Washington Wrap
Dotty Lynch, Beth Lester, Clothilde Ewing and Allen Alter from the CBS News Political and Campaign '04 Units have the latest political news from Washington and from the trail:
Friday's Headlines
* Poll Watch
* Swift Boats Keep Sailing
* Help is on the Way
* Kerry Debating Alone
* Edwards, Take 5
* Preacher Man
Poll Watch: With two days to go until the Republican Convention, President Bush and his staff must feel encouraged by recent poll numbers that show Bush in better position than he has been since John Kerry chose John Edwards as his running mate. Although all of the polls are razor thin and within the margin of error, Bush is either leading or closing the gap on challenger John Kerry.
CBS News Poll Aug. 15 – 18 (1,009 interviews)
Kerry 46 percent
Bush 45 percent
Nader 1 percent
*Registered voters in the sample and margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
George Washington University Battleground Poll Aug. 15-17 (1,000 interviews)
Kerry 48 percent
Bush 47 percent
Nader 3 percent
*Likely voters and margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Fox News Poll Aug. 24-25 (1,000 interviews)
Kerry 44 percent
Bush 43 percent
Nader 3 percent
* Among likely voters and margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll Aug. 23-25 (1,004 interviews)
Bush 48 percent
Kerry 46 percent
Nader 4 percent
* Among likely voters
Kerry 48 percent
Bush 47 percent
* Among registered voters and margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points and plus or minus 4 points for the subgroups of registered and likely voters.
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll Aug.23 – 25 (806 interviews)
Bush 47 percent
Kerry 45 percent
Nader 3 percent
* Registered voters and margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
According to the latest Los Angeles Times poll, Bush is leading Kerry in three Midwestern battleground states. In Missouri, Bush leads among registered voters, 46% to 44%; in Wisconsin, he leads 48% to 44%; in Ohio, the he holds a 49%-to-44% advantage, the surveys found. The poll interviewed 507 registered voters in Ohio, 580 in Missouri and 512 in Wisconsin, from Saturday through Tuesday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent for each state.
Swift Boats Keep Sailing: In the world's longest-lasting controversy created by $1.2 million worth of ads, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth roll on, with three new developments.
First, new Navy records back up John Kerry's version of events for which Kerry received a Bronze Star. Kerry's award was for rescuing crewmate Jim Rassman under enemy fire but the SBVfT group has questioned Kerry's version of events, saying there was no hostile fire that day.
The new records are those of the other man who received a Bronze Star for action that day: Robert Lambert, who got the award for pulling his boat commander, Larry Thurlow, out of the Bay Hap River on March 13, 1969. Thurlow is a prominent member of SBVfT and has said there was no enemy fire. The Associated Press reports that "Lambert, however, supports the Navy account that says all five swiftboats in the task force 'came under small arms and automatic weapon fire from the river banks' when the mine detonated."
Lambert told the AP, "I thought we were under fire, I believed we were under fire...Thurlow was far too distracted with rescue efforts to even realize he was under fire. He was concentrating on trying to save lives." Lambert is not a fan of Kerry's saying, "I don't like the man himself…but I think what happened, happened, and he was there." Thurlow is sticking to his version of events.
Second, with discussion about the first two SBVfT ads continuing, the Swifties released a third, Internet-only ad on Thursday. The ad, viewable at www.swiftvets.com, focused on Kerry's claims that he was in Cambodia at Christmas time 1968, on military orders but against official US policy. Kerry has said that President Nixon's disavowals of the orders led him to question the war itself. The SBVfT claim Kerry was never in Cambodia, with Swiftie Steve Gardner saying, "John Kerry claims that he spent Christmas in 1968 in Cambodia and that is categorically a lie. Not in December, not in January. We were never in Cambodia on a secret mission, ever." The ad will run on the Internet for now, ensuring that the debate rages.
Third, although the Kerry campaign is keeping up the pressure on President Bush to repudiate the SBVfT ads, Bush himself refused to take the bait on Thursday, reports the New York Times. In an interview with the Times, Bush said he does not believe Kerry lied about his service - contradicting what the Swifties believe so vocally. But Bush would not condemn the ads' content saying only, "I understand how Senator Kerry feels - I've been attacked by 527's too… Five twenty-sevens - I think these ought to be outlawed."
The Kerry camp is rather nonplussed: spokesman Phil Singer told CBS News what the ad is "the latest in a long line of lies from a front group for the Bush campaign." And to echo that condemnation, former Senator/astronaut/marine John Glenn will make a speech on Kerry's behalf in Ohio on Friday at noon. Glenn, according to the Kerry camp, will repudiate the SBVfT ads and call on President Bush to do the same.
Bush to Florida: Help is On the Way: CBS News' Mark Knoller reports: Hours before George Bush makes the 26th visit of his Presidency to Florida, the state that decided the 2000 election, the White House announced it will ask Congress for another $2 billion in disaster relief in response to Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonney. With the $1 billion in existing relief funds, that would total? Yes, $3 billion in total federal disaster relief for Florida.
On Thursday, President Bush was still dealing with the after-effects of Hurricane Swift Boat as Knoller reports:
Knoller Nugget: Looking to get out in front of the attack ad issue, President Bush let it be known he will pursue court action to shut down the "shadowy political groups" responsible for many of those ads.
A spokesman says Bush made the commitment in a phone call yesterday morning with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.. And if court action doesn't work, the President will work with McCain on new legislation to stop the activities of those groups.
The president is on the record against the so-called 527 groups responsible for many, though not all of the attack ads of the presidential campaign. The groups include Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the outfit behind the ads accusing John Kerry of lying about his war record in Vietnam.
Bush has denounced the operations of all 527 groups, many of which use large, unregulated contributions to produce brutal attacks on his presidency.
The action also helps Bush score points with McCain, whose support he hopes will reap votes from independents in key states.
New York City Meets New Mexico
To the people of New Mexico, New York City is often the punch-line for a salsa commercial. But Bush thought he'd get a boost in the state by campaigning there yesterday with Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
At rallies in Las Cruces, Farmington and Albuquerque, ardent Bush supporters gave Giuliani an enthusiastic welcome as he joked about where he was.
"It's great to be in Brooklyn," said the man who came to be known as America's mayor for his calming response to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. For his part, Bush tried to acclimatize his guest to the southwest.
"This is a part of the world, Rudy, where the boots outnumber the suits," he said to thunderous cheers as if pledging allegiance to the style of the region.
Both Mr. Bush and Giuliani had doffed their suits and ties and appeared in open collared shirts with their sleeves rolled up.
The former mayor, spoken of as a challenger to Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2006 or as a presidential candidate in 2008, lavished praise on the incumbent.
"In addition to everything else, I owe a great deal to Pres. Bush for the strength that he gave to me, to my city and to my country when we went though our worst days."
Giuliani said Bush "has brought America back stronger than ever," from the attacks
of September 11th.
New Poverty Numbers
The new report from the Census Bureau showing a 1.3-million increase in the number of Americans living in poverty was a body blow to the Bush Campaign.
In none of his rallies yesterday did Bush mention the report. Instead, he continued to make the case that his policies - especially the tax cuts - have created jobs and promoted economic growth.
In an effort to put the best face on the report, the Bush camp issued a statement by New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He said the study does not reflect the most recent positive developments. He said it only incorporates data from 2003 - and fails to include the full effect of the bush tax cuts - and the 1.5-million new jobs created over the past year.
Bush Races to the Battleground After his Convention Speech: CBS News' Mark Knoller also reports that the president will leave New York after his convention speech Thursday night and travel to Wilkes-Barre, Penn. to spend the night.
On Friday, September 3rd, Bush will do campaign events in Scranton, Milwaukee, Cedar Rapids and then overnight in Cleveland. On Saturday, he will do a bus tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania Cleveland and Erie. On Sunday the 5th, Bush will attend a rally in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Kerry Debating Alone: Sen. John Kerry does a town hall in Daly City, Calif. at noon on Friday and then goes to San Francisco to raise some money. He ends the day in Washington state doing another town meeting in Everett and a late night fundraiser in Seattle. On Saturday, Kerry will attend a rally in Tacoma, Washington before spending most of the next several days in Nantucket.
On Thursday, Kerry tried to get a debate going about debates but the Bush campaign is not quite ready to play. CBS News' Steve Chaggaris reports:
Trail Byte: It's official: the three upcoming presidential debates aren't enough for Kerry.
During a town hall meeting in Anoka, Minnesota, on Thursday, he revised a debate challenge he made five months ago and suggested weekly debates with President Bush, where each discussion would focus on a different issue. Back in mid-March, he proposed monthly debates with Bush, a plan that was quickly brushed aside by the president.
"America deserves a serious discussion about its future. It does not deserve a campaign of smear and fear," Kerry said Thursday. "America deserves a discussion like we're having here today, which I'm prepared to have with this president every single week from now until the election."
"Let's meet every week from now 'til the election and talk about the real issues facing Americans that will strengthen our country and make America great again."
Later, Kerry was asked about Republican efforts to paint him as a waffler and a "flip-flopper" on the issues. And he responded with the most concise and spirited retort he's ever given in reaction to the months of name calling by the GOP.
"It's standard Republican playbook," Kerry said, as he became increasingly feisty. "They just say it. And if you spend enough money and say it enough, people like you are going to ask the question."
"Now let me ask you something, is opposing the Homeland Security department and then suddenly embracing it when the newspapers write something, is that flip-flopping?" asked Kerry, turning the tables on his opponent.
"Is telling you you're going to fund No Child Left Behind and then stripping it for $27 billion, is that a flip-flop? I mean, you tell me, ladies and gentlemen. Let's get real here," he said to a standing ovation.
"That's why it'd be great to be talking about this every week."
Edwards, Take 5: John Edwards finishes up his piece of the battleground trip in Missouri on Friday and then heads back to DC for the weekend. Here is CBS News' Bonney Kapp with a report on Edwards' time in New Mexico:
Trail Byte: When the president held his rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Thursday, John Edwards was across town at the Holiday Inn. His own rally, just a few miles away, was scheduled at noon. According to his press secretary, Mark Kornblau, the senator spent his morning working on his foreign policy speech to be given Monday, going for a run, and, oh yes, watching "snippets" of the president's speech on television.
"The president happened to be in the same place as I was earlier today in New Mexico," Edwards noted at a town hall meeting in Golden, Colorado that evening. "And it would be interesting to hear what he has to say about these important issues," he said, referring to healthcare. After a dramatic pause and a sarcastic grin, the senator continued, "You just heard it! He was completely silent about these important issues for the American people, and you know not only that, sometimes I guess silence is golden, but this is not one of those times."
The town hall was the first in the Kerry/Edwards campaign's "Take 5 Initiative," where Democratic die-hards are asked to bring along five undecided Independents or Republicans to an event. "We want people who have not decided who they're going to vote for, to hear what John Kerry and I have to say, to hear what our plan for America is," Edwards explained.
Although the campaign could not provide a specific number of participants, surely some of the more than 1,000 crowded into the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Event Center were undecided. Some, but not all. One participant declared that Bush and Cheney "scare the bejesus out of me" prior to his question. Edwards laughed and asked rhetorically, "I got a wild feeling that you're not one of those undecided voters, are you?"
Another ardent supporter wondered what Kerry and Edwards would do to deal with the expected attacks launched from the Republican Convention hall. Edwards responded, "I think the simple answer is when they come after you, you have to fight back." Through the applause of the approving crowd he continued, "What we want to be careful about is, we don't want to get sucked into the mud and the ditch with them."
But the senator couldn't resist an unprompted barb at his competition just a few minutes later when fielding a question on civil unions. "A few days ago, the vice president said that he disagreed with the president about this issue. Somebody must have forgot to tell him what he was supposed to say," Edwards said mockingly.
Preacher Man: Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend an 11 a.m. service at New York's Riverside Church on Sunday. The former president, who has been know to deliver some powerful sermons, will speak for about 15-20 minutes to a congregation of approximately 2,000.
No word yet on his topic (whether Mission Not Accomplished or something a bit more spiritual) but the event will be open to press. Sen. Clinton will do her share of the talking on several Sunday morning talk shows.
Quote of the Day: "They've seen me make decisions, they've seen me under trying times, they've seen me weep, they've seen me laugh, they've seen me hug." President Bush speaking about American voters (USA Today).