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But don't forget all those other matters which they believed, once upon a time, could also dominate the midterm election campaign.

Before September 11, and for a decent interval afterward, in the wake of Enron and WorldCom and the polling that suggested that President Bush was more concerned with (corporate and far-right) special interests than the public interest, imagine the traction some of today's headlines probably would have gotten in both the national echo chamber and some local races.

Like the new details in the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal on how Harvard University REALLY bailed out Harken Energy in deals backed by George W. Bush which involved an Enron-like shifting of problem assets and big debts off the company's balance sheet. (More on that below.)

Or the dock lockout, on which the President has come down quite firmly on the side of business.

Or this Wall Street Journal A2 lead: "When health plans push more of the costs of pharmaceuticals onto consumers, overall drug spending drops because consumers buy lower-priced drugs or don't fill some of their prescriptions, a new study found."

Or this Journal lead: "House Democrats are accusing the Bush administration of stacking a government advisory panel on childhood lead poisoning with members sympathetic to lead-related industries."

Or the full-page ad in the New York Times from Friends of the Earth, with "Bush Administration: Money Talks!" in big letters, and a bill of particulars suggesting a link between Bush Administration policies and political contributions.

Or "A memo sent to employees of the Environmental Protection Agency on the do's and don'ts of campaign politics offers this advice: 'Off Duty -- Express support for the President and his program.' The wording irked the National Treasury Employees Union, which sent a letter to EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman yesterday asking her to correct any misimpression caused by the memo, which was sent to all EPA employees last month." LINK

Or this Maureen Dowd column, with its textbook perfect one-sentence paragraph lead: "W.W.J.D. at the F.D.A.?" LINK

"We may soon find out, if W. David Hager becomes chairman of the powerful Food and Drug Administration panel on women's health policy. His résumé seems more impressive for theology than gynecology."

"'Jesus stood up for women at a time when women were second-class citizens,' Dr. Hager says. 'I often say, if you are liberated, a woman's libber, you can thank Jesus for that.'"

"A professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Kentucky, he has a considerable body of work about Jesus' role in healing women, and last summer he helped the Christian Medical Association with a 'citizens' petition' calling on the F.D.A. to reverse its approval of RU-486, the 'abortion pill,' claiming it puts women at risk. (RU-486 or RU-4Jesus?)"

Obviously, the war is the biggest reason why these things are not currently at the forefront of the meta-narrative of the 2002 vote, but there are other reasons for that, too.

The DC sniper case will likely dominate every news cycle until it is solved — except for those cycles dominated by the war.

The environment is so tough for Democrats that they are barely and rarely trying to throw these wacky wall-crawlers, because they know they won't stick.

But they haven't, and can't, give up on the bigger stuff, like the economy and Social Security.

The Hill hits again on one of the two Donkey Party sticking points we've been talking about all week, and Dean Broder hits on the other one — that Democrats are so spooked on the war that people maybe aren't willing to listen to them on other things.

The Hill's Bolton says there's buzz amongst the Democratic caucuses that their leaders "aren't aggressive enough in criticizing President Bush for the sinking economy." Quoted: Sens. Paul Wellstone and Fritz Hollings and Rep. Bob Filner, along with a bunch of House members saying they don't blame Gephardt. LINK

And Broder writes in the Washington Post that Democrats' lingering jitters over Vietnam are behind their scattershot approach to Iraq: "the Democrats' most prominent leaders and spokesmen have taken wildly opposing positions, leaving the public with no clear idea where the opposition party stands." LINK

To be sure, some Democrats claim to have seen better poll numbers in some of the key statewide races over the past week, and suggest that the war may not be hurting them as much as the CW would have it.

And the Democratic PR apparatus is still churning daily, trying to find the right way to nationalize the election over the economy.

The Hill's Eisele reports that Senate Democrats plan a bipartisan economic forum for October 11. "The event, which will be chaired by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.) and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (Mo.), will focus on three areas of the troubled economy: economic and fiscal policy, retirement security issues and corporate responsibility." LINK

According to Eisele, Republican economists and members of the administration will be invited, but whether or not they will show remains TBD. (Not really.)

On the flip side, "Republican lawmakers, looking beyond this week's debate on war with Iraq, plan to counter Democratic campaign attacks on the economy with renewed offensives on homeland security and retirement benefits," says the Washington Times ' Boyer. "As the House opened debate yesterday on a resolution authorizing President Bush to use military force against Iraq, the Republican-led Ways and Means Committee approved two bills intended to ease investor anxiety." LINK

"Republicans say they plan to blunt these attacks by pointing out that Democrats offer no solutions to the sluggish economy."

"House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Texas Republican, said Republicans will also attack Mr. Daschle for blocking House-passed bills on pension reform, national energy policy and tax cuts that would create jobs and strengthen retirement security."

As Noted above, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe both report this morning that the in-house management firm that runs Harvard's endowment appeared to save Harken Energy from a financial crisis by transferring debts to a Harvard-run partnership.

Although the stories are written in classic (and eye-glazing) investigative style, no layperson could finish reading them and be able to sell the story in the required shorthand language to the executive producer of an evening network newscast, or to a radio headline writer.

Though the implication appears to be that Bush's firm was rescued by an Enron-type accounting deal, Bush himself appears as a peripheral player. Neither article details his role (if any) in the negotiations.

The stories seem to suggest that there's more hay here, but that they couldn't get at what they wanted because people wouldn't talk. Neither story offers any subtle hint or speculation about what that submerged iceberg might be, either in the reporter's voice or in any of the quotes. (Note our dry-wet metaphor mixing.)

The last line of Mr. Simpson's Journal story shows it to be the culmination of a typically thorough Simpson-style reporting effort of at least two months.

Here's the closest either story gets to reaching a potentially politically potent conclusion: "The partnership deal is notable in the context of President Bush's drive to reform corporate standards in response to a string of accounting scandals. The Harken deal was designed to raise money without incurring new debt or selling stock. It did so by exploiting 'a fundamental weakness in accounting rules' by moving the deal off its balance sheet, said Rice University accounting expert Dala Bharan, who reviewed the transactions for The Wall Street Journal ."

"Mr. Bush was then a $100,000-a-year consultant to Harken and the board member who made the motion to approve a partnership that seemed to benefit Harken far more than Harvard. Harvard has said it made a small profit from the association."

"White House spokesman Dan Bartlett says the partnership was Harvard's idea and the school 'basically dictated the terms of the investment.' He said Harvard began talks with Harken in April 1986, well before Mr. Bush joined Harken. 'The original relationship had nothing to do with President Bush,' he said. He referred questions about the matter to Harken and Harvard. Neither responded to letters and phone calls."

The Boston Globe adds this: "Harvard Watch, a student-alumni group that monitors the school's investments, plans to issue the report and say that it has analyzed documents showing that the Harvard fund, an independent entity that manages the university's endowment, formed a partnership in 1990 with Bush's oil firm called the Harken Anadarko Partnership. The partnership effectively removed $20 million of debt from Harken's books, relieving the Texas company's short-term financial problems." LINK

"About the same time, the Harvard fund invested about $30 million in Harken, which also helped keep the firm afloat. The partnership has not been mentioned in recent accounts of Bush's financial dealings in the oil business."

Keep in mind (as the White House surely will) that Harvard Watch is independent in the sense that it's not connected to a university, but its founders are political liberals (and often, very left-leaning liberals) who have urged the Harvard Corporation for years to become more responsive to politically progressive concerns and ideals. LINK

We're not sure whether they get funding from outside groups. Still, they've done what we journalists didn't, and their efforts are well-credited by the major newspapers this morning.

On the dock lockout, the administration appears to be making a case that the president has long been concerned about this. The Washington Post 's Booth and Allen reports, "Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans … said the administration had realized for months that the closing of the ports would threaten the economic recovery." LINK

The New York Times has some interesting stuff: "Some White House officials argued that labor itself was divided on the issue." LINK

"'With every passing day, as the harm to economy increased, the president leaned more and more in this direction,' a senior administration official said. 'It buys some time. It gets us past Christmas … '"

"Although the White House has argued that there is little that a president can do to control the business cycle, discussion in the administration grew over the weekend that inaction would only contribute to concerns that Mr. Bush was too remote from economic worries."

President Bush has just one public event currently scheduled for today: he will make remarks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at the White House in the early afternoon.

The Washington Post 's Milbank notes that yesterday in Tennessee, "the White House cast aside any claim of official business as Bush participated in three overtly political events: a $1 million fundraiser and a rally for Tennessee Republicans, and a dinner in Washington for big donors to the GOP." LINK

"One of the warm-up speakers for Bush at the fundraiser, a local party official, juxtaposed the 'perilous times for our nation' outlined in Bush's Iraq speech with the 'air war' of political advertisements and the 'ground war' of grass-roots efforts to bring out voters."

"Bush aides signaled that, with midterm elections less than a month away, they were shifting to more intensive presidential campaigning. Until now, Bush has generally mixed his appearances at GOP fundraisers with participation in official, nonpartisan events that allowed the party to split the cost of his appearance with taxpayers. Bush aides announced that they would forgo the official event today so Bush could endorse Republican candidates at the rally."

Tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Warner Theatre, former President Clinton and Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe will host the DNC's "Every Vote Counts" fundraiser, which is expected to raise at least $4 million toward DNC efforts to, as they like to say, "protect voters' rights" on election day.

Entertainment includes performances by James Taylor, Janet Jackson, Don Henley, John Mellencamp and others, as well as a showing of Spike Lee's "We Wuz Robbed." The former President and McAuliffe, among others, will speak; speeches currently are scheduled for after the concert.

The DNC just yesterday rolled out a pretty extensive voter education project which also will include monitoring polls for possible fraud on election day, and a dial-in system that will record allegations of voter fraud and intimidation and connect callers to the appropriate local election authorities.

Forthcoming PSAs on voting rights will feature Russell Simmons, Chris Tucker, Martina Navratilova, Greg Louganis, and Ruben Blades.

Dock Lockout

A separate New York Times news analysis piece from the beat-owning Steven Greenhouse has these three amazing quotes:

1. "Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. secretary-treasurer, said unions were so angry about Mr. Bush's move that many union members would consider it in deciding whether to vote Democratic of Republican this November." LINK

2. "'The president's kicking the can down the road past the election makes sense and doesn't make sense,' said David Wellman, a labor expert at the University of California at Santa Cruz. 'It gets him and the nation's retailers through the Christmas season, but at the same time, it angers labor, including the two unions, the Teamsters and the Carpenters, that the president has been courting.'"

3. "'The employers got what they wanted — the ports will be reopened,' said Richard Mead, president of the longshoremen's local in the San Francisco area. 'We now have a new dock boss. His name is George W. Bush. Will the workers listen to Boy George? I don't know.'"

The Times ed board praises the president for his action, and calls labor's anger "misplaced." Maybe Mr. Fleischer will quote from the piece from the podium. LINK

Iraq Politics

Former President Clinton is expected to talk about Africa today in his speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center in DC, but Clinton spokesman Jim Kennedy says it's always possible that 41 will talk about other matters, too.

Time for the Washington Post to do their version of "Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone has a problem … " LINK

We're still waiting for the first poll to gauge reaction to Wellstone's Iraq decision.

The economy

Last week, the White House seemed to step up its pre-election effort to make the American people see the economic glass as half full.

One of the main moves was a package of stuff from Commerce Secretary Evans that was sent to many of the leading business figures that Chairman Evans (he'll ALWAYS be "Mr. Chairman" to those of us who covered Bush 2000) deals with regularly in keeping his finger on the pulse of the US economy.

Here's the take on that memo, from ABCNEWS Betsy Stark: "In terms of the big picture, Evans is not alone in arguing the recovery is on track. The consensus view continues to that we will avoid a double-dip recession. But many economists feel the risks have been rising lately. And Evans ignores many troubling signs.

1. JOBS: Evans says payrolls are growing modestly. Last report showed them shrinking. Job market is stagnant at best. Layoffs are rising again and new jobless claims are being filed at a hefty pace. Surveys show most employers have no plans for new hiring.

2. LOW INFLATION: True, inflation has been virtually non-existent for months. But there's a new worry in recent weeks: DEFLATION. Companies have no "pricing power" in this weak economy … which keeps profits down … and hiring down.

3. LOW INTEREST RATES: We've seen the benefit of low rates on consumer spending on cars and homes. The problem is that the Fed's use of the interest rate lever has done nothing to spur business spending or to reverse the stock market's deep slide.

4. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE: He calls it 'solid.' Our own poll shows it dipping at a fairly precipitous pace to its lowest level in years.

5. INCOME GROWTH: Most studies show that the trend is healthy income growth for the highest-paid workers and anemic income growth for low and middle-income workers.

6. CORPORATE PROFITS: Evans talks about the improvements over last year. Last year we had the worst corporate profits in a decade. The 'comparisons,' as Wall Street calls them, are easy this year … nowhere to go but up, so to speak. Even so, the trend for Q3 and Q4 has been to revise profit forecasts down. Profit warnings were up 30 percent in Q3. This is not a bright spot. Which is one big reason the STOCK MARKET, which he barely mentions, is in such a terrible funk … and as long as it stays that way, it's likely to keep a lid on any recovery."

Check out D1 of the Wall Street Journal for a great story on how the ticking time bomb of personal debt is now located with those at the higher income levels as well.

Kevin Hassett of AEI expresses his love for MEG (Macroeconomic Equilibrium Growth) on the Wall Street Journal 's op-ed page, and The Note (which thinks MEG looks nice, but a little stuck-up) keeps waiting to see if the president's economic team will take up this cause.

ABC 2004: The Invisible Primary

One of the most important, if utterly inside aspects of the Invisible Primary will be playing out over the next few months: the formal signing up of key operatives and advisers.

As "put up or shut up" time approaches for those Democrats thinking of running for president in 2004, so it does for these sought-after individuals, many of whom face tough temporary life choices because their candidates' campaign headquarters will be based outside of DC and away from their spouses, kids, pets, and humongous plasma-screen TVs.

Among the first to formally declare himself bound for beyond the Beltway: longtime John Kerry message meister Jim Jordan, who, post-November 5, plans to move from his job as executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to basically running the Boston-based campaign. Assuming Kerry runs.

Who will be the next to leap? What ARE real estate prices like in Raleigh these days?

The Boston Globe 's Johnson pinpoints Kerry's position on Iraq. "After months of criticizing the Bush administration's approach to Iraq, Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he will vote for a resolution authorizing military force if necessary to conduct weapons inspections and remove the country's dictator, Saddam Hussein, according to people familiar with his thinking," reports the Boston Globe 's Johnson. Kerry voted against the Gulf War resolution in 1991. LINK

"In a speech expected this morning on the Senate floor, Kerry will argue that President Bush has addressed [his] concerns in the past five or six weeks by engaging the United Nations and its Security Council, which is debating an Iraq resolution of its own."

"Political analysts argued that a vote against the use of force, while potentially popular in more liberal states such as Iowa, home of the first presidential caucuses in 2004, could hurt the appeal of a candidate in the more conservative South … "

"One aide said the senator did not make a final decision about the resolution until after he watched the president's speech about Iraq in Cincinnati on Monday."

John Harwood writes spends some time with Leader Gephardt on the road, and gives him a pretty kind write-up in the Wall Street Journal (lauding his nomination prospects, his political energy, and his crafty coalition-building), while also twice suggesting that Democrats probably won't take back the House, and giving Gephardt and Gingrich backhanded credit for establishing the practice of the "permanent campaign."

It's an A4 Invisible Primary must-read.

The Des Moines Register fleshes out our report yesterday that former Senator Bill Bradley will campaign in Iowa for House candidate John Norris. LINK

Politics Pennsylvania quotes a "senior Democrat" as saying that former Vice President Gore will soon campaign for House candidate Ed O'Brien. LINK

"There is one reason, more than any other, that Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat, has been pushing an election-reform bill that, among other measures, mandates voting equipment to allow blind people to cast ballots privately and independently," says the Washington Times . "'I have a sister who has been blind since birth,' Mr. Dodd revealed. 'She is a teacher. I am very proud of her. She is a remarkable woman. I would like to know that my sister, as she reaches retirement age as a teacher, will, as a result of her brother's work on a bill, be able to cast a ballot without having to rely on someone telling her how to vote.'" LINK

"Except in Rhode Island, there are currently no ballots written in braille." (We assume, although the Times does not say, that the reason they mention this is that Dodd's sister lives in Rhode Island … ?)

Politics

The Washington Post 's Eilperin writes up Social Security Choice.Org, a "new non-profit" which "is launching a $500,000 advertising campaign to promote" those personal savings accounts that many Republicans on the November ballot are now trying to downplay. "Funded by groups including Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens for a Sound Economy, National Taxpayers Union and 60 Plus, it has already signed up 20 congressional candidates who back such a plan." LINK

Democrats in New Hampshire are carefully and classically attacking GOP Senate candidate Rep. John Sununu on Social Security. LINK

Republican Senate nominee John Cornyn "advocates allowing young workers to 'personalize' a small portion of their Social Security contributions — up to 4 percent — and put it into investments such as bonds, money market funds or the stock market." In Democrats' lingo, that pretty much amounts to "partial privatization." LINK

But, then, Texans have already heard a lot about such plans from one George W. Bush.

Perhaps most notable about USA Today 's chart on the seven Senate races most likely to determine who controls the Senate after November is that Texas is not listed. LINK

It's David Rosenbaum's turn to fulfill Rick Berke's deam to have the best political notes column in America, and with today's installment of "Campaign Season" in the New York Times , Mr. Rosenbaum does Mr. Berke proud. LINK

The Democratic Governors Association's cagey B. J. Thornberry and the Republican Governors Association's stealthy Kirsten Fedewa pick their upsets (Hirono in Hawaii, Ulmer in Alaska, and Fisher in Arkansas — all women — for Thornberry; Posthumus in Michigan, Mannix in Oregon, and Sanchez in New Mexico for Fedewa).

Also: a reminder that the woman running against Katherine Harris for the Dick Vitale/Sarasota seat — LINK — is a Yale Law School classmate of Senator Hillary Clinton.

And this is a pretty good item on the apparent hypocrisy meter ("apparent" being one of the best words in journalism): "Four years ago, during the last midterm election campaign, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore barnstormed the country on behalf of Democratic Congressional candidates, just as President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are doing for Republicans this year."

"In 1998, Representative Joel Hefley, Republican of Colorado, became so irritated by the amount of political travel at the White House that he sponsored legislation that was passed by the House but never became law requiring the political parties to reimburse the government for the cost of the president's and vice president's travel if a fund-raising event was scheduled."

"On Saturday, Mr. Cheney will appear at a fund-raiser in Mr. Hefley's district, and the government will pick up most of the tab. Mr. Hefley said he still believes in his bill, but he has not talked about it since Mr. Bush won."

The New York Post 's Orin continues to own the RNC double-voting franchise: "At least 3,500 people double-voted nationwide in the 2000 presidential election — including 415 New Yorkers, according to the final results of a Republican National Committee study." LINK

"The findings for New York have been sent to the city Board of Elections, which has vowed to prosecute if it can confirm the RNC's charges."

"In all, the study found, 361,000 people nationwide are registered in two places although only about 1 percent actually double-voted."

The AP's Tanner looks at the outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease among gubernatorial candidates this year. LINK

The New York Times looks at principled Energizer Bunny Ron Unz, whose latest anti-bilingual education efforts are on the ballot in Massachusetts and Colorado. LINK

Michael Cornfield, a professor who directs research at George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet (), notices the follow trend:

"1. [California GOP candidate] Bill Simon puts up a humorous attack site, egray.org. EBaythreatens a suit, and Bill Simon gets news and buzz."

"2. [Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate] Tim Hagan puts up a humorous attack site, taftquack.org. AFLAC actually sues, and Hagan gets news and buzz. [Republican Gov. Bob] Taft puts up a humorous counter-attack video, and Hagan gets more news and buzz."

"3. The DNC puts up a humorous flash video, Social Insecurity. Racicot goes nuts, and it leads The Note."

His conclusion: "If you ignore a Web gnat, it goes away. If you cry foul, it sends out a big signal, and you get a cloud of insects. Ask the Bush-Cheney what happened in 1999 after they complained about GWBush.com"

In CongressDaily, Brody Mullins writes that the new conventional wisdom about next year's GOP leadership race is that Trent Lott may well get to keep his job after all.

"As late as this summer, Lott's hold on the Post remained weak as Democrats portrayed the GOP as the party of big business and the media uncovered corporate misdeeds on a near daily basis. Republican Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma, who is term limited as Lott's deputy, prepared for a hostile takeover attempt while National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Bill Frist of Tennessee weighed his own bid But a string of recent events-led by the shift in focus from corporate scandals to national defense-has benefited Senate Republicans in general and Lott in particular, a number of Republicans said this week."

We noticed the press releases from pro-life groups about the plunge in abortions, but some reporters looked at the statistics and found that the number of abortion procedures undergone by poorer women has risen. LINK

Retiring House GOP Conference chairman JC Watts told the Washington Times that he could imagine himself running for the Senate in six years. LINK

New Jersey

Lautenberg vs. Forrester already is going hot and heavy in the earned media world, with guns, war, social issues, and the economy front and center. LINK

The Forrester campaign seems to have shifted from its customized anti-Torricelli message to a more National Republican Senatorial Committee cookie-cutter approach, attacking Lautenberg's bona fides on defense and national security issues, with a not-so-subtle attempt to peel off some of the Jewish vote.

And the trigger on the paid media wars has STILL not been pulled, making the spin wars over the current polling of less interest to us.

"Defending her court's much-maligned ruling allowing a switch of candidates in the race for U.S. Senate, New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Poritz told state lawmakers yesterday: If you don't like what we did, change the law," the Star-Ledger of Newark reports. LINK

Strict constructionists will see that as an invitation to move the goalposts in a way that Justice Poritz would disregard.

California

It took the Los Angeles Times two news cycles to really write up the massive brouhaha that ensued after Monday's gubernatorial debate, but, boy, was it worth it.

You'll recall that during the debate, GOP nominee Bill Simon accused Gov. Gray Davis (D) of illegally accepting a political contribution in his then-lieutenant governor office.

The press swarmed Simon after the debate, demanding evidence; Simon wasn't able to produce anything.

Yesterday, Simon "was forced to back away from the allegation … after release of a photograph that contradicted the charge … the office pictured was not the one the GOP nominee said it was." LINK

"Under questioning, Simon conceded his campaign had made no attempt to verify where the photo was taken and suggested that the state Fair Political Practices Commission could sort the matter out."

"Doubts about the veracity of the photo threatened to upend Simon's troubled campaign less than four weeks before the election, at a time the GOP hopeful is struggling to raise money and boost credibility within his own skeptical party."

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Mindy Tucker (who has spent her share of time in the Golden State this year) told The Note this morning: "The only 'comment' I would be able to offer is this: I find it interesting that (Davis political adviser) Garry South finds it appropriate to call a police organization 'scummy.' I find it even more interesting that he accuses them of being willing to do anything for money — hello kettle I'm Gary and you are black."

New Mexico

The New York Times ' Clymer, saying "the national battle for the House … seems focused on domestic issues," looks at the "cameo" role national security is playing in the fight for the open House seat in the state's 2nd district. LINK

The piece features another cameo — from Hector Barreto, head of the Bush Small Business Administration — which reminds us to remind you yet again of two things:
-- The 2000 Bush campaign, with clever forethought, didn't challenge the business-as-usual Clinton/Gore use of government personnel and resources on presidential politics in 1996 and 2000, knowing full well that Roveian practice involves leveraging the machinery of the executive branch for political gain, with the envelope fully pushed.

No news organization seems to be systematically tracking all of the travel by Bush Administration officials (including by the minority members thereof) on behalf of GOP candidates in targeted races for political and official events. Such tracking could be investigative, but it also is a great political story, showing insight into resource deployment beyond the attention-grabbing POTUS.

Maryland

Gun-control advocates are up in Maryland with ads attacking GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob Ehrlich for his pro-gun record. LINK

New York

Gov. George Pataki (R) is supported by unions, but he got nicked by the Manhattan Institute on his fiscal discipline, which makes us wonder how he would govern if he wins a third term. LINK

Sleuthing Shaila "'K' is not for 'Knitting'" Dewan in the New York Times follows up on a Times Union of Albany story from yesterday, in which the paper did some actual reporting to determine something The Note just took for granted — that the New York Post exclusives, rolled out over several days, on Carl McCall's letter-writing efforts on behalf of relatives seeking jobs, likely came from opposition research from the Pataki forces. LINK

This is a must-read, if only to see the brazenness with which the Times tries to "out" the Post 's source.

The "smoking gun" is the big photocopy bills the state GOP ran up at the state archives (where the letters had been placed) two days before the Post began its assault.

What seems to be missing from the story: did the Post spend any money on photocopying during this period?

North Carolina

"State Rep. Dan Blue endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles on Tuesday — but with little fanfare or enthusiasm. In an e-mailed statement, Blue cited the importance of maintaining a Democratic majority in the Senate. He offered virtually no direct praise of Bowles himself." LINK

Republican Senate nominee Elizabeth Dole is up with a TV ad attacking Springs Industries, a textile company part-owned by Bowles' wife. Crandall Bowles issued a statement saying her husband has nothing to do with the company. LINK

Massachusetts

"The former CEO of a bankrupt health care company where [Democratic] gubernatorial candidate Shannon O'Brien worked as a vice president pleaded guilty yesterday to filing a false tax return and overcharging Medicare and Medicaid … Though O'Brien has acknowledged she knew the company was in financial trouble, she has said that she was unaware of any illegal activity and was not privy to details." LINK

And the Herald says, GOP gubernatorial nominee Mitt "Romney stepped out from behind his usual campaign surrogates" to hit O'Brien hard on this one. LINK

"Romney's harsh comments against O'Brien came as his campaign is planning a TV ad offensive, the first of the campaign. GOP sources said Romney's campaign has cut several 'comparative' ads that could run later this week. The ads target O'Brien's support of tax hikes and are expected to be paid for by the Republican State Committee, which raked in nearly $1 million at a fund-raiser last week featuring President Bush."

America's Mayor visited Boston's North End yesterday with Romney, who, "at times, was relegated to a secondary role, smiling and waiting until women released Giuliani from tight hugs, or happily accepting disposable cameras and snapping pictures of the former mayor with his fans. Giuliani soaked up the adulation, hugging elderly women with gusto, bantering with customers at Mike's Pastry." LINK

Georgia

Gov. Roy Barnes (D) and challenger Sonny Perdue (R) took each other to task during last night's debate. "They argued over economic develop.m.ent, the state's SAT scores and negative campaigning. Barnes consistently tied himself to President Bush and bipartisanship. Perdue, trailing in fund-raising and the polls, aggressively went after Barnes." LINK

Both Barnes and Democratic Senator Max Cleland are likely to face more election-night nail-biting than had been thought until just recently.

Hawaii

The Honolulu Advertiser has an excellent series on "the vanishing voter." LINK

South Dakota

Senator Tim Johnson (D) himself may co-sponsor the Senate amendment authorizing a war with Iraq. LINK

Colorado

This is RNC political director Blaise Hazelwood's must-read of the day: the Republican voter drive in Colorado gets another round of a good ink. LINK

Missouri

GOP nominee Jim Talent lobbed a few at the Senate and said Senator Jean Carnahan (D) is responsible for the president not getting his homeland security legislation. LINK

Minnesota

The Star-Tribune has a nice look at how and where Wellstone and Norm Coleman (R) differ on taxes and the economy. LINK

Gubernatorial candidate Tim Penny (IP) has assembled a "medley" of supporters from each of the blocs he needs to win the governor's race, the Pioneer Press reports. LINK

Absentee ballots are available today. LINK

"In 2000, 6 percent of Minnesotans voted by absentee ballot, the highest percentage in the state's history."

Texas

Former gubernatorial candidate Dan Morales (D) endorsed Gov. Rick Perry (R), as has been expected for awhile now. LINK

We're almost certain this phrase will wind up in a Perry spot soon: ""I'm a Democrat, but I'm first and foremost a Texan,' Morales said. 'I want every Texan to put aside party politics and join me to vote for the best man for the job — Gov. Perry.'"

The Tony Sanchez (D) campaign dismissed Morales as "irrelevant," while Republicans are surely seeing this as part of their macro "Hispanics and African-Americans might not be as monolithic a voting bloc as you think they'll be" 2002 worldview.

Don't let your eyes glaze over upon reading this article about the daily goings-on of the Texas Senate race, just because it talks about policy. LINK

The Austin American Statesman has a nice article about Democratic Senate nominee Ron Kirk's appeal to voters of faith. LINK

Bush Administration Strategy/Personality

Even the local press focused on the cost of President Bush's fundraising visit to Tennessee. LINK

The Senate Judiciary Committee has frozen the nomination of South Carolina judge Dennis Shedd, prompting chief backer Strom Thurmond (R), whose last Senate request is for Shedd's confirmation, to say, "'In my 48 years in the United States Senate, I have never been treated in such a manner.'" LINK

Media

A Walter Isaacson story in the New York Observer that quotes David Bohrman is too big for The Note to ignore, even this close to election day. LINK