Washington Wrap

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

Monday's Headlines

* Bush-Cheney Looks to Change the Subject

* Kerry Puts Out New Ad

* Kerry in Ketchum

* The State of Nader

* Idaho Not a Democratic Stronghold?

Bush-Cheney on Kerry's "Tax Gap": The White House and the Bush-Cheney campaign, stung by accusations on CBS' 60 Minutes by former top anti-terrorism official Richard Clarke that the administration did not recognize the risk presented by al Qaeda before Sept. 11, 2001 and focused erroneously on Iraq in the aftermath of the terror attacks, will try to shift the debate from Iraq and terrorism to jobs and the economy.

Starting this week, even as top Bush administration aides prepare to testify before the independent commission investigating 9/11, the campaign says it will focus on what it's dubbed John Kerry's "tax gap" – the difference between the cost of programs Kerry has proposed during the campaign and how much government revenue would increase with Kerry as president from repealing some of the Bush tax cuts.

The Bush campaign has long said the 2004 campaign will be driven by two major issues, the wars and the economy.

A Bush-Cheney spokesman says their researchers have counted 73 new or expanded government programs proposed by Kerry. Of those, they've found 28 that have been vetted by outside groups for costs. Those 28 proposals alone would cost around $1.7 trillion over ten years, the Bush-Cheney spokesman said, while Kerry's proposed tax increases would increase revenue by approximately $700 billion.

The Republican National Committee, of course, will be chiming in with what it calls the John Kerry "Spend-o-Meter" to track the cost of the Democrat's proposals on its web site, www.gop.com. The RNC plans to update the figures as the campaign moves along and more specific figures are released by Kerry. In a conference call with reporters, RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie called Kerry's proposals a "staggering amount of spending." "I think it's worth pausing and saying, 'how are you going to pay for all this,'" Gillespie said.

The Kerry campaign, of course, dismissed the latest salvo from Bush-Cheney. "George Bush has been the steward of the worst economy since the Great Depression, and now he is hypocritically criticizing John Kerry for his efforts to put the nation back on track," spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter told The New York Times. "His fiscal recklessness and overspending have wasted $10 trillion dollars, putting the nation into record deficits, forcing states to raise tuition and taxes, and leaving future generations with higher costs and debts for decades to come."

New Kerry Ad: Although Kerry himself is on vacation, his campaign is working to keep him in the news. On Monday, they released a new ad entitled "Fought for his Country," a positive, biographical spot. It begins: "For 35 years, John Kerry's fought for his country." Kerry then speaks directly to the camera saying, "We need to get some things done in this country: affordable health care, rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy, really investing in our kids. That's why I'm running for president."

The narrator continues, "John Kerry: the military experience to defend America. A new plan to create jobs and put our economy back on track." The ad concludes with Kerry, again straight to camera saying, "I'm John Kerry and I approved this message because it's time to put opportunity in the hands of all Americans." The closing tag line: "John Kerry: a new direction for America." The ad features Kerry emerging from a Vietman jungle and advisers emphasized the ad's postive tone in a conference call with reporters.

The Kerry campaign says this will be a "real buy" and "bigger than previous ones," as opposed to a Beltway special. They raised $8.4 million in February, compared to $13.7 raised by the Bush team. But since that filing, the Kerry campaign says it has raised $14 million online in March.

The Bush campaign says it plans no new ads "in the beginning of the week." Their second round of ads, including the attack ad on Kerry, are still running.

Kerry-ing on in Ketchum: John Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry spent a ski-filled weekend in Ketchum, Idaho, hitting both the slopes and the church on Sunday, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris. They arrived at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic church in Ketchum at 10:41 a.m., 11 minutes after the start of mass, wearing full ski regalia. With the exception of a couple of people, they were the only ones among the 100 in the church in full ski gear.

The pair entered the church through a back door and sat four rows from the rear. There was no acknowledgment of their presence by the priest or anyone involved in the church. During mass, Kerry sang hymns, kissed his wife after the Lord's Prayer and he shook hands with the woman behind him and the Secret Service agent behind him while saying "peace be with you." He also acknowledged the three reporters sitting two rows behind him and said "peace be with you." Kerry and his wife received communion with a Secret Service agent behind them in line, who also received communion. He also dropped an unseen amount of money in the basket that went around the church.

After the service concluded, the Kerrys walked out of church and headed straight to Bald Mountain, where Kerry would spend the rest of the morning snowboarding and Teresa skiing.

Kerry and "TH," as he referred to her, left Bald Mountain in the early afternoon to spend the rest of the day at their secluded and heavily guarded River Rock Road home, which incidentally is about a mile from his chief veep-vetter Jim Johnson's Ketchum abode.

In other news from Kerry-world, Kerry participated in a hijinks-filled St. Patrick's Day breakfast via telephone. Held at the Local 7 Ironworkers Hall, the South Boston breakfast is a 47-year old tradition, which this year included calls from both Kerry and President Bush. Bush told his listeners, "I know there's a lot of talk about a Massachusetts politician who has his eye on the presidency … But tell Mitt it's not open until 2008," referring to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Kerry gave right back, introducing himself as the next president of the United States and saying, "I'm feeling very confident about my ability to win. I've been told by a lot of foreign leprechauns they want me to win." Although roasters at the breakfast went after both Kerry and Bush, one attendee explained why so many in the room are actually backing Kerry: U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch of South Boston said, "Basically, half this room is going to be running for John Kerry's seat."

Kerry ends his vacation on Wednesday when he'll return to Washington. He will attend a Unity Dinner sponsored by the DNC on Thursday and then head to Michigan for a campaign rally with Howard Dean on Friday and to Missouri on Saturday. Starting Monday, Kerry will begin a 20-city fundraising tour designed to help the Kerry campaign raise a big chunk of the $80 million it hopes to spend by the DNC convention in July. Stops on the Cash and Kerry tour include California, Washington, D.C, Boston, New York City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and Houston.

Nader Under the Radar: Ralph Nader, who has been relatively quiet so far this election cycle, seems to be having a hard time raising his profile and campaign funds, FEC reports show. Nader reported on Saturday that he raised a total of $559,493 in February, $299,192 of which he spent, leaving him with $260,301 cash on hand.

The report also shows that Nader donated $40,000 of his own money to his campaign last fall while his campaign was still in the campaign exploratory phase. The campaign also received an in-kind donation of nearly $84,000, from his 2000 campaign. Campaign spokesman Kevin Zeese tells CBS News that it is too early to see trends in Nader's fundraising, but the Web has been kind to the coffers, with 70 percent of the contributions coming from the web. The average contribution meanwhile, was $112.63. Bush/Cheney supporter comedian Ben Stein gave $500 to Nader, according to just released FEC documents.

In other news, Nader made headlines in Oklahoma after he called Oklahoma's congressional representatives the "cruelest, most craven legislators in Washington," second only to Texas lawmakers, reports the Daily Oklahoman. Nader's comments came during a speech in which he was chastising the state legislature for tort reform under consideration, pointing to it as a key example of how elected officials turn their backs on the people who elect them. Nader is not on the ballot yet and will need to submit 37,027 signatures of registered voters to the state Election Board by July 15.

This week Nader takes his campaign to the South, where he will address supporters during a four-day wing through North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, March 25 to March 28. In addition to spreading his message, Nader will also begin mobilizing support for petition drives to get his name on each state's ballot. He will also participate in a debate with former Republican presidential candidate, Alan Keyes, at Queens University in Charlotte on Thursday.

Idaho Not in Play: Although John Kerry is hanging out in Idaho it's not exactly a Democratic stronghold. In fact, Kerry gets booed a bit while moving from place to place. And, according to the Idaho Statesman, "Democrats may have made history Friday, fielding no candidate to challenge" Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID). "A Democrat missed the filing deadline by a few seconds, leaving Crapo unopposed in his bid for a second six-year term."

And the Democrats' woes do not end at the Senate level in the famous-for-potatoes state: Democrats "mustered candidates for just 45 of the 105 legislative seats up for election this year."

Quote of the Day: "George is doing this because he's a son who loves his dad and wants his dad to succeed, and we know voters in this district will not confuse the two." --Nick Clooney spokesman on why the Kentucky congressional candidate's son, actor George Clooney, is raising money for his father but not making public appearances. (Louisville Courier Journal.)