Washington Wrap
Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris and Clothilde Ewing of The CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.
Dean Rolls With The Polls: Howard Dean's week of good poll numbers continued, with a new survey showing him tied with Rep. Dick Gephardt in the crucial early voting state of Iowa. The Research 2000 poll showed Dean at 25 percent among likely caucus-goers, and Gephardt – who won the 1988 caucuses and has made no secret of Iowa's importance in his campaign strategy – at 21 percent. The margin of error was five points, leaving the pair statistically tied. In a similar poll done in June for KCCI, Dean was at 11 percent, 16 points behind Gephardt, who led the pack with 27 percent.
Earlier this week, a poll of likely voters in New Hampshire showed Dean with an impressive 21-point lead over his nearest rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
In the Iowa survey, Kerry was at 16 percent, followed by Sen. Joe Lieberman at 12 percent. The rest of the field was in the single digits, including still-unannounced candidate Wesley Clark, who was the preferred candidate of 3 percent of Iowans. For the second time in as many polls, Carol Moseley Braun had zero support – just like in New Hampshire. (Lest the former ambassador feel lonesome at the bottom, the Rev. Al Sharpton also came in with zilch in Iowa, a steep decline from the 1 percent he registered in the Granite State.)
A similar poll done last month for the Des Moines Register also found Dean and Gephardt in a statistical dead heat.
Some Vacation: CBS News' Mark Knoller reports that after 28 days at his Texas Ranch, President Bush could probably use a vacation.
Knoller says the president has made four trips during his annual sojourn from Washington, hitting seven states over six days. Mr. Bush gave 15 speeches and had seven press availabilities, a huge number for the usually press-averse president.
Mr. Bush also managed to squeeze in seven fund-raisers for Bush-Cheney '04, which filled his campaign coffers with $7.6 million.
The president is taking Friday off – he must need a bit of rest – and returns to Washington on Saturday.
Weekend Ahead:
Friday 8/29:
President Bush is in Crawford. Howard Dean stops by a dinner for striking workers at Yale University in New Haven. Bob Graham has lunch and roundtable discussion with farmers in Iowa and then participates in an online town hall meeting on Al Gore's Web site. Joe Lieberman tours the riverfront in Wilmington, Del.
Saturday 8/30:
President Bush is in Crawford. Dean campaigns in New Hampshire and attends house parties in Walpole, Chichester, Bedford, Hudson and Kensington. Graham is in Indianola, Iowa, for a farm workday and then holds press availability. Dennis Kucinich attends Labor Day Parade in Cleveland. Carol Moseley Braun attends Islamic Society of North America's 40th annual convention in Chicago.
Sunday 8/31:
President Bush heads back to Washington. Graham attends South Central Labor Pancake Breakfast in Des Moines. Kucinich attends picnics in Clinton and Fairfield and a House Party in Indianola, Iowa. Lieberman appears on CBS News' Face The Nation, participates in healthcare roundtable and picks the winner of "See Joe's Car & Go See Nomar" Contest in Manchester, N.H., and then visits the Hopkinton Town Fair in Contoocook. Moseley Braun keynotes the National Foundation of Women Legislators Annual Convention in Lake Las Vegas.
Monday 9/1:
President Bush attends Labor Day event in Richfield, Ohio. Dean, John Edwards, Graham and Kucinich march in Labor Day Parade in Des Moines, Iowa. After the parade, Dean heads to Labor Day picnics in Iowa City and Burlington, Vt., and then heads to Louisa and Muscatine County Democrats Receptions. Edwards heads to Oklahoma and attends the Cleveland County Democrats' Labor Day Celebration in Norman. Graham heads to a Labor Day picnic in Des Moines. Kucinich gives a speech at the Labor Picnic and then holds a "Power to the People" Rally in Iowa City.
Meanwhile, Gephardt speaks at New Hampshire AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast in Manchester, participates in economic roundtable in Nashua, marches in Milford Labor Day parade, meets voters at New Hampshire for Health Care/SEIU picnic in Manchester and attends house party in Manchester. Kerry travels to the Granite State ahead of his announcement tour to celebrate Labor Day with New Hampshire voters. After the parade, Lieberman campaigns in Davenport, Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa.
Quote of the Day: "Let me tell you, even though in the movies, you know, we are the superhero that takes care of everything. In real life it's different. I need your help." Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Fresno. (The New York Times)