The Iowa Daily Report, Saturday, December 20, 2003

* QUOTABLE:

"They can't fight with George W. Bush on national security," he said of the other Democratic Presidential hopefuls. "They haven't been there; they haven't done it. They don't know. I'm a known quantity in the world. You can talk to foreign leaders - they know me," said Wesley Clark.

"I've got to say what I think, not what's popular in the polls. The truth is, we aren't safer with Saddam Hussein's capture," Howard Dean said.

"I'm saying we should bring the troops home as soon as possible," he [Dennis Kucinich] said. "We'll bring (United Nations) peacekeepers in and bring our troops home" 90 days after U.N. approval of the changeover, he said.” -- writes The Des Moines Register.

“[Sen. Tom] Harkin issued a strongly worded statement this week denouncing the bin Laden ad, as well as the ad the group ran in Iowa, which ripped Dean for his views on gun control. “These ads are scurrilous and have no place in the Democratic Party,” he said. (That last statement might cause some Republicans who have been on the receiving end of some pretty rough Harkin ads to choke on their coffee this morning).” -- writes Quad City Times columnist Ed Tibbetts.

“We won't match him -- he's got twice the [ad buy] in Iowa during the last 10 days than we have," Kerry campaign spokesman Michael Meehan said of Dean. "He clearly has raised and spent more money than us."

"The parties are hemmed in," Ken Gross, a specialist in election law, said. "Outside groups have more latitude in how far they can go."

"You've got to be able to become a master of the game, not someone who just rails against the game," said Joe Lockhart, who was President Bill Clinton's spokesman.

Jay Carson, a spokesman for Dean, said: "There may be a few doubters within the party, but there are a half-million Americans signed on with this campaign and tons of people within the party, from Jesse Jackson Jr. to Al Gore, who believe Governor Dean is the only candidate who can beat President Bush."

“I assume he [Howard Dean] means the people who led it to this disastrous middle where 22 million jobs were created," said Al From, a founder of the Democratic Leadership Council, formed to push the party to the center after its landslide defeats in the 1980's.

* TODAY’S OFFERINGS:

Wesley Clark: *Clark’s missteps *Vitriolic Clark *Clark’s conflict of interest *Clark’s testimony available

Howard Dean: *Dean fights back *Damage control *Liberals question Dean *Iowa endorsement

Dick Gephardt: *Gephardt: Dean’s double-talk  *Gephardt: Bush will ruin public schools *Gephardt has new ad

John Kerry: *Working tour *Mano a mano *Winter politics *Kerry’s Iowa battle

John Edwards: *Edwards calls on FTC, Justice Dept. *Edwards: extend jobless benefits

Joe Lieberman: *Lieberman: Clinton had it right

Dennis Kucinich: *Kucinich comes in peace

MoveOn.org: *Bush in 30 seconds

* CANDIDATES & CAUCUSES:

Clark’s missteps

It is hard to tell whether Wesley Clark’s campaign is trying to clear itself from a brewing scandal or is foolishly linking itself to it. The scandal involves links from Clark’s and Dean’s campaigns urging foreigners to invest in defeating President Bush. The other aspect of the scandal is the oblique connection with MoveOn.org who has involvement with the Democrat candidates and the defeat of President Bush. MoveOn.org is a ‘527’ organization that is allowed to use soft money for the defeat or election of a political candidate.

The stir comes from Clark’s campaign objecting to a fundraising email from the Bush-Cheney campaign. The email reads as follows:

In my last e-mail I told you wealthy liberals, led by billionaire George Soros, plan to spend $400 million to defeat President Bush. Now comes word that Soros and his anti-war allies are soliciting foreign money to use against President Bush.

One group Soros supports is telling liberal foreign donors they have "a chance to defeat [Bush] -- even if you are not an American." Read more at:

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2003/december/
1216_moveon_scandal.shtml

To beat these billionaire liberals and the flood of foreign money they're encouraging, we need your help today!

Please help us reach our goal of 450,000 AMERICAN grassroots contributors to the Presidents campaign by sending $100, $75, $50, $25 or whatever you can afford today by contributing online at:

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Grassroots/

If you thought liberal special interest groups raising foreign cash to attack our President was bad enough ... Democrat presidential candidates are doing it too!

Web sites for Wesley Clark and Howard Dean direct visitors from outside the United States to liberal fundraising Web sites where foreign donors can pledge money to fund left-wing efforts to defeat President Bush.

This news comes days after Democrat candidate Howard Dean floated the absurd conspiracy theory that President Bush knew of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, saying, "The most interesting theory that I've heard so far ... is that he was warned ahead of time by the Saudis."

It doesn't stop there. This week, Dean declared that, "The capture of Saddam has not made America safer."

And Dean is not the only Democrat making such reckless charges. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Sunday floated the theory to a FOX News correspondent, "that the Bush administration has Osama bin Laden hidden away somewhere and will bring him out before the election."

Wesley Clark, who was in Europe when Saddam Hussein was captured, criticized the President this week and said that rather than going after Saddam, he would have let the United Nations continue to seek the dictator's cooperation. Clark also declared that, "Weapons of mass destruction are no longer a threat to the United States."

Democrats will do or say anything to defeat our President -- wild accusations, reckless conspiracy theories, and now raising money from foreign, anti-American activists!

We need your help to overcome these attacks!

Reuters reports on the Clark campaign’s objection to the fact that it references Clark who was in Europe testifying against Slobodan Millosevick. The article did not reference the fact that the Clark campaign sent an email asking for funds in which Clark’s testifying was mentioned. Reuters reports:

Bennett said the Clark campaign considered the reference to Clark being in Europe as a sideswipe against Bush's potential opponent. "We don't know why the Bush allies would question Gen. Clark's participation in a trial against a murderous despot," Clark spokesman Matt Bennett told Reuters.

As the email reads there is no questioning of Clark’s testimony but rather his statement outside the trial about the capture of Saddam Hussein.

However it does bring the campaign to a recent article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the headline read, "Now you have the chance to leave your mark on Bush."

The article gives Europeans "a chance to defeat [Bush] -- even if you are not an American."

"One dollar for every European citizen would raise more money than the entire official Bush campaign budget for his election in 2000," the website proclaims. "Compare this price to the cost of having Bush in the White House."

The article states that this is a "globalized world," what happens in America greatly affects the rest of the world. As a result, Europeans and other non-Americans should go about trying to make changes politically.

"For that reason, we urge financial support for MoveOn.org," the article concludes.

The article also relates that 680,000 of the estimated 2 million members of MoveOn.org are non-Americans. Despite a policy against foreign money, MoveOn.org has appointed an International Campaigns Director named Eli Pariser. His primary role with MoveOn.org has been to develop ways to generate interest in American elections overseas, including developing innovative fundraising drives in other countries.

Drudge reported on this developing story and the Washington Post asked MoveOn.org about it and they responded, "To avoid even the appearance of impropriety, we are not going to take contributions from overseas," stated MoveOn.org founder Wes Boyd to The Washington Post over the weekend. Drudge cited that two Democrat presidential where listed by name on several international fundraising websites asking for donations to be made directly to MoveOn.org. Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean were the two candidates listed on the websites requesting funds from foreign citizens. Drudge also reported on the official campaign website for Clark, there is a link to a website entitled "Canada for Clark" urging Canadians to give money to MoveOn.org. Clark spokesman Bennett denied the charge as "absurd and pathetic."

There is now no link from Clark to Canada for Clark, but there is a Canada for Clark who no longer has a link to contribute to MoveOn.org. If you are not an American the site suggest that you can contribute to US4Clark. Drudge earlier reported on Howard Dean. When IPW visited the site it was a directory that was no longer navigable. Drudge stated on Dec. 15:

Dean04Worldwide.com is a noncommercial and volunteer website offered by Corinne Sinclair, a non-US citizen, based in London. Domain registration information indicates the website name servers are owned by PromoHosting.com, a website hosting service based in Portugal. Dean04Worldwide.com encourages non-Americans across the global to help Dean win the 2004 election.

A notice on the website explains how to provide funds to MoveOn.org, since non-Americans cannot donate directly to the Dean campaign.

Late last week, a Swedish website removed an "EU-MoveOn.org Fundraising Appeal," claiming MoveOn.org "No Longer Accepts Contributions From Non US Citizens/Permanent Resident Aliens."

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who has been headlining moveone.org events, is said to have vocalized serious concerns about the website accepting cash from foreign sources, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Vitriolic Clark

Wesley Clark issued every negative metaphor and vitriolic statement he could level at President Bush. He also took on Sen. John Kerry’s claim that he is the only candidate with foreign policy experience. Apparently to Clark, serving on the Intelligence Committee in the Senate and being able to provide consent to whether you become a general or not just doesn’t count. However, Kerry did not recognized Clark’s credentials when he claimed to be the only one with foreign policy experience to take on Bush.

Blistering language

Clark’s most outrageous comments were left for President Bush: "It's a return to an imperial Presidency, the likes of which we haven't seen since Richard Nixon;" Telling other countries they were either for us or against us in Iraq was "cowboy talk," Bush is a "reckless radical," arguing he was reckless for getting America into the war in Iraq and a radical for implementing an economic policy based on giving tax cuts to the rich; "He's a partisan, polarizing, divisive figure;" No Child Left Behind, is a Trojan horse. "It's designed to destroy public education by eroding confidence in public education;" When it comes to education, Bush is "all mouth and no money."

Clark’s conflict of interest

The NY Times reports on Wesley Clark’s conflict of interest concerning policies that he promotes. Clark has a financial interest in a company that is developing new battery technologies. He has frequently suggested that as President he would make sure that large subsidies would go to such companies:

General Clark has discussed the WaveCrest technology several times over the last month, most recently at a campaign event on Thursday in this town in western New Hampshire, where he enthused about a future where the use of electric cars employing the WaveCrest technology could cut oil imports in half.

Clark used to consult with the company and helped it sell motorized bikes to the Army:

In the last two years General Clark has received more than $195,000 in consulting and director fees from WaveCrest, and he served as chairman of its board from April 1 through Oct. 7, when he resigned to focus on his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. The company is seeking additional financing to further develop its motor and battery systems. Even if General Clark doesn't win the nomination or the presidency, WaveCrest might benefit from his consistent promotion of its technology.

Clark’s testimony available

The Washington Post makes available the transcripts of Wesley Clark’s testimony against Slobodan Milosevic.

Dean fights back

The Des Moines Register covers Howard Dean’s Iowa appearances as he counters his opponents’ recent attacks:

"As distressing as the president's conduct was in leading us into this war, the way some Democrats in Washington fell meekly in line with the president was equally distressing," Dean told 150 Des Moines County Democrats at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Burlington.

"One candidate even spent six months explaining away his vote for the war," Dean said, later identifying Sen. John Kerry as the candidate. "Now, suddenly, leaping on overnight polls, he claims to be proud of his vote."

Dean also criticized Rep. Dick Gephardt for his “false” attacks that he would cut Medicare. A Gephardt spokesman is quoted in the story:

"His is a typical Republican argument, that cutting the rate of growth of Medicare is not a cut," Bill Burton said. "The fact is, Dick Gephardt will not reduce the rate of growth of Medicare."

The article doesn’t cover the latest dust-up between him and Gephardt over Dean’s giving privileges to Enron.

As Dean campaigned in Maquoketa, Iowa Saturday he pushed hard at his claim to being an outsider running against Washington-based candidates with no record of accomplishment.

"There are five or six people running for president right now who have a chance at winning," Dean said. "I'm the only person who has done anything about trying to get health care."

This as he said, "It's not necessary to tear down the other opponents."

Damage control

The Dean campaign was in operation damage control once again yesterday. Joe Trippi was left to explain how a new Democrat era from the Clinton era was not a repudiation of President Clinton. Following Dean’s domestic policy speech, opponents and former Clinton staff attacked Dean’s comments. The campaign was left to try and shore up its base, reports the Manchester Union Leader:

Yesterday afternoon, the Dean campaign sent out a lengthy e-mail with similar comments, alleging Dean’s foes are “trying to create a non-existent personal and policy rift” between Dean and Clinton.

It goes on to clarify that in the speech, Dean “was simply saying that it is time for the Democratic Party to articulate the next step in its agenda. . .The party can and must acknowledge that — as Bill Clinton has said — the era of big government is over, and now is the time for us to articulate a new Democratic domestic agenda for the 21st Century that builds on President Clinton’s successes.”

The NY Times also covers Howard Dean’s campaign of damage control. The Times offers this telling quote from Dean:

"I reject the notion that damage control must be our credo," he added.

Liberals question Dean

The Washington Times reports Howard Dean is confusing liberals on his foreign policy. What is worse is it’s the Brookings Institute -- where Dean has recruited many of his foreign policy advisors – that’s questioning Dean. Michael E. O'Hanlon, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at Brookings offers many questions about the wisdom or lack there of concerning Dean’s foreign policy statements:

In the interviews, he said he would enter into immediate bilateral negotiations with North Korea and offer them a major economic and energy assistance package and a nonaggression treaty in exchange for ending their nuclear weapons program.

Mr. O'Hanlon and other foreign policy analysts reject such an approach as naive, noting that it had been tried before under the Clinton administration, only to see North Korea ignore its pledges to halt weapons development.

"It comes too close to buying the same horse. We already gave North Korea incentives in 1994 to eliminate its nuclear weapons capabilities and then they violated that commitment," the Brookings scholar said.

There is a question of what is Dean’s policy for Iraq:

"At different times Dean has called for reduced funding in Iraq. Other times, he said our troops should be brought home and that Arab troops should be sent there. More recently, he said the world is no safer after Saddam's capture," Mr. O'Hanlon said.

The Times reports that some at Brookings are not optimistic about Dean:

Mr. O'Hanlon said there was a diverse range of opinion at Brookings about Mr. Dean — not all of it supportive.

"There are some who hold out hope that he can be educated. Then there are others like me who feel that Dean would almost guarantee the party's defeat if he sticks to these positions."

Iowa endorsement

Former Democratic Congressman and former state party chairman Dave Nagle has announced he will endorse Howard Dean in the Iowa caucuses, saying he is disturbed at new ads attacking the candidate.

"He has energized this party on three levels -- he's brought old Democrats back, he's brought new Democrats in, and he's broadened by leaps and bounds the financial base," Nagle said.

 Gephardt: Dean’s double-talk

Rep. Dick Gephardt issued the following statement today on former Vermont Governor Howard Dean's ad currently running in Iowa attacking George Bush for his ties to Enron.

"This is the most outrageous example of Howard Dean's doubletalk so far in the campaign. Howard Dean is running an ad critical of Enron tax breaks without mentioning that as governor, he was responsible for handing out a tax windfall to those same corporate criminals.

"Howard Dean is completely compromised on the Enron issue. He would never be able to challenge George Bush on Enron as the party's nominee.

"Howard Dean continues to stubbornly refuse to disclose his files as governor so we can know the exact nature of his contact with Enron officials at the time he was giving them these huge tax breaks."

Gephardt: Bush will ruin public schools

Presidential contender Dick Gephardt accused President Bush of having ulterior motives in promoting the education overhaul contained in his "No Child Left Behind" school policies.

"George Bush is deliberately setting up public schools to fail so he can say there is no choice but to take money away from public schools. There's only one way to fix No Child Left Behind, and that is to leave George Bush behind," Gephardt said Saturday at New England College in Henniker.

Gephardt has new ad

Rep. Dick Gephardt is running a new ad in Iowa titled Republicans. You can bet he isn’t saying anything nice about them, and it plays to the issue of electability. Here is a transcript of the ad:

Announcer: "Dick Gephardt is the Democrat Republicans fear most."

Rep. Dick Gephardt: "President Bush's economic policies are a miserable failure. As president I will repeal the Bush tax cuts and instead provide health care for every American. My Apollo 21 plan will free us from foreign oil and create jobs. I'll push for an international minimum wage and raise our minimum wage.

"I'm Dick Gephardt. I approve this message because I will stop George Bush and fight for America's middle class."

Working tour

Tomorrow, John Kerry will launch his four day Fighting for Working Americans Tour in Altoona, Iowa. Kerry plans to visit with middle class families to discuss his plan to end the failed Bush economic policy that has cost America 3 million jobs. Excerpt from the Kerry website:

Throughout the following four days, he will visit working Iowans at work, including factory workers, child care providers, fire fighters, nurses, small business owners and farmers and talk with them about his plan for the first 100 days of a Kerry Administration that will set America back on a course toward security and prosperity.

George W. Bush has taken America in the wrong direction because he cares more about special interests than about the needs of working Americans. John Kerry has a plan to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy so that we can invest in education and healthcare. He will stand up to the special interests and fight for working Americans to put the nation back on track to promise and prosperity.

Mano a mano

Sen. John Kerry appears to be asking Howard Dean for hand-to-hand combat regarding the question of foreign policy. However, Kerry does – given the ambiguity of his challenge – leave the door open for others, too.

“Job number one of the President of the United States is to make America safe. That’s why it’s so troubling that on the question of national security, in the past week alone Governor Dean has made a series of comments that betray a shoot-from-the-hip style and a troubling tendency to flip-flop. A candidate who treats America’s national security this way won’t be elected President of the United States – and frankly doesn’t deserve to be elected.

“On Sunday, Governor Dean said the capture of Saddam Hussein marked “a great day for the Iraqi people, the U.S., and the international community.” But the very next day, Governor Dean personally wrote a line into his prepared speech stating that “the capture of Saddam has not made America safer.” He made the bizarre assertion that Saddam Hussein’s capture “could have taken place six months ago.” He stated that, as President he would have acted in Iraq “had the United Nations given us permission and asked us to be a part of a multilateral force” – implying that he would give nations like China, France and Russia unprecedented veto power over America’s security.

“Perhaps he didn’t mean to say all of these things. Perhaps there’s some reasonable explanation for what he was really trying to get across. But it is clear that, in this past week alone, Governor Dean has added immeasurably to the already significant doubts about his ability to be Commander-in-Chief.

“Before we nominate a candidate to challenge a war-time President running for reelection on a dangerous doctrine of preemption, our Party needs to talk about these issues honestly and openly. That’s why today I challenge Governor Dean to a full, frank, and open debate on America’s national security. The stakes are too high to sweep the discussion over America’s safety under the rug.

“I hope Governor Dean will accept this offer. It’s good for our country. It’s good for our party. And if Howard Dean can’t debate national security with his fellow Democrats, how in the world can he expect to be able to stand on a stage and face George W. Bush?”

Winter politics

It is beginning to look a lot like winter. And, if it’s winter then it’s time to beat up on oil companies for high heating prices. Senator John Kerry sent a letter to the President telling him to work with the energy companies that he has been giving billions to too lower heating prices. Here is an excerpt of the letter:

“Given that we have near record amounts of gas in storage, it is difficult to understand how market forces alone can cause such a price spike. Today, I am writing to ask that the Department of Energy take all appropriate action to ensure that natural gas prices are fair and reasonable.

“Among these actions, I urge the Administration to call upon the leaders of energy companies, many of which are now generating higher profits because of the price spike, to work with the Administration, consumer advocates and others to lower prices. I also ask that you investigate the industry to ensure that these price spikes in regional and national markets are not the result of any anti-competitive practices. Finally, the Administration should develop a plan to respond to projections that average heating costs for families are soaring.

“Mr. President, you have supported an energy bill that gives billions of dollars to big energy companies and special interests. What we really need is to put America’s families first and provide relief for the millions of Americans who are now facing higher energy costs. These Americans are already having trouble making ends meet and they deserve action now.”

*Kerry’s Iowa battle

The LA Times is finally getting around to covering Sen. John Kerry’s efforts in Iowa. No new ground covered here.

Edwards calls on FTC, Justice Dept.

Edwards wants the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to investigate American companies' alleged collusion to stop Canadian pharmacists from supplying affordable drugs to Americans. The call for this action is inconsistent with current law and is clearly a stunt. The impetus for his action is to focus on the fact that in recent weeks, several major drug companies, apparently acting together, have told Canadian pharmacists that their supply of pharmaceuticals would be cut off if there was evidence of importation to the US. The Canadian governments strongarm tactics with pharmacy companies have been blamed for part of the reason America’s drugs are so high priced. Edwards offered the following statement:

"The drug companies bought the president's prescription drug bill, and now they're bullying Canadian pharmacists into denying affordable, life-saving treatment for Americans," Edwards said. "This has to stop. It's time to put drugs for patients ahead of profits for drug companies."

The drug companies' action follows their victory in the Medicare drug bill, which effectively prohibits re-importation and prohibits the U.S. government from negotiating with drug companies for lower drug prices in Medicare. Edwards has long supported the safe re-importation of safe drugs from Canada. He applauds efforts in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Boston and elsewhere to contain drug costs through re-importation.

Edwards: extend jobless benefits

Sen. John Edwards wants President Bush to push Congress to extend once again the unemployment benefits for those still looking for a job:

"This holiday season President Bush and the Republican leadership will deliver lumps of coal to more than 80,000 families whose only misdeed was losing their job.

"Washington under Republican control shows that 'Tis the season not for giving, but for taking. 'Tis the season to take away men and women's ability to pay their rent, their bills, and buy their kid a gift. 'Tis the season to slip out of town while millions of Americans received pink slips this year.

"We cannot let this president and the Republican leadership do this again. Our economy is still not creating the amount of jobs we need to put America back to work. Until we are out of the woods, until it is clear that our economy is producing enough jobs, we must extend unemployment insurance another 13 weeks. This is not a gift to these families who are struggling; it's the right thing to do for them and our economy."

Lieberman: Clinton had it right

As Howard Dean promotes a different approach to domestic policy than President Clinton, Sen. Joe Lieberman wants to follow Clinton’s formulas. Joe Lieberman vowed to turn the economy around as President by cutting taxes for 98 percent of taxpayers, promoting trade to create new jobs, and revive the flagging manufacturing sector by cracking down on countries that break trade rules and training workers for the manufacturing jobs of tomorrow.

"When Bill Clinton was President, we understood the ingredients of economic growth," Lieberman said. "Cutting taxes on the middle-class and on business. Opening markets. Investing in education and innovation. Bringing down the deficit. And helping manufacturers deal with the growing pains of a global economy."

"I've got a plan that's going to move America forward -- by building on the Clinton legacy and applying it to the tough new challenges we face," he said on a visit to M Cubed Technologies, a company that manufactures materials for bulletproof vests used by U.S. soldiers in combat, among other items.

Lieberman said that under his plan, a family of four in Delaware that makes a combined $75,000 a year would save $760 on their tax bill compared to current law. 98 percent of families will get a new tax cut -- including 300,000 Delaware families.

Kucinich comes in peace

Dennis Kucinich will bring his message of peace to President Bush's former home, Austin, Texas, in Kucinich's first major campaign stop of 2004. On January 2nd, there will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at Barr Mansion & Artisan Ballroom with special guests Mimi Kennedy and James Cromwell, and entertainment by Tish Hinojosa and Libby Kirkpatrick.

On January 3rd at 8 p.m. there will be a fundraising concert at the Austin Music Hall with Kucinich endorsers Willie Nelson, Tim Reynolds, Michelle Shocked, and Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers along with Jim Hightower, Bonnie Raitt, Tish Hinojosa, and Michael McDonald. There will be a post-performance artist's reception at La Zona Rosa, 4th St. and Rio Grande, immediately following the concert.

Jim Hightower is a new addition to the list of participants and a well-known national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and progressive organizer and agitator, as well as being an Austin resident. Twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Hightower has authored numerous books, including the recent Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back, a New York Times Best-Seller. His previous books include If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote, They Would Have Given Us Candidates; and There's Nothing In the Middle Of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos.

Classic blue eyed soul vocalist Michael McDonald, Doobie Brothers' lead singer Pat Simmons, actors Mimi Kennedy ("Dharma & Greg"), and James Cromwell (Babe, "Six Feet Under"), and award winning singer-songwriter Libby Kirkpatrick are also new editions to this weekend extravaganza.

Bush in 30 seconds

IPW has frequently reported on the Robert Greenwald movie that MoveOn.org is circulating. Now, Reuters has a story as well. They report how some 50,000 copies have been sold, raising nearly $800,000, since the campaign began in November:

The 56-minute film, "Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War," concludes that President Bush and his team distorted intelligence data and misled the American public ahead of the March invasion that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Greenwald has bypassed movie theaters and television, and instead has organized "parlor screenings" in thousands of homes across the United States with the help of Internet-based liberal advocacy group, MoveOn.org.

What is not reported on is MoveOn.org’s new advertising campaign ad competition:

When we announced the launch of our "Bush in 30 Seconds" ad contest back in October, we expected maybe 300 people would take the time to make a TV ad that tells the truth about President Bush. But when we reached the submissions deadline in early December, we had over 1,000 ads -- including some of the best political ads we've ever seen.

Now, we're counting on you to help us narrow the field from over 1,000 ads to 15 finalists. Our panel of celebrity judges will pick the winning ad from among those finalists, and we'll run it in January during the week of Bush's State of the Union address. All 15 of the top ads will be featured in a Bush in 30 Seconds awards show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on January 12th.

* ON THE BUSH BEAT:

Building an army

The NY Times reports on the Bush-Cheney campaign efforts to build an unprecedented grassroots organization:

The most compelling lessons, Republican officials said, were that it pays to start early and that personal contact by local volunteers carries far more weight with voters than any of the other options. Done right, the Republican studies concluded, the grass-roots operation could result in a difference of three or four percentage points in the outcome, enough to determine a winner in a close race.

* THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

Hillary's opponent criticized

New York Gov. Pataki was criticized by NY Democrats for revealing the plans for the Freedom Tower to Katie Couric, the popular host of NBC's "Today" show, prompting gripes that the governor is using the Sept. 11 tragedy to bolster his own national political ambitions. Pataki, who is not expected to seek a fourth term as governor, is widely believed to have his eye on a bigger office. Many GOP operatives believe Pataki may challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2006.

* NATIONAL:

Will there be limits?

While the passage of McCain-Feingold appears to have opened the floodgates of foreign money and 527 groups, the new chairman of the Federal Election Commission thinks he can dam up the flow. The incoming chairman, Republican Bradley Smith, said a Supreme Court ruling upholding the nation's new campaign finance law may limit the activities of such groups far more than they now think. He said the law may also require them to disclose their finances and spending to the FEC. This means there are a lot of groups already out there that would have accepted contributions beyond their limits.

The argument for the FEC is the high court ruling seems to eliminate the court's previous "express advocacy" standard, which meant the FEC could regulate groups that spent money expressly calling for a candidate's election or defeat.  If the FEC decides that the Supreme Court ruling expands its ability to regulate and limit election activities, the new groups could be forced to return the big checks they have collected.

 

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