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.

The AFL-CIO executive council meets this week to discuss labor policy, meet with the candidates and plot a strategy that will send President Bush packing. Winning an AFL-CIO endorsement, however, will be more difficult than in previous elections, because in February the organization decided that the 2004 candidate would need two-thirds support from its general board versus the majority that was previously required. So individual unions seem to be bypassing the AFL-CIO in favor of endorsing their own candidates.

Gephardt has already won the endorsement of 10 unions, including the 1.2 million-strong United Steelworkers, whose endorsement he expected to get Tuesday morning. The Teamsters, one of the larger unions in the AFL-CIO with 1.4 million members, is supporting Gephardt and is scheduled to make a formal announcement this Saturday in Detroit.

However, Sen. John Kerry, or rather Jerry Zero, the secretary-treasurer of Chicago Teamsters Local 705, is looking to rain on Gephardt's parade. With nearly 21,000 members, Zero announced that Local 705, the second-largest Teamster local in the country, has decided to endorse Kerry.

Despite the Kerry coup, the ten union endorsements are expected to breath life into a Gephardt campaign that is struggling in the polls and in fundraising.

Senator Centrist: Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, in a bid to better portray himself as a centrist Democrat in a field of liberals, took aim at his rivals Monday for steering toward the political left. In particular, Lieberman's comments seemed targeted at former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, whose insurgent campaign's success is based, in part, on his opposition to the war against Iraq, which Lieberman ardently backed.

Lieberman, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, said he would represent the "vital center" of the Democratic Party, in contrast to some of his rivals, whom he criticized for their big government proposals and their opposition to the war. In addition to Dean, Lieberman aides say their candidate was referring to Rep. Dick Gephardt and Sen. John Kerry for their "ambivalence" on the war, the Washington Post reports.

"If George Bush and his bankrupt policies are the problem, believe me, old Democratic policies like higher taxes and weakness on defense are not the solution," Lieberman said.

Lieberman said a left-leaning ideology would leave the Democrats in George W. Bush's wake in 2004.

"I share the anger of my fellow Democrats with George Bush and the wrong direction he has taken our nation," Lieberman said. "But the answer to his outdated, extremist ideology is not to be found in outdated extremes of our own. That path will not solve the challenges of our time and it could well send us Democrats back to the political wilderness for a long time."

Lieberman's comments echoed those of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council's leadership last week. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., the DLC chairman, said the party was in danger of being hijacked by the "far ideological left." [Lieberman is the former chairman of the DLC, as well.]

Dean appeared on several talk shows after Lieberman's comments and refuted charges that he was dragging the party too far leftward.

And speaking of charges, Dean's son, Paul, was in court Tuesday morning to deal with his own charges of being the getaway driver while four of his friends allegedly stole beer from a Burlington, Vt., country club in June. Paul Dean, 17, had been charged with accessory to burglary in the incident.

Paul Dean, 17, agreed to participate in a "court diversion program" that allows low-risk and first-time offenders to resolve their charges without appearing before a judge, the AP reports. In a few weeks, Paul Dean will appear before a community board that will mete out his punishment, which could include community service, writing a letter of apology and making restitution to the club.

Howard Dean, who went to District Court with his son, said, "I think this is a good outcome for Paul and for his friends."

Time For A Backup Plan?: As polls show California Gov. Gray Davis in serious trouble of being recalled, state Democrats are trying to figure out whether to push for a strong replacement candidate as a fallback in case Davis is ousted.

The San Francisco Chronicle today cited polls that show support for Davis' recall as high as 55 percent. As Democrats mull over numbers like that, 17 state senators met to discuss the situation Monday.

While there was no agreement on whether to support another candidate, the Democratic lawmakers did agree to continue to oppose the recall. State Sen. Don Perata said the Dems would meet again by the end of the week – the day before recall candidates have to file – and make a final decision on supporting a replacement.

Perata has made no decision himself but doesn't sound optimistic. "If it's a campaign about Gray Davis, we lose. I think it's pretty clear," Perata told the Chronicle. "There will not be people coming out motivated to save Gray Davis."

Republican strategist Sean Walsh, who has advised potential candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he thinks this is a major issue among the Democrats.

"The Democrats are coming apart regarding their strategy of supporting only Gray," Walsh told the Chronicle. "There would not be a meeting among Democratic senators today if they didn't have a good reason. This is Chernobyl. Gray Davis is melting down, and the Democrats want to escape the radiation."

Meantime, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., has made up her mind: push for a "viable candidate" such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who to date has not commented on if she's interested.

"The recall is wrong. But as Democrats, our obligation to look out for the welfare of our state is even greater than our duty to defend our governor," Sanchez wrote in the Los Angeles Times today. "We would send voters a coordinated message to vote no on the recall – and then to vote for Feinstein just in case the recall succeeded."

Feinstein's cohort in the U.S. Senate, Barbara Boxer, is currently in the same boat as counterparts in the state Senate. "The strategy of defeating the recall is a very good strategy. I want to make sure it's working before the time is over that somebody (else) can run," Boxer said Monday, according to the Sacramento Bee. She will also make up her mind by Friday.

Ten And Eleven?: Former Vice President Al Gore is sounding a lot like a candidate as he prepares to give a major policy address on Iraq to a MoveOn.org audience in New York on Thursday. But sources tell CBS News that Gore will make it clear he does not intend to be a candidate in 2004.

The speech will be the first major address Gore has made since criticizing the Bush war plan in September in San Francisco. MoveOn's 120,000 New York members were invited and ticketed online, but if you can't make the speech live, it will play via webcast on MoveOn.org on Tuesday afternoon.

Gore's not the only one making major speeches. Since last week, another potential presidential contender, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, delivered two major critiques of the Bush post-war plans. "There are three or four major foreign policy issues that are out there begging for a coherent policy statement," Biden said.

If Gore is really out of the race, those looking for a tenth Democratic candidate may be able to turn to Biden, who has been mulling over a presidential bid for months. He said Monday that he would likely finalize his decision by Labor Day and make a formal announcement in mid-October, the Harrington Journal reports.

"I have to make that decision sooner rather than later," Biden told the Delaware State News Monday. "It's a decision based on whether my wife and family think it is the right time to do this."

Biden's wife may be worried that a high-profile race will bring up old dirty laundry such as the plagiarism allegations that tanked his 1988 presidential campaign. Nonetheless, Biden knows he has to make a decision soon if he hopes to compete in the crowded field of nine Democratic candidates. "I am convinced that should I decide to run that I could put together the team I need to get elected and to govern effectively," he said.

Primary Day in Mississippi: It's primary day in Mississippi, and Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and former Republican National Chairman Haley Barbour are expected to win their respective primaries without much resistance, the AP reports.

Although Musgrove faces four small-name Democrats and Barbour only one Republican, the two front-runners have raised over $5 million each. Thanks to the popularity of the two candidates, the gubernatorial contest is shaping up to be one of the most expensive races in Mississippi history.

Although Musgrove is expected to obtain the majority of the Democratic support, Republicans may lend a helping hand to some of his less-known challengers. Unlike some states, Mississippi does not require voters to register as members of a political party to vote in that party's primary, and the law has some Democrats concerned about "party raiding."

In the event of a Republican raid, Democratic officials say they'll confront suspicious voters. "If we see known Republicans, we're entitled to challenge their qualifications," said Willie Griffin of the Washington Democratic Executive Committee.

Deputy Attorney General Mike Lanford, a Republican, says that questioners may intimidate voters when asking them to support the party's nominee. Lanford added, "Just because a person voted one way in the past doesn't mean he'll support that party for all times in the future. To presume so is just wrong."

Quote of the Day: "The poor boy campaigns all the time and pays no attention to what's going on in Congress. Karl Rove tells him to do this or do that or whatever it is. But he's out campaigning." – Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C., on President Bush. Hollings, 81, announced Monday that he'll retire from the Senate at the end of his sixth term in 2005.