Washington Wrap

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

* Kerry Travels Around

* Calls for Ryan to Resign

* Nader Takes and Gives Some Advice

* Coleman Stumps for Bush With Jewish Voters

* Gore Goes After Bush

* DeMint Tops Beasley in South Carolina GOP Senate Run-Off

* Bad Moon Rising on Capitol Hill?

Kerry Travels Around: Sen. John Kerry spent Tuesday in Washington, D.C., where he returned unexpectedly to vote on a veterans' health care amendment on the Senate floor. Unfortunately for Kerry, however, the Republican majority in Congress used its scheduling prerogatives to delay the vote and to prevent Kerry from creating the moment he sought.

Instead, Kerry was granted floor time to speak and said, "We have an opportunity to make a choice today. If we don't, then we'll continue to talk about this issue over the next months. And the American people will make a choice in November."

But lest travelers everywhere feel badly about Kerry's wasted flight to our nation's capital, Kerry did have some successes on Tuesday. The candidate met with Sen. John Edwards, thought to be a leading contender for vice president, in a small room off the Senate floor. Edwards confirmed to The New York Times that they chatted for about 20 minutes in what was apparently an unscheduled meeting.

"Kerry has made it clear he wants to keep the process confidential," Mr. Edwards said, "so I'm not going to say anything about it." Kerry also talked with various members of his party's caucus and sat for the official senate photograph.

After waiting two-and-a-half hours for a "last ditch" chance to vote after his 13-minute floor speech, Kerry reluctantly returned to the airport for a flight to northern California where he has events on Wednesday. Greeting reporters who had been waiting six hours for the Ssnator to return from the Hill, Kerry said, "You can register your complaints with Bill Frist," the Republican majority leader who helped orchestrate the vote's delay, reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris.

Back on the trail, Kerry begins Wednesday with a fundraiser and then focuses on health care. Kerry will give a health-care technology speech to the SEIU's national convention during the day and then attend another fund-raiser in San Jose.

On Thursday, Kerry has morning campaign events in San Jose and then travels to Los Angeles for a fund-raising gala concert featuring Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond and Billy Crystal, reports Chaggaris. This is the star-studded affair that was postponed following Ronald Reagan's death on June 5.

Ryan Vows He Won't Drop Out of Illinois Senate Race: The Washington Post reported that Illinois GOP Senate nominee Jack Ryan says he is not getting out of the race despite a spate of negative publicity surrounding the unsealing of his divorce papers. The papers contained a number of embarrassing allegations by his former wife, actress Jeri Lynn, who accused Ryan of taking her to sex clubs in New York, Paris and New Orleans and asking her to have sex with him as well as perform other sexual acts in front of a couple.

Ryan denied the allegations and fended off calls for him to retire from the race. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., called for Ryan to drop out so Republicans can maintain their majority in the Senate. He went on to say, "I think it becomes very difficult for Jack to win." Other Republicans, including former governor Jim Edgar and the state chairman, Judy Baar Topinka, made clear through friends or advisers that they felt they were misled by Ryan.

According to sources close to Topinka, she asked Ryan if there was anything embarrassing in the documents and the contender stated no. Edgar and Topinka declined to comment further yesterday. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert also declined to comment. A spokesman for Hastert said the speaker and Ryan had not spoken since the candidate held a news conference on Monday evening to answer the allegations.

However, some key national Republicans are showing their support. Dan Allen, National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director, told CBS News that NRSC chairman Sen. George Allen talked to Ryan. "We're fully behind and fully supportive of Jack," Allen said. "We continue to believe that he is the candidate best able to articulate the message and issues that matter most to the voters of Illinois."

The Chicago Sun Times says Republican leaders "are cringing over the seamy sexual allegations, raising questions about his honesty and wondering if they can get him off the ticket in November. By the end of week, party leaders hope to decide what needs to be done. But it's unclear how much they can do. They can only replace Ryan if he bows out."

Barrack Obama, Ryan's Democratic challenger, didn't get involved in the controversy. When asked whether he believes the allegations are relevant to the campaign, he said, "I just think our campaign's going to focus on matters that are important to the voters and if we do, we'll do fine." Obama is certainly doing fine, according to a Chicago tribune WGN-TV poll that shows him with a double-digit lead over Ryan.

Nader in the News: Although Ralph Nader is still a candidate for president, he has some advice for John Kerry: "choose John Edwards as your vice presidential candidate." Echoing a chorus of prominent Democrats, Nader supports Edwards because he "is vetted and prepared and will defend the right of Americans to sue corporations that injure them," Nader tells Kerry in a letter received by CBS News.

Nader's operations have received considerable funding from trial lawyers over the years and Edwards' background has endeared him to many Naderites. On the other hand, given Democrats' views these days of Nader, it's not clear if his "advice" will help or hurt Edwards' cause.

Nader clearly isn't in agreement with Democrats on all issues. According to the AP, he had a contentious meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday, whose members made no secret of their hopes that he would quit the race.

"Shouts could be heard from inside the meeting with more than a dozen Congressional Black Caucus members, including Nader's voice, in what proved to be a rancorous session. One female shouted, 'You can't win,' to which Nader shot back an inaudible response.

"'It became abundantly clear to us that this was about Ralph Nader and we were sorely disappointed,' caucus chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md, said afterward... Nader dismissed the shouting as an 'exciting exchange' between two sides with the same goal — the defeat of President Bush — but with different strategies for achieving it."

"Rather than attacking Nader they should recognize that we are an ally," Kevin Zeese, spokesman for the Nader campaign tells CBS News. "Each member said they agreed with Ralph Nader on all the issues, but sadly, rather than seeing our areas of agreement they acted out of irrational fear and threatened to go from city to city telling African Americans that Nader is hurting them," he continued.

Meanwhile, Arizona Democrats aren't waiting for him to drop out and are prepared to challenge his qualifications to appear on that state's ballot as an independent candidate, reports the AP. The state party is expected to formally challenge Nader's qualifications on Wednesday.

Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said the challenge would focus on the validity of thousands of signatures Nader's supporters submitted to Arizona officials. "Cabrera stressed that the state party had not requested DNC resources and that any decision to challenge Nader's ballot access rests with state officials. But he said the national party stands behind the effort in principle," reports the AP.

Coleman Stumps for Bush With Jewish Voters: In this 50-50 nation of ours, it's no secret that Republicans and Democrats alike are trying their best to siphon as many votes as possible from their opponent's traditional voting blocs. The St Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Bush campaign is employing Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota – to gin up support among Jewish voters for the president's re-election effort.

The Bush and Kerry campaigns both have been using surrogates extensively during Campaign '04. For every campaign stop by the president or Kerry, there has typically been a corresponding press conference or conference call by a high-profile member of the opposing party from that state.

Coleman himself has done several conference calls on Bush's behalf when Kerry has visited Minnesota. And, in addition, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports: "When presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., speaks to Jewish groups anywhere -- or visits heavily Jewish areas like south Florida -- the Bush campaign has been asking Coleman to offer some criticisms and present an alternative Republican version. Recently, Coleman and activist Ralph Reed, formerly of the Christian Coalition, held a joint teleconference to fault Kerry's stand on Israel. Likewise, Coleman has been speaking in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami for national Jewish Republican groups."

"I'm working on trying to energize the Jewish community," Coleman said. "I think Bush got about 19 percent of the Jewish vote in 2000, and I think he could do much better in '04."

The Pioneer Press reports that Coleman grew up in the Reform tradition of Judaism and had his bar mitzvah in Brooklyn, N.Y. He observes major Jewish holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, with his family and a group of longtime friends, aides say. He attends High Holy Day services at Temple Aaron, a St. Paul synagogue affiliated with Judaism's Conservative movement, but is not a formal member of the temple.

Gore Goes After Bush on the Iraq-Al Qaeda Link: In what is becoming a familiar refrain, Al Gore will go after the Bush administration in harsh terms, going further than this year's standard bearer Sen. John Kerry can. In a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center, the former Vice President will accuse the Bush Administration of "intentionally misleading the American people by continuing to falsely claim a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda." Gore will charge the administration has "institutionalized dishonesty as an essential element of their policy process."

According to a press release announcing the speech, Gore will also "discuss the implications of the Administration's claim to be above the law in ordering the torture of suspects - and their claim that the Commander in Chief's power trumps all other laws. He will call for the Administration to reveal all orders given the military on the treatment of prisoners."

South Carolina Runoff Results: After both candidates came out swinging in a runoff held yesterday for the GOP Senate nomination in South Carolina to succeed retiring Senator Fritz Hollings, three-term Rep. Jim DeMint defeated former Gov. David Beasley, 59 percent to 41 percent. The Associated Press reports DeMint garnered 153, 947 votes, while Beasley trailed with 106,113 votes.

Although Beasley finished first in the primary held June 8, neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote, resulting in yesterday's runoff. DeMint poured $3.5 million into his campaign to bolster his statewide recognition and chip away at the Beasley's image as former Governor. During his tenure as Governor, Beasley called for the lowering of the Confederate flag from atop the statehouse, as well as a ban on video poker, angering voters throughout the state.

DeMint's victory in the yesterday's runoff sets the stage for this fall's general election where DeMint will face Democratic state education superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. The results of this showdown could play a strategic role in the balance of power in the Senate. Although South Carolina has displayed "conservative leanings" in the past, Democrats in the state are hopeful that Tenenbaum's middle of the road message, as well as Bush's faltering appeal could culminate in a victory for Tenenbaum come November.

While yesterday's battle will fade into the background as preparation for the general election swings into high gear, Beasley assured supporters "that David Beasley will not fade not fade into the sunset." DeMint turned his attention to the coming election saying, "It's amazing what a boring guy can do with a little help from his friends ... we're in the finals now."

Bad Moon Rising: The Reverend Sun Myung Moon was the guest of honor at a congressional reception earlier this year during which he proclaimed that "dictators such as Hitler and Stalin, have found strength in my teachings, mended their ways and been reborn as new persons," reports the Washington Post. In addition, Moon announced during his speech that he was "sent to Earth... to save the world's six billion people ... Emperors, kings and presidents ... have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent."

The March 23 event was sponsored by Moon's Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace organization, as well as the Washington Times, a subsidiary of the IIFWP. The event honored nearly 100 people from all 50 states with "National Crown of Peace" awards. According to the Washington Post, "Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding an ornate crown that was placed on Moon's head."

Some of the elected officials who attended the event have distanced themselves from Moon. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., while lauding Moon's efforts to promote world peace, said that he was a lifelong Methodist and disagreed with many of Moon's teachings.

Although Moon's remarks have generated the most controversy, the greater problem might be that the reception was held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Use of the building requires a senator's approval, but nobody has come forward to take responsibility. According to the Post, Dayton, whose spokeswoman said that the senator was "duped" into attending the event, has conceded that Moon associates donated money to his campaign, but insists that he did not authorize the event.

Other congressmen who attended the ceremony have also asserted that they did not know the details of the event. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., said that he "had no idea what would happen," regarding Moon's coronation and speech and only showed up because the Washington Times put on the event. Some representatives, including Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said they appeared at the event because their constituents were honored.

Moon is no stranger to controversy. He received an 18-month prison sentence in 1982 for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, and in 1997 he likened homosexuals to "dirty dung-eating dogs." Moon has claimed in the past to have spoken to all the deceased U.S. presidents, Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses while in the spirit world.

Quote of the Day: "I turned to Vice President Cheney, who was there, and I said, 'Mr. Vice President, I wouldn't keep you if it weren't constitutionally required.' I turned back to the president and said, 'Mr. President, Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld are bright guys, really patriotic, but they've been dead wrong on every major piece of advice they've given you. That's why I'd get rid of them, Mr. President...' They said nothing. Just sat like big old bullfrogs on a log and looked at me." -- Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. (Rolling Stone, via Washington Post's Reliable Source)