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 Clark embarks, Gore implores
From John Mercurio
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Wesley Clark says he wants to see the leaves change color in Iowa. But when does he plan to staff his campaign HQ in Des Moines? Al Gore opposes the California recall. But does he agree with the three federal judges who, embracing the majority's arguments in Bush v. Gore, want to delay the vote until March? These are two questions reporters will ask in today's biggest political stories. Gore, the fifth Democrat to stump with Gray Davis in five days, travels from Los Angeles to San Francisco to help boost black-voter registration. Clark, the 10th Democrat to join the '04 presidential primary in 10 months, makes his first Big Speech since his campaign kickoff Wednesday in Little Rock. The embarkationClark quelled a potential first-week controversy late yesterday when he dropped a paid speaking engagement (previously scheduled) in order to participate in the September 25 debate, sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. Clark's campaign also confirmed that he will attend the party's fund-raising dinner after the debate. Clark's new Democratic rivals were ready to pounce. Looks like the honeymoon's over. In Iowa City, Clark is to deliver a speech focusing mostly on his field of expertise: national security and foreign policy. He'll deliver the speech, titled "The American Leadership Role in a Changing World," at 5 p.m. EDT at the University of Iowa Law School in Iowa City. Clark will arrive at the Iowa City Municipal Airport at 10:15 a.m. EDT and hold a 45-minute meet-and-greet at the Hamburg Inn. Aides say he'll hold "press avails" from 2:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. EDT, and again after the speech from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. He is scheduled to attend a dinner in Iowa City at 7:15 p.m. (Grind quiz: Which Senator hired Clark's campaign manager, Donnie Fowler Jr., as a page in the 1970s? Hints: Fowler, like his father and namesake, is from South Carolina; and the Senator, may he rest in peace, hired a lot of pages in his day.) The national media will likely devour Clark's speech. But reporters, especially Iowa ones, are sure to press Clark on his Iowa strategy, which as of this writing was still being sorted out by Fowler, et al. Clark has indicated that he'll campaign often in Iowa, telling the Des Moines Register that he wants to "meet as many people in Iowa as I can. I want to sit down in their living rooms and learn Iowa's concerns and needs. I want to see the leaves change color in Iowa." But he dodged questions about what sort of resources (read: money, people) he'll devote to the state. And it probably won't go unnoticed that Clark is not spending the night in Iowa. At 10:15 p.m., he'll catch a flight home to Little Rock. The imploringIn California, Gore and Davis will continue to hammer out the party's anti-recall message, which the governor has been driving home this week in appearances with Bill Clinton, Bob Graham, John Kerry and Jesse Jackson. But most recall watchers will be glued to www.ca9.uscourts.gov, where the 9th Circuit will post its decision on whether an 11-member panel will hear arguments in Southwest Voter Registration v. Shelley. Regardless of the court's decision on reviewing the case, reporters will press Gore to say how he views the three-judge panel's decision earlier this week to delay the October 7 election until March. It's a sticky situation for Gore, who has openly criticized the Supreme Court for its 5-4 decision, Bush v. Gore, halting the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election. The three-judge panel based much of its ruling, which Davis and most anti-recall advocates support, on the majority's arguments in Bush vs. Gore. Then again, this whole discussion could be moot: Insiders predict Gore will dodge the question entirely by calling it an issue for the courts to decide. And the glamour
• Today, Howard Dean (remember him?) is in New York for a fund-raiser with Gloria Gaynor, proving that while he has lost the buzz to Clark this week, He Will Survive. Also on hand for Dean: Al Franken, Whoopi Goldberg and Phoebe Snow. • Speaking of celebrities, actress Kathleen Turner is scheduled to campaign with John Kerry this morning in New York, where Kerry is holding a women's event and picking up the endorsement of retired Army Gen. Claudia Kennedy. • Two Hollywood types even farther to the left, Ed Begley Jr. and Ed Asner, are to campaign with Dennis Kucinich on Sunday evening in California.
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