—7:30 am: Senator John Kerry addresses the New Hampshire NEA Summer Learning Conference, Bartlett, N.H.
—9:30 am: Senator Joe Lieberman has coffee with supporters, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
—11:00 am: Former Vice President Gore speaks at MoveOn.org meeting at New York University, New York City
—11:00 am: Senator Joe Lieberman meets with students and holds press availability, Marion, Iowa
—11:00 am: National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice addresses National Association of Black Journalists, Dallas
—11:20 am: Senator Bob Graham speaks on the "soapbox" at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
—11:40 am: Representative Dennis Kucinich speaks on the "soapbox" at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
—1:00 pm: Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante picks up papers to run for governor of California, Sacramento
—1:30 pm: Asian Pacific American Community Leaders United Against the Governor's Recall, Los Angeles
—2:30 pm: Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi holds press conference to announce he will run for governor of California, Sacramento
—3:00 pm: Congressman Darrell Issa files papers and announces his bid for governor of California, San Diego
—3:00 pm: Senator Bob Graham opens Des Moines campaign headquarters
—4:00 pm: Arnold Schwarzenegger picks up papers to run for governor of California and holds media availability, Los Angeles
—5:00 pm: Senator John Kerry holds a "Fresh Air Forum," Plymouth, N.H.
—5:30 pm: Governor Gray Davis makes remarks to California School Employees Association's Annual Conference, Anaheim

NEWS SUMMARY

In the recall …

-- Arnold Schwarzenegger picks up papers to file to run for governor.

-- Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi hold media events about getting in the race.

-- Congressman Darrell Issa makes it official today as well.

-- The California Supreme Court is expected to say what it plans to do about all the lawsuits related to the recall effort.

Schwarzenegger's announcement left most of the political world — evidently including intimates including his staff and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan — reeling.

He and Darrell Issa pick up their papers to run today, and two Democrats are jumping into the fray as well.

Schwarzenegger's one planned event of the day is so close to East Coast network news time that once again, you will escape the news cycle with little scrutiny of substance, and the focus simply on spectacle.

There is a lot of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day coverage to come.

Questions to be asked and answered:

1. Is Bustamante "the" Pelosi candidate?

2. What will Big Labor do to defying Democrats?

3. What will Arnold's strategy be?

4. When and how will the other (conservative) Republicans go after Arnold?

5. How much will Arnold's strategy have to change if the courts change the terms/date of the recall?

6. What will the White House say about Arnold?

While we wait to see the reactions (on camera and otherwise) of Gray Davis, Terry McAuliffe, the AFL CIO leadership, and many, many more, California politics are for now national politics, and other stuff is doing to be gasping for oxygen.

So, see below for full recall coverage, and, just briefly, here's what else you can expect:

Al Gore speaks in New York City today about George Bush.

Governor Dean has a busy, busy Iowa day with campaign stops in Hampton, Audobon, Clarion, Humboldt, Pocahontas and Storm Lake-- and that's all before 4:00 pm. Tonight, he has two receptions: first to receive an endorsement from Iowa State Representative Greg Stevens in Milford and then another one later at Arnold's Park.

Senator Kerry speaks to educators this morning in Bartlett, N.H., goes for a walk in Littleton in the afternoon, holds a meet and greet in Woodsville, and later on he holds a "Fresh Air" forum in Plymouth, N.H.

Senator Graham spends the morning at the Iowa State Fair. He'll open the campaign's Des Moines headquarters in the afternoon and host a cook-out tonight that's billed as "Grillin' with the Grahams."

Senator Lieberman has coffee with supporters this morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and later on he speaks with students and holds a press availability in Marion, Iowa.

Congressman Kucinich campaigns in Iowa today, stopping by the Iowa State Fair for a little while.

Reverend Sharpton campaigns in North Carolina today.

Congressman Gephardt, Ambassador Braun and Senator Edwards have no public events scheduled for today.

The rest of the political world, in other news:

1. In New York, Al Gore delivers what his aides bill as a major foreign policy address. He's speaking before the MoveOn'ers, so he's likely to serve red meat. But will he upstage the presidentials? The AP's Humbert Notes Mario Cuomo's urging him on … and deftly defines the word "babble." LINK; the Boston Globe 's Peter Cannelos speculates on all the Gore speculation; LINK

Us — we take Gore (via spokesguy Mike Feldman) at his word: this isn't about running in '04.

What it IS about, we dunno.

2. Edwards On the Air. Almost non-stop from now and until whenever; how he does that without hitting the caps is an interesting question. Biographical spots crafted by Axelrod. Jimmy Pindell went to MUR to get the best info: LINK ; "The ads are playing in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Manchester, N.H. Edwards' media consultant, David Axelrod, said the campaign is spending $150,000 on the first week," says the Charlotte Observer. LINK (On a conference call, Axelrod hinted the campaign was doing mail in both Iowa and New Hampshire, too.)

3. Will Dick Gephardt get the AFL-CIO's endorsement in October? It looks better today than it did a few days ago. The AP's Strope Notes that Gephardt has about 3 million (encompassing nearly a dozen unions) of the 8.8 million union members he needs for an endorsement. LINK ; but the New York Times thinks Gephardt's momentum toward a labor nod has slowed. LINK ; the UAW remains undecided; we wonder whether the Iowa UAW is similarly situated. LINK; Did anyone else remember that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) supported the war against Iraq? LINK

We think yesterday was a good day for Gephardt's chances, not a bad one, and we are baffled by coverage suggesting otherwise.

4. Social Security? Regardless of all the hoo-hah over the 70/65/68 Dean-age conundrum, which candidates (a) believe the system is in trouble and/or (b) have a plan to do something about it? Nonetheless --"'Governor Dean in 1995 was open to the idea of raising the retirement age to balance the budget,' said Sarah Leonard, a spokeswoman for the Dean campaign. 'He then learned from Bill Clinton that it was not necessary to do so.'" LINK

Our question: if some of Dean's best lines at forums turn out to be misstatements, will that cause a problem over time?

Elsewhere:

--Al Sharpton thinks the "white" media ignores him (and does have a point about those who always ask how he'll get white voters to be persuaded to take a look at his campaign). LINK

--The AP reports that Senator Lieberman "predicted a Democratic backlash to the surge of liberal candidates."'If Bush and his extreme ideology is the problem, the solution is not for us Democrats to go to our extremes[.]'" LINK

--And there's this AP story about Mr. Rove and water policy in the Northwest. LINK

California recall, Arnold:

The Los Angeles Times' Michael Finnegan and Peter Nicholas provide a good recap of the political hullabaloo of the last 24 hours. LINK

It's still unclear what former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has decided to do, but according to the L.A. Times' James Rainey, he didn't see this coming. LINK

"'So this is what it feels like to be mugged,' said [a] Riordan adviser, who asked not to be named.

Riordan's troops denied the impression created by Schwarzenegger that they'd coordinated to keep everyone guessing.

The San Jose Mercury News' Mark Gladstone says Riordan's expected to announce his intentions this week LINK

Watch for attacks by Davis backers on Schwarzenegger's business track record, Gladstone reports.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Marinucci and John Wildermuth Note that Schwarzenegger's political team was as surprised by the actor's decision as anyone. LINK

"Backstage at 'The Tonight Show' [Schwarzenegger adviser George] Gorton still clutched in his hand the crumpled news release he had expected to give to the press, which read 'Today I've decided not to run . . . ' "

"'I was in the room where he was talking to Jay, and thinking about what he was going to say to get out . . . I'm more stunned than anybody,' he said."

"'Everyone has heard that Arnold keeps his own counsel and makes his own decisions,' said Kevin Spillane, a Republican consultant. 'Clearly that's true.'"

The L.A. Times' Nicholas takes a long look at the potentially disastrous effect of Schwarzenegger's candidacy for Gray Davis. LINK

With Feinstein announcing that she was out and Arianna Huffington announcing she was in, the sun shone brightly for Davis for a brief time on Wednesday, Nicholas writes. And then the house of cards fell over.

"And within hours, the fragile Democratic consensus behind Davis had begun to crumble as Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante announced he would enter the race and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, said he was considering doing so, as well."

"'It's a bad day for Davis,' said Dan Schnur, a Republican consultant. 'It's a worse day for California Democrats.'"

The Los Angeles Time's Mathews and Doug Smith dig out quotes from Schwarzenegger's 1977 autobiography, "Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder."LINK

"'I knew I was a winner. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way.'"

California recall, Davis and the Democrats:

So much for working together …

When Gray Davis was inaugurated in 1999, he read from a script that said: "Cruz Bustamante y yo trabajaremos juntos!". LINK

But yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante became, in the words of the Associated Press, "the first prominent Democratic politician to abandon … Davis' efforts to keep any prominent fellow Democrats off the ballot." LINK

What happened? To put it simply: 187 and Oracle.

Davis and Bustamante both opposed Proposition 187 in 1994.

The measure, which sought to deny illegal immigrants most public health and education services, passed with 59 percent of the vote; it quickly ended up in the courts. A federal judge struck down most provisions. Republican Governor Pete Wilson appealed.

When Davis became governor he faced a choice. Either drop Wilson's appeal or continue it. Perhaps with an eye on polls that showed that a majority of Californians still supported Proposition 187, Davis bucked Latino leaders and asked the appeals court to mediate a compromise. As soon as Davis announced his decision, Bustamante, the first California Hispanic elected statewide in more than a century, denounced Davis' decision on the Capitol steps:

"'During the campaign … Gray Davis said he was going to 'end the era of wedge issue politics' … I didn't think he meant 'pending appeal' or 'pending mediation.''" Veteran California political reporter George Skelton of the Los Angeles Times wrote at the time "there probably has not been a bigger real rift between a governor and a lieutenant governor in anybody's lifetime around here."

Relations took a turn for the worse when Bustamante aired an ad during his 2002 re-election bid mentioning Davis' Oracle software scandal. The Davis Administration had approved a $95 million software contract — which auditors deemed a boondoggle — after Oracle's lobbyist handed a state-side staffer a $25,000 check for Davis' campaign. "Bustamante was not a vocal critic during the controversy," according to Scripps Howard News Service. "But the ad suggested he inspired Assemblyman Dean Florez … who led hearings on the Oracle deal, to scrutinize the governor's involvement."

The ad infuriated the governor's camp because it came after Davis put Bustamante in some Spanish-language ads and included questions about the lieutenant governor in voter tracking.

Bustamante may have been the first statewide Democrat to break ranks with Davis but he is not the only one. Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, who served as Deputy Secretary of the Interior for President Clinton, decided at midnight last night that he will also enter the race. He will announce today at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern) in Sacramento.

But NOT Dianne Feinstein, who warned other Democrats about making "a terrible mistake."

"Despite Feinstein's warning, California House Democrats, in a conference call Wednesday, agreed to find a Democrat to enter the contest, according to a source familiar with the call," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. LINK

"The group, which included most of the 33 Democrats who represent California in Washington, were divided between Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and former Monterey Rep. Leon Panetta as their top choice, the source said. State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi also reportedly is looking at the race."

" … Panetta has privately told Democrats he would be willing to run and serve as a caretaker, until the next general election, in 2006, the source said."

"As recently as Monday, the House members had agreed in a phone conversation to stick by Davis and urge Democrats to remain off the ballot."

The New York Times has more: "Anxious members of the state's Democratic Congressional delegation held an urgent conference call in which there was "growing consensus" that a Democratic alternative to Mr. Davis must enter the recall race, a participant, Representative Cal Dooley, said." LINK

"Throughout the day, the disarray among the Democrats was palpable. The state party chairman, Art Torres, and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, who have stood by Mr. Davis on the recall, canceled a news conference this afternoon just minutes before it was scheduled to begin."

"The telephone conference call among the Democratic Congressional delegation lasted about 90 minutes and involved about half its 33 members, Mr. Dooley said. Among the potential candidates most frequently mentioned in the discussion were Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante and Leon E. Panetta, a former California congressman and chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, Mr. Dooley said."

"'There is growing apprehension about the ability of Governor Davis to defeat the recall,' Mr. Dooley said. 'I think Senator Feinstein understands the interest among some of the Democratic leaders in California to consider other candidates for the recall and thus made her decision in order to allow consideration of the other candidates.'"

By midday, Bustamante appeared to have made up his mind.

But the San Jose Mercury News remembers what Bustamante said a little while ago:

"'I will not participate in any way other than to urge voters to reject this expensive perversion of the recall process,' Bustamante said at the time. 'I will not attempt to advance my career at the expense of the people I was elected to serve. I do not intend to put my name on that ballot.'" LINK

The California Federation of Labor, per a spokesman, had no comment when contacted by ABC News about Bustamante and Garamendi yesterday.

(But the staffer for a prominent Democratic state senator responded with an expletive.)

The Times news analysis headline is blunt: "Just When Davis Thought It Couldn't Get Worse, It Did"

"Until now, Davis' campaign message has been simple — the recall, he and his aides have repeated, is a Republican plot to wrest control of the Statehouse. But as credible members of the state's Democratic establishment jump into the race, along with a moderate Republican, that message becomes a harder sell." LINK

One grace saver for Davis: "Attorney General Bill Lockyer does not plan to run, his press officer, Nathan Barankin, said Wednesday night after the news of Bustamante. Another potential candidate, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, has also said he does not plan to run, but he could not be reached for comment Wednesday night." LINK

The San Jose Mercury News on Arianna: LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Carla Hall tick-tocks Dianne Feinstein's decision not to get on the ballot. LINK

California recall, California chaos:

Californians worry that their state is descending into chaos … and everyone in the world notices. "Even the state's most loyal protectors — well-practiced at reminding critics that California has the world's fifth-largest economy, as well as its most advanced multicultural society — seem shaken." LINK

"'I have defended California in season and out, but I'm throwing in the towel this time,' says Kevin Starr, the state librarian and author of several California history books."

"Besides, craziness sells."

("Gary Mittin, an online entrepreneur, has already sold 200 'Arnold 4 Governor' T-shirts on his Web site, and has developed an 'I like Dick' logo for Riordan backers. Mittin also purchased the rights to the www.riordanforgovernor.org site for $8.95, and he says he won't sell, even to the former L.A. mayor himself.) LINK

Vice President Cheney, you will, uh, recall, was in Sacramento yesterday for a fundraiser. LINK

California recall, the courts:

We expect some sort of word from the California Supreme Court today about whether they'll hear Governor Davis's plea to postpone the recall election until March, as well as about which cases will go forward.

Per the AP: "Gov. Gray Davis says counties will keep thousands of voters from the polls by opening fewer precincts during the Oct. 7 recall election, but election officials say they've done it before — and they risk chaos by having voting places without poll workers."