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
* John Kerry's Medals Flap
* Cheney-Democrats Play Defense
* Another Pennsylvania Poll Shows Tight Race Between Specter and Toomey
* Veep Watch: Iowa and Ohio
* Nader Goes to Michigan
Heavy Medals: One of John Kerry's more controversial moves in his anti-Vietnam War phase – the tossing of medals over the White House fence as an act of protest 33 years ago – is coming back to bite him. Over the course of the campaign he has maintained that he opposed the returning of medals as a tactic and therefore saved his own, saying that instead, he threw his ribbons and someone else's medals. The Kerry campaign Web site says it is "right-wing fiction" that he "threw away his medals during a Vietnam War protest." Instead the Web site says, "John Kerry threw away his ribbons and the medals of two veterans who could not attend the event."
But according to New York Times, a television interview Kerry gave in November 1971 appears to contradict that point. The interview was shown on the Washington television station WRC, then archived by President Richard M. Nixon's communications office and held by the National Archives.
The Times reports that, "On the program, an interviewer asked Mr. Kerry to explain what was happening in a photograph of a man hurling a medal, apparently during a protest. Mr. Kerry responded that the veterans had decided that the best way to 'wake the country up' about the war was to 'renounce the symbols which this country gives, which supposedly reinforces all the things that they have done, and that was the medals themselves. And so they decided to give them back to their country,' he added. Mr. Kerry said they had decided to do so as 'a last resort.' When the interviewer asked, 'How many did you give back, John?' he answered, 'I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine.' When the interviewer pointed out that Mr. Kerry had won the Bronze and Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts, Mr. Kerry added, 'Well, and above that, I gave back my others.'"
On "Good Morning America" on Monday, Kerry denied that his comments have been inconsistent, saying that ribbons were often referred to as medals. "Back then ribbons, medals were absolutely interchangeable." Kerry also called the allegations a "phony controversy" that is being pushed by Republicans and went on to directly challenge Bush's record in the National Guard. "This comes from a President and a Republican Party that can't even answer whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard. I'm not going to stand for it."
DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, meanwhile, also jumped into the fray on Monday. After giving a speech intended to blast Dick Cheney's record, McAuliffe responded to the recent medals controversy. "Bush could have gone to Vietnam, but he didn't. Cheney could have gone to Vietnam, but he didn't. They don't have medals to have a discussion about."
Cheney: Theme of the Week: The Washington Post reports that John Kerry and the Democratic Party "will open a week-long assault on Vice President Cheney today in hopes that tarring him as promoting secrecy and controversial policies will erode confidence in President Bush."
Coincidentally (or not) The Post reports Cheney will fire right back on Monday. "Cheney is expected to deliver a major address in Missouri … charging that Kerry's record shows he would be unsuitable to serve as commander in chief in an era that requires an unwavering leader who can recognize gathering threats and is willing to speak out against them, even when that is difficult or unpopular. Aides said Cheney will say the president must set a clear and consistent foreign policy, and support a military strong enough to use decisive power as a last resort."
The Post reports that: "Kerry's campaign said he will focus first on Cheney's record as defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, charging that Cheney proposed cuts to weapons critical to recent military operations. Bush's campaign replied that Cheney took his stands during the peace-dividend rollback of the military after the Soviet Union collapsed."
Later in the week, Kerry will criticize Cheney for trying to keep records of his meetings on energy policy secret and his connections with Halliburton.
DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe kicked off Cheney Week with a speech in Washington on Monday morning in which he called Cheney the Bush campaign's "Attack-Dog-in-Chief."
"The American people have better things to do with their time than listen to more misleading attacks from a man who has been misleading them from the day he took office," McAuliffe said.
The Post's take on why Cheney is being attacked, and why he is attacking right back: "Cheney's role as Bush's attack dog highlights one of the many reasons some Democrats are prodding Kerry to choose a running mate quickly: It would give him a prominent surrogate to hammer away at the president. The use of McAuliffe to respond to Cheney is notable because some of Kerry's advisers have said McAuliffe is seen as too partisan and bombastic."
Bush-Cheney also starts running a TV spot criticizing Kerry's record in the Senate on defense issues as part of a $10 million campaign to discredit the Democrat on defense issues. The spot, "Weapons" will run in the 18 states and national cable outlets that the campaign has previously run ads. In addition, the ad will be customized for nine swing states where the weapons systems or programs that Kerry voted against in the Senate are produced.
The script of "Weapons": As our troops defend America in the War on Terror, they must have what it takes to win. Yet, John Kerry has repeatedly opposed weapons vital to winning the War on Terror: Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Patriot Missiles, B-2 Stealth Bombers, F-18 Fighter Jets and more. Kerry even voted against body armor for our troops on the front line of the War on Terror. John Kerry's record on national security: Troubling."
MoveOn.org, meanwhile, also starts running an ad on Monday on defense issues, specifically contrasting Bush and Kerry's respective military records. The ad, which will run on Fox News nationally and on CNN in New York City, says: "The first went to Vietnam. A lieutenant. In a boat up the Mekong River. An ambush. Nowhere to hide. A harrowing escape. Then the more harrowing realization that one man was left, wounded in the water. The lieutenant chose to go back, through the gunfire, because he couldn't leave even one man behind. The second man sailed to the top of a list, on his father's name, was trained as a pilot, but failed to show up for a required physical. He was grounded, wasn't seen for months, and then was released eight months early to go to Harvard Business School."
Specter in a Squeaker: With just one day remaining before Pennsylvania's GOP primary for the U.S. Senate, a new Quinnipiac poll shows incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter leading U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey 48 to 42 percent. The poll follows Franklin and Marshall College's Keystone Poll last week that also had Specter leading Toomey by six points, down from 13 points last month. The new poll surveyed 617 likely Republican voters in Pennsylvania from April 20 to 24.
"With 10 percent of likely voters undecided and 14 percent saying they could change their mind, it comes down to which candidate does the better job of getting his voters out tomorrow," said the polling institute's assistant director Clay F. Richards.
There has been over $10 million spent on the primary and months of tireless campaigning by both candidates. However, polls predict that less than one-third of registered Republicans will turn out for tomorrow's election, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Specter, a senator for 24 years, is spending the day making a series of airport appearances in cities, including Pittsburgh, Erie and Philadelphia. His focus is on maximizing turnout, especially from Philadelphia where there are many moderate Republicans who share his views. Toomey, who has rallied his conservative base for the past 14 months, will also be flying to airports across the state to drum up last-minute support, reported the Inquirer.
Wanted: Veep Who Can Carry Iowa and Ohio: As John Kerry travels the country looking for votes and donations, his team of VP vetters, led by Jim Johnson, is looking for the perfect running mate. And while the vetting process has been very quiet, this week's flavors include politicians who can carry Ohio and Iowa. Kerry traveled to Iowa on Sunday, fueling "speculation of a Kerry-Vilsack ticket," reports the Des Moines Register. Sen. Tom Harkin, who endorsed Howard Dean in the primaries but stood at Kerry's side on Sunday, alluded to former President Franklin Roosevelt choice of Iowan Henry Wallace and said of Roosevelt, "When he was looking for a vice president, he came to Iowa. My friends, it's the same today." Vilsack himself was more reserved, saying only that "It is up to us to get this good man elected."
Moving east from Iowa, Ohio is looming large in the minds of many VP prognosticators. In Roll Call, Stuart Rothenberg says that Democrats must win in Ohio and that neighboring Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana may be the man to help them do so. Passing over home-state pols, Rothenberg also skips Dick Gephardt and John Edwards, settling on Bayh as "a former two-term governor and true moderate Democrat who has been successful among voters not unlike the kind found in south and central Ohio." Last week, chief VP-vetter Jim Johnson was spotted leaving the Senate office building with Bayh after a routine fire drill interrupted a meeting between the two. A source close to Bayh said Bayh hadn't been asked for a lot of background information prior to that meeting but Bayh's people have been tight-lipped about any contact meetings but the betting is that Johnson didn't stop by to borrow some sugar.
Nader Heads to Michigan: In his quest to get on the ballot in all 50 states, Ralph Nader was in Michigan on Sunday trying to rally supporters for an urgent signature drive. Michigan requires candidates to collect 31,000 signatures by June 15 to qualify for its ballot, making it, in Nader's words, "one of the toughest states to get on the ballot," reports the Detroit Free Press. "By contrast, New York, a state with about twice Michigan's population, requires fewer than 20,000."
On Sunday, Nader spoke to a crowd of approximately 100 volunteers in Dearborn, where the Free Press reports he talked about "why he is running again, despite the protest of many Democrats who say he contributed to Al Gore's loss in the 2000 election." Nader told the crowd, "Voters are vulnerable to slogans. They are flattered, fooled and flummoxed. … I don't trust the Democrats to be able to win." In 2000, Nader received 1.99 percent of Michigan's vote, compared to his 2.7 percent of the national vote, according to USElectionAtlas.org. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman won the state 51 to 46 after a closely fought battle that included late stops from President Bill Clinton. Michigan is once again a battleground state this year.
Quote of the Day: "Oh, barf." – Sen. John on the plane when he noticed a reporter reading the long profile piece about his complexities as a person (and candidate) in the Boston Sunday Globe (CBS News' Steve Chaggaris)