Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris and Alex Hahn of The CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

The AP notes that some campaign events are being delayed, including a speech by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean on universal health care, the impact of which might be diminished with so much of the media focused on the Iraq situation. Former Sen. Gary Hart's decision about running has also been put off for a while; and Florida Sen. Bob Graham, still recovering from heart surgery may delay his formal entry into the race.

And, of course, there's retired Gen. Wesley Clark who remains a CNN analyst and a non-candidate for the time being.

There's at least one hefty non-Iraq policy speech this week: Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina plans to unveil a plan on Wednesday to give parents a $2,500 tax credit for newborn children to enable them to take time off work. The plan, Edwards said in prepared text, "supports loving parents instead of punishing them." Additionally, Edwards will propose increased funding for after-school programs nationwide and a community service requirement for high school diplomas.

Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri appears on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central Wednesday night. He also hits New Hampshire on Saturday with stops planned in Manchester, Concord, Keene and Cornish.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has fundraising stops planned this week in New York, Boston and San Francisco. But Kerry will skip one event near and dear to the hearts of many Massachusetts pols: the St. Patrick's Day Roast in South Boston. Aides tell the Boston Herald that Kerry is skipping the annual event because of his continuing recovery from prostate surgery, as well as his busy campaign schedule. (He'll be in New Hampshire for another St. Patrick's Day roast on Monday, although it will probably be less roughhewn than the Southie event.) Kerry has skipped the event several times in recent years and was skewered by Al Gore in 1999.

And look for six of the nine candidates (all except Gephardt, Lieberman and Graham) to be in Sacramento this weekend for the California Democratic Party's annual convention.

Lieberman Rips Into Moran And Bush: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman weighed-in on Rep. Jim Moran's comments suggesting that the Jewish community was influencing U.S. policy on war in Iraq.

"The comments made by Jim Moran recently were deeply offensive and morally wrong. Such sentiments are inconsistent with the ideals of tolerance and diversity upon which our nation was founded. Comments like these have no place in our public discourse," said Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew.

Lieberman appeared Tuesday before the National Treasury Department Union and, according to the Hartford Courant, "ripped into the Bush administration for treating workers in an "insensitive and un-American manner." Lieberman did not mention his support of President Bush's policy toward Iraq in his speech to 800 union workers, but zinged the administration over its attempt to limit workers' rights at the Department of Homeland Security. "Some folks in the administration forgot Osama bin Laden was the enemy and thought Colleen Kelly was," Lieberman said. Kelly is the president of the treasury employees union.

Meanwhile, Hadassah Lieberman was in Oklahoma picking up endorsements for her husband's presidential campaign. The impressive list included the state attorney general, treasurer, speaker of the state House of Representatives and Rep. Brad Carson, the only Democratic member of Oklahoma's congressional delegation. Carson said he chose to support Lieberman over several other Democratic hopefuls because of the senator's "muscular view of foreign policy" and the way he integrates his religious beliefs into his daily life, according to the Daily Oklahoman.

Equal Opportunity Irritation: Both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were annoyed Tuesday when the White House canceled an appearance by the retired general who would be running Iraq after the war.

Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., called it "a missed opportunity for the administration to communicate its views on Iraqi reconstruction," after the cancellation of testimony by Gen. Jay Garner, the new director of the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction. Garner's spokesman blamed a "scheduling conflict" for his no-show.

Committee members were extremely interested in hearing what Garner and another administration no-show, USAID head Andrew Natsios, had to say about the costs of reconstructing Iraq after the war.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., was way more upset than Lugar, telling reporters after the hearing: "I pushed, we all pushed [them] to give us some sense of this. No answers. The administration chose not to have witnesses today. No answers."

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., went even further calling the administration "arrogant" and referencing a report that companies, including Halliburton, have already put in bids for post-war Iraq contracts. "Why is it some executive of a corporation can find out what the costs might be but a member of Congress cannot? That's what I find outrageous," Dodd told reporters Tuesday. "We should be given at least as much information as these corporations have been given."

The committee did hear from the Eric Schwartz from the Council on Foreign Relations. Its task force has estimated that Iraq reconstruction will probably take years – not months – and wind up costing upwards of $20 billion annually and require between 75,000 and 200,000 more troops to keep the peace..

Being Well-Known Isn't Always Good: Syndicated talk-show host and prospective U.S. Senate candidate Jerry Springer was recently found to have 98 percent name recognition by registered voters in Ohio. But 71 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him, according to a poll conducted by the University of Cincinnati.

"I can't imagine anyone would vote for me at this point," said Springer, the former mayor of Cincinnati, after receiving the poll results. He fears that will not be able to "overcome his trash talk show host image."

Nonetheless, Springer spoke to 1,000 Montgomery County Democrats at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual Frolic for Funds at Hara Arena on Tuesday night. His rousing speech, condemning President Bush and his handling of the economy, foreign policy and the potential war with Iraq netted him sustained applause. He further criticized Mr. Bush's domestic policies, including proposed tax cuts that Springer noted would only benefit wealthy folks such as him.

"Why in God's name is he giving me a tax break?" Springer asked.

According to the Dayton Daily News, the speech excited onlookers who had their pictures taken with him following the event, while one women pointed out how Springer "has the ability to motivate people."

Springer said that he will run unless someone "who has a significant chance of winning" enters the race. State Rep Eric Fingerhut believes he is that person although he is not well known statewide at this point. The poll shows both men trailing incumbent Sen. George Voinovich by wide margins.

Quote of the Day: "A bill has been put forward in the United States to designate a day to honour space aliens." - A BBC News item on Roswell, N.M., state Rep. Dan Foley's bill proposing Extraterrestrial Culture Day to enhance relationships among all citizens of the cosmos, known and unknown. (BBC News)