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Cynical Democrats and other skeptics ignore this truth at their peril: the president cares deeply about much of the domestic agenda on which he campaigned.

In his first year in office, he passed his tax cut and a compromise version of his proposed education reforms. With the 2002 elections looming, he is now punting on Social Security reform, while his chances of passing a prescription drug benefit or a patients' bill of rights, belated (and arguably half-hearted) additions to the core platform, are looking pretty iffy.

So what does he have left to work with? His "compassionate conservative" agenda, a still-evolving batch of legislative priorities which tend to highlight "compassionate" over "conservative" — and which, some of his aides argue persuasively, he cares about as much as anything in public life.

As 41 showed with the Americans With Disabilities Act and certain dollops of environmental legislation, the Bush family is not reluctant to create at least some big-government solutions to social problems. That's what yesterday's speech on mental health parity was all about.

This George Bush is a small-government conservative, but he does seem, on occasion and on certain topics, to allow himself to get drawn into finding costly regulatory and programmatic proposals to answer social questions.

We think the president's intentions on this front are genuine. Even so, they do tend to dovetail nicely with a political need to occasionally Sister Souljah the right.

In the second-to-last paragraph of her around-the-West round-up of the president's day, the New York Times ' Elisabeth Bumiller passes judgment that it's largely about politics: "In a midterm election year, the Bush White House appears far more interested in siding with the long-held Democratic position and continuing to promote Mr. Bush as a 'compassionate conservative' who cares about America's needy." ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/30/politics/30BUSH.html )

Bush isn't expected to make what passes for "real news" with his speech today on compassionate conservatism in San Jose; he'll talk about his view of the role of government and his domestic agenda.

Look to this speech as the president's attempt to lay down a marker about where he is, and where he thinks the country is, in keeping the national eye on the empowerment of public/private cooperation infused with faith and compassion, even during war.

There have been variously scattered signs that the White House/GOP communications machine has been asked to crank up to try to heighten interest in a speech that a hard-to-rile White House press corps might not elevate into the "news" category. For instance, the National Republican Congressional Committee is e-mailing around some talking points on the speech this morning.

Bush then will attend yet another fundraiser for California GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon before heading back to DC.

In New Mexico yesterday, "Bush helped to raise $500,000 for Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-N.M), whose district includes Albuquerque. The event was unusual for Bush, who before today has not made an appearance to raise funds for a sole House member, and Wilson is not considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in this year's elections."
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5040-2002Apr29.html )

"New Mexico political strategists said Bush was also seeking to boost his own fortunes in the state, which he lost by 300 votes in the 2000 election. New Mexico is the first state where a majority of residents belong to racial minorities, and Bush has been making an effort to appeal to Hispanic voters."

Midterm elections always are seen as a referendum on the sitting president, and this president's aggressive involvement in races across the country is going to ensure that the Post -election analysis centers on his coattaility, no matter where his own approval rating lies on November 5.

After (tacitly) allowing his image to be used in scorchingly negative GOP Senate campaign committee ads earlier this year, the president is now being featured in new warm and fuzzy wuzzy TV spots, also paid for by the campaign committee, for Senate candidates in several competitive races.

We are still getting our arms around how big these buys are, but it's pretty safe to assume that one can include in their cost some allied polling and/or focus-grouping meant to measure whether the inclusion of the popular president in this way is having the desired effect.

Questions begged: What's the best way to use Mr. Bush in candidate ads? Is he equally effective in every state? How will the White House decide which candidates get to use him? Will he ever record direct appeals for candidates, rather than simply allow b-roll of him to be used?

Meanwhile, the White House Counsel's Office is busy complying, slowly, with Senator Joe Lieberman's request for Enron-related documents. The AP's Lindlaw reports, "White House Counsel Al Gonzales has asked dozens of staff members to complete a questionnaire on communications between the administration and Enron Corp. in the months leading up to the company's collapse … Gonzales' questionnaire fell far short of what Lieberman sought … Gonzales set a May 10 deadline for returning the completed forms. Lieberman had sought a response from Card by April 12."
( http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/3163380.htm )

Later this morning, at 11:45 am, Sen. Orrin Hatch will appear at a press conference with Senators Kennedy, Feinstein and Specter to announce that he's siding with them in the debate over whether or not to ban the nuclear transportation of stem cells as part of a ban on human cloning. One close observer of this fight claims this should mean the votes are there to defeat the Brownback bill, the proposed all-out ban, including on the stem cell issue.

Yesterday, we said the Center for National Policy was meeting this coming weekend, competing with the Kentucky Derby, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner. In fact, we meant the Council for National Policy. We regret our error, and sometimes wonder how it is we keep from making more of them.

From the ABCNEWS London Bureau: The Israeli Cabinet has decided to refuse access for the UN finding mission, claiming that conditions are not right and that they are not happy with the UN team's make-up or the mission objectives … British and US officials are due to hold new talks in Ramallah on moving the six men wanted by Israel to a Palestinian prison, opening the way for Arafat to leave his compound. At Arafat's headquarters, there was no sign that his confinement by Israel had ended as Israeli tanks ringed his compound and troops enforced a curfew in the adjoining neighborhood … In Bethlehem, Palestinian officials say 28 Palestinians will leave the Church of the Nativity later today in what would be the largest single group to exit the besieged compound since the standoff began nearly a month ago. Those leaving the church later in the day will include 27 civilians and one Palestinian policemen … The Israeli army extended its operations in the West Bank this morning, moving into the village of Shawarwa, near Bethlehem, arresting "wanted terrorists."

The Middle East

You can be all over the map for only so long before people start to talk, and papers start to write.

Three major papers all offer basically the same take on the administration's approach to the region of late: lacking a certain consistency and (sound familiar?) lacking an end game.

USA Today writes, "It is by no means clear … that the administration has a plan for a political solution beyond calming the current crisis."
( http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020430/4069301s.htm )

"Bush meets next week with Sharon, their fifth meeting since Bush became president. The president's relationship with Arafat is non-existent. Bush has refused to meet with the Palestinian leader until Arafat cracks down on attacks against Israel by Palestinian terrorists."

"Another reason Bush is reluctant to meet with Arafat: Administration officials say Bush believes Clinton's dealings with the Palestinian leader raised Palestinians' expectations of a winning an independent state on their terms. That didn't happen, and their resulting frustration helped fuel the current conflict."

The Los Angeles Times ' Wright notes, "As details are worked out on freeing … Arafat from his besieged headquarters, the Bush administration is scrambling behind the scenes on how to convert the new opening into long-term gains toward peace in the Middle East. But serious gaps have already emerged on what step should come next."
( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la
-000030628apr30.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Da%5Fsection )

"The Arab world, led by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, is pressing hard, once an Israeli pullout from the West Bank is complete, for one swift, final political deal to settle the half-century-old conflict, in part to avoid the prolonged stages that may foster more Palestinian frustration and violence."

"For all the personal clout Bush invested in this opening round, he is unlikely to personally intervene in the next rounds--or so the administration insisted Monday."

"'The president is going to be involved when it's necessary and useful. But don't assume he will negotiate every particular issue or standoff that comes up. Assume that Bush will act as Bush--not as [Presidents] Carter or Clinton or Reagan did. He'll intervene only when necessary. He's repeatedly said he wants his secretary of State to carry the ball,' the senior administration official added."

The Wall Street Journal ed board is so confused by, and disappointed in (to quote Brit Hume from a different context) "a certain zig-zag quality in the decision-making process" on the Middle East by the Bush Administration that they, for now, want to (pretend to) give Mr. Bush the benefit of the doubt and (pretend to) assume it's all purposeful:

"Either President Bush can't make up his mind, or he is running one of the most devilishly clever Middle East policy acts since Richard Nixon last dined with Henry Kissinger. In Texas, we suppose they'd call the latter interpretation the two-step."

"Reading the Bush Administration on the Mideast has become a little bit like Kremlinology. No outsider knows what's really going on; we wonder how many insiders really do. Our hope is that Mr. Bush's recent two-stepping is being done with the long-term strategic purpose of winning the war on terror by liberating Iraq."

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary

Senator John Kerry takes center stage in a Wall Street Journal story about a Kerry-backed measure that would be tacked on to the Senate's consideration of presidential trade promotion authority (what the frivolous still call "fast track").

It's simply amazing how often seemingly cynical reporters attribute political motives to lawmakers seeking legislative solutions: "But Mr. Kerry has presidential aspirations of his own, and to shore up his credentials among environmentalists, he has sided with critics who say free-trade pacts that let foreign companies undermine local governments end up weakening environmental protections."

(Despite the administration's deal with the steel devil, a gloomy mood nevertheless seems to be settling over their TPA bicameral challenge.)

The Hartford Courant's Lightman looks at Senator Joseph Lieberman's evolution as a hawk — which, turns out, isn't much of an evolution at all.

"He has long been a supporter of tough military action against Iraq. In January 1991, he was one of 10 Democratic senators to back the Persian Gulf War. Afterward, he quickly urged Hussein's ouster. 'We must use all reasonable economic, diplomatic and military means to bring about the downfall of Saddam's regime,' he said in April 1991."
( http://www.ctnow.com/news/politics/hc-joeiraq0430.
artapr30.story ?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dpolitics )

"Eleven years later, he is just as adamant. In a January speech at Georgetown University, Lieberman said trying to manage the Iraqi threat 'is like trying to cool a volcano with a thermostat … Our clear, unequivocal goal should be liberating the Iraqi people and the world from Saddam's tyranny.'"

"This makes Lieberman far more outspoken than most Democrats and lines him up with almost all Republicans."

Politics

The Washington Post 's Edsall reports that GOP strategists "are hoping to capitalize on President Bush's strong pro-Israel policies to crack the Democratic loyalties of Jewish voters and donors who have provided vital support to the Democratic Party for decades."
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5101-2002Apr29.html )

"In a display of the GOP's potential gain, three groups of five to a dozen generally Democratic Jews who attended Washington's recent pro-Israel rally sought out Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist and strong supporter of Israel. All wanted advice on how best to show support for Bush and pro-Israel Republican members of Congress, especially with campaign contributions, Abramoff said."

"Democratic officials play down the potential impact of such sentiments, although they acknowledge that Bush has made inroads among traditionally Democratic Jewish voters and donors."

"Democratic fundraisers estimate that at least half of the money donated by individuals — but excluding labor unions and political action committees — to the national committees comes from Jewish donors."

Today, former President Clinton will raise money for the Arizona Democratic party coordinated campaign; the state is hosting a competitive, open gubernatorial race and a couple of hot House races.

The Washington Times , which has no fewer than three Clinton stories today, follows up on a weekend AP report about an activist's comments at the Saturday NAACP meeting that the former president "exploited" blacks, which is sort of the perfect Washington Times story in many respects. ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020430-41121028.htm )

For only the second time in the last decade, a constitutional amendment to start an initiative and referendum process has been approved by a state legislative chamber.

Yesterday, New York state senators passed a bill, authored by Gov. George Pataki (R), that would establish initiative and referendum balloting.

State Assembly representatives appear to support it, but powerful Speaker Sheldon Silver opposes it.

The estimable Dane Waters, who runs the Initiative and Referenda Institute (and who is non-partisan on everything but the I&R process itself) says the Assembly probably would have the votes to pass it if Silver relents.

Silver is said to disfavor the I&R process because he thinks it would dilute the power of the legislature. (Cynics think that his friends in the teachers' unions worry that voters would enact school choice measures if an I&R process were to pass).

From Judy Keen's outstanding pool report from the Simon fundraiser last night: "Celebrity sightings: Chuck Norris, Connie Stevens, Robert Stack, Lee Majors, Roseanne (Barr/Arnold/Thomas), Rick(y) Schroeder. There was talk that Brooke Shields was in the room, but your pooler did not spot her. Karl Rove was seen working the crowd … "

"Menu: salad of poached prawns, asparagus, hearts of palm, artichoke, limestone lettuce and truffle lemon vinaigrette."

"Entree: Basil marinated free-range chicken breast with mango butter sauce on papaya coriander relish, lemon basil risotto with baby turnips and asparagus, breads and rolls."

"Dessert: California almond cake, miniature fruit tart, chocolate royaltine crunch."

"Wines: Rivercrest Chardonnay, Rivercrest Merlot."

Remember when they served peanuts and pretzels at those Bush for President fundraisers, and all the high-dollar donors loved it? As FEMA Big Joe Allbaugh will tell you, lemon basil risotto costs more than peanuts, and is a less good thematic.

Have any candidates followed the Bush model of telling donors the campaign is saving its contributions to help win the election, and not plowing big bucks into food and wine for them? Will any of the 2004 presidential candidates have the nerve and smarts to follow that example?

And these two tidbits from the earlier Jim Gerstenzang pool report from the president's South Central speech. "After the speech, Bush spent 12 minutes shaking hands. Positively Clinton-like."

"Motorcade to the Century Plaza a slightly speedier trip than the journey from LAX, but it too was delayed by traffic." It's comforting to know that even the president gets stuck in the same traffic as Clem Lane.

The Democratic Governors Association rounded up their Southern governors for a conference call with reporters yesterday, on which many of them agreed that 1) guns played at least some role in Al Gore's "loss" in 2000, and that 2) they themselves are comfortable with guns and have taught their boys to hunt.
( http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020430/4069234s.htm _

There have been a lot of good Bush White House/GOP weddings and other happy events lately, but by design, they are usually kept as secret as, say, a "friendraiser" event, or, say again, as secret as the formulation of America's energy policy, so we've had to leave it to the intrepid Dana Milbank to write them up.

Democrats, on the other hand, seem to be more forthcoming with joyous news. And so it is that we report to you today the following three announcements:

First, Dick Gephardt's "principal link to the vast political machine on which the party relies," boyishly charming (and objectively so) chief of staff Steve Elmendorf, is profiled in his alma mater's campus newsletter, no doubt inspiring dozens of members of St. Anthony's Hall to set down their tumblers and go into politics.
( http://www.trincoll.edu/pub/Mosaic/0402/succeeding.htm

Second, one of former White House spokesman Joe Lockhart's colleagues clued us in to the news that Lockhart was just awarded the first ever lifetime achievement award from Suffern High School, in Suffern, NY.

Per our source, Joe's former teachers, many of whom are still around, "were, um, surprised to say the least when they realized that the unmotivated, taciturn to crabby, C-plus student who haunted Suffern's halls in the late '70's became the White House press secretary."

And third, congratulations again should be directed toward the House of Gephardt, which is now celebrating the engagement of spokesperson Kori Bernards and House Democratic Caucus spokesman Tom Eisenhauer, whose first child, regardless of gender, will almost certainly be named "Gersh Elmo Bernards-Eisenhauer."

As the Note struggles mightily daily to inspire ire and awe from both sides of the aisle (and from independent and third-party movements), please consider this a plea from non-Democrats for comparably choice items.

Florida

Bill McBride is resting his eyes after being battered (accidentally) with his son's baseball. Janet Reno is addressing a terrorism conference in Canada. Tomorrow, she'll meet with big Los Angeles money people. On Saturday night, Reno will help raise money for the Human Rights Campaign in Atlanta.

The Orlando Sentinel article raises it implicitly, and a McBride spokesman gives it the obligatory smarm, but Reno is running for governor of Florida, not of Canada, SoCal, or Georgia. And who pays for her outside events? A speaker's bureau? Her campaign? Both? By what formula?
( http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-loc
-campaign04302.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines )

Colorado

Americans for Gun Safety is spending $50,000 in radio ad money to influence GOP Sen. Wayne Allard to vote to close "the gun show loophole."

New Jersey

The Boston Globe 's Shribman looks at how Democratic Senator Jon Corzine's Wall Street expertise has given him a higher profile role — via legislating over Enron — than most freshmen Senators enjoy.
( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/120/nation/
Freshman_didn_t_wait_tough_audit_bill_is_why+.shtml )

Minnesota

Charlie Gibson interviewed Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on GMA, during which Ventura responded to the suggestion that he is thin-skinned by saying he's "only human:" "you have feelings, your feelings get hurt … I'm an emotional person and I'll show it."

Missouri

As he stopped by two Missouri defense plants, GOP Senate candidate Jim Talent called for lots more defense spending. He said the defense budget, as currently proposed by President Bush, would seed 150,000 new jobs in the state.
( http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/3138749.htm )

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll done by Zogby shows Senator Jean Carnahan with a six point lead over Talent. The poll shows Carnahan leading Talent by 11 points among women.

We do wonder, though. More women voted in 2000 than in previous Missouri elections, perhaps because Mrs. Carnahan was the sudden de facto nominee. If the pollsters are using that turn-out schedule, women may be oversampled. That is not to say that Talent hasn't been doing everything he can to appeal to women, including bringing in Republican heavy hitters like Janet Ashcroft and Mary Matalin to his "Women for Talent" events.

Tennessee

Phil Bredesen, the wealthy former mayor of Nashville with strong statewide name recognition, kicked off his gubernatorial campaign by promising not to raise taxes, which is kind of a smart thing to do in the Volunteer State these days.
( http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/04/16792179.shtml?Element_ID=16792179 )

New Hampshire

We believe it's nearly inevitable that this one will get ugly. Craig Benson and former Senator Gordon Humphrey, the two top Republicans sparring for the party's gubernatorial bid, are locked in an inside-baseball-type spat over Humphrey's alleged criticism of Benson's wife.
( http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=10772 )

Bush Administration Strategy/Personality

Knight Ridder talked with Karen Hughes about what exactly she'll be doing for the White House after she leaves. Not much news here, but we clipped it for you anyway: "Hughes is planning what may be the ultimate experiment in telecommuting. She says that when she leaves the White House to return home to Texas this summer, she'll take much of her job with her. Hughes will work by computer from her three-bedroom home in Austin rather than down the hall in the West Wing … Former White House officials are skeptical."
( http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/politics/3162749.htm )

"Although many details of her new role have yet to be worked out, she said she wants to shift her focus from daily communications management to big-picture issues, such as a new White House office to 'communicate our values to the world.'"

The Washington Times reports that HHS Secretary Thompson's brother Ed, who is running as a Libertarian for governor of Wisconsin, his brother's old job, will attend the Secretary's speech at the National Press Club today. Ed Thompson also "is scheduled to meet with scholars at the Cato Institute and with Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform."
( http://www.washtimes.com/national/inpolitics.htm )

The Washington Post 's Milbank profiles White House Domestic Policy Council chief Jay Lefkowitz, nicknamed both "Viper" and "Lefty," whose West Wing office "contains a little-used tennis racket, a copy of Commentary on the table and a framed picture of drawings of stem cells." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4895-2002Apr29.html )

Dare we say that Mr. Ari Fleischer, he normally of the ice-water-in-the-veins mein seemed, understandably, a tad nervous sitting next to Mr. Leno last night. The themes of all the jokes were as charming as they were predictable, typified by this one from the host's monologue: "He said he's going to promise to love, honor and cherish his new bride, but he told her he doesn't want to be quoted by name," Leno said. "Just refer to him as a senior White House official."
( http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-wh/2002/apr/29/042909827.html )

Media

Fine: it has nothing to do with politics, but every so often, we succumb to a Larry King moment. Is there a better byline in journalism than the New York Times ' Jennifer 8. Lee? ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/30/technology/30WAVE.html )