Washington Wrap

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

Tuesday's Headlines

* John Kerry on MTV

* Bush and Kerry Clash Over How Best to Keep Gas Prices in Check

* Cheney Slams Kerry on Economic Policies

* Could Kerry Cash His Veepstakes Ticket Early?

* FEC Continues Investigation of Sharpton Campaign Funds

* Liberal radio answer to Rush Limbaugh Hits Airwaves on Wednesday

* Lynne Cheney's 1981 Novel to be Re-Issued

Kerry Rocks: Tuesday night on MTV, an audience of twenty-somethings help bring out a different side of John Kerry. [MTV and CBS are both owned by Viacom.] On the MTV special, Kerry talks about the normal policy issues but also delves into some area that national reporters probe less frequently: sexuality, coolness, and the impact of hip-hop music. Reports the Boston Globe, "Kerry says he believes sexuality is innate. The reply is stark enough to prompt the 26-year-old host, Gideon Yago, to ask one of his few follow-up questions, this one on gay marriage and equality. And while Kerry gives a characteristically nonspecific answer about censorship, it's enlightening, in this blame-the-artists era, to hear him say of hip-hop: 'There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it, and I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, because it's important.'" Asked about his popularity, Kerry allows that, "My daughter would probably tell you I'm a freak at times." The Globe concludes, "The answer is so honest it's almost charming, and it goes a long way toward making Kerry look three-dimensional."

Another effort to make Kerry, or at least his arm movements, more three-dimensional will begin Wednesday, when Kerry will undergo surgery to repair a slight tear in his shoulder. The 45-minute out-patient surgery will require general anesthetic. Reports CBS News' Steve Chaggaris, "It will be a while before Kerry will be able lift babies but he should be shaking hands within two or three weeks."

Although that may cramp his style initially, it will certainly give Kerry an excuse not shake hands with hecklers like the one he met in San Francisco on Monday. As Chaggaris reports, Kerry was "confronted by local resident Scott Rick who asks Kerry about his position on gay marriage. Kerry responded with his standard line that he's for civil unions but not marriage when Rick shot back, saying that Kerry was denying people a right when he says they can't marry. 'If you deny someone a right, that's discrimination. You call yourself a Democrat?' Rick asked."

Gas Prices Emerging as Key Issue: As the issue of rising gas prices gains steam as a major political issue in Campaign '04, the Bush-Cheney campaign released a new ad on Wednesday attacking John Kerry's stand on the issue on the same day the presumptive Democratic nominee unveils his plan to keep gasoline prices in-check.

The Washington Post reports that: "Facing GOP attacks for advocating higher gas taxes as a senator, the Massachusetts Democrat will call on President Bush to apply greater pressure on oil-producing nations to increase production, in a bid to drive down crude oil prices, and to temporarily suspend filling U.S. oil reserves. Kerry will argue that diverting oil intended for U.S. reserves directly to the market will help depress gas prices, though analysts say that probably would have a negligible effect. Kerry also intends to reiterate his longer-term plans for decreasing the country's dependence on foreign oil and increasing its reliance on cleaner-burning alternative forms of energy."

If gas prices continue to rise, it's sure to remain a prickly political issue. As the Post reports: "Of the nine states with the highest regular gas price increases, four -- Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington -- are considered swing states in the upcoming elections."

Recognizing that, Bush-Cheney released a new ad on Tuesday morning called "Wacky" that slams Kerry, although not specifically, on several of Kerry's votes as a senator, including his support for a 4.3-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase in 1993 as a deficit-reduction measure. It also is based on a 1983 Massachusetts gas-tax bill that was signed into law when Kerry was lieutenant governor, the AP reports. (Kerry has since said he does not think such a tax hike would be a good idea.) A Bush campaign official says the ad will run in local markets in 18 battleground states as well as national cable outlets.

In the spot, a narrator says: "Some people have wacky ideas. Like taxing gasoline more so people drive less. That's John Kerry." The ad also says, "Raising taxes is a habit of Kerry's. He supported higher gasoline taxes 11 times." The ad features 1920s-era automobiles and footage and has a "bumbling Keystone cops of the black-and-white silent movie era" feel to it, the AP writes.

Bush-Cheney also released a new gimmick on its website that it calls the "Kerry Gas Tax Calculator" that allows people to figure out how much a 50-cent gas tax hike would cost them.

For more on the back-and-forth between Kerry and Bush campaigns on gas prices, go to www.cbsnews.com.

Cheney Hits Kerry on Taxes: Vice President Dick Cheney took on John Kerry's economic policies on Monday, calling the presumptive Democratic nominee "one of the most reliable pro-tax votes in the United States Senate."

The New York Times reports that Kerry shot back that the administration had sprung Mr. Cheney from 'an undisclosed location and brought him out to attack me.'"

The Washington Post reports: "Cheney, speaking before a friendly crowd of 300 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Kerry is not to be believed when he says that during his first 100 days, he would preserve the Bush tax cuts for most Americans and propose tax credits to help middle-class families while rolling back the Bush tax cuts for those who make more than $200,000 a year."

The Post reports that Cheney's attacks on Kerry come as the white House prepares "for the monthly employment report that will come out Friday, (and) President Bush plans to spend much of the week talking about economic issues. Kerry promised last week to introduce an economic program designed to create 10 million jobs by 2009, and the White House is fighting back by trying to impugn his credibility."

The Kerry campaigned said that Cheney "cherry-picked" a handful of votes Kerry made during the battles over the Bush tax cuts that he did not think were fiscally responsible.

The Bush and Kerry campaigns also both put out dueling radio ads on Monday featuring Massachusetts police officers discussing Kerry's stance on taxes. The Bush policeman says Kerry would hike them. The Kerry cop, of course, says otherwise.

Kerry To Name No. 2 Early?: The Democratic vice presidential nominee may be announced as early as the end of May in order to bolster fund-raising and build momentum for Senator John Kerry's Presidential campaign, reports the New York Post.

By choosing a number two early, the "cash-strapped" Kerry campaign could enjoy free media coverage for weeks. Campaign advisors believe their No. 2 can respond to Republican charges made by Vice President Dick Cheney, the Post reports. While the campaign has said that nothing will happen in April since the vetting process will be quite lengthy, many Democratic insiders think Kerry will do it earlier that the typical week before the convention.

Sen. John Edwards "is said by friends to yearn for the vice presidency", reports the NY Times. "The trick for him is to capitalize on the good will that he built up in the campaign, while not appearing overeager for the vice presidency."

Colleagues say Edwards came out of the campaign with a real star quality about him as he was very positive and upbeat. However, Edwards's cheery disposition may be of some concern if Kerry is looking for an attack dog that is ready for a brutal battle for the White House. Edwards's supporters are confident he could handle the job.

"There are all kinds of ways to make a case," said David Axelrod, who was Mr. Edwards's media consultant in the campaign. "Is he a ferocious, venomous attack dog? No. But is he a tough, strong advocate? His style gives him a lot more latitude because he doesn't come off as mean-spirited, but he can land some very heavy blows."

Edwards is keeping mum on his aspirations for VP. He has declined requests for interviews since dropping out of the presidential race March 3.

Sharpton Funds Under Investigation: The Federal Election Commission took the first steps toward suspending Al Sharpton's federal matching fund payments for his presidential bid on Monday and has warned that his campaign committee could be forced to repay money that it has already received, The New York Times reports.

The commission's legal staff pointed to evidence that Sharpton spent a little more than $100,000 of his own money on his campaign, which is more than double the $50,000 limit as the reason for their "initial determination" that he had violated a limit on how much of a candidate's own money he can spend if he receives public campaign finance money.

The news does not bode well for Sharpton, whose campaign manager, Charles Halloran, has been trying to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt owed by the campaign. Halloran has maintained that he interpreted the law to mean the $50,000 limit did not take effect until receipt of matching funds, saying, "We're going to court."

Robert Biersack, a commission spokesman, said the commission disagrees with Halloran's interpretation, instead saying that the ceiling is imposed at the start of the campaign. Sharpton has 20 days to respond before the commission decides whether to suspend the money. That being said, Sharpton is likely to receive an additional $87,000, which it has already requested, because the panels review will not be completed before the money is scheduled to be paid on April 1.

Halloran would be wise not to spend it too quickly though because if the commission does in fact determine Sharpton overspent his own money before requesting matching funds, then he wasn't eligible to receive federal money and his committee could be compelled to repay what it received, legal papers say.

Turning the Dial to the Left: As the campaign season heats up, liberal talk radio will make its debut Wednesday morning on America Left, a production of New York-based Air America Radio. The Washington Times reports that America Left will broadcast live from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays via XM Satellite Radio and AM radio stations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The broadcast will feature a three-hour daily show by Al Franken called "the O'Franken Factor," which will air opposite conservative host Rush Limbaugh. In a statement made earlier this year, Franken told the Associated Press, "I'm interested in doing what I can to affect this election. I'm thinking about what's the best use of my energies. I hope this is it."

America Left will also feature such liberal voices as comedian Janeane Garofalo, environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Alan Colmes, co-host of Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."

Move Over Dick Clarke, This Novel is Hot: As the debate over gay marriage continues and as the conservative right continues to insist on a constitutional ammendment banning gay marriage, Lynne Cheney's "lesbian romance novel" from 1981 titled "Sisters" is being re-issued this year, Kos reports. The novel is described by Amazon as the story "of a strong and beautiful woman who broke all the rules of the American frontier." The story follows the life of Sophie, who left her life of power and prestige in New York to return home to Wyoming where her sister died.

"Waiting for Sophie was a world where women were treated either as decorative figurines or as abject sexual vassals...where wives were led to despise the marriage act and prostitutes pandered to husbands' hungers...where the relationship between women and men became a kind of guerilla warfare in which women were forced to band together for the strength they needed and at times for the love they wanted," Amazon writes.

According to Amazon, copies of the book will be available April 6.

Quote of the Day: "It's just crazy. We haven't been involved in politics since Morris the Cat ran for president in 1988" -- Heinz spokeswoman Debbie Foster responding to an Internet campaign urging a boycott of Heinz ketchup because the proceeds could help fund John Kerry's campaign. (Detroit Free Press)