Daily Report: 2004 Presidential Watch: Republican conservative news on the Democrat caucus, primary candidates national campaigns.

… “Washington Whispers” writes about Gilligan, Thurston Howell III, and Kerry

…Des Moines Register columnist Yepsen engages in horserace journalism, handicaps the Dem field – says all but Gephardt, Kerry and Dean in danger of being “winnowed out”

…Iowa GOP Chair (and State Sen.) Larson says he’d be “shocked” if Guv Vilsack doesn’t sign economic stimulus package. Ex-Gov. Branstad also checks in

…Graham takes another hit from home state media – Orlando Sentinel says Graham’s the one who’s not hot, ridicules Graham’s “corny song.”

…GOPUSA writer says the smartest woman in the world – Hillary – is now trying to reinvent herself as the warmest, most forgiving woman in the world

…News & Observer examines Edwards’ “dual roles” during Raleigh return… Iowa media – and politicians – consumed with U. S. Supreme Court casino tax ruling. Dubuque track spokesman says this morning their facility may have to close if higher tax reinstated

… New tale: North Korea says it wants nuclear weapons to reduce military costs, not to threaten others

…Storms rumble across IA overnight – two semi swept off I-29 in Sioux City, more than 57,000 were still without power in Cedar Rapids area this morning

…Iowaism: Southern IA community Kent to decide today whether to fold municipal tent

… What do John Kerry and a Gilligan’s Island character have in common? In his “Washington Whispers” column in this week’s U. S. News & World Report, Paul Bedard writes: “Have you even found yourself wondering if Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry is really Thurston Howell III, the Gilligan’s Island millionaire? No? Well, you will soon if Republican strategists follow through with their prankster plans for the 2004 presidential race. ‘We’ll gig ‘em whenever and wherever we can,’ says one source. The idea is simple. Send an ‘attack mascot’ to primary and caucus appearances of leading Democratic White House hopefuls to heckle and unnerve the candidates. Initial plans by GOP strategists focus on Kerry, Rep. Dick Gephardt, Sen. John Edwards, and Sen. Joe Lieberman. Just this weekend, Edwards will be met in his home state with a Welcome Wagon, a dig at how much time he has been away campaigning. The most original is the Kerry gag mascot: somebody dressed as Howell, the lock-jawed dim bulb who inherited his wealth. In his straw hat; a $150 price tag to represent his barber’s fee. Suggests Kerry spokesman David Wade, the GOP ‘should lay off the Gilligan’s Island imagery before we cast George W. Bush as gilligan in the remake.’”

… Headline on David Yepsen column in this morning’s Des Moines Register: “Reality time for back-of-the-pack Democrats” Some excerpts: “Dean is within three points of catching Kerry to win second place in Iowa. His numbers illustrate that he’s more than just some anti-war candidate and that his constant campaigning in Iowa is connecting with Democrats here. (Dean has even slowed his speaking pace so we Midwesterners can more easily understand him.)…Gephardt is doing what he has to do: win Iowa…Lieberman and Edwards are falling. Lieberman dropped six points, Edwards fell four. Edwards was at 8 percent in the March poll, so this survey suggests he’s lost half his support…Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich remains back of the pack at 1 percent. For all the time and effort Kucinich is devoting to Iowa, he’s not harvesting much…Florida Senator Bob Graham is also back in the pack at 1 percent. Graham is a respected U. S. senator who is putting together an experienced campaign team in Iowa. But he got in late and has little charisma. Graham’s folksy, hesitant speaking style may not be clicking either. (At Gov. Tom Vilsack’s family picnic in Mount Pleasant over the weekend, both Graham and Kucinich sang short songs. Sorry, singing is entertaining, not presidential.)…Almost a third – 29 percent – of the likely caucus-goers say they are undecided….But the campaign has gone on long enough that there is little reason to think the third of likely Democratic caucus-goers who are uncommitted will behave that much differently from the two-thirds who are expressing a preference…Lieberman, Edwards, Kucinich, Graham, Sharpton and Moseley Braun are in danger of being winnowed out. Throughout the history of the caucuses, only the top three finishers in Iowa remain viable candidates. No one finishing worse than third in Iowa has even gone on to win a major party presidential nomination.” (Iowa Pres Watch Note: The poll numbers referred to in Yepsen’s column are from a Research 2000 poll conducted by Iowa TV stations KCCI and KIMT – which were noted in a Pres Watch Daily Report last week.)

… Gephardt yesterday picked up the endorsement of the 150,000-member Office and Professional Employees International Union – the fourth to back his White House bid and the largest to date. Despite requests by the AFL-CIO that unions not endorse candidates until later this year to determine if they can unite behind one Dem candidate, the Office and Professional Employees joined the Iron Workers (135,000 members), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (100,000 members), and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (50,000 members) in supporting Gephardt’s candidacy. The Office and Professional Employees Union represents clerical workers, administrative employees, security guards and private sector workers.

… 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.’”

… Sidebar from Mount Pleasant wannabe roundup. Thomas Beaumont, in a sidebar in yesterday’s Register, wrote: “Of the four Democratic presidential candidates who attended Vilsack’s picnic Sunday, only former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was among those Vilsack placed in the top tier during an interview he gave last month.” Gephardt and Kerry were the others on the guv’s top-tier list. Here, according to Beaumont, is what the other three at the Vilsack picnic said about the governor’s observations: Graham: “We’re not striving to reach the top tier. We’re striving to reach No. 1.” Kucinich: “My emerging campaign is going to be a comfort to the governor.” Lieberman: “In Iowa, it’s all about exceeding expectations. I told Governor Vilsack, ‘Thank you for being so generous.’”

… More from Edwards’ weekend birthday romp through the Carolinas. In the Sunday News & Observer of Raleigh, Edwards-watcher (and the paper’s Washington correspondent) John Wagner wrote about the North Carolina senator’s return to Raleigh: Headline – “Passing the test in dual roles” Excerpt – “With polls showing lukewarm support for his presidential bid back home, U. S. Sen. John Edwards arrived at a town-hall meeting Saturday braced for some questions about the wisdom of his candidacy. What he got instead could have been tossed at any Tar Heel senator. Pointed queries about the war with Iraq, the safety of a local nuclear plant and what more can be done to help struggling farmers. The hour-long meeting highlighted the two worlds Edwards is straddling these days: He is running full-bore for his party’s presidential nomination but has not yet completely abandoned the idea of seeking re-election to his Senate seat – which is also on the ballot in 2004. Die-hard North Carolina Democrats have rallied to Edwards’ side. That was evident later Saturday at a fund-raiser outside his presidential campaign headquarters…But some of the home-state ambivalence surrounding Edwards’ presidential bid was also evident during the day.”

… In yesterday’s Washington Times – under the headline, “Democrats split on national security” – veteran political writer Donald Lambro, in a new analysis, examined the splits in the Democratic Party after last week’s conference of liberal activists in DC. Excerpts: “The ideological war between leftist Democrats and centrist New Democrats got a lot hotter last week, threatening to further split the party and undermine its chances in the 2004 presidential elections. At the core of the conflict is the party’s posture on national security issues, including the war that ended Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq and homeland defense. The centrist Democratic Leadership Council, which helped catapult Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992, says the Democrats cannot win next year if the party does not stake out an unequivocal, hard-line position on U. S. security. But antiwar activists want their party’s presidential nominee to run all-out as a critic of the way, U. S. occupation of Iraq and President Bush’s pre-emptive military strategy against rogue nations that harbor terrorists…This was an audience of rank-and-file labor union members, feminists, environmentalists, and antiwar protestors who were ready for some liberal red meat. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who is seeking his party’s nomination for president, did not disappoint them. ‘The best way to beat the Republicans is not to be like them. Stand up and fight,’ he told the crowd, which cheered his call for the party to stick to liberal beliefs. As for the DLC’s strategy to move the party to the middle, Mr. Dean said he wants no part of it. ‘We’re going to put our flag in the middle of where people ought to be and bring people to us,’ he said. In an attempt to transcend the Democrats’ divisions, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, another presidential contender, had a message carefully crafted to please both wings of his party. ‘We need to speak out for a strong America. We need to convince Americans that we will keep them safe, that we will make this country stronger and more secure,’ Mr. Kerry said in remarks on national defense that did not elicit much response from the audience. But in a bid to please the liberal activists who packed the hall, Mr. Kerry also said, ‘We need to move from destructive weapons to helping the impoverished. We should not be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them in New York City.’”

THE CLINTON COMEDIES:

… “The Clintons: Weapons of Mass Destruction” That’s the headline on a GOPUSA online commentary yesterday by Doug Patton about Hillary’s latest “Living History” literary effort. An excerpt: “This book is being touted as ‘a memoir,’ and is designed to gently get us all past the scandals of Bill Clinton’s presidency and clear the way for the couple to return to the White House in 2009. By any measure, the book should be called ‘Living Fantasy.’ In fact, most pundits outside the national broadcast networks and the now-discredited spin factory at The New York Times, scoff at the notion that this is a ‘tell-all’ book of personal pain written by the former First Lady. It is not, of course. Rather, it is a cynical attempt to reinvent the smartest woman in the world into the warmest, most forgiving woman in the world. Speculation ran wild concerning what the book might reveal about the Clintons’ marriage and the strange political partnership that has dominated our national psyche for far too long. What would Barbara Walters ask Hillary in her prime time interview on Sunday night? America was told to be on pins and needles. We were all agog. Of course, the nauseatingly sweet interview consisted of nerf balls tossed at Sen. Clinton in what became a shameless attempt to soften her image to a skeptical public. Gerald Ford once described Watergate as ‘our long national nightmare.’ The Clintons have become a self-imposed nightmare that simply won’t go away.”

… On Mickelson radio talk show (WHO, Des Moines/ WMT, Cedar Rapids) yesterday, Iowa Republican State Chairman – and State Sen. – Chuck Larson said he would be “shocked” if the governor vetoes the economic stimulus package approved by lawmakers in special session last week. Larson, one of the most outspoken opponents of an earlier version of the proposal, said the approved legislation includes two of Vilsack’s key goals – the Iowa Values Fund economic development initiative and “his second goal of ending property taxes as we know them.” He noted that in the final legislation “the governor has gotten what he wanted.” In addition, Larson highlighted elements providing for income tax relief and regulatory reform. The Cedar Rapids state senator said he opposed an earlier version that would have forced the state to assume significant debt, and that the income tax reduction and regulatory reforms “brought many of us around” to supporting it.

… A Branstad postscript. Also calling Mickelson’s program yesterday – former GOP Gov. Branstad, who checked in to set the record straight. During the interview with Larson, Mickelson mistakenly attributed comments critical of the economic package to Branstad. The former governor said he is “very supportive” of the legislation, especially the income-tax reductions. Branstad: “I hope the governor signs it.” As it turned out, the comments – which Mickelson had attributed to Branstad by mistake – were made by another GOP ex-elected official: Former Lt. Gov. Arthur Neu.

Des Moines Register, top front-page headlines: “Iowa wins legal fight on casino tax rates…State court still may say difference is unlawful.” & “West Bank settlers furious at Israel…Hundreds move to thwart troops razing outposts”

Quad-City Times, top stories online: “Casino-tax rulings favors state of Iowa” & “Births occur 9 months after troops from Afghanistan” Report from Fort Campbell, Ky., says “there are about to be a lot more bleary-eyed moms” nine months after the soldiers came back from conflict.

Daily Iowan (University of Iowa), national online headlines: “Bush pushes House to OK tax credit for kids” & “Study: Film smoking affects kids”

Sioux City Journal online, top stories: “Heavy rain, hail pour down on Siouxland” & “Israel tearing down some settlement outposts; Abbas defends his peace moves”

Chicago Tribune, main online headlines: “Health officials labor to contain monkeypox” & “Schools to raise taxes, cut 450 jobs” Chicago schools outline a $4.8 billion budget that increases school spending and property taxes.

Omaha World-Herald, nation/world heads: ”American troops find more resistance” Report says attacks on U. S. troops increasing in areas where “many Iraqis remain opposed to the U. S. occupation of their country.” & “Debate is about Medicare’s future” Congress begins debate this week on prescription drug benefits for the elderly.

New York Times, top online headlines: “Bush Will Accept Identical Benefits on Medicare Drugs” Report says the Bush administration told Congress that it would accept equal prescription drug benefits for people in Medicare and those who join private plans. & “Widespread Looting Leaves Iraq’s Oil Industry in Ruins”

… Big storms sweep across Iowa overnight. Reports this morning say 70-mile-an-hour winds reported in eastern Iowa while tornado warnings were issued in western sections of the state. Sioux City Journal reports today that “two semi-trucks, trailers and tractors, were toppled onto their sides on the U. S. Highway 20 overpass of Interstate 29, on the Iowa side of the Missouri River, closing the westbound lanes into South Sioux City.” The Journal reported that “a ferocious summer storm” produced several funnel clouds and put some streets under two feet of water. Morning newscasts report several areas remain without electricity this morning.

… Radio Iowa reports that law officers in rural Iowa towns need to be on the lookout for another new narcotic being used as a so-called “date rape” drug. The report quotes Jasper County (Newton) Sheriff Mike Balmer as saying the drug “Foxy” has been found in central Iowa – and he says it’s potentially lethal. Balmer said Foxy in its liquid form was seized days ago in Grinnell. The clear liquid, Balmer said, can look like something innocent, but it also can be found in tablet and powder form. The Radio Iowa report noted that Balmer said his drug task force was made aware of the drug a few days after a young person in Grinnell overdosed on Foxy and was hospitalized.

… WHO-TV (Des Moines) last night had video of a weekend ceremony honoring Davenport Marine Sgt. Bradley Korthaus – the first Iowan who died in the Iraqi conflict. A memorial monument, which included a flagpole, was placed outside his parents’ home that read: “In honor of Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, who gave his life preserving freedom in the world.” Korthaus, 28, and another Marine drowned crossing the Saddam Canal to set up cover fire for a water purification unit on 3/24

…KCCI-TV reports that Des Moines police continue to investigate the death of an east-side woman – 28-year-old Stacy Cox. She was found dead in her bed Sunday night at his house and police said several things made the case suspicious, including the fact police had been called to the residence about 18 hours earlier regarding a fight between Cox and her boyfriend. Morning newscasts say an autopsy failed to reveal a cause of the death, but that DSM police are treating it as a homicide.

… Iowans headed to Iraq. Under the headline “3 Q-C civilians headed to Iraq,” the Quad-City Times’ Ann McGlynn reported: “Mark Hoague, Ray Tatro and Rick Stebens do not wear camouflage. They do not march in step of salute their superiors. But the three Quad-City area men – an engineer, an architect and a contracting specialist – will be leaving later this month to assist the military with its rebuilding effort in Iraq. They are three of several U. S. Army Corps of Engineers employees going overseas. The trip is expected to last until December.”

… From the North Korean Front: VOANews (Voice of America) reported “South Korea’s president has told Japanese lawmakers he is committed to diplomacy to resolve the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says his country will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea, but stressed his commitment to achieve this goal through dialogue. Mr. Roh is wrapping up a four-day state visit to Japan, which did not resolve differences over what to do should North Korea ignore international pressure on the issue.” Meanwhile, another VOANews report said “Communist North Korea says it wants nuclear weapons to save money on convention forces, not to threaten other nations. Pyongyang also repeated that it needs a strong deterrence in the face of what it calls a hostile U. S. policy toward it. North Korea for the first time Monday linked its quest for nuclear arms to the idea it could save money and help revive its struggling economy. An editorial from North Korea’s official news agency says having nuclear weapons would enable Pyongyang to reduce its standing army of about one million troops, the third largest in the world.”

… From yesterday’s New York Times, a report that’s too good to pass up – even though it involves a Republican: Headline – “Senator Blocks 850 Air Force Promotions” Excerpt – “Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho is blocking the promotion of more than 850 Air Force officers, including young pilots who fought in Iraq and the general nominated to bail out the scandal-plagued United States Air Force Academy, in a rare clash between the Pentagon and a senior Republican lawmaker. Mr. Craig’s price to free the frozen promotions now awaiting final Senate approval? Four C-130 cargo planes for the Idaho Air National Guard. Pentagon officials express outrage that for more than a month Mr. Craig has single-handed delayed the careers of hundreds of officers and stymied important Air Force business for a handful of parochial planes. They are vowing not to give in to his pressure…But Mr. Craig contends that the Air Force has reneged on a promise made seven years ago to station a squadron of eight C-130s at Gowen Field, an Air National Guard base in Boise, his spokesman said. There are now four C-130s and another training aircraft based there. ‘This is a problem created by the Air Force that can be easily solved by the Air Force,’ Will Hart, the spokesman, said.”

… The Quad-City Times reported this morning – headline: “Casino-tax ruling favors state of Iowa” – that: “The U. S. Supreme Court handed the State of Iowa a sweeping legal victory Monday, ruling unanimously that a state law taxing racetrack casinos at a higher rate than riverboat casinos does not violate constitutional protections. The ruling reverses an Iowa Supreme Court decision made a year ago that struck down the law and threatened to yank tens of millions of dollars from state programs. And it deals a potentially costly blow to racetracks and their allies, who now face a return to higher tax rates and the prospect of forking over back taxes. ‘We’re elated. What a decision,’ said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who argued a case before the nation’s highest court for the first time. He called the victory the ‘highlight’ of his legal career, adding, ‘We couldn’t have asked for more.’ But Monday’s ruling does not fully close the door on the gaming-tax battle. The decision sends the case back to the Iowa Supreme Court, where racetrack officials say they still can prevail. Iowa justices could revisit the case this summer. ‘We still think it’s a live issue that could be resolved in our favor,’ said Tom Flynn, a Des Moines attorney for Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. Although the U. S. Supreme Court ruling settles issues related to the U. S. Constitution, he said, ‘We think the Iowa Supreme Court still has the right to review the issues as they pertain to the Iowa Constitution.’”

… Today’s editorial, Des Moines Register: “Unequal tax is still wrong…The Iowa Supreme Court should stick by its ruling against unequal casino taxation…Iowa has its own equal-protection clause, and the Iowa Supreme Court has the final say on interpreting it.”

… Another citizen commentary from the Sioux City Journal: “Politicians are always looking for more ways to spend our money: the Iowa Values Fund, Vision Iowa Fund, tax increment financing, federal and state grants. One principle we as taxpayers need to always remember – no one gets something for nothing unless someone, somewhere gets nothing for something.” – Thomas Widner, Sioux City

… Only 141 more wins than losses in the NBA and former Iowa State basketball coach Tim Floyd will have a .500 record in the pro league. Morning sportscasts – and top DSM Register sports page headline – report that Floyd has signed a $4.8 million contract to coach the New Orleans Hornets. Floyd, who had an 81-47 record with ISU, compiled a 49-190 record during his first NBA stint with the Chicago Bulls.

… Aspiring Iowa basketball stars will have a few nervous hours ahead to see if they get drafted to participate in Iowa City-area two summer leagues. The Daily Iowan reported that more than 500 applicants – “the line of potential Prime Times players stretched across three courts at the [University of Iowa] Field House” – participated in workouts over the weekend, vying for 88 player spots. The draft will be held tonight for the Game Time League – a three-year-old competition for female basketball players. Tomorrow night, the 17-year-old Prime Time League for high school and college-age males will conduct its draft. Both leagues open their summer seasons next week at the North Liberty Community Center.

… Quad-City Times report says a series of focus group sessions were held at St. Ambrose University in Davenport yesterday to seek community input about what fans want in the new baseball stadium scheduled to open next year. The Quad-City River Bandits organization was seeking citizen commentary on several topics – including suggestions for renaming the team, new colors and logos, and even the concession stand menus. The Times’ Steve Batterson wrote that a local group, DavenportOne, is lobbying for consideration of a “River Blues” nickname to “tie in with the group’s plans to market the area as a historic center of music.”

… DSM 7 a.m. 65, overcast. Temperatures across Iowa bunched in the low 60s across IA at 7 a.m. – from 61 in Sioux City, Creston and Decorah to 65 in Des Moines and 66 in Waterloo. Today’s high 82, chance T-storms. Tonight’s low 62, partly cloudy. Wednesday’s high 82, mostly sunny. Wednesday night’s low 62, chance T-storms. From WHO-TV’s Brandon Thomas: “Becoming partly sunny Tuesday afternoon, with highs in the mid/upper seventies. Mostly sunny on Wednesday, with highs in the mid/upper seventies. A slight chance of isolated t’storms, mainly in southern Iowa, Thursday afternoon. Highs will be in the low/mid eighties. Showers and t-storms are likely Friday evening into early Saturday morning. Highs will be in the low eighties.”

… Kent’s last stand? Morning newscasts and the Des Moines Register reported this morning that residents of Kent – a community of “only about” 52 in southern Iowa – will vote today whether to dissolve the old railroad town. The election was scheduled to be from noon to 8 p.m. at the Super 8 Motel in nearby Creston. The city began to talk about discontinuing last year after the mayor and city council resigned.