (6/9/2003)

… Yesterday’s Des Moines Sunday Register concentrated coverage of Graham’s campaign visit to Council Bluffs on his accusation that the Bush administration had “deliberately” misrepresented information on Iraq (See Sunday’s Report), but other report focused on different Graham themes. The headline from yesterday’s Omaha World-Herald online: “Graham says he’s an electable Democrat” The W-H’s Henry J. Cordes reported that Graham “told Iowans Saturday that he has the centrist political views, the record of accomplishment and the new ideas that make him the Democrats’ best hope to beat George W. Bush next year. During a presidential forum sponsored by Senate colleague Tom Harkin of Iowa, Graham reminded the audience that the last two Democrats elected president – Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton – were, like him, pragmatists, not ideologues…In an interview afterward, Graham would not say whether he is suggesting that a more traditional Democrat can’t beat Bush. But he said Iowans who go to the Iowa caucuses next Jan. 19, most of whom tend to be left of center, should consider who can win when they decide who to support among the nine Democrats in the crowded race.” Meanwhile, the AP’s Iowa caucus-watcher, Mike Glover, went with another different angle, writing that Graham said “President Bush’s aggressive foreign policy has left America ‘the most questioned nation in the world’ and made it far more difficult to forge an effective battle against terrorism. The Florida senator also said failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq could damage the nation’s international standing even more. ‘One of the things that will be a high priority of a Bob Graham administration will be to begin to restore America’s reputation and prestige around the would.”…Graham said the nation’s standing in the world is a far more serious question than simply being liked by other countries, but goes to the heart of the ability to carry out effective policies. He said when Bush took office, America was not only the strongest country in the world but ‘it was also the most admired nation in the world.’”(6/9/2003)

… Anytime there’s a desire to find a story about Graham’s bumbling candidacy, just check out the Florida media. Another example – Mark Silva reported in yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel about Graham vs. Dean at the weekend Vilsack picnic in Mount Pleasant. Headline: “Democrats battle to make Iowa’s A-list” Excerpt – “When the governor of Iowa throws a hometown family picnic on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, he draws hundreds of hungry Iowans and two former governors from faraway states scouring this candidacy-launching state for validation of their campaigns for president. But one is hot, and the other is not. ‘This country is facing a serious crisis. I’m talking about the credibility of the president of the United States,’ said Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his rising voice stirring fervent applause among picnickers filling a steel-barn farm museum. The long-running candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination, who has all but moved into this heartland state, has a good chance for a strong showing in the nation’s first candidate-screening, Iowa’s vaunted party caucuses, this winter. Dean has seized on the hottest issue of the day here [Mount Pleasant], a question of what evidence President Bush had about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before invading the country. He framed the question in classic terms Sunday. ‘The question now is going to become: What did the president know, and when did he know it?” With one polished line, Dean also cornered the media market on a question that Bob Graham, Florida’s senior senator and former governor, has asked for weeks. Graham, former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, remains one of several candidates for president in search of a spark that might ignite his candidacy. ‘There has been a pattern of deception,’ Graham said Sunday of the Bush administration. His audience was polite but unstirred until Graham closed with a corny song he has started singing on Iowa’s trail: ‘You’ve got a friend in Bob Graham. That’s what everybody’s saying, all across the good old USA.’”(6/10/2003)

… Under the subhead “Graham’s notebooks,” the Washington Times’ Greg Pierce in his “Inside Politics” column reported yesterday that the Florida senator has decided against allowing media representatives to review his notebook collection. The Pierce report said Graham “says now he will no longer release contents of the little notebooks he has been carrying for 26 years to record his daily activities.” The Florida senator always carries a notebook in his pocket, which he pulls out frequently to record notes on political discussions and the names of people he meets. He also jots down more obscure activities of daily life, like what he ate for breakfast, which TV show he watched and what he scored in a round of golf. The notebooks have been a curiosity to reporters, and Graham spokesman Paul Anderson said they are becoming a distraction in his presidential bid, the Associated Press reports. ‘They have been covered abundantly,’ Mr. Anderson said. ‘He wants to focus on issues and his use of the notebooks is well-known. There is not much more to be said.’ Mr. Anderson said some of the notebooks are kept in Mr. Graham’s Senate office on Capitol Hill, while others are in storage in Tallahassee, Fla. Mr. Graham plans to eventually turn them over to the library at his alma mater, the University of Florida, ‘although if there is a presidential library we’ll have to reconsider that,’ Mr. Anderson said.” (6/12/2003)

… Three of the four senator-wannabes voted against a GOP-sponsored plan to help underwrite development of a new generation of nuclear power plants. An attempt to strip a provision from the bill to provide loan guarantees for new nuclear plants fell short on a 50-48 vote – with Edwards, Graham and Kerry supporting the Democrat-sponsored amendment to strike the nuclear plants section. Lieberman was recorded as not voting. Iowa’s two senators, Grassley and Harkin, split along party lines. Under the measure, the government would provide loan guarantees for at least a half dozen advanced design commercial nuclear power plants expected to cost about $3 billion each. The government would guarantee half the cost.  (6/12/2003)

… Campaign insanity continues as Florida media finds yet another reason to ridicule Graham. The Miami Herald’s Peter Wallsten won the latest round in the on-going competition by Graham’s home state reporters to expose his Don Quixote approach to Dem presidential politics. (The Orlando Sentinel prevailed in the last round by exposing Graham’s campaign song and calling it “corny.”) Under the headline “Graham seeking votes and dollars with CD,” Wallsten wrote yesterday in the Herald’s online edition: “Bob Graham’s presidential tour now comes with a CD. The Bob Graham Charisma Tour 2004, dedicated to promoting the upstart White House bid of Florida’s senior U. S. senator and occasional amateur a cappella performer, is due out within days. Those who might question the title – Graham, known for his earnest delivery, is not one to throw rhetorical red meat to the crowds – can ponder their nay-saying to the tune of We’ve Got a Friend in Bob Graham, or tap their toes to the Latin-beat, Spanish version, Arriba Bob! The candidate himself has already debuted some lines – to decidedly mixed reviews. A crowd of about 300 cheering Iowans fell to a momentary stunned silence Sunday when Graham informed them he was about to sing. Capping an otherwise-cerebral speech about the Iraq war, weapons of mass destruction and education, Graham told the audience that there was one final but critical reason they should consider voting for him: ‘We’ve got a song.’ ‘You’ve – got – a friend in Bob Gra-ham – that’s what everybody’s say-in-…All across the good ol’ USA.” At first, from the crowd, awkward silence. Then a few claps. Then all-out laughter, hooting and hollering. Undeterred and unfazed, the 66-year-old grandfather chanted on: ‘From the Atlantic to the Pacific, we all say – he’s terrific. That’s why – America need Bob Gra-ham – to-day.’ The performance was carried live nationally on C-SPAN and repeated throughout the day.” The early returns on Graham’s campaign song were not good. The initial reaction (300 voters) this morning to a Herald online poll – responding to the question, “What do you think of Bob Graham’s campaign song?” – was not impressive or favorable: “Love it” 28%, “Hate it” 72%. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: It’s doubtful Graham’s musical endeavors will match those of GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch. Ironically, media reports this morning indicate that Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, earned $18,009 in 2002 from his songwriting endeavors. Hatch as made almost $66,000 since 1997 from songwriting royalties.) (6/13/2003)

… In the apparent Graham-bashing competition among Florida’s major papers to ridicule the senator’s presidential candidacy, the Orlando Sentinel rebounded yesterday with this headline: “Bob Graham campaigns for president with a song in his heart, on his lips.” The Sentinel first mentioned Graham’s singing, describing his song as “corny,” in coverage of an appearance in Mount Pleasant last weekend and then the Miami Herald wrote about plans for a CD – and posted a “love it” or “hate it” online poll on the newspaper’s website. Excerpts from Mark Silva’s commentary in yesterday’s Sentinel: “It may take a lot to run for president, Bob Graham says, but ‘you’ve got to have a song.’ Graham’s singing on the campaign trail, however, may be generating more headaches than help. A supporter has produced a 10-track compact disc – The Bob Graham Charisma Tour 2004 – which the campaign has no interest in promoting. ‘Once in a while, he is known to belt out a song or two,’ said Jamal Simmons, Graham campaign spokesman. ‘People send you all kinds of stuff. We do not have any plans for selling a CD by the Graham campaign.’…Although it’s not Graham’s voice featured, it includes a song that Graham has started singing on the road: ‘You’ve got a friend in Bob Graham, that’s what everybody’s sayin’. All across the good ol’ USA. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, we all say, he’s terrific. That’s why America needs Bob Graham today.’”  (6/13/2003)

… Headline from the Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel: “State’s status on the political map looks to be rising…Candidates’ campaigns more active after primary date changed” Reporter Tom Humphrey writes from Nashville: “Trips to Tennessee this month by Democratic presidential candidates John Edwards and Bob Graham may be an indication that Tennessee has become a more prominent place on the nation’s political map. ‘Tennessee is in play and our phones are ringing all the time now,” said Randy Button, state Democratic party chairman. ‘The candidates are really going to spend a lot of time and a lot of money here.’ At the urging of Button and other state Democratic leaders, the Legislature last month voted to move Tennessee’s presidential preference primary from March to Feb. 10. That jump forward means the Democratic presidential nomination will almost certainly be in doubt when Tennesseans go to the polls, a stark contrast to past presidential election years.” The report said that Edwards attended a reception at Democratic headquarters in Nashville yesterday and Graham is scheduled to speak at the state party’s “Jackson Day” dinner on 6/28 – “picking Tennessee over a similar event in his home state and a National Hispanic Caucus dinner the same night in Arizona that is drawing most other candidates.” Humphrey noted that Lieberman, Gephardt and Kerry have “all been setting up organizations in Tennessee.”    (6/13/2003)

… The Miami Herald reported yesterday – headline, “Graham’s amendment to bar drilling off coastal states is defeated in Senate” – that the Senate “defeated an amendment by Florida Democrat Bob Graham designed to protect coastal states from offshore drilling by blocking a thorough inventory of gas and oil resources. While he lost the vote, Graham may have burnished his environmental credentials as a presidential candidate in states such as California and Oregon, where offshore drilling is at issue. By 54-44, the Senate rejected the amendment, which would have removed from a comprehensive energy bill a provision requiring an inventory of all gas resources in the entire Outer Continental Shelf…Graham and a bipartisan group of coastal state senators argued unsuccessfully that the inventory in the energy bill would add pressure to lift drilling moratoriums. ‘This appears to be benign, but there are some insidious objectives in this,’ Graham said. ‘It’s nothing more than a prelude to a direct attack on the moratoriums which currently exist in the Gulf of Mexico, off New England, the Pacific Northwest and California.’…Last year the Bush administration and Florida officials agreed to continue the ban on drilling within 100 miles of Florida’s coastline until 2012. But Graham said the administration has not done enough. ‘As a candidate for president, George W. Bush said he would protect coastal states, but I have seen no evidence of that,” Graham said after the vote.” For the record: Graham, of course, and Kerry supported the amendment while Edwards and Lieberman were the only two senators to miss the vote. Harkin voted with the Dems for the amendment, while Grassley was among the 54 on the prevailing side.  (6/14/2003)

… Several DC media outlets report that Graham and his wife are worth as much as $31.6 million. According to financial disclosure reports, Graham listed his assets worth between $7.7 million and $31.6 million – although the reports said Graham, who serves as a director of the Graham Companies (a business established by his brothers to turn the family’s farmland into the suburb of Miami Lakes), has a worth between $5 million and $25 million in Florida real estate, including land, a golf course and other developments. The Kansas City Star reported that Gephardt has accounts and investments worth from $159,000 to $495,000, according to the financial disclosure forms released yesterday. The Star, noting that Gephardt made $165,000 last year as Dem House leader and now makes $150,000, listed two loans – a student loan of $50,000 to $100,000 and a loan from the General American Life Insurance Co. of from $15,000 to $50,000. (Iowa Pre Watch Note: For those unfamiliar with the disclosure reports, the reports are – obviously – done in financial ranges rather than specific dollar amounts.) (6/14/2003)

… “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.”(6/17/2003)

… 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.”  (6/17/2003)

… 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.”(6/17/2003)

… 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.”(6/17/2003)

… 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.” (6/17/2003)

… “Graham seeks Medicare reversal” – headline from Washington Times, which reported that Graham was sponsoring a provision that “reverses the 1996 welfare reform that barred many legal immigrants from receiving Medicaid funds.” The Times coverage said Graham’s proposal would “allow federal funding to cover all immigrant children and pregnant women as part of those medical assistance programs. The move would cost $350 million over three years. ‘Last year, hundreds of thousands of low-income legal immigrant children around the country had no options when it came to health care,’ Mr. Graham said. ‘This bill will go a long way toward assuring that all deserving children get health care.” The federal government does not cover Medicaid costs for legal aliens who have been residents for five years or less, though states can use their own funds to cover such immigrants. About 20 states and the District cover costs for legal-resident pregnant women and children, but Mr. Graham’s provision would allow them and other states to be reimbursed for part of that care. Conservative Republicans criticized the proposal, saying the Medicare bill is not the right place to address the issue, and some said it reverses a carefully crafted part of immigration policy.” (6/18/2003)

… Dem moderates organize, feature Graham and Lieberman. Headline from this morning’s The Union Leader: “Democrats calling for greater unity, clear values” AP coverage: “Faced with Republican domination of offices across the country, a group of moderate Democrats is calling for the party's factions to reorganize with a set of values that will convince Americans they will provide the best leadership. The schedule for the New Democratic Network's annual meeting [Tuesday] included speeches from presidential candidates Bob Graham and Joe Lieberman, who called for help for people living in poverty. ‘Turning back the tide of poverty is a priority that I am accepting for my presidency,’ Lieberman said in a telephone interview. ‘This is something that I want to set as a national goal because it tests us, it tests the honesty of the American promise of equal opportunity.’ Leaders of the NDN hope to tap into the void felt by Democrats who are still reeling from their trouncing in last year's election and facing a battle against a popular incumbent president.”(6/18/2003)

… Graham continues drive for Iraqi intelligence investigation – brings up word that would appeal to Dem liberals: impeachment. Headline from yesterday’s Miami Herald: “Graham: Bush deceived the public over threat in Iraq” The Herald’s Frank Davies wrote: “Sen. Bob Graham Tuesday appealed to centrist Democrats with a low-key call for fiscal responsibility and a hard-edged critique of President Bush that included an incendiary word: impeachment. Graham, a Florida Democrat running for president, said he recently had seen ‘Impeach George Bush’ buttons on the campaign trail. He was asked in New Hampshire if Congress would impeach the president ‘if in fact it was found there was manipulation of intelligence in order to create public support for the war’ in Iraq. 'My answer was no, but the American people will have an opportunity to collapse both steps -- impeachment and removal from office -- on the first Tuesday of November 2004,’ Graham told a couple hundred members of the New Democrat Network meeting in Washington. Graham, former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, did not see an impeachable offense in the buildup to war, but accused the administration of ‘deception and deceit’ in its foreign and domestic policies. ‘We were sold on war with Iraq because of an imminent threat to the United States of weapons of mass destruction,’ he said. 'Now we can't find `Osama Bin Forgotten' or Saddam Hussein or those weapons.’”(6/19/2003)

... But what happened to Bob? Radio spots in central Iowa this morning continue to indicate that seven wannabes will be in Newton tomorrow, but yesterday’s Des Moines Register only listed six. Newton has a chance this weekend to become known for more than the washers, dryers and refrigerators produced at its Maytag plant. The 15,579-resident city east of Des Moines will be in the national spotlight Saturday, when thousands of people are expected to attend a forum featuring six of the nine 2004 Democratic presidential candidates. ‘People who did not give us much attention before are now clamoring for their opportunity to be part of the event.’ Said Dennis Combs, a member of the forum steering committee. Journalists from across the nation are expected to attend ‘America's Hometown Forum,’ as well as a German television crew and a Japanese newspaper reporter. The event will be the second-largest gathering of candidates in Iowa this year, and the first that's free and open to the public. The forum at Newton High School was designed ‘to give people an opportunity to see all the candidates at one time,’ said Michael Balmer, treasurer of the Jasper County Democratic Party. ‘The more people, the better. The gym capacity is 6,000. We’d like to fill the gym.’ Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York will attend. Each candidate will be asked questions on topics ranging from free trade to military action to universal health care. Each man also will have a ‘breakout room to host audience members as he pleases.”(6/20/2003)

… Lieberman, Graham call for action on alleged revisions in report on global warming.  BBC News headline, “US ‘censored” green report” The BBC report said:  “The White House has removed sections of a report by the US Government's own environmental agency to water down references to global warming, say senior Democrats. The major report on the state of the environment is due for release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) next week. Democrat senators have accused the White House of ‘doctoring’ the report so that it does not challenge President George W Bush's view that global warming is of minor environmental importance. The report will be released as Christine Todd Whitman steps down as EPA chief, with a Republican closer to White House thinking on the environment tipped to replace her.  The draft of the EPA report was submitted to the White House earlier this year. But the amendments demanded by the president's staff were so extensive that the climate section ‘no longer accurately represents scientific consensus on climate change’, according to an internal EPA memo quoted by the Associated Press news agency… Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican state governor, played down the differences, saying ‘it was important for us to get this out’ and that changes had been agreed.  ‘The first draft, as with many first drafts, contained everything,’ she told the New York Times, adding that she was ‘perfectly comfortable’ with the final version. But Democratic Senators Joe Lieberman and Bob Graham, both presidential hopefuls for next year's election, called for action against ‘those responsible for doctoring this report’  ‘It brings into question the ability and authority of the EPA... to publish unbiased scientific reports,’ they said.”(6/21/2003)

… from yesterday’s “Chuck Muth’s News & Views” online newsletter:  Subhead: “And the Winner Is” -- "There has been a spirited contest to see who could use the words 'Bush' and 'lied' (or 'misled,' 'deceived' or 'tricked') most often in the same paragraph. So far, Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, seems to have a narrow lead."- Columnist William Rusher  (6/21/2003)

… “Reckless accusations: Kerry and Graham smear Bush” – editorial headline from yesterday’s New Hampshire Sunday News. Excerpts from the editorial: “Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Bob Graham must have very short memories. Last week Kerry told a crowd in Lebanon [N. H.] that President George W. Bush personally misled the American people about Saddam Hussein's weapons capabilities. ‘He misled every one of us,’ Kerry said. A week ago Saturday Graham told a Manchester audience, ‘I hope that we find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. If we don't, not only will our credibility around the world suffer, but also people's confidence in their government. I am concerned that either some of the intelligence was bad or was manipulated in some way in order to create the impression that we knew absolutely there were weapons of mass destruction.’ They must've forgotten that last November the United Nations passed a resolution that read in part, ‘Recognizing the threat Iraq's noncompliance with Council resolutions and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles poses to international peace and security,’ Iraq must forthwith disarm and comply with all U.N. resolutions designed to verify that disarmament…The United Nations stated that Saddam did possess weapons of mass destruction, and [French] President Chirac implied the same. Yet we don't see John Kerry or Bob Graham proclaiming that the inability of American and British troops to find weapons of mass destruction makes a liar of the United Nations or Chirac — only of President Bush. Kerry and Graham are engaged in the worst sort of political opportunism. Were they decent men, they would be ashamed to say such things.”(6/23/2003)

… IOWA PRES WATCH SIDEBAR: So, where’s Bob Graham? Graham was a no-show at the Newton forum – and apparently elsewhere -- over the weekend after canceling out during the week due to an alleged scheduling conflict. What was the scheduling conflict? A check of the Graham campaign website – under the scheduling section, “Where in the World is Bob Graham?” – indicated: “Senator Graham has no public events this weekend. Please check back early in the week for future events.”(6/23/2003)

… Graham joins the crowd of wannabes that GWB can beat in home states. The number of polls showing that the president could beat congressional-wannabes – Kerry, Edwards and Gephardt – grew again over the weekend with a new Florida survey. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale reported: “Sen. Bob Graham holds a commanding lead in his home state of Florida over all rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he trails President Bush in a potential general-election matchup, according to a poll conducted for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The poll found high public-approval ratings for both Graham and Bush in Florida, the state that decided the last presidential election. The president drew especially strong support among Hispanic voters, indicating that his outreach efforts and Cuba policies have strengthened his re-election chances…If the Florida Democratic primary were held today, Graham would bury his rivals for the presidential nomination, the poll shows. He was the choice of 49 percent of the Democrats sampled, followed by Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who each drew 10 percent. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was favored by 8 percent of Democratic voters, and five other candidates drew 6 percent or less. In a hypothetical matchup between Bush and Graham, the poll of 600 voters -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- put the president ahead 53 percent to 40 percent, with 7 percent undecided. Bush led Graham among voters in all regions of the state except South Florida, the Democratic stronghold in Florida, where the senator led 53 percent to 36 percent.”(6/24/2003)

… On townhall.com over the weekend, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bob Novak – under the subhead “Restricting Bob Graham” -- reported that GOP Florida lawmakers may force Graham to choose between Senate re-election and a White House bid. The Novak report: “The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, ready to make it impossible for Sen. Bob Graham to enter Democratic presidential primaries while keeping his options open for Senate re-election, may consider further limitations on him. Before it adjourns next week, the Legislature is expected to move the May 7 deadline for the Senate primary to early March-- prior to the California and Florida presidential primaries. If the Democratic nominee is not determined by then, Graham would have to make an early decision on whether to abandon his presidential ambitions or leave the Senate. However, it appears Graham could run simultaneously for vice president and senator (as Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut did in 2000). The Legislature may consider prohibiting that possibility.”(6/24/2003)

… Graham’s mean side exposed. Weekend headline from Washingtonpost.com: “Graham Jabs Hard at Bush…Democrats Laud Message Despite Doubts About the Messenger” The Post’s David Von Drehle reported: ‘He looks like an apple-cheeked grandpa and has a tendency to break into snatches of song during his campaign speeches, but there's nothing gentle about the way Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) is lighting into President Bush. In recent days and weeks, Graham has compared Bush to President Richard M. Nixon; accused Bush of misleading the public on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and other subjects; called Bush ‘the most environmentally unfriendly president in history’; and charged the president with failure to finish off al Qaeda when he had the chance. There is scant evidence yet that Graham's flurry of punches is helping his presidential campaign, though one recent poll showed him moving up from the low single-digits to the head of the second tier of candidates. His entry into the race was delayed for open-heart surgery, and when at last he got started, the presidential campaign was buried under war news. But Graham does have some Democratic Party insiders talking, and he appears to have encouraged some of his rivals for the nomination to chime in. ‘He's really got a bead on this thing,’ said one senior Washington Democrat of Graham's anti-Bush barrage. ‘He's absolutely got the right message.’ But then he added the frequently expressed view in the capital that, because of his age, personality and recent health problems, Graham ‘is just the wrong messenger.’ To Graham, the theme that ties his attacks together is truth-telling. ‘I have been as explicit as I am capable of being that I believe this administration has not been straight with the American people in terms of a number of issues,’ he said in a telephone interview yesterday.” (6/24/2003)

… Graham event causes Watergate flap. Leftover from the weekend – Lloyd Grove, in the Washington Post’s “Reliable Sources” column, reported: “Class warfare: Sen. Bob Graham supporter Sheila Menn, who helped organize a Wednesday fundraiser at the Watergate South for the Democratic presidential candidate, is spoiling for a fight with co-op owners who complained in Friday's column about a ‘garish’ Graham for President display in the lobby. ‘We think the well-placed Republican residents of the Watergate were probably taken aback by the excitement and enthusiasm . . . not the 4x6-foot banner on the registration table,’ Menn e-mailed on behalf of herself and Suzanne Graham Gibson, the candidate's daughter. ‘They also may be fearful that they may have to give up their beautiful residences in January of 2005!’ When, presumably, President Graham will do a little targeted wealth redistribution.”(6/25/2003)

… With a little help from a California friend, Graham strikes headline gold in Golden State. The FL Dem wannabe joined with CA Sen. Feinstein to co-author – Graham’s name first – a commentary that appeared in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times. The headline: “Energy Bill’s Slick Language Could Usher In Offshore Drilling…Benefits would be nil. And risks could be grave: Just ask Santa Barbara about the disastrous gunk onslaught of 1969.” Excerpted gems of wisdom from the Graham-Feinstein collaboration: “The Senate is debating an energy bill that is a bad piece of legislation. The bill would do nothing to combat the growing problem of global warming, nothing to raise fuel economy standards for light trucks and sport utility vehicles to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, nothing to increase our use of renewable and alternative sources of energy and nothing to prevent another energy crisis like the one on the West Coast caused by the fraud and manipulation of Enron and other greedy corporations. The basic philosophy behind this bill is to ignore alternative energy issues and drain the nation first — to make it easier and less expensive to extract oil and gas from publicly owned lands, regardless of environmental costs. And this bill just gets worse. It includes a provision that would open the door to offshore oil drilling by requiring a survey of the oil and gas resources under the outer continental shelf. The language in the bill is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to disparage — and even undermine — long-standing, bipartisan moratoriums that protect our coastline from offshore drilling… Proponents of this energy bill claim that we need to reduce reliance on foreign oil, and they define resistance to drilling as something that would keep us dependent. Although we agree on the need to reduce dependence on foreign oil, we differ — strongly — on how best to achieve this. We don't have to sacrifice the livelihoods of coastal states or threaten Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to reduce oil imports. We must pursue intelligent solutions when it comes to energy policy. Our energy supply is finite, and we must develop policies that reflect that reality before it is too late. Our No. 1 goal must be to reduce consumption. We must raise fuel economy standards for vehicles, improve conservation efforts and increase our use of renewable and alternative sources of energy. Until we embrace a comprehensive energy policy that looks to the future of nontraditional energy production and increases fuel efficiency, it is wrong to force coastal states to bear the burden of a shortsighted national energy policy.”(6/26/2003)

… Apparently, the Washington Post’s Linton Weeks couldn’t resist the temptation – hands out awards for a Dem event attended by 7 of the 9 prez hopefuls. The headline: “Democratic Candidates Chew Over Their Chances” The report from yesterday’s Post: “Only two of the Democratic hopefuls -- Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman -- were missing last night at the Democratic National Committee's presidential candidates dinner at the Mayflower Hotel. Everyone else was there. More than 650 tickets were sold for the event, which raised $1.7 million, according to DNC spokeswoman Debra DeShong. The money will go into a pot to be used by the candidate who emerges from the primaries as the chosen one. Last night, in the cramped quarters of the hotel's Grand Ballroom, it was kind of hard to tell just who that frontrunner might be. DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe ran the show, recalling days of Clintonian glory and taking pokes at President Bush. ‘He has put a big old For Sale sign on the U.S. Capitol,’ McAuliffe said. With so many candidates and so little time, McAuliffe tried to hurry things along…he handed out awards to big-dollar Democratic donors like Haim Saban, creator of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As each candidate rose and gave a brief speech, we, too, wanted to hand out awards…  • Most Painstakingly Earnest: Sen. Bob Graham of Florida. ‘We cannot give a certificate of accomplishment to this administration by electing it to four more years.’ If Republican President Abe Lincoln were to come back today, he said, he would have to change his party affiliation (6/27/2003)

… Graham continues down road toward presidential bid. In yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel, Mark Silva reported: “U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, announcing a support team for his presidential campaign that includes several who want his Senate seat, came as close Friday as he has come so far to saying he won't seek re-election next year. But the three-term senator, insisting his goal is the 2004 Democratic Party nomination for president, stopped calculatingly short of ruling out re-election to the Senate. ‘I do not intend to qualify as a candidate for the Senate, because by the time qualifying opens in Florida, I will be the [presidential] nominee,’ Graham said in a conference call with Florida reporters. Candidates for the Senate in 2004 must formally qualify during the first week of May. Long before then, primary elections should make it clear whom Democrats will nominate for president. If he fails to earn the nomination, Graham still could be tapped as a vice-presidential candidate in July 2004. An elections expert in Tallahassee maintains that Graham could appear on two ballots next year: As candidate for a fourth Senate term, and as a candidate for vice president. ‘Although there has been some speculation about whether you can run for two offices at one time, I will not do so,’ Graham said Friday. ‘I do not anticipate being on the ballot for the U.S. Senate.’”(6/28/2003)

… Latinos Listen in Phoenix…Graham: No Ashcroft…Lieberman: Mexicans aren’t terrorists.  Coverage of Latino officials gathering by Elvia Diaz in yesterday’s Arizona Republic: “Presidential candidates are courting Latinos this year like never before. And leaders of the nation's largest minority are hoping to bank on that interest to mobilize Hispanics to vote and boost their numbers in public office. ‘Voter apathy is an American tragedy. We're trying to change that,’ said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.  Vargas, who convened the meeting of nearly 1,000 elected Latinos in Phoenix this week, was pleased with the turnout of prominent national figures, all eager to bring their messages to Hispanics. On Friday, two presidential hopefuls, Sens. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Bob Graham, D-Fla., spoke to the group via satellite from Washington, D.C. Each pledged greater access to health care, housing and education. Lieberman and Graham also addressed border issues, both saying that they are a top priority and that President Bush has used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to curb immigration. ‘Does anyone think you can really make the case that Mexicans coming to America to work are part of the terrorists threat?’ Lieberman asked. ‘Of course not.’ He added that the number of immigrants dying in attempts to cross the border is unacceptable. The crowd cheered Graham when he said the first thing he would do to improve immigration policies would be to get rid of Attorney General John Ashcroft.’” (Editor’s Note: Six Dem wannabes addressed the Phoenix session yesterday. Due to the number of items in today’s report, their comments will be covered in Monday’s edition.)(6/29/2003)

… Graham creates Florida uncertainty with presidential bid. Headline from yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel: “Democrats jockey for position – just in case” Coverage by the Sentinel’s Mark Silva: “Welcome to one unstable campaign for the U.S. Senate: With as many as five Democrats counting on one seasoned senator to step aside, all five are foiled if that senator seeks re-election. U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, campaigning for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, does not ‘anticipate’ seeking re-election next year. However, Florida's senior senator and former governor, who has dominated Democratic politics since 1978, has not ruled out re-election -- leaving potential successors in uncertain territory.  A taste of life after Graham could be sensed Saturday night at a beachfront resort hotel, where the state Democratic Party's annual ‘Jefferson-Jackson’ dinner drew more than 1,000 donors dining with party leaders past, present and future. Democrat Alex Penelas, mayor of Miami-Dade County, is one with eyes on the future. With sights set on Graham's seat, Penelas will report raising more than $1 million for his campaign when a federal fund-raising quarter closes Monday. ‘I'm not running against Bob Graham,’ said Penelas, explaining his fund-raising pitch. ‘As Democrats, we should welcome him back to the Senate race. If he does come back, I drop out and give back the money.’”(6/30/2003)

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