Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris, Clothilde Ewing and Smita Kalokhe of The CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

At the AFL-CIO forum earlier this week, Dean said he'd never advocated raising the retirement age to 70. "I have never favored a Social Security retirement age of 70 nor do I favor one of 68," Dean said in Chicago on Monday.

But Dean now says he misspoke. According to the AP, in a 1995 Newhouse News Service article, "Dean said the way to balance the budget was for Congress to move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Social Security, Medicare and veterans pensions, and then have the states cut almost everything else."

And back in June, Dean said on "Meet The Press" that while raising the age to 70 no longer appeared necessary to balance the budget, he would consider raising the retirement age to 68.

Dean Iowa spokeswoman Sarah Leonard acknowledged that in 1995 Dean had indicated he was in favor of raising the retirement age if it could help balance the budget. But, Leonard said, neither the 1995 comments nor his comments on "Meet The Press" reflect his current position.

"Now, in this campaign, Gov. Dean has never proposed raising the retirement age and has no plans to do so," Leonard said.

The admission comes in part because of a demand by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, one of Dean's rivals for the Democratic nomination, that he clarify his stance on the issue. "We must find out what his real position is on Social Security," Kucinich said yesterday in Des Moines, the Register reports.

The current retirement age for receiving full program benefits is 65 years and two months. The retirement age will gradually rise to 67 over the next two decades.

In an interview with the AP Thursday, Dean said that since June he'd consulted experts and determined that Social Security reform would work best by raising the amount of income that would qualify for payroll taxes, not by raising the retirement age.

In the better news for Dean department, over 400 monthly MeetUp.com events were held around the country Wednesday night. CBS News covered one event at Agua Ardiente, a local watering hole, where over 100 Deanies grabbed drinks and some Dean stationary.

Although there were loud cheers for Dean and even louder boos for Joe Lieberman, few in the crowd seemed to know the candidate's stance on the issues. Many supporters said they liked Dean mainly because he was a physician, which makes him "the most trustworthy and his outsider status allows him to relate best to the people."

Inspired by the Iowa polling results that showed Dean in the lead, MeetUp attendees put down their drinks, picked up pens and wrote letters to New Hampshire voters to rally support for Dean in the Jan. 27 primary.

Organizers touted the large turnout and were optimistic about future events after announcing that over 75,000 people were registered to "meet up" to talk about Dean. With over 300 participants pre-registered for this Washington event, organizers said they'd plan for a larger restaurant next time.

Al Doesn't Pull An Arnold: Former Vice President Al Gore assailed the Bush presidency on Thursday at a foreign policy speech at NYU, but reiterated that he's not seeking the nomination, although he promised to endorse one of the other candidates down the road.

Rumors have been flying since Monday as word spread that Gore was stepping up to podium again. But much to the dismay of Draft Gore supporters around the country, and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, Gore said he's not going to jump into the fray.

Cuomo weighed in on Wednesday as he labeled the voices from the presidential field "babble" and asked Gore to help the Democrats win back the White House. "I would like to see him get in," Cuomo said in an interview with WROW-AM in Albany, N.Y. "Right now, the Democratic voice is not a single voice. It is not a chorus."

Although Gore was adamant about his opposition to President Bush's approach to foreign policy, taxes, the Justice Department and democracy in general, he didn't offer to personally intervene. He was courted with applause and standing ovations, but neither of the two where enough to get him to change his mind. At least, for today.

Gephardt's So Close and Yet... Rep. Dick Gephardt walked away from the AFL-CIO conference without the prized endorsement he was seeking, but he may have another shot. The AFL-CIO's executive council voted on Wednesday to give President John Sweeny the power to call a meeting on October 15 to consider whether they want to make a primary endorsement, which they've only done twice before: Al Gore in 2000 and Walter Mondale in 1984.

Gephardt's supporters, including Steve Elmendorf see the October meeting as a good sign and a significant step toward an endorsement, reports the AP. But Robert Gibbs, John Kerry's spokesman, views it as a sign that none of the candidates are in a position to get the two-thirds support necessary for the endorsement.

Gephardt, who has already won endorsements from 11 international unions and Teamsters President James Hoffa, is confident that come October he'll have at least one more. It's no secret Gephardt has been a great friend to labor throughout his career, but he needs to convince skeptical leaders of the two biggest unions, AFSCME's Jerry McEntee and SEIU's Andy Stern, that not only can he win the nomination, but that he's capable of beating President Bush.

Harold Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, illustrated the dilemma well. "The stakes are so high and the risk is so great that it comes down to what candidate has the best chance to win," he said. "I just don't believe that we can allow our hearts and past performance to overtake our need to make a decision that can take us to the White House."

Edwards Hits the Tube: Sen. John Edwards unveiled his first television ads of the presidential campaign on Wednesday. The ads, produced by David Axelrod, will play in Iowa and New Hampshire, two vital early primary states where Edwards has been mired in the single digits in polls.

The three spots focus on Edwards' rags-to-riches biography and his policy proposals on college tuition assistance and corporate responsibility. The total size of the buy was not disclosed, but the campaign said they'd be spending $150,000 running the ads this week.

The Edwards campaign denied that Edwards' non-movement in the polls prompted the release of the ads so long before actual voting in New Hampshire and Iowa takes place. Axelrod, in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, also denied that Howard Dean's rising popularity forced Edwards to move up his advertising schedule.

Edwards is the second Democratic wannabe to put ads on TV. Dean has run spots in Iowa, New Hampshire and Texas. Dennis Kucinich has run radio spots in Iowa featuring singer Willie Nelson.

Edwards also put out a 60-page booklet outlining some of his policy proposals on Wednesday. The booklet, reminiscent of the Clinton '92 campaign book, "Putting People First," is entitled "Real Solutions for America," and will be available for eager voters and reporters on Edwards' Web site.

Sen. Nunn, Version 2.0?: The daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., said this week she's seriously weighing a run for retiring Democratic Sen. Zell Miller's seat.

"I've been giving it serious consideration," Michelle Nunn, 36, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A message that needs to be heard is that Democrats need a new generation of leaders. People are looking for some new voices in the political sphere."

Reacting to comments about her age, she points out that her dad was 34 when he was first elected to the Senate in 1972. He served until 1997.

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young has also said he's considering a Senate run. "I have tremendous respect for (Young) and will fully support him if he decides to run," Michelle Nunn told the AP.

But Young told the Journal-Constitution that if he knew Nunn was interested, he "would not have let anybody float my name." He added that her leadership of Hands-On Atlanta, a volunteer services organization she founded, proves her interest in public service.

"She has made a clear contribution to the life of the city," Young said. "If she were interested in any kind of public life, I would certainly encourage her."

The two will meet Friday to discuss their plans and the future of the Democratic Party in Georgia.

One Democrat has already declared her candidacy: state Sen. Mary Squires. On the Republican side, U.S. Reps. Mac Collins and Johnny Isakson, as well as businessmen Al Bartell and Herman Cain, are running.

Quote of the Day: "It's the most difficult decision I've ever made in my entire life, except for the one in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax." – Arnold Schwarzenegger on jumping into the California gubernatorial race (The Tonight Show)