—2:30 am: Gen. Wesley Clark testifies at the International Criminal Tribunal for Slobodan Milosevic, The Hague, Netherlands
—9:00 am: Sen. John Kerry speaks about Medicare with Lucas County Democrats at Donna's Place, Chariton, Iowa
—9:45 am: Off-camera press gaggle with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan
—9:45 am: Rep. Dick Gephardt speaks to the press at Milwaukee International Airport, Milwaukee, Wis.
—10:00 am: The Supreme Court convenes
—10:00 am: Sen. Hillary Clinton gives her first major foreign policy address as a senator at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, N.Y.
—10:00 am: Sen. John Edwards speaks about foreign policy at Central Campus of Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, Iowa
—10:25 am: President Bush meets with Iraqi Physicians and the Iraqi Minister of Health, The White House
—10:30 am: Former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore speaks to the press about his panel's findings regarding domestic security at the RAND Corporation, Arlington, Va.
—11:15 am: President Bush holds a press conference, Eisenhower Executive Office Building
—12:00 pm: Gen. Clark addresses the Clingandael Centre for Strategic Studies on a New Atlantic Charter, The Hague, Netherlands
—12:00 pm: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld holds press conference, The Pentagon
—12:15 pm: On-camera press briefing by White House Press Secretary McClellan
—1:20 pm: Sen. Kerry speaks about Medicare at Southside Senior Center, Des Moines, Iowa
—1:30 pm: Gov. Howard Dean speaks about national security and foreign policy at the St. Regis Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.
—1:30 pm: Rep. Gephardt speaks to the press with laid-off steel workers at Great Lakes Steel, Ecorse, Mich.
—2:30 pm: Rep. Dennis Kucinich speaks to the press about the 25th anniversary of his decision to not sell Cleveland's electric system to Muny Light, San Francisco, Calif.
—2:30 pm: Sen. John Breaux announces his intentions regarding his candidacy for reelection, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
—5:00 pm: Sen. Edwards speaks to New Hampshire voters about health care via video conference
—5:30 pm: Sen. Joseph Lieberman attends a Harvard College Democrats reception, Cambridge, Mass.
—7:00 pm: Sen. Lieberman appears on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Mass.
—7:00 pm: Rep. Kucinich speaks about universal health care and trade agreements at United Food & Commercial Workers' Union Hall, Hayward, Calif.
—8:05 pm: Sen. Lieberman holds a media availability, Cambridge, Mass.
—10:00 pm: Rep. Kucinich speaks about the Muny Light anniversary with author Alice Walker at the Unitarian Universality Church, San Francisco, Calif.
—11:00 pm: Gov. Dean attends a fundraiser at the House of Blues, Los Angeles, Calif.

NEWS SUMMARY

Who likes the capture: the American people, the White House, Tom DeFrank's sources, and Democrats who think this will hurt Howard Dean.

Who needs to do a better job pretending they are glad the economy is improving and an evil dictator is in custody: certain (Democratic) presidential candidates.

Which major-party presidential candidates did the best job yesterday of understanding that at such times the American people want leaders who appear to be putting country ahead of politics: the two frontrunners.

How much pressure were America's political reporters under yesterday to come up with big-picture, "what does it all mean?" analysis: mucho monumental and intense pressure.

Did anyone come up with anything beyond "good for the president, (maybe) bad for Dean" analysis: not really.

Is The Note going to do any better: no.

Do we agree with everyone else's analysis: sure, but we are more about facts on the ground, and we think the potential damage to Dean is overstated, especially because he put out such an uncharacteristically gracious statement about the president yesterday.

How much attention will the Dean, Hillary Clinton, and Edwards foreign policy speeches get today: we haven't a clue.

President Bush meets with Iraqi physicians and the Iraqi minister of health at the White House today. On Wednesday, he celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight in North Carolina, and on Thursday he visits injured soldiers in Washington, D.C.

Gov. Dean speaks about national security and attends a fundraiser in Los Angeles today. He is in Arizona tomorrow and speaks about domestic issues in New Hampshire on Thursday.

Gen. Clark testifies at The Hague in the trial against Slobodan Milosevic. He returns on Tuesday night and campaigns in New Hampshire for the rest of the week.

Senator Kerry speaks about Medicare in Iowa today. On Tuesday, he will deliver a speech titled "Foreign Policy in a Post-Saddam World: Rebuilding Our Alliances and Iraq" in Des Moines. He is in New Hampshire later in the week.

Rep. Gephardt campaigns in Milwaukee and Detroit today. He is in Pennsylvania and Florida later this week.

Senator Edwards speaks about foreign policy in Iowa today. He campaigns in South Carolina on Wednesday.

Senator Lieberman appears on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" tonight. He speaks about the economy tomorrow in New Hampshire.

Rep. Kucinich speaks about health care and trade agreements in northern California today. He is in Ohio on Wednesday.

Rev. Al Sharpton has no public events today. He is in New York tomorrow and Baltimore on Wednesday.

Ambassador Moseley Braun attends a fundraising event in Chicago today. She campaigns in D.C. and New Hampshire later this week.

Senator Breaux intends to make his intentions about re-election clear today.

Senator Clinton speaks about national security in the world's stuffiest room.

The politics of capture:

As ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer tells it, the latest Washington Post /ABC News poll says the capture of Saddam Hussein hasn't boosted the number of Americans who say the war in Iraq was worth fighting, but most folks see the capture as a sign of better fortune to come. LINK

Nearly two-thirds say it should help end attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, and should contribute more broadly to the long-term security of the United States, while seven in 10 say it should help produce long-term stability in the region.

Especially Noteworthy (especially if your last name is "Dowd"): 58 percent now approve of the job the president is doing, up 10 points since mid-November to the most since July.

Senior White House folks tell us to expect to hear more today from the president on Saddam's capture. Remember the president will meet at 10:25 this morning with Iraqi physicians and the Iraqi Minister of Health.

In the headlines this morning, most all the majors say Saddam's detention is Good News for Team Bush as they puzzle over the CW which says the positive turn of events in Iraq just might lead to the beginning of Howard's End.

The New York Times writes that "for the Bush administration … the capture of Mr. Hussein was the most triumphal moment since American forces ousted him." LINK

The New York Times ' Elisabeth Bumiller writes the president's "careful demeanor" "hid the elation at the White House, Noting Sunday's news "steals ammunition, at least for the moment, from the Democratic presidential candidates who had criticized the war and the American occupation." LINK

While Knight Ridder's Steve Thomma asserts, "The capture of Saddam Hussein on Sunday will help President Bush as he enters his re-election campaign, bolstering his image as a leader." LINK

Donna Brazile calls the capture a "huge victory" for the president. LINK

The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet agrees, Noting Howard Dean is scheduled to deliver a "major foreign policy speech, which was being reworked Sunday, his campaign said, to take Saddam's arrest into account." LINK

The New York Daily News' Tom DeFrank writes of "ecstatic" senior presidential strategists. The two major issues thus far in the campaign, Iraq and the economy, seem to be going President Bush's way at the moment, reports DeFrank. LINK

The St. Petersburg Times' Adam Smith says the same. LINK

As for the Democratic Gang of Nine, the New York Times ' Adam Nagourney finds the impact of Hussein's capture "could fall particularly heavily on the candidacy of Howard Dean." LINK

Note this is the second time in recent days that Nagourney has quoted a Stephanie Cutter e-mail.

The Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein says Dean's Democratic opponents certainly hope that having Hussein in custody makes the Governor's case harder to make. LINK

Balz and Broder of the Washington Post raise the hurts-Dean-helps-Bush duality. LINK

Al Hunt does the same thing on the Wall Street Journal 's website.

Susan Page and Jill Lawrence both lay out the possible effects in the Nation's Newspaper. LINK and LINK

Deborah Orin writes the capture creates a "tougher road" for whoever is the 2004 Democratic nominee. Ms. Orin also Notes John Kerry's boasting of his vote on the Iraq resolution. LINK

Anne Kornblut of the Boston Globe adds up the same score and gets the same answer. LINK

While the Democratic hopefuls manage cheers for the Saddam capture, there continue to be fingers pointing at Dean, writes Jeff Zeleny. LINK

The capture isn't just a political boon for President Bush, reports the Hartford Courant's David Lightman — it also provides a "short-term boost" for Joe Lieberman and other pro-war candidates. LINK

The question is: will that position help in and of itself with Democratic voters, or is it simply a stand-in argument for electability?

The politics of capture: other views:

Glen Johnson of the Boston Globe goes a bit contrary and says the new facts won't hurt Dean much. LINK

Slate's Saletan warns those who say Dean is done to remember history, finding parallels between the campaigns of the Texas Governor running in 2000 and the former Vermont Governor running in 2004. LINK

The Hoover Institute's Bill Whalen says Hussein's capture may have no discernible effect on the Democratic presidential primary since the candidates are all courting voters who "essentially oppose the president's policies." LINK

The politics of capture: editorially speaking:

The New York Times ' ed board calls the images of the capture a "tonic of relief" but says yesterday's events do "not diminish the need for Washington to find ways to broaden the international nature of the occupation, and to put the nation-building efforts under the United Nations." LINK

Chastising Democratic candidates, namely one Mr. Dean, the Washington Post 's ed board says the point of getting international help is not to withdraw U.S. troops but to better achieve "the goal of stabilizing Iraq under a democratic government." LINK

Differing with Arlen Specter, the Wall Street Journal 's ed board argues "putting Saddam on trial in Iraq" will send a message that "it is the Iraqi people who should be responsible for judging Saddam and determining his fate."

George Will concurs, and takes shots at John Kerry AND Howard Dean. LINK

The Des Moines Register 's ed board proclaims, "Hallelujah! The capture of Saddam Hussein could be the beginning of the end of the nightmare in Iraq. It opens the door to peace." LINK

The politics of capture: the challenges ahead:

Of the insurgency, the New York Times quotes a senior Administration official as saying, "'It will help in the effort to stop the violence" but "it will not be sufficient to stop the violence.'" LINK

And the Washington Post 's Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler Note the challenges ahead, reminding readers that "under its own schedule, the Bush administration has less than seven months to bring together in a new democratic government ethnic and religious communities that have been divided for decades." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: The Invisible Primary:

The Wall Street Journal 's Dan Henninger has a must-read op-ed, written on hallowed journalistic ground, looking at Gore-Dean and an ossified Democratic Party.

The AP's Mike Glover wrote about undecided voters in Iowa and New Hampshire on Sunday. LINK

Knight Ridder's Dick Polman looks at the quandary of the 90-minute debates, saying the large field "cripples" the candidates. LINK

A new poll out of Franklin Pierce College shows electability seems to weigh heavily on Democratic primary voters' minds. LINK

Dean:

The Washington Post 's T.R. Reid goes on the campaign trail with Dr. Dean, and finds anger and some nitpicking to do on the advance work. LINK

It appears that Dean lost out a chance to be Newsweek cover boy because of the capture. The long non-cover story is still there, long and lush. LINK

Time is heavy on Dean, too, including a must-read piece by Joe Klein explaining the (Deborah?) Gore-Dean marriage and how it is creating a new brand. LINK

Karen Tumulty and Perry Bacon, Jr., write in Time, "Dean accepted Gore's endorsement-but the question now is whether he will accept his advice." LINK

Newsweek's Alter and Wolffe interviewed The Doctor two days after the Gore nod. LINK

Ron Brownstein explores the surge of attacks being hurled upon Howard Dean by his opponents. "The question for Dean's rivals may be whether the proliferation of so many arguments against him creates a synergy that magnifies their effect, or dissonance that undermines it." LINK

Brownstein has another piece where he writes that Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean may indeed be the end of "Clintonism." According to Brownstein, Bill Clinton's key to success was the wooing of the critical swing voters in the political center while Howard Dean sees firing up the Democratic base as his road to the White House. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold wrote on Sunday about Dean's courting wealthy donors. LINK

The Washington Post and the New York Times both examined Dean's foreign policy on Sunday. LINK and LINK

Two polls showed good news for the campaign over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times' Mark Z. Barabak reported that Dean "has emerged as the leading presidential pick among Democratic Party leaders, with more than twice the support of his closest rivals, according to a new Los Angeles Times Poll." LINK

Also on Sunday, the Boston Globe 's Anne Kornblut spotlighted the new KRC poll in New Hampshire that shows Dean "with a stronger lead than ever before." LINK

The New York Post 's Fred Dicker reports Eliot Spitzer seems to have changed his views on Howard Dean. New York's Attorney General will support the former Vermont governor should he emerge the nominee. LINK

The Manchester Union Leader runs an editorial taking Howard Dean to task for his 9/11 comments on the Diane Rehm Show. LINK

From ABC News' Dean campaign reporter Reena Singh:

Dean's foreign policy speech was written over the past several weeks with the assistance from former Vice President Gore. The speech had to be reworked yesterday following the capture of Saddam Hussein. On the long plane ride from Palm Beach, Florida to San Francisco, Calif., the governor reworked the speech in between curling up against the window using his purple and gold SEIU jacket as a pillow and pouring through the Sunday Times.

The campaign has taken in a grand total of $244,824 from 3154 contributors for the latest bat, which was put up due to the first Progressive Values 527 ad touting Dean's NRA approval record. Speaking of Dean dollars, Saturday and Sunday were big fundraising days. There was an Atlanta finance luncheon and Saturday night in Miami's design district a fundraiser set in the atrium of a two story building of galleries showcasing some very funky art including an enormous white oblong breathing sculpture attached to a tube and plastered with baby bottle nipples. Don't ask.

Read more from the trail with Dean on abcnews.com: LINK

Gephardt:

From ABC News' Gephardt campaign reporter Sally Hawkins:

Thanks to a 6:45 am link time in the lobby of a Columbia, South Carolina hotel, Congressman Gephardt was up and shaving well before dawn when he turned on the television in his room and heard the news about Saddam's capture.

Shortly thereafter, the weekend changed from the celebratory endorsement tour of Saturday that included popular South Carolinians such as Rep. Clyburn and Rep. John Spratt traveling the state on Gephardt's loaned 1981 bus — a chaotic day jam-packed with interviews running hopelessly behind schedule.

At the first stop in Sumter, Gephardt sat motionless in the front pew through several choir hymns and a long sermon. Just outside the church another scene was playing out. Gephardt's assistant press secretary, Kim Molstre, was on her cell phone getting updates from campaign headquarters while print reporters called editors and TV producers scrambled to piece together logistics on how they could get the candidate on the airwaves from very rural South Carolina. In the end, a prayer room in the back of the Mt. Zion Union Methodist Church in Kingstree made do as a live-shot location.

Read more from the trail with Gephardt on abcnews.com: LINK

Gephardt stepped up his attacks Saturday on Dean while campaigning across South Carolina, reports the State. LINK

Kerry:

Pat Healy of the Boston Globe watched Kerry's Iowa town hall meeting. LINK

The Des Moines Register 's Beaumont reports on the meeting too. LINK

From ABC News' Kerry campaign reporter Ed O'Keefe:

Shortly before 7:00 am, Senator Kerry received a call in his Davenport Radisson hotel room. His daughter Vanessa Kerry, who had been campaigning with her father, told him the news. Shortly thereafter, Kerry departed the hotel to make a pre-scheduled appearance on FOX.

An ABC News special report including President Bush's remarks on the capture delayed the Senator's $30,000 half-hour live television discussion with undecided voters in Moline, IL. On the stump, the news caused a Notable adjustment in Kerry's standard speech.

Instead of blanket blasting the president for domestic and foreign policy failures including Iraq, Kerry asked, "How does one measure the words 'Mission Accomplished'?" A short while later, before Governor Vilsack and his hometown crowd in Mount Pleasant, Kerry added, "Notwithstanding the capture of Saddam Hussein today, which we celebrate, this President doesn't have the experience to be Commander-in-Chief."

And Kerry gave little credence to rival Dean, saying of the former Vermont Governor's forthcoming foreign policy address, "Anyone can read what's been written for them." And the Kerry camp has made a quick addition to the Senator's Iowa schedule. On Tuesday in Des Moines, the Senator will deliver an address entitled "Foreign Policy in a Post-Saddam World: Rebuilding our Alliances and Iraq".

Read more from the trail with Kerry on abcnews.com: LINK

Clark:

From ABC News' Clark campaign reporter Deborah Apton:

It was 22-year-old communications aide Basel Hamdan who broke the news of Saddam Hussein's capture to the rest of the Clark campaign in Little Rock, Ark. As part of the rotating staff of three assigned to "clips," Hamden came into the office at 5:30 am local time (about four hours later than normal since Clark was in The Hague) and turned on the TV. "I saw Dan Rather on at 6:00 a.m.," he said, but with the closed captioning on the bottom of the screen he wasn't able to read the "Saddam Captured" part of the news. Then he changed stations and recalled, "I realized Saddam Hussein was captured and I couldn't believe it."

After emailing out the news to the communications department, Hamdan rummaged through desks in the office scrambling, looking for numbers for people that would be traveling with Clark. Seeing as it's an apolitical trip, the numbers were not easily accessible. Once found, the difficulty became dialing the international numbers-"I dialed 9-1 and the number, then 00 and the number, that didn't work." When Hamden got through to somebody he was told: "They were at customs and they just found out what happened."

Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK

The AP reports on Clark's testimony at the Hague. LINK

Speaking to Salon, The General says, "I don't think the Democratic Party can win without carrying a heavy experience in national security affairs into the campaign … And that experience can't be in a vice president." LINK

Note Clark's take on a Dean answer to the Durham debate question about lying. And Note the line about an "endorsement of sorts" from King Clinton.

Edwards:

From ABC News' Edwards campaign reporter Gloria Riviera:

Senator Edwards learned of Saddam's capture upon landing in Chicago early Sunday morning off a red-eye flight from L.A. Back at campaign headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri BlackBerried body-man Hunter Pruette and anyone else she knew to be traveling with the Senator or would soon see him.

By noon the campaign released a written statement from Edwards. After praising the military's efforts, the statement read in part, "I hope President Bush will use this opportunity to chart a course in Iraq that will bring in our allies in a meaningful way to achieve a democratic and peaceful Iraq." Edwards then held an afternoon presser for cameras at a downtown Chicago hotel.

Read more from the trail with Edwards on abcnews.com: LINK

Edwards warns that "the current politics of rage" could scuttle Democratic hopes of winning the White House, writes the Charlotte Tribune's Jim Morrill. LINK

Edwards spent his weekend jazzing it up with John Mellencamp and Jack Black, reports the News and Observer's John Wagner. LINK

Lieberman:

From ABC News' Lieberman campaign reporter Talesha Reynolds:

Senator Lieberman was alerted to Saddam Hussein's capture by a phone call from a staffer at about 6:45 Sunday morning. The Senator turned on the television and watched Paul Bremer's press conference before heading off to the NBC studios for a scheduled appearance on "Meet the Press." Lieberman told Tim Russert that his immediate reaction to the news was "Hallelujah, praise the Lord."

Lieberman said he had been "advocating and praying for" the ousting of Hussein for 12 years because Hussein is a "homicidal maniac." While Lieberman asserted that the day was not a time for partisan politics, it was a time to attack Howard Dean. Lieberman has previously criticized Dean for being weak on defense, but following Gore's endorsement, Lieberman used his support for the Iraq war as an example of the "clear choice" between himself and Dean.

Read more from the trail with Lieberman on abcnews.com: LINK

Be sure to also check out Jeanne Cummings of the Wall Street Journal , who writes up "whither the Lieberman campaign?"

Kucinich:

From ABC News' Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:

Rep. Kucinich was in Iowa Sunday morning when he found out about Saddam Hussein's capture, and while he was happy to learn Hussein was in custody, he quickly used the opportunity to drive home his belief that the troops should be brought home immediately. In speeches and at a press conference, Kucinich said "the United States must seize this moment and end the occupation of Iraq," and claimed his three-point plan to get U.S. troops out of Iraq in 90 days was more relevant than ever.

Read more from the trail with Kucinich on abcnews.com: LINK

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Stephen Koff describes Kucinich's campaign as "out in the wilderness compared with operations like President Bush's and Howard Dean's," and has Kucinich claiming his performance at last Tuesday night's debate "may have launched my campaign." LINK

Kucinich has a history of winning as the underdog, reports the AP. LINK

Sharpton:

From ABC News' Sharpton campaign reporter Beth Loyd:

Reverend Al Sharpton was boarding a plane in Detroit at six o'clock in the morning yesterday when he heard about the capture of Saddam Hussein. Sharpton argued that, although good news, the accomplishment does not diminish what he believes was a false motivation to engage in war. The campaign anticipates a shift in the Democratic primary's landscape-that domestic issues will come to the forefront-and that many of the candidates will have to adjust their campaigns accordingly and will subsequently show their conservatism on domestic policy. Sharpton says the focus will change from support of the war to the continued occupation of Iraq.

Read more from the trail with Sharpton on abcnews.com: LINK

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles Sharpton and Notes his many talents. LINK

The Ann Arbor News joined Sharpton on his swing through Michigan on Saturday. LINK

The Sacramento Bee takes a look at Sharpton's perception of the abandonment of the Left by Democrats. LINK

Moseley Braun:

From ABC News' Moseley Braun campaign reporter Monica Ackerman:

News of Saddam Hussein's capture was broken to Ambassador Moseley Braun by phone early yesterday morning in Chicago. According to a campaign spokesperson, her first response was "Hurray". Hussein's capture does not change anything on the campaign, Moseley Braun's spokesperson, Loretta Kane, said. Kane also said that they will continue to stress the need to build a coalition with countries around the world to restore peace in Iraq.

Read more from the trail with Moseley Braun on abcnews.com: LINK

Iowa:

The Des Moines Register 's Jane Norman reports that despite "swirling" rumors, Senator Harkin isn't about to endorse anyone yet, but he might before January 19. LINK

On Saturday, the Des Moines Register 's Jennifer Dukes Lee wrote about how Iowans just want to get this holiday junk over with so that they can get ready for the caucuses. LINK

New Hampshire:

The January 8 debate is off due to candidate campaign schedules in Iowa, but the January 22 debate is still on. LINK

South Carolina:

The State's Lee Bandy writes that the South Carolina primary is vital for those who are chasing Dean. LINK

Big Casino budget politics:

The venerable Robert Pear reports, "Congressional Republicans and the Bush administration say they are planning a new initiative to help provide health insurance to people under 65 who have no coverage." LINK

Big Casino budget politics: Medicare:

House Minority Leader Pelosi discusses the Medicare legislation with the Christian Science Monitor. LINK

Politics:

Former Delaware Republican Senator Bill Roth died Saturday night at the age of 82. The Note expresses our deepest sympathies to his family and all those who appreciated hearing "Hi, I'm Bill Roth" from a dedicated and revered public servant. LINK

In a special section called "Deja Vote," yesterday's Tallahassee Democrat addressed the fears of Florida voters. LINK