Daily Briefing: "I Have a Bulldog Named Lockjaw" Edition
•With public skeptical or disapproving of agenda,Bushlacks clear mandate, according to new poll. Iraq, war on terrorism viewed as top priorities; 58 percent disapprove of handling of Iraq; 61 percent approve response to terrorism. [ WP ]
• BushlaudsPowell, King: "We need our children to know how great the struggle for racial justice in our society has been, and how much work remains to be done." [ WP , NYT , WT ]
• Cheneygets his hands dirty orchestrating bold domestic agenda; attends senior and lower-level meetings. [ NYT ]
•Commission advises Congress to cut Medicare payments to hospitals, supporting Republican position. [ NYT ]
• Kerrysays votes were "suppressed": "In a nation which is willing to spend several hundred million dollars in Iraq to bring them democracy, we cannot tolerate that here in America too many people were denied that democracy." [ BG ]
•Lawmakers, advocates think guest worker program is unlikely to pass;McCain, Kennedyworking on bipartisan proposal.Hagel: "This is a very bloody issue within the Republican Party." [ LAT ]
• Bush's values combined with GOP's commitment to religious education and faith-based initiatives appealed to many African-American pastors who endorsedBush;Dowdpredicts Republicans could soon win a quarter of the African-American vote: "The minister is the No. 1 influencer in the African American community." [ LAT ]
• Dean: "Obviously I'd rather be president of the United States, but that's not going to happen. So my question is: How can I bring America back to where it ought to be, both for the party and the country's sake?" [ WP ]
•Florida DNC delegation endorsesDean. Says chairman: "I'm a gun-owning pickup-truck driver and I have a bulldog named Lockjaw. I am a Southern chairman of a Southern state, and I am perfectly comfortable withHoward Deanas DNC chair." [ NYT ]
• Wolfowitzvisits Sri Lanka. [ NYT ]