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NEWS SUMMARY

In Nashville today at 2:00 p.m. ET, Democrats will anoint their consensus candidate to replace Senator Fred Thompson, whose retirement puts in play a seat that otherwise would be utterly safe for the GOP, while at 6:30 p.m. ET in St. Louis, President Bush will headline a fundraiser for the GOP's anointed challenger to Senator Jean Carnahan (D), viewed as one of her party's most vulnerable incumbents on the ballot this fall.

Democrat Bob Clement, a seven-term, moderate-to-conservative member of Congress whose father was governor of Tennessee, will announce his candidacy for Thompson's seat accompanied by Tipper Gore and, possibly, her beardless husband.

Democrats may be six seats away from retaking control of the House of Representatives, but Republicans are one seat away from retaking control of the Senate and all that brings with it — including, but hardly limited to, control of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the fate of the president's judicial nominees, as well as control of the Senate calendar.

And much of the anger, tension, and legitimate legislative disagreement in Washington today derives from the Democrats using their control of the Senate to stake out differences with the White House and Republicans generally.

Remember Jim Jeffords and his "coup of one?" Every … Senate … seat … matters.

And now that Mrs. Gore has passed on a run for Thompson's open seat, whereas Republicans are looking at a contested primary that probably won't wrap up till August 1, Democrats have a decent if not quite 50-50 shot at winning this seat.

Correspondingly, the White House's obsessive goal of retaking the majority gets a bit harder, with decisions about how to distribute financial resources, human resources, and the president's time getting that much more complicated.

The Washington Times ticks off the count: "Top political advisers in the Bush administration are focusing on five states: Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa and Georgia. Mr. Bush won three of those states in the last election. He lost the other two — each of which has a vulnerable senator up for re-election — by slim margins. Since his election, Mr. Bush has made 15 trips to the five battleground states, as well as six trips to North Carolina, where Elizabeth Dole seeks to replace retiring Senator Jesse Helms. He makes his fifth trip to Missouri today." ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020318-976605.htm )

A must-read New York Times front pager by Berke/Bumiller looks at President Bush, who "many Republicans say … is rivaling Bill Clinton in his intense focus on electoral campaigning." ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/18/politics/18CAMP.html )

"White House officials said they were confident of retaining control of the House because of the rebounding economy and Mr. Bush's sustained popularity from the war. As a result, Mr. Bush's advisers said, there is a particular emphasis on winning back the Senate, where the prospects are not as clear."

White House political director Ken Mehlman and hyper-supportive GOP strategist Bill Dal Col both expound upon some theory about why this campaigning isn't as unseemly as Bill Clinton's, but we don't quite get the distinction they're trying to make.

White House communications director Dan Bartlett makes the extraordinary claim that the White House was in the dark about those even more extraordinary Republican Senate Campaign Committee attack ads that used the president's image earlier this year, which got insufficient attention from we the media. "Although Mr. Bartlett said the White House did not know of the advertisements — 'we can't control everything' — White House officials would not say whether it had been a mistake for the committee to run them."

Mr. Bartlett tells us (using language virtually identical to that used by senior Senate committee strategists) that the White House didn't "approve" the ads in advance, but did have general knowledge that the campaign committees have plans to use footage of the president in ads this year.

We still think Dr. Frist would be removed from his job heading the GOP Senate campaign committee if he used the president's image in negative ads without someone at the White House knowing about them in advance (and thus giving tacit "approval"), but perhaps this is the one area in the whole wide world in which the White House political operation is loosey goosey. But: we doubt it.

More from this story below in "Bush Administration."

Two other stories on White House interference/involvement in Senate primaries just happened to run today: one on the New Hampshire GOP Senate primary, in which the White House has taken to task incumbent Senator Bob Smith on behalf of challenger John Sununu, and one on the North Carolina GOP Senate primary-that-was, with the AP noting that shortly after he dropped his primary challenge against Mrs. Dole, Richard Vinroot's campaign fund received $200,000 from the Republican National Committee — although all involved claim no quid pro quo. ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020318-75274915.htm_

and

( http://www.newsobserver.com/monday/news/Story/1105706p-1104487c.html )

Just to quickly double back about why Mrs. Gore declined to run, her stated reasons were personal, and yet we know that she was confronted with the reality of having to run as a first-time candidate in a contested primary. Despite the initial Tipper/Hillary comparisons, Mrs. Clinton had her nomination locked up and was running in a liberal state; Mrs. Gore would have had to defeat an experienced opponent in a primary, then win over a conservative state.

Rick Berke suggests that Clement's entry was a big part of the calculus. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/18/politics/18GORE.html )

Democratic strategists are pleased that not only have they warded off a primary, but their chosen candidate, Clement, appears all the stronger within the party and, less arguably, to the outside world, having stood up to Mrs. Gore.

With Mrs. Gore not running, the natural next question is how has all of this affected her husband's political prospects. The whole trial balloon serves as a reminder to us about how fragile the Gores' standing still is with the Tennessee Democratic Establishment, and how readily many of Gore's former top aides are to take potshots at him, and at her. It's also a reminder of who's around the Gores advising them (family members and friends whose affection for them is lovely and admirable), and who's not (political strategists who can play hardball).

Our guess is that the Gores probably didn't permanently damage their standing in the state, but they did irk plenty of Democratic officials and operatives in Tennessee and Washington, some of whom are bound to leak some unflattering quotes to the New York Times eventually.

"William Farmer, chairman of the Democratic Party in Tennessee, said Tipper Gore had made the 'right decision' by bowing out. He said Gore 'most definitely' could be a future candidate for office in the state." ( http://www.usatoday.com/news/washdc/2002/03/17/tipper-gore.htm )

Having made her announcement, Mrs. Gore said she was "'weighing the best way to continue to work for the people of Tennessee on issues that I feel very passionate about, such as health care and mental health care, children and family issues,' she said." ( http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/03/15003364.shtml )?Element_ID=15003364 )

On thing we can derive from this experience is that if Tipper is so willing to consider running for public office herself, it's possible that her attitude toward her husband running is considerably warmer than it was said to be immediately post-Florida. As one close Gore watcher points out, by being supportive of her possible run, it's conceivable that Al Gore can expect the same support when (and if) he makes his move.

We're not sure what to say about the beard. Mrs. Gore told the Nashville paper that "My family was completely supportive of me either way, and Al even shaved his beard in support of me.'"

The Washington Post throws in that "The Gores … reportedly have a contract on a large home in an affluent neighborhood, which some Democrats have interpreted as a sign of the vice president's determination to run for president again." ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42450-2002Mar17.html )

Turning our Senate focus back toward Washington, the highlights of the week at this point seem likely to be the Senate's expected passage of Shays-Meehan-McCain-Feingold, possibly at the 11th hour before recess, and the escalation of the fight between Senate Democrats, led by Mr. Byrd and Mr. Daschle, and the White House over the defense budget and homeland security chief Ridge's appearance, or failure to appear, before Congress.

If the White House was viewed as upping the ante with Bush's speech last week, Daschle saw that bet with his suggestion yesterday that Ridge could be subpoenaed.

Roll Call notes, "Byrd has stated that he wants to see a defense authorization bill adopted before taking action on the spending bill, and Daschle's office said Senate Democratic leaders are not planning to make any moves until they see a supplemental funding request for the terrorism war — which has yet to arrive on the Hill." ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/03/news0318g.html )

The danger for the White House is if the dispute becomes more "Congress versus the White House" than "Republican White House versus Democrats in Congress." The Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman has an account that veers toward the former, including this key questioning quotation from the voice of House Speaker Denny Hastert: "This White House is concerned about its secrecy, and this Congress wants to know what's going on," said John Feehery. ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0203180174mar18.story )?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed )

President Bush today will pair his fundraising effort with a policy event at a manufacturing company. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch previews Bush's trip. ( http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/
3B2066047C009AB686
256B800013F50D?OpenDocument&Headline=Bush%20visits%20area%20today%
2C%20will%20stump%20for%20Talent )

President Bush's events on Tuesday and Wednesday are TBD.

Tuesday brings another Fed meeting, with no changes to interest rates currently expected, and the Illinois primary. The marquee races are the Democratic and Republican contests for governor — incumbent Gov. George Ryan (R) is retiring — and the Democratic primary fight in the Chicago-based Fifth Congressional District, with former President Clinton adviser Rahm Emanuel facing off in a nasty and close race against a former state legislator.

Here's David Broder's good wrap-up of the convoluted gubernatorial primaries, and Roll Call 's round-up of all the hot congressional races. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38776-2002Mar16.html )

and

( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/00/2002/03/pol0318a.html )

On Wednesday in Washington, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean will address the National Stonewall Democrats dinner.

Thursday brings the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington.

On Friday, President Bush will travel to Monterrey, Mexico for the International Conference on Financing for Development.

Saturday, the Florida AFL-CIO will hold its endorsement convention; Senator John Edwards will address the Colorado Democrats' Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Denver; and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean will speak at the New York State Democrats' Rural Conference in Schenectady, NY.

Sunday, President and Mrs. Bush depart for South America.

Vice President Cheney in Israel today.

"Some military combat units are taking the first steps to prepare for war against Iraq by updating contingency plans, checking readiness levels and inventorying munition stocks," the Washington Times reports. "Defense officials in interviews last week said no unit has received warning orders or deployment orders, the official authorizations that would send Air Force fighter wings and Army divisions to the Persian Gulf. But war scenarios are being discussed at briefings and in private meetings among commanders, the sources said." ( http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020318-40256852.htm )

From the ABCNEWS London Bureau: US special envoy Zinni is meeting with top Israeli and Palestinian security officials for talks on a cease-fire and an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian-ruled areas. The security talks are seen as a sign of progress ahead of Cheney's arrival in Israel later today.

Gen. Tommy Franks said earlier that the military offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan will be over "within 12 hours" but admits that US forces did not know where the top militants were hiding, and said the threat of more al Qaeda and Taliban attacks continues. During his brief visit to Bagram air base near Kabul, Franks awarded the Bronze Star to four US servicemen, all from the 10th Mountain Division, who were involved in a 18-hour battle on the opening day of operation Anaconda.

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary

While the Lieberman folks no doubt were keeping a close eye on the unfolding events in Nashville this past weekend, the would-be candidate likely to be most directly affected by a Gore 2004 bid has been in New Hampshire, of all places, repeatedly getting called "President Lieberman" by a 4-year-old groupie. ( http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=9698 )

He also got live C-SPAN coverage for his just-like-grandpa-used-to-tell-'em Jewish-Irish jokes last night. He was at the Cat 'N Fiddle in Concord, whose website description we love: "a family owned and operated restaurant that offers something for everyone … . The prime rib is well known in the area and can be complemented by the full salad bar. Homemade soups and chowders are made daily using only the freshest ingredients." ( http://www.catnfiddle.com/ )

Time Magazine goes instantly out of date with a full page on the primaries — Tennessee '02 and White House '04 — pegged to Gore being "still bearded" and Tipper thinking about a Senate run. ( http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,218284,00.html )

It's testament to what a considerable segment of the political press corps thinks of Al Gore that this article is one of just a few to pick up on his closed New York fundraiser remarks as reported earlier in the New York Observer, and on his slashing critique of the Bush Administration made at last week's open press DC fundraiser for Rep. Richard Neal.

Time succinctly states the CW that makes Gore loyalists shake their heads and point to the grassroots: "It's difficult to find a Democrat in Washington who doesn't say publicly that the nomination is Gore's if he wants it. But it's just as hard to find one who privately expresses any enthusiasm for the prospect."

Dick Gephardt is quoted in a manner that suggests he won't neglect Iowa and New Hampshire, but he seems to see a different dynamic, which we still don't know if he is right about: "At least five states expect to schedule their primaries right behind the New Hampshire and Iowa contests, which means, 'for practical purposes, you are running in a national primary,' Gephardt says. 'The old Jimmy Carter state-by-state routine is not going to happen again.'"

And the story closes with Senator John Edwards getting the name of a key New Hampshire activist wrong on a thank-you note.

We like these lines best from this Hartford Courant story recounting Senator Chris Dodd's activities in South Carolina this past weekend: "Officially, Dodd said Saturday 'I'm talking to myself' about whether to run for president in 2004. But the conversation is expanding." The story adds: "Dodd is doing none of the things Lieberman and others are doing: He is raising no money, hiring no consultants and in fact is taking pains to avoid promoting himself as a contender." ( http://www.ctnow.com/news/politics/hc-dodd0317.artmar17.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dhome )

Roll Call reports on what happened when Dick Gephardt met Dick Vitale: "Gephardt was eventually pulled on stage to give his Final Four picks, which included Duke (his son is an alumnus), Maryland, Kansas and Missouri. Vitale quickly noted that he had tagged those same teams as winners. 'You're awesome!' shouted Gephardt, stealing Vitale's signature line." ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/columns/hoh/ )

"A little more than a year after Senator Joseph Biden abandoned his short-lived bid for the White House and led the charge against Judge Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court," Roll Call reports, "Capitol Police discovered a listening device in the Delaware Democrat's former office. The bug was discovered under a table in 1989 … 'That was the table where we did all the presidential planning,' Biden, who mounted a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1987, said … 'We had all my meetings when I was running for president at the conference table.' The culprit … was never discovered." ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/03/news0318b.html )

Boston's micro-hotel boom may not amount to enough to accommodate the Democratic National Convention in 2004. ( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/077/nation/
Small_hotels_add_up_for_city+.shtml )

Politics

We've noted this before, but Roll Call updates the Democratic National Committee's necessary rush to pay for its new headquarters this year before seemingly likely changes in campaign finance law kick in. The story lists a bunch of generous contributors to the building fund, though it doesn't name the one sugar daddy who has promised to make up the difference between whatever is raised and the total sum needed. ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/00/2002/03/pol0318c.html )

Senate Minority Whip Nickles is escorting aspiring New Jersey Senator Robert Ray (R) around DC, making it clear that he helped recruit the guy to run against Bob Torricelli, while anyone familiar with Jersey politics will say that the guy better hurry up and get some county GOP endorsements. ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/00/2002/03/pol0318b.html )

The The Wall Street Journal 's Harwood offers the best national story yet on the North Carolina Senate race, featuring Elizabeth Dole (R) and Erskine Bowles (D) as the likely nominees.

Harwood inadvertently does the GOP's work by telling at least one voter that Bowles worked for Bill Clinton. "Republicans plan to spend millions of dollars this fall making sure North Carolina voters know of Mr. Bowles's Clinton connection."

As for the GOP frontrunner: "Though the 65-year-old Mrs. Dole leads in the polls for the North Carolina Senate seat, some veteran Republicans here worry that she will stumble again. Lacking identification with any particular issue, she mostly has relied on her celebrity and ducked engagement with GOP critics and the press."

It's not clear from the way Harwood writes it whether he himself was turned down for a Dole interview.

The best part of the story is when Mr. Bowles proudly shows he doesn't wear cuff links, but refuses to say how much his shirts cost.

The Raleigh News & Observer puzzles out why Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is the "the potted plant" of the Democratic Senate primary. ( http://www.newsobserver.com/monday/news/Story/1105698p-1104480c.html )

The case against Rep. Jim Traficant builds to a climax this week. ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/03/news0318c.html )

You'd think otherwise, but no Chinese-American from San Francisco has ever been elected to the California Assembly. If all goes as planned, Democrat Leland Yee will become the first. ( http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/1875125p-1975043c.html )

ChelseaMania continues in the New York and London tabs. ( http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-03
-18/News_and_Views/Beyond_the_City/a-144746.asp )

Illinois

Tomorrow's primary will be a test for many Illinois counties. Several urban localities have gotten rid of punch-card ballots. Others, like the error-prone Cook County (Chicago), have added a failsafe: after punching through appropriate chads, for example, the voter feeds the ballot into a machine, which instantly tabulates and re-checks the ballot for errors. Overvotes and undervotes are tallied as well. ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0203170138mar17.story )

We'd note that there's also been a big voter education program going on, aiming to tell voters what equipment they'll use and how it works. Voter confusion tomorrow may stem from a too-late redrawing of state legislative boundaries, so we'd bet a good many voters will go to the wrong polling place. (In that case, they'd be able to fill out provisional ballots.)

Tennessee

The Memphis paper views Gore's decision not to run through the prism of the contested GOP primary, and gets into Lamar's efforts to out-money Rep. Ed Bryant, with the TV ad currently running meant to send a signal that Lamar will have more dough. "Typically, TV stations require payment in advance — meaning Alexander has done well in the first few days of his foray into fund-raising. Ted Welch, the Nashville businessman who heads Alexander's fund-raising efforts, says he expects to raise $4 million to $5 million for the Aug. 1 primary. Bryant says his goal is $2 million." ( http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_1035512,00.html )

Florida

Carol Roberts, a Democrat, and Katherine Harris, a Republican — two recount figures on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Both are parlaying their notoriety into runs for Congress. ( http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/2875639.htm)

Jeb Bush's lawyers frown upon an outside, independent PAC, Americans for Jeb Bush, that's friendly — just possibly unseemly. Bush's campaign is worried that voters will confuse the PAC's activities with Bush's own message. ( http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/2869997.htm)

New York

The two Democrats running to beat Gov. George Pataki (Cuomo and McCall) still have more bad news days than good, as they drop opposition research on each other, the national and state party is unable to make peace, and the Pataki machine marches on. Yesterday's New York Post said that the long-anticipated endorsement for the Governor from the powerful health care workers union could come tomorrow. ( http://www.nypost.com/seven/03172002/news/regionalnews/43691.htm )

Andrew Cuomo is attacking the endorsement as a "political deal" (unlike most endorsements … ). ( http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/43735.htm )

Massachusetts

Mitt Romney is back in the Boston area and an announcement of his decision on whether or not to run for governor, which would include a challenge to the weak GOP incumbent, should be coming shortly. Among those who've been following this, there's not much doubt that he will run. ( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/077/metro/
Romney_returns_decision_on_way+.shtml )

Iowa

Today in Cumming, IA, Senator Tom Harkin will announce his bid for re-election; Harkin is being challenged by Republican Rep. Greg Ganske.

The Des Moines Register previews "an extremely expensive" and very busy political year in Iowa. ( http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/17635217.html )

Bush Administration Strategy/Personality

More from that New York Times must-read: ""Tell Karl Rove to cool it,' Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Democrat of South Carolina, chided Secretary of State Colin L. Powell last week at a hearing on Capitol Hill. 'I know he's trying to keep the war fires burning until November.'"

"Even many Republicans said they were surprised at how aggressive this White House was politically. Part of the reason, they said, was that Mr. Rove, the architect of Mr. Bush's victory, has a crucial political and policy role in the West Wing."

"'Karl's being in the administration was a pretty strong signal from the beginning that there was always going to be a strong political dimension to their activities,' said Tom Cole, a former chief of staff to the Republican National Committee. 'I used to think of Ronald Reagan as the great party president. George Bush is certainly comparable. The White House political shop is more focused than any one I've seen.'"

If you read the Berke/Bumiller story on the web, you'll miss the outstanding graphic, complete with map and fundraising trip list.

Dovish Bob Novak relays the concerns of Republican Sens. Pat Roberts and Chuck Hagel over US policy towards Iraq, and we bet the president figures out which Senator is sharing his "private" conversations with Mr. Bush with Mr. Novak. This is something the president does not approve of, and we bet that the Senator in question is sent a message, somehow, not to do that again. ( http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20020318.shtml )

The Los Angeles Times ' Brownstein melds substance and Administration style in his telescopic look at the White House's approach to the Middle East and how that affects the energy policy debate: "the world doesn't permit any president the luxury of tunnel vision. When a president doesn't engage a difficult problem, bad things usually happen." ( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la
-000019876mar18.column?coll=la%2Dnews%2Da%5Fsection ) )

Saying the Middle East chaos should hasten US efforts to cut its dependence on foreign oil, Brownstein goes on to note, "Energy legislation has been derailed by a familiar syndrome in Washington: the all-or-nothing delusion. Democrats (joined by environmentalists) believe they can pass the fuel economy standards while blocking Arctic drilling. Republicans (working with the oil and auto industries) believe they can open the Arctic while blocking tougher mileage standards. But the unavoidable lesson of the last decade is that neither side can impose its preference on the other. Demanding all, each gets nothing."

"Unfortunately, Bush so far has bought into the all-or-nothing delusion. He has pushed hard for Arctic drilling and opposed the tougher fuel economy standard. That's the classic, head-down, pound-the-line legislative strategy Bush has employed on most issues."

The The Wall Street Journal gets its first chance to weigh in on Paul O'Neill's free-speaking ways since the Saturday New York Times applied its "you can't be off the record in front of more than 100 people" rule to the Treasury Secretary's remarks on steel at the Council on Foreign Relations. Today's Journal story is a survey of the Secretary's recent and past outspoken statements, with only a passing reference to what all this does potentially to his standing in the wider world.

The The Wall Street Journal editorial board gives a short "attaboy" to Mitch Daniels.

President Bush managed to spend about 11 minutes in the light of day this weekend. He hopped out of his limousine and marched amid the green of Columbus Drive on Saturday. He chatted in camera range with Mayor Richard Daley and Gov. George Ryan. Both men have the luxury of not running for office. Outside camera range, however, were the actual candidates — for Senate, governor, Congress. ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0203170404mar17.story )

Bush also met with Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, meriting a "Bush Needs the Catholic Vote" story on NBC Nightly News, and had a private meeting with the Daleys.

And playing the demographic/geographic angles at all time, President Bush called into the South Boston St. Patrick's Day breakfast yesterday. ( http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/077/metro/Breakfast_on_the_run+.shtml )

"Fabulous" is the only word one can use to describe today's installment of Ms. Bumiller's weekly New York Times White House Letter, about the president's propensity to use the word "fabulous." ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/18/national/18LETT.html )

Time Magazine has a half-page on the derailed nomination of Alastair J.J. Wood to head the Food and Drug Administration, and the role industry lobbyists might have played therein.

The same page has the Yucca Mountain lobbyist line-up (following up on outstanding Bob Novak reportage), with Ken Duberstein, John Podesta, Christie Brinkley, and Wayne Newton on the anti side, against the elder John Sununu and Geraldine Ferraro. Time utters the truth: the "antis" still don't have the votes to stop it.

USA Today 's Biskupic handicaps White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez's chances for getting tapped as the next nominee to the US Supreme Court. "Gonzales has emerged as a front-runner for a future Supreme Court nomination in an administration that is interested in appointing the nation's first Hispanic justice. Gonzales' stock is up, the sources say, because in defending White House policies he has become an increasingly bold political player, impressing many influential Republicans who had questioned his conservative credentials." ( http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020318/3948380s.htm )

"But Gonzales' actions also have led him into conflicts with Senate Democrats who oversee judicial nominations — and who could play key roles in any confirmation for a Supreme Court nominee. It's all added a new plot line to the never-ending speculation here about when there might be an opening on the court and how Bush might change the court."

Vie President Cheney has announced that Saudi Crown Prince "Abdullah will visit with President Bush. A White House aide said Bush had given the crown prince an open invitation to visit his ranch in Texas." ( http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la
-000019851mar18.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfrontpage )

The administration finally has decided to change clean-air regulations of old, coal-fired power plants, emphasizing voluntary compliance and less legal action; the move to implement mandatory cuts in pollution will require legislative action. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42310-2002Mar17.html )

Legislative Agenda

Roll Call engages in some anticipatory handicapping of a US Supreme Court battle over the constitutionality of Shays-Meehan-McCain-Feingold. ( http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/03/news0318e.html )

Media

Calling Roger Ailes. We find this copy interesting, in a full-page New York Times (and elsewhere) ad featuring photos of Lester Holt, Chris Matthews, Brian Williams, Ashleigh Banfield, and Alan Keyes: "Think for yourself. The smart choice. There is an independent voice on cable. One that asks the toughest questions from every angle. A voice that speaks to people who want the broadest range of viewpoints on the most important stories of our time."

If you are a student of Bill Safire, or of David Ignatius, or both, you need to read Safire's column on the Czech-Iraq question. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/18/opinion/18SAFI.html )