Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris, Clothilde Ewing, Nicola Corless, Smita Kalokhe and Joanna Schubert of The CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

But the GOP did pick up one high-profile candidate over the weekend: former congressman Michael Huffington, who spent more than $30 million of his own money in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1994.

In addition to Huffington, the only confirmed GOP candidates are Rep. Darrell Issa, who bankrolled the recall petition drive, and state Sen. Tom McClintock.

Californian Republicans still are awaiting word from actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. Riordan – the wealthy businessman who lost the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2002 partly because of negative ads paid for by Davis leading up to the primary – has indicated he'd skip the race if Schwarzenegger decides to run.

[In one of the lighter moments of the deadly serious recall story, Schwarzenegger's uncle-in-law, Sen. Ted Kennedy, told Time over the weekend: "He's a brilliant actor, but what makes Republicans think he could do well in politics? Of course, it's hard to argue with Arnold when you're hanging upside down by the ankles."]

Huffington - whose ex-wife, columnist Arianna Huffington, is reportedly considering a bid as a Democrat – filed papers on Friday. The couple divorced in 1997 after Michael Huffington revealed he's gay, and Huffington's sexual orientation has already sparked some political fireworks. Over the weekend, Issa's campaign manager, Scott Taylor, was quoted in the L.A. Times as saying, "I just have the feeling voters aren't going to embrace the first bisexual gubernatorial candidate."

Huffington's ex-wife, an arch-conservative turned liberal in recent years, told the AP, "Now that the recall is happening, the Democratic strategy of just circling the wagons is irresponsible … there's a definite vacuum for a progressive independent."

The L.A. Times also reports that total spending by the candidates could be between $50 million and $100 million between now and Oct. 7. A spokesman says Davis, a prodigious fundraiser who raised a record $70 million for the 2002 campaign, plans to spend between $10 and $15 million to avoid being recalled.

Hitting The Road: House leaders are spending the first week of summer recess trotting around the globe, with top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., concentrating on 2004 and Republican leaders focusing on foreign policy.

After spending the weekend in Massachusetts attending fundraising events for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Pelosi is in Boston today for the announcement of Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., as chair of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Also attending the announcement: Sen. Edward Kennedy, DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe and Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, meantime, is in the Middle East to visit Israel, Jordan and Iraq this week. He has meetings scheduled with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan and, while in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer.

DeLay is a strong supporter of Israel and has been skeptical of President Bush's plans for the region. Regarding Mr. Bush's idea of having a separate Palestinian state by 2005, DeLay said, "Before we can discuss a future Palestinian state, first the Palestinian terrorism must stop."

While DeLay does agree with the idea of the Bush administration's "road map" for the region, he wants to make sure "the Israeli people understand that their fight is our fight and we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them," he said, according to the Associated Press.

But DeLay isn't leaving the Palestinians in the dust. DeLay spokesman Stuart Roy told the AP that the majority leader would be talking about a "Marshall Plan" for the Palestinians.

"We're interested in providing direct assistance to Palestinians by building hospitals, roads, bridges, schools to demonstrate, this is what democracy is," Roy said.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and a group of Republican and Democratic House members are in Europe visiting allies, Hastert's office announced. By allies, they mean Great Britain, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands, all part of the "coalition of the willing" that backed the U.S. in Iraq. Not included on the European jaunt: war critics France and Germany.

"I hope this trip will help improve communications with our colleagues in Europe," Hastert said. "We also will have the opportunity to thank our friends for their support in the war on terrorism, especially those nations that supported us in the latest engagement in Iraq."

Going Batty: Presidential hopeful Howard Dean is "Bringing out the Bat" on his Web site to prove that grassroots can match big-money Bush-Cheney fundraising events. Friday, the Dean campaign launched a fundraising challenge, asking contributors to beat the $250,000 Cheney is scheduled to raise at a single luncheon in South Carolina Monday.

The deadline is midnight Monday, but as of 11:30 a.m today, 6,412 contributors donated $335,124.88, a victory for the Dean Team. "Thousands of Americans are telling Vice President Cheney today that their democracy is not for sale to special interests," campaign manager Joe Trippi said. "These Americans are sending a clear message to the Bush administration: They want their country back, and they have the power to take it back."

The campaign brought back the baseball bat icon that was so successful in building online enthusiasm at the end of the second quarter to track the money as it came in. But when the campaign met their $250,000 goal by Sunday, they added a second bat, mysteriously labeled "Top Secret." The campaign's lips are sealed on what they will do with this surprise money, but they are updating their progress every half hour, hoping to bring in thousands of small contributions to Dean's presidential campaign.

Spy Games: A man identifying himself as "Mr. Delgado" placed a suspicious call to the New Hampshire Gephardt campaign office. According to Roll Call, Mr. Delgado was curious about Gephardt's travel plans for the coming week. Asking if the Democratic presidential candidate would attend the National Urban League's conference in Pittsburgh, Mr. Delgado gave the misleading impression that he was actually from the league.

The Gephardt aide, who questioned the call when the area code showed up as 703, forwarded the information to the campaign advisors in Washington D.C. Roll Call's Heard on the Hill later redialed the number and found Tony Delgado, Bush-Cheney re-election campaign aide, on the receiving end.

When asked about the call, Delgado conceded that he did not disclose his relationship to the Bush campaign but contended that he never stated he was with the league. "I kind of messed up and gave them a call," said Delgado.

Gephardt spokesman Erik Smith joked about the incident saying, "Rule one in the opposition researcher's handbook is 'Don't use your direct line.'"Smith applauded Delgado for his honesty and said, "Two and a half years into the Bush presidency, maybe the Responsibility Era has begun."

Bush aides aren't the only ones floating spies. According to Hotline's Last Call, John Edwards and Howard Dean had staffers doing some "camera tracking." Both campaigns sent people with cameras check on the opposition at various events in Iowa this past month.

The following calendar gives a lot of information to interested parties—inside and outside of campaigns on political activity in the coming week:

Week Ahead:
Fortunately or not, the most exciting event on this week's calendar is Monday's Urban League Convention. Although, it's unlikely to match the drama surrounding the NAACP presidential forum, President Bush addressed the conference Monday morning and all the Democratic hopefuls but Sens. Bob Graham and John Kerry are attending the presidential forum Monday evening. Sen. John Edwards also tried to spice things up on Monday when he unveiled his health care plan in New Hampshire. The rest of the week is looking like more of the same, with candidates campaigning in California, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington D.C.

Monday 7/28:
President Bush addressed the Urban League Conference in Pittsburgh. Vice President Cheney attends fund-raising lunch at home of Gayle Averet, ex-chair of Colonial Life Insurance, in Columbia, S.C. Carol Moseley Braun, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman and Al Sharpton attend Urban League's Presidential Forum. Braun also attends United Steelworkers of America Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh. Edwards unveiled his health care plan in Manchester, N.H., and attended town Hall meeting in Laconia, N.H., before traveling to Pittsburgh. John Kerry attends events with teachers and Rep. Roget Wendt in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tuesday 7/29:
Braun attends 21st Century Democrats Youth Leadership Development Program and then attends meet and greet with ClintonGoreAlumni.org in D.C. Dean campaigns in Iowa. Bob Graham campaigns in N.Y. Kerry attends activist events in Denison, Carroll, Boone and Fort Dodge, Iowa. Lieberman takes "Joe's Jobs Tour" to southern Florida.

Wednesday 7/30:
Dean campaigns in Iowa. Edwards speaks at the 21st Century Democrats' Youth Leadership Summer Speaker Series in Washington D.C. Kerry holds fresh air forum at Hilton Park in Dover, N.H.

Thursday 7/31:
Dean campaigns in California. Braun and Dean attend the United Food and Commercial Workers Presidential Candidate Forum in San Francisco. Kerry attends roundtable discussion with workers who are struggling in the Bush economy in Manchester, N.H.

Friday 8/1:
Dean campaigns in New Hampshire and attends a rally at the Bangor Motor Inn in Bangor, Maine. Graham campaigns in Iowa. Kerry attends opening ceremony for the Pan Mass Challenge Bike Ride in Sturbridge, Mass. Other: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., gives remarks at the opening lunch of the American Constitution Society's First National Convention in Washington, D.C.

Quote of the Day: "I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, 'Pardon me.' He said, 'I don't do that anymore.'" – One of many political one-liners by the late comedian Bob Hope, who died Sunday at the age of 100. (AP)