Election Recycling: One-Way Conversation Edition

 
 • BushletsRicetestify publicly about 9/11;BushandCheneywill meet with entire commission, though not under oath. "The president's aides finally realized that the most important element of this president retaining power was for him to remain president," said an advisor. [ WP and NYT ]

•In California,Kerrygets big donations from big names.Kerry"Today, we are raising a record amount of money in San Diego and in California, but more importantly, we are coming together from all walks of life to set this great country of ours back on track and to reclaim our democracy again." [ LAT and USAT ]

• Bushads increased the public's perception thatKerryis liberal and inconsistant; Administration believesRicecan fix the current controversy. "For six months, it was a one-way conversation, and then you had the final five or six weeks whenKerrywas winning primaries that improved his image. Right after March 3, a dialogue started about who is or who isn'tJohn Kerry,and the president started advocating for himself. I think we're better positioned from that andSenator Kerryis worse positioned," saidMatthew Dowd.[ WP ]

•Critics saysBush'srelease of classified documents is usually for political reasons. "The message this sends is that for partisan political reasons, classified material can be reviewed and selectively released," said a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee. [ WP ]

•Treasury Department used to calculate effects ofKerry'stax plan; analysis used by RNC for a"John Kerry$pendometer." SaidKerryflak, "Whether it's using Treasury officials to analyzeJohn Kerry'splan to create 10 million jobs or CIA officials to help smearRichard Clarke,this White House is the most political White House the nation has ever seen. They will say and do anything to get re-elected." [ WSJ ]

•Commission eager to questionRice. SaysKerrey: "The contradictions [betweenRiceandClarke]are really centered on how serious did you regard terrorism and where did you put it on the list? When you came into transition, what did you regard as the number one strategic threat to the United States? What did you regard as the number two threat? . . . They had criticized theClintonadministration's policies during the campaign and set out to change those policies." [ WP and NYT ]

• Bushreleases ad accusingKerryof supporting gas tax hikes whileKerryannounces policy to lower prices. "When gasoline prices are going up, it's generally not a good thing for the party in power, especially in a presidential election year," saidEd Gillespiein 2000. [ WP and NYT ]

•Record gas prices present new campaign challenges and both candidates go on defensive. [ LAT and WSJ ]

• Bushis optimistic about the economy. [ NYT and WT ]

•Democratic effort to limit Congress' ability to approve new tax cuts falls one vote short in the House. [ WP ]

•Air America, the liberal radio network, launches today. "It needs to be entertaining, it needs to be compelling, it needs to be laugh-out-loud funny. It needs to foster water-cooler conversation. You need people to go to work and say, `Did you hear whatFrankensaid yesterday?' When people begin to say that, we will have arrived," explains founder. [ NYT ]

• Nader: "Things have gotten so bad in this country, you look back atRichard Nixonwith nostalgia." [ NYT ]

•Websites attempt to woo young voters. [ LAT ]

[Is it for the 'Wanted' poster? AP ]