Washington Wrap
Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Beth Lester, Clothilde Ewing, Sean Sharifi and Katie Dyer of the CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.
Friday's Headlines
* Kerry to Launch New Ads
* On The Eve of Memorial Day Weekend, Candidates Duel Over Who Loves Vets More
* Greens Consider Ralph
* Coming Together to Remember History
More Kerry Ads: The Kerry campaign will launch a new $17 million TV ad buy next Wednesday in 20 states, adding Virginia to its list of 19 battleground states, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris. The ads will run through the end of June in media markets in 20 states and on national cable. Campaign aides say the ads will be new, issue-specific spots. A script is not yet available.
Kerry's Virginia foray signals another step at expanding the states in which the campaign hopes to compete. Kerry's first ad buy was in 17 states. His current buy, $25 million worth of bio spots, is running in 19 states, the first 17 plus Colorado and Louisiana. Virginia brings the Kerry ad universe to an even 20 battleground states.
Virginia is a risky state for the Kerry campaign to enter, especially as it has not voted for a Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. But the Kerry camp thinks demographic changes may put Virginia in play. The state's northern suburbs are Democratic and the state has a Democratic governor (and potential veep) in Mark Warner. "There's a tremendous opening," Kerry strategist Tad Devine told the Associated Press. "When you put all those things together, we see Virginia as a state John Kerry can win."
In other Kerry ad news, the campaign is also planning to target black and Hispanic voters specifically. AP reports that ads will air on Black Entertainment Television as well as other "outlets targeting blacks." Kerry also announced a new Spanish language ad buy, to be previewed Friday afternoon, that will run in six states and "highlights John Kerry's lifetime of service and strength and honors Hispanic veterans," according to a campaign press release. Through June, the AP calculates, this latest round of ad spending brings Kerry's total to $60 million spent since March.
NewsFlash -- Bush and Kerry Both Love Vets, But Not Each Other: With Memorial Day just three days off, Democrats and Republicans both are laying claim to who would give more help to veterans.
The fight stems from reports that the Bush administration has told administrators who oversee several government agencies – including Veterans Affairs – that their department's funding would be cut in 2006. The AP reports that the Veterans Affairs Department would fall 3.4 percent from $29.7 billion in 2005 to $28.7 billion.
The AP reports: "A May 19 memorandum from the White House budget office to agencies said they should assume 2006 spending levels specified in an internal administration database that accompanied the 2005 budget that Bush proposed in February. The government's 2006 budget year begins Oct. 1, 2005. … Many of the targeted programs are widely popular. Cuts could carry a political price for a president who has touted his support for schools, the environment and other domestic initiatives."
Democrats were quick to jump on the news, calling the cuts the victim of reckless tax cuts by the Bush administration.
On Friday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe held a press conference with several veterans where he criticized Bush for the possible cuts. "We now know better than to read George Bush's lips. Lucky for us, we can now read his plan in black and white," McAuliffe said.
The DNC also released a video that it wants supporters to show at house parties and rallies across the country.
The Bush campaign defended the president and said it was Kerry, not Bush, who did not support veterans benefits adequately. Spokesman Steve Schmidt: "While John Kerry has voted against the weapons systems and body armor that our troops need to win the War on Terror, President Bush has provided historic support for our military and our Veterans. Funding for veterans medical care has increased by more than 40 percent since the President took office, enabling more than 2.5 million more veterans to receive health care."
Veep Watch: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson may claim to have no interest in the Veep job, but the Economist sure thinks he would be a great pick. In the weekly magazine's Lexington column, the Economist is as effusive as it gets. It writes, "Mr. Richardson has shown that he can govern: that he can bully a legislature, set an agenda and administrate. This sets him apart from the various mooted running-mates from Congress, such as Dick Gephardt and John Edwards - though not, admittedly, from the current flavour-of-the-month, Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa, who in turn lacks Mr. Richardson's experience on the national stage." High praise indeed.
And speaking of Vilsack, though he loses the Economist's endorsement, the governor of Iowa may take some solace in a new poll from Research 2000 showing that 56 percent of Iowa voters would like to see him on the ticket. Pretty good for a governor who only received 53 percent when he ran for re-election two years ago. The poll, conducted May 23 through 25 among 604 likely voters, also shows Kerry beating Bush 46 to 42 in the battleground state.
As Kerry begins advertising in Virginia, Gov. Mark Warner's name creeps back into Veep talk. The Wall Street Journal says that Moody's is "rewarding Virginia Gov. Mark Warner for his hard-won budget victory over anti-tax state and national Republicans" by restoring the state's triple-A bond rating." Warner endorsed Kerry before last February's Virginia primary and has several qualities the Kerry folks like: he's a governor and a centrist Democrat from a border/Southern state.
And in the veep story that just wont die, John McCain himself spoke out on the topic on Thursday on the Conan O'Brien show. McCain said, "I spent several years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, in the dark, fed with scraps. Do you think I want to do that all over again as Vice President of the United States?" Looks like Kerry has his work cut out for him in trying to convince McCain to join him.
Ralph May be Green Again: The Green Party faces a predicament as it approaches its national convention, which will be held in Milwaukee June 23-28. The party can nominate David Cobb, who is currently the leading candidate for the nomination, with 158 delegates, against six other candidates, five of whom support Ralph Nader, the party's 2000 nominee. Or it can formally vote for "no nominee" and endorse Nader, who walked away from the party because it told him he would have to compete for its nomination. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, delegates to the convention are not required to nominate anyone for president, but may ask for a vote to endorse a candidate. It's unclear whether a mere endorsement would qualify Nader for the Green Party line, but his supporters think it might.
Some Greens are concerned that if they run a candidate against Nader their strength could be diluted. "Whatever the Green Party decides, Nader will be a factor in this race," says Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese. "If they choose Cobb, they won't be a factor in this race."
Nader is not yet on any state ballot. But he has been endorsed by the national Reform Party, which could give him access to the ballot in at least seven states, including the battlegrounds of Florida and Michigan. However, Florida state law requires that the Reform Party hold a convention before Nader would qualify for the ballot, and in Michigan there are apparently some Buchanan supporters in the Reform Party who are not sure Nader is their cup of tea. Nader has not yet decided whether to accept the Reform line, run as an independent or on the Green Party line if he is eligible for it.
The Green Party has ballot access for a presidential candidate in: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.
Memorializing History: This weekend marks the long awaited opening and dedication of the newest monument on the Mall, the World War II Memorial. The monument celebrates the service of 16 million Americans in the war, though only 4 million veterans are still alive to see the occasion. Spokesman for the event, Dave Lande, said the ceremony is to be solemn and nonpartisan, the Boston Globe reports. President Bush will speak at the event while former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush and presidential candidate John Kerry will be in attendance. Former Sen. Bob Dole, actor Tom Hanks, broadcaster Tom Brokaw and retired Marine Corps General P.X. Kelley will address the attendees tomorrow on the mall.
With such a high-profile guest list in addition to the 117,000 ticketed guests and 40,000 more in standing-room-only section, security will be extremely tight. This dedication comes only days after warnings of further terrorists attack possibilities. The Mall will have miles of fencing around it, metal detectors, surveillance cameras, and law enforcement from 30 agencies to patrol by air, bicycle, and foot. Additionally, WWII veterans range from 76 year-olds to those in their 90s, so there will be nine medical-aid stations, bottled water and oxygen tanks. There will also be grief counselors for those needing emotional assistance.
Quote of the Day: "I'm not a two-house sort of guy. I'm a kind of a nester. I have a place to live, and I'm going to live there." - former President Clinton on a report he's looking for a Manhattan apartment (Daily News).