Election Recycling: Immoral Society Edition
• Riceplans to defendBush,counterClarke.Says Dan Barlett: "It's easy to look back in a post-9/11 world with perfect hindsight. . . The decisions being made were being made in a different mindset, not only for the administration but for all of America and the world." [ WP and NYT ]
•Panel to compareClarke'stestimony withClinton'sfinal report on security. [ WT ]
•Critics sayKerrylacks specific plan for Iraq.Biden: "It's not enough to point out what Bush isn't doing; we should be saying what we will do. I know John Kerry feels the same way. But what is the answer here?" [WSJ ]
• Kerrysays June 30th was a political calculation: "I think they wanted to get the troops out, get the transfer out of the way as fast as possible without regard to the stability of Iraq." BC04 tries to stay above the fray;Jim Jordan: "Bush'snumbers are moving south on terrorism, he's caught in a quagmire of his own making and there's no reason forKerryto be seen as illegitimately politicizing this." [ WP and LAT ]
• Kerrymay cut programs to lower deficit, says trade policies hurt U.S.: "This administration has a truth deficit. Almost every promise they have made to the country, they have broken." [ NYT and WT ]
• Bushproposes testing of high school seniors and replacing a vocational program with technical studies; prospects unclear. [ WP and WT ]
•Treasury Department to establish inquiry into BC04 benefiting from department's analysis ofKerry'stax plan. [ NYT and WSJ ]
•High majorities of Muslims in Detroit think "America is an immoral society" and 85% disapprove ofBush.[ WT ]
• Kennedybecomes a lightning-rod for both sides as a liberal icon. [ BG ]
• Kerryactively courts Veterans. [ USAT ]
• Nadercalls for impeachment: "When you plunge our country into war on a platform of fabrications and deceptions, and you bring back thousands of American soldiers who are sick, injured or dead, and that war is unconstitutionally authorized to begin with,Mr. Bush'sbehavior qualifies for the high crimes and misdemeanor impeachment clause of the Constitution." [ NYT ]
•White House modified documents to downplay harmful effects of mercury. [ NYT ]
•Parties use geo-demographic data to manage and target voters. [ NYT ]
•Armageddon plan implemented on 9/11. [ WP ]
•American Dream PAC, designed to support minority Republican candidates, mostly funnels money to the RNC and GOP causes. [ WP ]
[The only way he could look more French is if he was running the other direction. ( AP Photo/Steven Senne )]