Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Beth Lester, Clothilde Ewing and Nathaniel Franks of the CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

Thursday's Headlines

* Wither Veep Watch?

* Bush-Cheney Continues Fishing for Support from the Pulpit

* Kerry is Raking in the Money

* Cheney in the Limelight

* Nader and his Strange Bedfellows

* Video Games and Politics?

Veep Watch: Is It Soon? The political world got into a lather on Thursday over a Boston Globe report that Kerry's announcement could come as early as next Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The Kerry campaign has told CBS News that the report is wrong, at least the part about Tuesday in Pittsburgh, since Kerry will be speaking to the African Methodist Episcopal leaders in Indianapolis and the NEA in Washington that day.

But a source has told CBS News that staffs for the VP wannabes have been asked if there is anything on their schedules for next week that couldn't be cleared if the decision is made to go then. The Boston Globe cited as further "evidence" that something was afoot that "Kerry has asked a select few of his closest supporters to reserve Tuesday and Wednesday to travel with the campaign, which would allow for a barnstorming tour by the Democratic duo in advance of a gala fund-raiser next Thursday in New York City."

Stay tuned. As far as we at the Wrap know there is nothing that will prevent the usual suspects from being around next week. Sen. John Edwards gets back from his vacation at Disneyworld to go to Boston on Monday and back to D.C. for the rest of the week. Dick Gephardt is expected to be in DC, too. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is going on vacation after he campaigns with Kerry on Sunday in Iowa and Florida's Bob Graham will be back from a Congressional trip to England and France. Kerry will be in Indianapolis on Tuesday but it's not clear if Sen. Evan Bayh will be with him. The former Indiana Governor who is up for reelection this year is in his home state this week however.

One interesting sighting yesterday was reported by the Raleigh, North Carolina News and Observer. John Kerry's brother and trusted advisor, Cam, was in Raleigh talking to Democratic leaders about the prospects in the state this fall. "I am certainly encouraged by what I heard today," he said in an interview. "A lot of people feel it [North Carolina] could be in play whether or not John Edwards is on the ticket, and will certainly be in play if he is on the ticket."

Cameron Kerry praised Edwards but was coy about his brother's choice for vice president or the likelihood of the pick before the Democratic convention begins July 26 in Boston."

"I think he and John Kerry were written off last year and were the comeback kids in Iowa," Cameron Kerry said. "John Edwards is an extremely attractive candidate with good ideas and proved himself as a campaigner in the primaries." Kerry said the two men have a good relationship, though some reports say they are not personally close.

"There were a few elbows under the basket during the primary, which you expect in the heat of competition," Kerry said. "John Edwards has been extremely good in helping out my brother and campaigning for him."

Pulpit Politics: The Bush campaign continues to try and rally its core voters among religious groups, The Washington Post reports. While it's no surprise that Bush is targeting churchgoing Americans – generally more conservative and Republican-leaning than the population as a whole – the specific instructions and deadlines go beyond mere pleas for support.

Last month, the Bush campaign sent a letter to 1,600 so-called "friendly congregations" to organize locations for Bush supporters to meet. Democrats cried foul, arguing that using a church in so overtly political a manner could violate its tax-exempt status. The Bush campaign denied any impropriety.

The Post reports: "The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives. Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush's base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity."

The Post reports that the campaign sent religious volunteers a sheet with 22 "duties" – and specific dates by which those assignments should be completed. By July 31, the instructions indicate, volunteers are to "send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep" and "Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive," the Post reports.

By Aug. 15, they are to "talk to your Church's seniors or 20-30 something group about Bush/Cheney '04" and "recruit 5 more people in your church to volunteer for the Bush Cheney campaign."

By Sept. 17, they are to host at least two campaign-related potluck dinners with church members, and in October they are to "finish calling all Pro-Bush members of your church," "finish distributing Voter Guides in your church" and place notices on church bulletin boards or in Sunday programs "about all Christian citizens needing to vote."

While an IRS spokesman told the Post that it was too soon to judge if the latest Bush-Cheney entreaty to religious groups violated the tax code, the agency did send a letter to both campaigns on June 10 said that religious organizations are allowed to sponsor debates, distribute voter guides and conduct voter registration drives. But if those efforts show "a preference for or against a certain candidate or party ... it becomes a prohibited activity."

Kerry's Message of the Day: We're Flush! John Kerry will announce another round of big numbers Thursday. According to the Kerry campaign, it has raised "at least" $175 million so far in the cycle, beyond the previous $130 million record set by then-candidate George Bush in 2000 although not matching the Bush 2004 record of $214 million as of the end of May. The Bush campaign has not yet released its June totals.

In June, the Kerry camp raked in $30 million, sources tell CBS News. Those numbers include $10-12 million in Internet contributions, $12-15 million in direct mail and the remainder from the major donors. And those numbers are likely to be revised upwards "shortly." The final numbers for the month of June will not be available until July 20, when reports must be filed with the FEC, so the numbers provided by the campaign are not official.

The June numbers, according to Kerry staff, include the largest Internet day ever and a total from grassroots donors of over $100 million. The average donation was $100. At one point, Bank of America, which processes www.johnkerry.com credit card requests, had to shut down for seven minutes because the system was overloaded.

Kerry's fundraising largesse puts both the campaign and the candidate himself in an unprecedented position of financial strength. The campaign has more money than anyone considered possible, able to travel and advertise in a way never open to Al Gore in 2000. Perhaps Kerry will even have enough to pay back the $6.3 million loan he made to the campaign in December. A decision on that must be made shortly after the Convention at the end of July.

Cheney Pleasing All of the People: Finally, a decision that is gaining approval on both sides of the aisle. Much to the delight of both Democrats and Republicans, Vice President Cheney is taking a more prominent role in the Bush campaign, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Democrats are embracing the move, looking to criticize the "master of the monotone speech" for his anything but monotonous use of vulgarity on the Senate floor, as well as his links to Halliburton Co. Meanwhile, Republicans see Cheney's new prominence as a key opportunity to energize the party's conservative base.

To launch Cheney's move into the limelight, he will embark on a two-day bus tour this weekend through the battleground states of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. "I can't even form a mental picture of Dick Cheney on a bus," said Michael Nelson, a political scientist at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. The image is stirring.

Reaction to Cheney's tour is a political gamble both parties are betting on. A CBS News/New York Times survey released this week shows 22 percent of registered voters had a favorable impression of Cheney, while 31 percent had an unfavorable impression. Despite these numbers, Republicans are hoping the Democrats keep the Cheney debate going strong. "I hope they spend a lot of time on this," said Ron Kauffman, a senior political aid to the elder Bush. "Nobody cares."

The "chorus of boos" that greeted Cheney at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night could be evidence to the contrary. Whether or not this strategic move on the part of the Bush campaign proves to be effective is yet to be seen; however, its something both parties will be keeping their eyes on.

Strange Bedfellows: As Ralph Nader continues his quest to get on all 50 state ballots opponents accuse him of joining alliances with some unlikely bedfellows. The New York Times takes a look at some of the relationships that political analysts say puts Nader at risk of tarnishing his reputation. For example, in May, Nader received the Reform Party endorsement, just four years after the right-leaning Pat Buchanan. (The endorsement, incidentally, means that he could have access to the party's six ballot lines.) Nader counters this argument saying that "there's no quid pro quo" with the Reform Party or any other that would require him to alter his views. But it doesn't stop there.

The New York Times reports: "The Reform Party was only one political organization Mr. Nader approached for help. In West Virginia, for example, he sought the support of the Mountain Party, a progressive group that shares many of his views on issues like election reform and universal health care. He was told the party was not interested. In California, Judy Barath-Black, chairman of the state Natural Law Party, which supports scientific and peaceful solutions to any conflict, told him there was no groundswell of support."

And, despite the efforts of some Democrats to keep him off state ballots, he is getting help from conservative groups in various states who are trying to help him get on the ballots in a drive to pull votes from John Kerry.

According to the Boston Globe, he's also getting help from billionaire Richard J. Egan, who is a major donor and fund-raiser for the Bush campaign.

The Globe reports: "Egan, cofounder of EMC Corp. in Hopkinton, has given Nader the maximum $2,000 allowed under the law, according to federal elections documents that also show a $4,000 contribution to Nader from Egan's son and daughter-in-law, John R. and Pamela C. Egan. An independent campaign finance watchdog group lists the Egan-Managed Capital company -- another family business in Massachusetts -- as among the biggest contributors to the Nader campaign."

One man destined to stop Nader, is Howard Dean. Dean has blasted Nader's candidacy on a number of occasions and he has agreed to debate the issue with Nader next Friday in Washington for a program on National Public Radio.

Video Games and Politics?: Political marketing has entered an entirely new arena: online gaming. Both political parties have begun creating online games designed to interest younger audiences in the political process, reports The New York Times. Lina Garcia, the press secretary for the Democratic National Convention Committee, said that online games "allow us to creatively communicate with young voters and supporters."

The first online political game, Howard Dean for Iowa, came out in December in anticipation of the Iowa caucuses. Over 100,000 people visited the game's website during the month leading up to the January caucuses. That game focused more on political organizing – players wave signs, hand out pamphlets, and go door-to-door to drum up support for Dean. These new games focus more on political messages.

In one Republican game, "Kerry vs. Kerry," players control a boxing match between John Kerry and John Kerry by clicking boxing gloves marked "Flip" and "Flop." After each punch, a graphic comes up with details on Kerry's flip flops on certain issues, among them the Patriot Act and the Marriage Penalty Tax. That game, as well as "Democratic Debate Bingo" and "Kerry-opoly," amount to nothing more than interactive political cartoons; players do not really play a game, they just proceed through a set script of political messages.

The designer for the Howard Dean game, Dr. Ian Bogost, recently completed a doctorate in game design at UCLA, was hired by the Democratic National Convention Committee to produce a Web game called "Opinions" that will debut later this month. Although the DNCC has been tight-lipped about the game's details, Dr. Bogost said that players will simultaneously play six policy-oriented mini-games; how you do in one game will dictate how you do in the others. Aside from winning, which Dr. Bogost says is extremely difficult, the goal of the game is to push "players toward a Democratic viewpoint by narrowing their choices according to a Democratic platform. For instance, the tax-reform mini-game is about redistributing tax benefits from the wealthy to the less well-off; eliminating taxes is not an option.

Quote of the Day: "If you want anything from me, you better ask for it now. I might not be here next year." -President Bush, joking "recently" to Bonesmen, according to author/Skull & Bones expert Toby Rogers (New York Daily News)