Washington Wrap

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

Monday's Headlines

* All Things Kerry

* Video News Releases? Not Exactly the News

* Web Ad Wars

* Bush and Kerry Agree on Something: The Battleground

* Senate Watch: Illinois and Colorado See Some Action

Kerry Time: John Kerry is back in Washington on Monday to meet with Democratic presidential rival Al Sharpton who, according to the New York Post, will discuss ending his struggling campaign. Party insiders tell the Post that Sharpton is looking for a pledge from Kerry that he will play "some role" in the campaign, details of which will be determined after he leaves the race.

According to the Post, Democrats in the know say Sharpton will likely play "hard to get" with Kerry. But, they warn, he better not play too hard because there are people in the Kerry camp who think they may be better off without Sharpton on their side.

Speaking of playing hard to get, Kerry will also meet with AFSCME President Gerry McEntee, whose union has still not endorsed anyone since withdrawing its support from Howard Dean prior to the Wisconsin primary. McEntee, who heads the AFL-CIO's political committee did sign off on the AFL's endorsement of Kerry last month.

One union which was there early for Kerry was the International Association of Fire Fighters and Kerry began his day thanking the IAFF, the first union to back his candidacy. The IAFF was instrumental in organizing rallies in Iowa and chili feeds in New Hampshire, especially during Kerry's down period at the end of 2003. Kerry is also scheduled to meet with Philadelphia Mayor John Street.

Tomorrow, Kerry hits the battleground state of West Virginia and on Wednesday he is expected to gives a defense and foreign policy speech in Washington, D.C.

Government Pays Actors to Participate in Video "News" Releases: Local news stations around the country have received "video news releases" touting the Bush administration's Medicare bill. The New York Times reports that the videos feature paid actors identified as reporters who "question" Bush officials on the plan's benefits, an elderly customer whose pharmacist tells her the bill is a "very good idea" and several pictures of President Bush receiving a standing ovation as he signed the Medicare law.

The videos, produced by the Department of Health and Human Services but sent to television stations without that documentation, have sparked debate over whether "the government might mislead viewers by concealing the source of the Medicare videos, which have been broadcast by stations in Oklahoma, Louisiana and other states."

The materials sent include government-prepared scripts that can be used by local anchors to introduce the "news release." The Times explains: "In one script, the administration suggests that anchors use this language: 'In December, President Bush signed into law the first-ever prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about how the law will help older Americans and people with disabilities. Reporter Karen Ryan helps sort through the details.'" Then the video news release rolls and Ryan – a paid actor playing a reporter – explains the new law.

The Bush administration says that the videos are perfectly legal. A DHHS spokesman, Kevin Keane told the Times, "The use of video news releases is a common, routine practice in government and the private sector." But Democrats disagree and the General Accounting Office has begun an investigation. At issue is the law that prohibits the use of federal money for "publicity or propaganda purposes" not authorized by Congress. Writes the Times, "In the past, the General Accounting Office has found that federal agencies violated this restriction when they disseminated editorials and newspaper articles written by the government or its contractors without identifying the source."

The GAO has not ruled yet, with its spokesman saying only, "We are actively considering some follow-up work related to the materials we received from the Department of Health and Human Services." Regardless of who comes out on top in this round, with a $123.6 million tax payer-funded public education campaign planned for the next two years, the questions seem unlikely to fade away anytime soon.

The Web Ad Wars Grow Up: Although the Internet-as-election-tool made its mark early in campaign 2004 as both a fundraising vehicle and a hotbed for Deaniacs, the Net is now entering the general election as a new way to advertise. As the Washington Post reports, the Web is the newest attack ad distributor, with both the Kerry and Bush campaigns getting in on the action.

In February, before the Democratic nomination was clear, the Bush-Cheney campaign sent an online video link to six million supporters that attacked Kerry's connections to special interests. The Kerry campaign hit back, mailing a video link to 300,000 supporters that asked, "Who's the politician who's taken more special interest money than anyone in history?" The answer: George W. Bush.

With the general election campaign now in full swing, the Internet looks to continue in its ad broadcasting role. As Kerry spokesperson Stephanie Cutter told the Post, "It's an inexpensive way to reach a very large group of people and mobilize your base." And Scott Stanzel of the Bush campaign explains, "This is a unique way to share a message with [supporters] that becomes quite memorable." The attack orientation of the ads will probably continue as well. The Post observes, "presidential candidates' online ads have been more biting than their television ones," perhaps because "the candidates' most die-hard supporters -- those who bothered to sign up for their e-mails -- probably would not be offended by hard-hitting attacks on the competition." Moreover, Internet ads do not require candidates to say they "approved" the ad, thus creating distance between a candidate and his attack not possible in television ads.

And as the campaigns prepare to do Internet battle, Congress does not want to be left behind. Last week, House Republicans posted an attack against Kerry on the House Resources Committee Web site. House Democrats cried foul, "saying this was an improper use of a government Web site," the Post reports. The Republican Senate also got into the act, with Sen. Rick Santorum e-mailing a media advisory where he "introduced into the Congressional Record a simulated federal budget of Democrat[ic] presidential nominee, Sen. John Kerry." Now on the Net and in the CR, Santorum's Internet ploy will make perfect fodder for googling monkeys looking to attack Kerry. Let the arrows fly.

The Battleground: It's only March but the presidential race may already be over in 32 states. Strategists on both sides of the aisle have already conceded a majority of the states to one another, reports the Washington Post, with the election likely to turn to battles in 18 states or even fewer.

This year the battlegrounds are very similar to those of 2000. A strong indication of where campaigns plan to focus their attentions is where they are advertising. With a few exceptions, the Bush and Kerry campaigns, and a Democratic group called the Media Fund, agree on where their resources are needed. All three have chosen the same 16 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The Bush/Cheney campaign and the Media Fund are also on the air in Washington state. The Kerry campaign is not but says that Washington state is still in play.

Tennessee is the one state that was close (seven percentage points or less) in 2000 but is not on the list this time. With the absence of Gore from the ticket, both sides see it now as leaning Republican.

Senate Round Up: Illinois and Colorado: In Illinois, a new poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. done for Copley News Service (conducted Mar. 8 through Mar. 10, margin of error 5 percent) showed that Democratic and Republican frontrunners for the Illinois Senate race share a strong leads over their closest rivals. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago leads with 37 percent of the vote while his closest rival, Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, had 18 percent. Former frontrunner, investor Blair Hull, had 16 percent and Cook County treasurer Maria Pappas was backed by 8 percent; 14 percent were undecided.

In the Republican race, investment banker-turned-teacher Jack Ryan led with 45 percent while businessman Andy Glenview and entrepreneur Jim Oberweis had 11 percent each The remaining candidates were in single digits and 18 percent were undecided. Chicago's Daily Herald reports that there are an unusually high number of undecided voters, particularly on the Republican side, "as many as three in 10 primary voters didn't have a favorite, according to polls."

In Colorado, the Republicans finally got a Senate candidate but not one of their top choices. Former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer announced Sunday that he would declare his candidacy Monday, making him the first Republican to file, reports the Rocky Mountain News. His statement follows former GOP national chairman Jim Nicholson's refusal to join the Senate race. Nicholson is the fifth and latest Colorado Republican to refuse the U.S. Senate seat. Lt. Gov. Jane Norton is still considering whether to join the race.

The Democratic Party has mostly fallen in line behind State Attorney Ken Salazar as their candidate for the Senate race. A holdout, rival Mike Miles, railed against the decision Saturday, announcing he will remain in the race, reported the Denver Post.

Quote of the Day: "I've been working out four times a week with a German." --former President Bill Clinton explaining how he's trimmed down recently (New York Daily News)