NEWS SUMMARY

The best headline for today's Note would be:

A. Wasn't in the Loop, Frankly
Yada, Yada, Yada -- I Want to Be President

B. My Mom and Dad Are So Proud
I'm on Bandstand (Bandstand!)

C. What Did Tom Kean Know?
And When Did He Know It?

D. Did You Hear What They Want to Do to You and Me?
They Wanna Take Away Our Social Security LINK

E. The Speaker Wins the Ray LaHood Award
Denny's Grand Slam

F. Bartlett's Quotations
Dan Channels Michiko Kakutani

G. Sid Hoffman or Sid Frenchman?
What is John Kerry Going to Say Next? LINK

If these choices aren't clear to you (let alone the correct answer), read on.

The 9/11 Commission meets all day, and Secretary of the Treasury and Managing Trustee John Snow and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson host a press briefing on the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports on at noon.

President Bush is in Washington, D.C. today, meeting with the President of Colombia, then meeting with his Cabinet, then holding a photo-op with NCAA sports champions.

First Lady Laura Bush speaks about the risks of heart disease for women in Chicago, Ill.

Vice President Cheney is in Washington, D.C. but has no public events scheduled.

Sen. Kerry continues his vacation in Ketchum, Idaho.

9/11 Commission:

The chairman and vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, did the full round of morning shows prior to their full day of meetings with Bush and Clinton Administration officials.

They repeatedly said that the White House was being mostly cooperative but that they were "disappointed" in National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice's decision not to testify publicly. When asked specifically for his reaction to Dick Clarke's book, Kean said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that "we do not have conclusive evidence on that point. That is still very much a matter of ongoing investigation here and will be a central point of inquiry for the commission."

As for their interview with President Bush, which is "weeks away," vice chairman Lee Hamilton said that "it is my impression, and I think the governor's as well, that we'll have sufficient time with the president to get the answers we need."

The AP's Hope Yen previews the 9/11 commission testimony expected today and tomorrow. LINK

Bush Administration v. Clarke:

Is this thing over or going another news cycle, what with Clarke's 9/11 star turn slated for tomorrow? Time will, uhm, tell.

While appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" for the second day in a row, former terrorism adviser Richard Clarke responded to questions about his motivations, saying, "I'm not doing this because I'm disgruntled. I'm doing this because I think Americans deserve the truth."

Clarke repeated his charge about Rumsfeld and Iraq: "Right after 9/11, even though there was no connection with Iraq and everybody knew it, Rumsfeld asked for and got from the President in writing -- in a directive -- instructions to prepare for the invasion of Iraq."

He rebutted Vice President Cheney's Monday comments on the Rush Limbaugh Show about all of the terrorist attacks that occurred on Clarke's watch during those "eight years going back to 1993" by recounting the terrorist attacks that were successfully thwarted and by saying that "there were fewer than 50 persons over the course of those eight years that were killed by Al Qaeda."

Clarke then went on the offensive against his critics: "in the Reagan Administration, 300 Americans died in Lebanon and there was no retaliation. In the Bush I Administration, almost 300 Americas died on Pan Am 103 and no retaliation. Yet for this much smaller threat, we had done a great deal."

While appearing on CNN's "American Morning," Clarke again defended his record -- this time invoking the C-word.

"I would argue that for what had actually happened prior to 9/11, the Clinton Administration was doing a great deal. In fact, so much that when the Bush people came into office they thought I was a little crazy, a little obsessed with this little terrorist Bin Laden. Why wasn't I focused on Iraqi-sponsored terrorism?"

On "Fox and Friends" this morning, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett was questioned from "the White House in that room with the blue curtain," as the questioner, Steve Doocy, put it, and continued the Administration's attempts to refute the stories of Clarke.

"I think what Vice President Cheney said yesterday is obviously correct. Dick Clarke seems more interested in which meetings he was in or which meetings he wasn't included in," Bartlett said. "The President reconstituted daily briefings so he could be briefed firsthand by the head of intelligence . . . [The Bush Administration] should have been a dream come true for him because President Bush said, 'Look, I want a plan to take out al Qaeda.'"

Doocy Noted that Kerry had a new ad that didn't mention President Bush ("Kind of the kindler, gentler John Kerry," Doocy said with a shrug). Bartlett said Kerry is trying to define himself because "if you look at his record and his past statements, it's kind of confusing& John Kerry doesn't have a clear direction he wants to lead this country."

The White House unloaded on Clarke yesterday in an effort to counter new charges detailed in his tell-all book from his time in the Administration, report Dana Milbank and Mike Allen of the Washington Post. The dashing duo point out that although some Republicans defended the White House and some remained "conspicuously silent," others expressed concern, most Notably Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

"This is a serious book written by a serious professional who's made serious charges, and the White House must respond to these charges," said Hagel. LINK

The Los Angeles Times triumvirate of Reynolds, Meyer and Miller on the coordinated White House offensive to rebut Clarke's charges. Clarke talks to the paper and stands by his story. LINK

Dan Eggen and Walter Pincus of the Washington Post turn in a Clarke profile/book review, juxtaposing the Administration slams with comments from people who worked with Clarke and describe his modus operandi in a different way than, say, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Eggen and Pincus Note that the Bush Administration had great confidence in the former counterterrorism adviser after the 9/11 attacks but his "hard-charging style and a penchant for self-promotion" also caused great friction and "has given ammunition to his critics in recent days." LINK

The New York Times' duo of Miller and Bumiller on the "aggressive personal attack" from the Bush Administration on its former counterterrorism chief. Write the two, "The angry White House response to Mr. Clarke, which was authorized by Mr. Bush, reflects the administration's fears over the book's potential political damage." LINK

Some of the alleged eye witnesses to the alleged Bush-Clarke colloquy allegedly don't completely back up the alleged Clarke account of the alleged presidential tone -- which we would guess would be cycled big-time into the White House talking points.

The Los Angeles Times' Richter on Clarke's effectiveness -- and his enemies. LINK

The New York Times' Todd Purdum analyzes Clarke's criticism of Bush's handling of Al Qaeda, writing that "at the worst possible moment, it undercuts Mr. Bush on the issue that he has made the unapologetic centerpiece of his administration and a linchpin of his re-election campaign: his handling of the global war on terror." LINK

The New York Times' Krugman writes that "it's important, when you read the inevitable attempts to impugn the character of the latest whistle-blower, to realize just how risky it is to reveal awkward truths about the Bush administration" as he ties together Clarke, Gen. Eric Shinseki, Ambassador Joe Wilson, and Richard Foster. LINK

For its part, the Gray Lady's ed board says that Clarke is "very much worth listening to, but it's not necessary to find all of his criticisms of the current administration equally persuasive." Then, in a graph we are certain won't delight anyone on Wilson Blvd., goes on to judge "the most persuasive part of the critique by the former anti-terrorism czar concerns the administration's obsession with Iraq. Mr. Clarke says he and intelligence experts repeatedly assured top officials -- and Mr. Bush himself -- that Iraq was not involved in 9/11 or in supporting Al Qaeda. This fall, when the public has to judge Mr. Bush's decision to invade, voters will know that the president's own counterterrorism adviser had warned him that he was on the wrong track." LINK

USA Today's Judy Keen writes, "The aggressive effort by the White House to refute Clarke indicates concern about the damage his charges could do to Bush, whose management of the war on terrorism is a key part of the case he makes for his re-election." LINK

The Boston Globe's Anne Kornblut and Bryan Bender write that the "White House launched a full-scale assault on its former terrorism czar" yesterday. LINK

The Boston Globe's Bryan Bender reports on what Clarke's book says about what was going on in and around Boston Harbor on 9/11. LINK

The Chicago Tribune's Bob Kemper and Cam Simpson round up the barrage of criticism leveled yesterday by the Bush White House at Clarke. LINK

The Washington Times' James Lakely tick tocks the slams as well, pointing out that "Mr. Clarke also is the second former administration official critical of the president's policies in Iraq to have close ties to the Kerry presidential campaign." LINK

The Washington Post's Richard Cohen finds its ironic that now two "delusional" former Bush aides are making such similar claims about their former boss -- and "do not take into account the president's genius and all-around wisdom." LINK

Speaking of, there's another former Bush aide with a tome expected shortly that we hear tells a very different story, unsurprisingly . . .

ABC News Vote 2004: the politics of national security:

The Los Angeles Times' Effroon on the "unease" in the White House on the assassination of Hamas' Yassin. LINK

"The Bush administration said it was 'deeply troubled' by Israel's assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and it struggled yesterday to limit repercussions on a range of U.S. foreign policy priorities," reports Robin Wright of the Washington Post. LINK

The New York Times' Weisman reports that after the assassination of Yassin, the White House urged all in the region to remain calm, but later condemned Israel's action after criticism began to surge in the Arab world. Writes Weisman, it was a "startling sequence of events unusual even for the ups and downs of Middle East policy." LINK

"Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced a package of improvements for U.S. railroad security yesterday but deferred requests by public transit systems for $6 billion in new federal aid in the wake of the March 11 train bombings in Madrid," reports the Washington Post's Spencer Hsu and Lyndsey Layton. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

We thought last week was a good story! But The Hill helps complete Speaker Hastert's march toward serious Note stardom status with this lead: "The White House is failing to sell President Bush's economic policies as effectively as it should, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said in an interview with The Hill, reflecting widespread concern among Republican lawmakers." LINK

Almost as if the White House had read the Speaker's mind! The Hill's Dealey on the President's push to "ratchet up his campaign rhetoric on economic issues by announcing expanded individual investment plans -- including for education, healthcare and retirement -- under the rubric of building an 'ownership society.'" LINK

The RNC and the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign yesterday "significantly escalated their effort to paint John F. Kerry as a big-government liberal, charging he has endorsed a $1.7-trillion spending spree that would demand huge tax increases," reports the Los Angeles Times' Ron Brownstein.

Brownstein sizes up the onslaught: "In speeches, interviews and television advertisements, the GOP has sought to portray Kerry as a traditional liberal who would be too quick to cut military spending and too slow to use military force."

And Brownstein breaks down the nitty gritty of the numbers that BC04RNC put out yesterday on the "tax gap" -- the Googling monkeys aren't so good with numbers so we'll let you read Brownstein's write up here: LINK

Vice President Cheney made a campaign stop in Lakehurst, N.J. yesterday and picked up $400,000 for the BC04 re-election coffers. Cheney did not mention Dick Clarke but he did take a few shots at Sen. Kerry, on Iraq and tax cuts. LINK

"His tone was consistent with the Bush campaign's efforts to define Kerry in voters' minds now, while the Democrat is short on money," Notes the Newark Star-Ledger's Whelan and Hassell.

We especially like this color from inside the Chateau Grand:

"Inside, ice sculptures of an elephant and an American flag graced the serving tables. Guests nibbled on hors d'oeuvres that included shrimp kebabs and bacon-wrapped scallops, then cheered loudly as Cheney delivered a heavy serving of red-meat campaign fare." LINK

Almost a week after the fact, the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne decided to give his two cents on Scalia's decision not to recuse himself from hearing a case involving Vice President Cheney. LINK

In a speech today, Commerce Secretary Don Evans will defend the Bush Administration's free trade record, "arguing that an American retreat from the global economy would mean less prosperity at home and around the world," reports Martin Crutsinger of the Associated Press. LINK

"More than two years after Enron Corp. became an emblem of corporate fraud and trickery, opinion surveys show that throughout the nation the public's faith in the financial system remains shaken -- a distrust that undermines people's sense of financial security and helps fuel a hunger for leadership that will set things right," the Los Angeles Times' Peterson reports. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's James Hagerty reports "the Bush administration made an embarrassing retreat yesterday from proposed regulation that would have slashed closing costs on home-mortgage loans."

Bush will visit Phoenix on Friday to promote home ownership. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush vs. Kerry:

The Wall Street Journal's Jeanne Cummings writes on the potential perils of going attack ads, Noting "the danger is even greater in campaign 2004 for two reasons: a new provision of U.S. campaign-finance law requiring candidates to take responsibility for their own ads and the unprecedented eight-month length of the Bush-Kerry general-election fight." (We picked up on this graph: "Frank Luntz, a Republican consultant who works with voter focus groups, says the danger to Mr. Bush is that voters' impressions of him, like theirs of Mr. Kerry, are in flux. 'This is not the same guy who ran in 2000,' says Mr. Luntz, referring to Mr. Bush's "compassionate conservative" message four years ago.")

The New York Times' Toner and Rutenberg on the proxy Bush vs. Kerry budget battle brewing between Democrats and Republicans: LINK

(Note Note: We wonder how Terry Holt's mixture of Vietnam and Seinfeld will be received . . .)

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank investigates how Republicans are trying to paint John Kerry as a "closet Frenchman. LINK

An Albuquerque Journal poll finds Kerry and Bush in a dead heat. "More voters said they had an unfavorable impression of Bush than Kerry -- 38 percent compared to 24 percent. But more voters were undecided about Kerry, who probably remains the lesser-known candidate." LINK

"Probably" indeed!!!

ABC News Vote 2004: Sen. John Kerry:

According to FBI documents, John Kerry was "subjected to extensive surveillance by the FBI for more than a year as he led protests by an anti-Vietnam War organization for veterans against the Nixon administration's war policies," write Laura Blumenfeld and Dan Balz of the Washington Post. LINK

The New York Times' Halbfinger reports "a yearlong F.B.I. surveillance of Kerry's antiwar activities in the early 1970's was 'a badge of honor' and an encroachment on civil liberties that has echoes in the presidential race, a Kerry spokesman said on Monday." LINK

Kerry has been getting a boost from an "unlikely bunch: former Bush administration officials and congressional Republicans." The Washington Post's Jim VandeHei takes a look at the allegedly interesting trend. LINK

The New Republic's Lawrence Kaplan suggests in the Wall Street Journal today "the presumptive Democratic nominee has enshrined conspiratorial logic at the heart of his stump speech." This he blames on "political expediency, not paranoia."

The AP's Mike Glover curtain-raises Kerry's new 30-second ad, "Fought for America," set to begin running in 17 states today, and frames the "whose negatives can go higher?" challenge on the airwaves. LINK

"The commercial comes as Bush unleashes a $6 million effort to define Kerry as a big-spending liberal who is soft on terrorism. Kerry is spending about $2.3 million on his commercial that will run in 53 markets over the next week, according to officials familiar with the ad buy."

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reviews Kerry's newest television ad discussing his domestic agenda. Kurtz Notes, that "the new spot offers no new details on Kerry's stance on health care, taxes and education, it uses images of the presumed Democratic nominee in Vietnam& to make the case that 'John Kerry has fought for his country' for 35 years."

Kurtz also get Bush campaign spokesman Terry Holt to give his own honest review, "John Kerry's campaign seems to be summed up this way: I went to Vietnam, yadda, yadda, yadda, I want to be president. He would have the American people ignore his 19-year record in the United States Senate. . . . In the case of John Kerry, the truth hurts." LINK

The Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont and the Orlando Sentinel's Mark Silva give the new ad respective regional context coverage. LINK and LINK

Jim Morrill of the Charlotte Observer reports that, though Sen. Kerry is not explicitly expressing interest, eight of 14 party chairs in South Carolina would like to see a Kerry-Edwards ticket, as (surprise) Southerners prefer a Southerner as the running mate. LINK

Hmmm -- is it still newsworthy when Zell Miller trashes his party and its presumptive nominee? The Hill's Earle offers Miller saying Kerry:

-Is "'trying to have it both ways on so many issues.'"
-Won't campaign in the South
-Won't be helped in North Carolina by putting Sen. Edwards on the ticket LINK

The Boston Globe's Pat Healy writes up the Kerry activity in his final days of vacation, including the new television spot and the surrogate conference calls, which Healy points out is different from the "kind of get-away-from-it-all mode that President Bush often enjoys on his ranch in Crawford, Texas." LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Slater offers up a Ketchum snapshot and looks at the town's step into the Secret Service spotlight. LINK

The Associated Press profiles the Kerrys' homes and looks at the not-so-new story of the FBI watching Kerry back in the '70s. LINK and LINK

Page Six gives up some skinny on the Ketchum digs and their (lack of) suitability for a President Kerry. LINK

The Boston Globe's Peter Canellos analyzes Kerry's speaking style and reminds us all of the virtue of well-produced events without room for the unexpected. LINK

Arizona Republic columnist E.J. Montini sums up the backlash Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) felt last week after praising Kerry: "McCain's honesty about Kerry was not just an affront to those who support the president, it was a sin." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

In a must-read write-up of the economic mood, the New York Times' Leonardt writes that "while the economy is a good bit healthier than it was when voters turned President Bush's father out of office in 1992 or did the same to Jimmy Carter in 1980, an uneasiness among some voters has allowed Mr. Kerry to make the economy a centerpiece of his campaign.

"For the first time since Mr. Bush took office, interviews and polls suggest that many Americans have begun worrying that the last few years of mediocre growth are more than simply a pause before the economy returns to the good times of the 1990's. After remaining impressively optimistic about the economy in the last two years, people now report being less confident than they were when Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton won re-election, according to two closely watched national surveys." LINK

The Detroit News reports General Motors is about to source more out. Reports the paper, GM's "manufacturing arm plans to sharply increase the amount of new white-collar work it sends outside the United States this year as part of an overall effort to reduce costs, according to an internal report obtained by The Detroit News." LINK

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports "demand at suburban food shelves is soaring to all-time highs -- up as much as 46 percent in Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville, Rosemount and Farmington."

..."Charity workers blamed layoffs of mid-level managers, and two-income families that hadn't planned for one-income realities. Many suburban families live in so much debt, they said, that they are wiped out by even a minor setback such as the loss of a day-care subsidy." LINK

Allentown, Pa.'s Morning Call looks at NASCAR dads. LINK

Dean:

Salon looks at the former Governor's new organization and reports Dean will formally endorse Kerry come Thursday. One other nugget: "According to a well-placed source close to Dean, Kerry and Dean have discussed Dean's projected role in challenging Ralph Nader, whose fourth run for president has Democrats, Independents and even some Greens apoplectic...should Nader manage to get on the ballot in some key states and threaten to throw them to Bush, expect the gloves to come off." LINK

The land of 5-plus-2-equals-7:

Roll Call's Paul Kane introduces us to "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service Inc." which "aims to raise about $50,000 a year to create a training ground for female candidates and campaign workers."

More: "With $250,000 in seed money from the Republican National Committee, at least 16 other state Republican organizations have started female political training camps. The Stevens' group is the only (one) named after a federal lawmaker."

Kucinich:

Mark Naymik of the Cleveland Plain Dealer Notes Kucinich's shift from Democratic candidate to comedian with his most recent appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman." LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the Senate:

Incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) may face a primary challenge from Mike Miller, the outgoing state Administration Commissioner, who characterizes his views as more conservative than Murkowski's, the Anchorage Daily News reports. LINK

Incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) will face off against his primary challenger, Rep. Pat Toomey, in a debate April 3, The AP's Laura Jakes Jordan reports. It just never gets old listening to a Senate candidate say, "Let's get it on." LINK

The economy:

The New York Post on rising gasoline prices. LINK

The Boston Globe's Scott Greenberger reports, "Governor Mitt Romney, under mounting political pressure as Massachusetts continues to shed jobs, took aim at a popular target yesterday by proposing a $29 million plan to curb the "outsourcing" of jobs out of state." LINK

This from the Wall Street Journal's Maher: "The list of jobs being affected by the movement of U.S. work to lower-cost countries around the world is growing. American companies have shipped computer-programming and call-center jobs to educated workers in India, the Philippines, Mexico, Canada and elsewhere for the past decade. Now, workers in a wide range of other fields, from accountants to electrical engineers, are discovering that their jobs aren't immune from offshore outsourcing."

The politics of same-sex marriage:

The New York Times' Hulse reports "the Congressional authors of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage introduced a slightly reworded version on Monday, saying the changes were intended to make it clear that they do not seek to bar same-sex civil unions allowed by state law." Neither side's activists are happy with the change. LINK

The Boston Globe's Mary Leonard reports, "The chief sponsors of a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage clarified their proposal yesterday so that it would allow state legislatures to grant civil unions and domestic-partner benefits, a rewording designed to win more support in Congress." LINK

"Key backers of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage said yesterday that they are rewording the two-sentence text to clarify that it would allow states to establish civil unions or other partnership arrangements for same-sex couples," reports Alan Cooperman of the Washington Post. LINK

The Washington Times' Amy Fagan looks at the proposed change to the constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman -- allowing states to determine whether or not they'll recognize civil unions. LINK

Erin Neff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that, despite two elections resulting in a state constitution ban on gay marriage, half of the state opposes a U.S. Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, according to a recent Nevada state poll. LINK

The Washington Post's Hanna Rosin profiles Rep. Barney Frank, "the nation's most prominent gay politician, raining a cold shower on the city of bliss (San Francisco)." LINK

SCOTUS and the pledge (sung to the tune of "Benny and the Jets"):

The Los Angeles Times' Dolan on the "volatile atheist" and emergency room doctor who will take his Pledge of Allegiance case to the Supreme Court. LINK

Politics:

The Wall Street Journal's Glenn Simpson reports that the Treasury Department released documents to former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil by mistake -- "but no criminal statutes were violated, records show."

John T. Korsmo has resigned as chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board amid reports that "the Justice Department was conducting a criminal probe of Korsmo's political fundraising in 2002," reports David S. Hilzenrath of the Washington Post. LINK

USA Today's Jim Hopkins looks at the political activities -- but not agenda -- of Clear Channel. Executives "have given $42,200 to Bush, vs. $1,750 to likely Democratic nominee John Kerry in the 2004 race," Hopkins reports. LINK

The Washington Post's Charles Lane reports on the "Supreme Court debate over exactly how much the state may intrude upon individual freedom in the name of safety." LINK

The Boston Herald's Elisabeth Beardsley reports on the informal announcement of Ventura-Barkley '08. LINK

Sen. Frist and Mayor Bloomberg met in New York Monday in what the New York Post calls a "hush-hush get together." LINK

Politics for pretty people:

Ethan Hawke ain't no fan of the President's. LINK

TODAY SCHEDULE (all times ET):
—7:00 am: Richard A. Clarke, former national coordinator for counterterrorism, appears on ABC's "Good Morning America" and CNN's "American Morning"
—7:45 am: Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks before the United Jewish Communities' Washington 14 Conference, Washington, D.C.
—9:15 pm: Off-camera press gaggle by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, Washington, D.C.
—9:30 am: Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright speaks before the 9/11 Commission, Washington, D.C.
—9:45 am: President Bush meets with the President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe, Washington, D.C.
—9:45 am: The U.S. Senate meets for morning business, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the proposed constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, Washington, D.C.
—10:00 am: The U.S. Supreme Court meets to hand down decisions and hear arguments, Washington, D.C.
—10:30 am: FBI Director Robert Mueller speaks before the Commerce, Justice and State, and the Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on transformation of the FBI, Washington, D.C.
—11:00 am: Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks before the 9/11 Commission, Washington, D.C.
—11:00 am: The U.S. Senate resumes consideration of S.1637, Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act, Washington, D.C.
—12:00 pm: Treasury Secretary John Snow and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson hold a press briefing on the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports, Treasury Dept., Washington, D.C.
—12:15 pm: On-camera press briefing by Secretary McClellan, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: The House meets for morning hour, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: Senate Democrats hold their regular Tuesday party caucus, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 pm: Senate Republicans hold their regular Tuesday party caucus, Washington, D.C.
—12:30 p.m.: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist speaks before the United Jewish Communities' Washington 14 Conference, Washington, D.C.
—1:00 pm: Politics Live on ABC News Live and AOL
—1:15 pm: President Bush meets with his Cabinet, Washington, D.C.
—2:00 pm: Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen speaks before the 9/11 Commission, Washington, D.C.
—2:00 pm: The House meets for legislative business, Washington, D.C.
—3:10 pm: Bush participates in a photo-op and makes remarks to NCAA Sports Champions, Washington, D.C.
—3:30 pm: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks before the 9/11 Commission, Washington, D.C.
—4:15 pm: First Lady Laura Bush makes brief remarks on The Heart Truth campaign, Chicago, Ill.
—5:00 pm: Secretary Powell meets with President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe, Washington, D.C.