Election Recycling: Isn't Zell Miller a Republican Yet Edition
•At the 9/11 panel,Richard Clarketestifies amid partisan tension aboutBush'salleged missteps in homeland security: "Your government failed you. Those entrusted with protecting you failed you. And I failed you. . . I believe theBushadministration in the first eight months considered terrorism an important issue but not an urgent issue. . . There was a process underway to address al Qaeda. But although I continued to say it was an urgent problem, I don't think it was ever treated that way."Clarkesays he will not be involved with aKerryadministration; the White House goes on the defensive. [ WP and NYT ]
• Condoleezza RicedisputesCheney'sclaim thatClarkewas "out of the loop." [ NYT ]
• Bob Kerreygive the performance of a lifetime: "The bottom line for me is, it just pains me to have to say that on the 11th of September that 19 men and less than half a million dollars defeated every single defensive mechanism we had in place -- utterly. It wasn't even a close call." [ WP ]
•Cultural issues --from the pledge to gay marriage to "The Passion"-- could dominate the election and play toBush.Says a campaign official, "On so many of these 'cultural issues,' what is true in Bethesda is not true in most of America. In fact, in most of America, a thoughtful, culturally conservative position that is based on principle is one that consistently is also good politics." [ WT ]
•Everyone is a friend on panel dominated by former government officials. [ NYT ]
•Criticism of theBushadministration by testimonies at 9/11 panel could harmBush'sstrongest asset; MoveOn.org plans ad based onClarke'stestimony. [ LAT and USAT ]
•Testimony of Medicare's chief actuary about the cost of prescription drug benefits leads to charges of an administration coverup.Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.): "We know you would not have had the votes to pass this bill if the true cost of the bill was known." [WP and WT ]
• Bush'simmigration plan has little support. [ WT ]
• Zell Millerlaunches Democrats forBush: "I remember when most Democrats were in favor of projecting America's power abroad, because we believed that America was a great force for good over evil. . . For decades, the Democratic Party maintained peace through strength. We worked with Republicans to ensure that freedom and democracy would not falter in the face of any threat." [WT and USAT ]
• Bushfaces tough economy in Michigan. [ USAT ]
• KennedyhelpsKerry,publicly and privately.Douglas Brinkley: "Friends are stunned to see howKennedyis being so selfless to helpJohn Kerry.They never thought they'd see the day when he would be a willing foot soldier for his junior senator. It's unique forTed Kennedy."[USAT ]
• Clinton, Carter, Gore,and other prominent Democrats join in rare unity to raise $10 million at aKerryfundraiser, to be followed by a fundraiser withOutKast, Ginuwine, Babyface, and Q-Tip. Kerryhas the challenge of building enthusiastic support. [ NYT and LAT ]
•Paul Maslin on hisAtlantic Monthlyarticle onDean: "I was critical of a lot of us, including myself. If someone wants to criticize me for writing anything, fine, I plead guilty. I think I was fair and tough." [WP ]
[The flower pull-tab is a nice touch. AP Photo/Elise Amendola ]