Washington Wrap

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

A new Orlando Sentinel poll of Florida Democrats shows that Graham is the runaway favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination. The poll also showed Graham with a rock solid 84 percent approval rating among Sunshine State Democrats.

Graham - who formed a presidential exploratory committee late last month to raise money while he continues recuperating from Jan. 31 heart surgery – led all other Democratic contenders by a huge margin, with 45 percent of voters who say they're likely to vote in next year's March 9 primary backing him.

Graham's closest rival was Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut with 10 percent, followed by Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri at 9 percent, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts at 8 percent, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at 4 percent and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean at 3 percent. The rest of the field (former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich) had about 3 percent combined, while 18 percent of voters were undecided.

As in many key primary states, Iraq has emerged as the first real hot-button campaign issue in Florida and the looming conflict could sway Democratic voters.

The Florida voter poll asked where 606 Florida Democrats stood on a war against Iraq. Sixty percent said they were opposed and 29 percent said they'd support a war. That result could bode well for Graham, who voted against last fall's congressional resolution allowing President Bush to use force to disarm Saddam Hussein, and has criticized the administration for not paying enough attention to the war on terrorism.

Howard Dean, who has campaigned several times in Florida, has also been critical of the administration on Iraq, saying he opposes unilateral action. Graham's closest rivals in the poll – Gephardt and Lieberman – both voted for the resolution and have consistently backed the president on the potential need for military action.

Graham plans to make a formal announcement on his presidential bid in April, although there's a chance the timing could be moved back if a war's being fought at the time. Graham is mining Daschle-land for talent for his campaign. He has signed up campaign pro Paul Johnson, who is likely to be his campaign manager. He's also talking to Daschle media advisors Anita Dunn and Karl Struble.

Dems Raising Money And Hiring Staff: Sen. John Kerry raised $2 million Wednesday in Boston and goes to San Francisco today to try to kick off his California fundraising drive. Kerry has always done well in California; according to the FEC he raised $1 million there for his last senate campaign, and 90210 was one of his biggest zip codes outside of Massachusetts.

Kerry, who voted for the resolution to back President Bush's policy in Iraq, blasted the president last night for his lack of diplomatic skills in garnering world support. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, introduced him by giving a pitch on the importance of early detection of prostate cancer. "I'm not supposed to do this, but I couldn't stand having so many men in front of me with their wives and not try to do something to save their lives," she said, according to the Boston Globe.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman picked up the support of Manchester, N.H., City Democratic chair Ray Buckley, who will serve as the eastern regional field director for the campaign.

A new Zogby poll of Democrats nationwide shows Lieberman still leading the pack with 18 percent, followed by Dick Gephardt at 11 percent and John Kerry at 9 percent. All the other Democrats are at 4 percent or below.

Candidates continue to be out and about despite the drumbeat of war. PoliticsNH.com says that Gephardt, Kerry, Dean and Kucinich are all expected in the state in the next week. On March 21, the New Hampshire NEA will hold a forum that will be attended by Edwards, Dean, Sharpton and Kucinich. Kerry, who is skipping a St. Patrick's Day event in South Boston, will attend one sponsored by the Manchester City Democrats on March 23.

One place Kerry and Edwards weren't was on the Senate floor this morning. Both of them missed the vote to ban the late-term abortion procedure critics call partial-birth abortions. The vote was lopsided - 64 in favor and 33 against - so two more votes against wouldn't have made the difference. Yet, some of the other, shall we say more-centrist candidates are looking for an advantage on the issue.

House Leaders Get to Work: According to Roll Call, the House Republican Conference is in the final stages of putting together their "war room" which will serve as a clearinghouse of information for members and a place where comments can be made to the media when the war begins. It is the "brainchild" of Rep. Deborah Price of Ohio. The four co-chairs are Duncan Hunter of California, Henry Hyde of Illinois, Chris Cox of California and Porter Goss of Florida. There won't be new room for this operation; it will be run out of the GOP conference office.

On the Democratic side, Minority Leader Nance Pelosi has picker her friend and northern California colleague Rep. George Miller to co-chair the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, along with Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. DeLauro will do the steering while Miller will be in charge of policy. This is the second northern California liberal Pelosi has appointed to a top job. In December, she named Rep. Bob Matsui to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The Drumbeat Gets Louder: Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., under fire for his comments on Jewish influence on the potential war on Iraq, now has his fellow House Democrats urging him not to run for re-election in 2004.

Calling Moran "a friend," six Jewish House Democrats fired off a letter to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, saying his remarks were, "not merely wrong, offensive and ignorant. They are grossly irresponsible."

"We hope as Jim reflects on his actions," the letter continued, "he will decide not to seek reelection to the House of Representatives." The six signers of the letter - Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.; Martin Frost, D-Texas; Tom Lantos, D-Calif.; Sander Levin, D-Mich.; Benjamin Cardin, D-Md.; and Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. – said if Moran does decide to run in 2004, they "cannot and will not support his candidacy."

Moran said on March 3, "it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this."

Meantime, Democratic Virginia state Sen. Leslie Byrne said she's considering challenging Moran in next year's primary, indicating a race against him "would be a bloodbath, a bare-knuckled brawl," according to the Washington Post. Byrne, who served one term in Congress from 1993-95, is being redistricted out of her present state Senate seat.

Republicans also are looking at a potential opening with Moran's seat, which he has held since 1991. Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., addressed Orthodox Jewish leaders on the Hill yesterday with DeLay accusing Democrats of appearing "to countenance remarks like those made by Rep. Moran."

Even with attacks coming from all sides, Moran remained adamant yesterday that he's going to keep his job, telling the newspaper Roll Call, "I'm not going to be intimidated."

Quote of the Day: "I've learned a lot in the last three weeks. But nothing beats watching C-SPAN on drugs." - Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on how he spent his time recovering from prostate surgery last month. (New York Daily News)