Washington Wrap

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

Wesley Clark will be eligible for the largest check, worth $3.7 million; Joe Lieberman will get $3.6 million; John Edwards can expect $3.4 million; and Richard Gephardt can look forward to about $3.2 million. Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich will receive smaller amounts, while Carol Moseley Braun missed the deadline for filing and will not be eligible for the January checks. She says he hopes to receive about $300,000 in March.

The funds become available at a critical time in the primary cycle, especially for campaigns that have been unable to raise money recently because of low poll numbers. As Clark campaign communications director Matt Bennett told the AP, the money is "incredibly important. January and February are probably going to be decisive in this campaign." The infusion of cash, which the campaigns hope will be the first of many, will help candidates "catch their second wind," according to Lieberman spokesman Jano Cabrera.

Matching funds are available to candidates who qualify for them by raising at least $5,000 in each of 20 states in increments of $250 or less. For candidates who are eligible, a taxpayer-funded program matches every donation up to $250, providing candidates with up to approximately $19 million for the entire primary cycle. Most candidates will not qualify for the full amount because many of their donations will be larger than $250. The taxpayer fund is supported by tax form check-offs through which filers can designate $3 of their taxes to the fund.

Once the primaries begin, candidates who fail to reach 10 percent in two consecutive primary dates will lose their eligibility for matching money.

Dean Leads In D.C. "Primary": According to a new poll, Howard Dean leads his nearest rival in the Jan. 13, non-binding Washington, D.C. primary by a more than two-to-one margin in a hypothetical match-up featuring all nine Democratic hopefuls. Even better for Dean, when asked about the four Democrats who'll actually appear on the ballot, the former Vermont governor crushes his nearest rival, Al Sharpton, by 34 points, in the poll conducted for WTOP radio.

In the nine-candidate question, Dean led the pack with 27 percent, followed by Wesley Clark at 11 percent, Dick Gephardt at 7 percent, Joe Lieberman at 5 percent, Sharpton at 5 percent, Carol Moseley Braun at 4 percent, John Kerry at 4 percent and Dennis Kucinich at 1 percent. Thirty-three percent remain undecided.

When the five Democrats who've opted out of the Jan. 13 primary – which, because it violates DNC rules, will not count toward any delegates – are removed from consideration, Dean leads Sharpton, 45 percent to 11 percent. Moseley Braun comes in next with 8 percent, and Kucinich again brings up the rear with 4 percent. WTOP reports that among black voters in the four-candidate race, Dean still wins with 29 percent, compared to 18 percent for Sharpton and 11 percent for Moseley-Braun. Among whites, Dean attracts 70 percent support.

Meanwhile, Dean's latest unconventional campaign technique includes spreading his online largesse to a vulnerable Democratic congressman, who just happens to be from Iowa. According to the Boston Globe, the Dean campaign is planning to send an email to more than 500,000 registered campaign supporters, asking them to donate money to Rep. Leonard Boswell, an Iowa Democrat who has been targeted by Republicans. The Dean campaign plans to help about 20 congressional candidates this way.

The move is smart for two reasons. Number one, it helps him fulfill a promise to help take back Congress for the Democrats, which is probably a pipe dream, but still a political crowd-pleaser. Helping Boswell also could help Dean in the Iowa caucuses. Dean and Gephardt are running neck and neck in Iowa, and Boswell, who has not endorsed anyone in the Jan. 19 caucuses, is a major player in the state. John Kerry also has been courting Boswell, a fellow Vietnam vet. And, perhaps looking to the future, Hillary Clinton did a funder for Boswell when she was in Iowa in November.

Republicans On The Road: RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie will be in New England this week rousing the party faithful and raising money. On Tuesday night, he'll be at a fundraiser in Vermont in Essex Junction just outside of Burlington where he'll call on Howard Dean to open the his gubernatorial records, which have been sealed. On Wednesday, he'll go to St. Anselm College in New Hampshire with more challenges to the Democratic frontrunner.

Gillespie, however, is not expected to call on Vice President Cheney to open his records.

At the White House Tuesday, President Bush has a photo-op with NASCAR champions. The AP reports that last year Mr. Bush added NASCAR drivers to the stable of sports champions who get presidential visits. In addition, on Tuesday the White House will "further highlight its embrace of NASCAR by making its top driver Matt Kenseth" the star of the "Ask the White House" Internet forum. Typically that forum has been reserved for White House and Cabinet officials, although they have had NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann and Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken as guests.

Fourth Time's The Charm? It looks like Ralph Nader may be running for president for the fourth time. Although the Gore nemesis has not made a public statement, Politics1.com reports that VoteNader.org – his official 2000 presidential website - has been recently registered and paid for by the "Nader 2004 Presidential Exploratory Committee, Inc."

Although the exploratory committee is not yet registered with the FEC, it is not required to do so until it has raised or spent $5,000. And lest that cast doubt on Nader's intentions, an e-mailer to Politics1.com says that she/he received a message from the new site implying that Nader will run again. The e-mailer also says that Nader would run as an independent and not a Green. In 2000, despite being a registered independent, Nader ran as the Green Party's nominee.

Nader's office says they can't confirm the report and that he hasn't made a statement one way or the other. Dennis Kucinich has said that he can keep Nader from running, but perhaps VoteNader.org has decided that the chances of a Kucinich Democratic nomination are not that great.

Quote of the Day: "We don't have a bunch of Senate policy staffers who've been on our payroll for 16 years following a specific set of issues for us. I think it's a big advantage. We're talking about a system that produced a lot of those guys coming out for the war. There's something closed and insular about that system. If the conventional wisdom is wrong, they're likely to wade right into it." -- Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi describing Howard Dean's "dearth" of policy advisers as a plus. (Washington Post)