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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
Democrats for O'Neill?
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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O'Neill's opinions: In Ron Suskind's book, the former Treasury secretary criticizes the Bush administration.
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VIDEO
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CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the battle for third place in Iowa.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve on Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark in New Hampshire.
CNN's Judy Woodruff on candidates' health care positions.
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| UPCOMING PRIMARIES |
• Monday, January 19: Iowa caucuses • Tuesday, January 27: New Hampshire primary • Tuesday, February 3: Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina primaries; New Mexico Democratic caucus; Virginia Republican caucus When is your primary? For more key dates in the 2004 election season, see our special America Votes 2004 Election Calendar |
SPECIAL REPORT
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- How would Paul O'Neill do in Iowa and New Hampshire?
Probably not so well. O'Neill spoiled his chances to win the Democratic nomination when he told NBC yesterday that he'd "probably" vote for Bush this fall. (But then, as Wesley Clark knows, saying you'd "probably" do something doesn't mean you'd really do it). (O'Neill: 'Frenzy' distorted war plans account)
Nonetheless, Ted Kennedy today becomes the first major Democrat to cite O'Neill as an informed critic of President Bush's Iraq policy. In a speech scheduled for noon ET at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, aides say Kennedy, three days after stumping in Iowa for a Bay State colleague who voted for the Iraq resolution, will deliver his second "blistering" condemnation of the war in Iraq.
O'Neill "has now revealed what many have long suspected," Kennedy will say, according to an early draft of his speech. "Despite protestations to the contrary, the president and his senior aides began the march to war in Iraq in the earliest days of the administration."
Kennedy will say the Bush administration is "indeed leading this country to a perilous place. It has broken faith with the American people, aided and abetted by a congressional majority willing to pursue ideology at any price, even the price of distorting the truth."
"On issue after issue, they have moved brazenly to impose their agenda on America and on the world," Kennedy will say, according to an advance text of Kennedy's speech obtained by the Grind. "They have pursued their goals at the expense of urgent national and human needs and at the expense of the truth. America deserves better."
"The administration and the majority in Congress have put the state of our union at risk, and they do not deserve another term in the White House or in control of Congress," the senator will say. "In public, the administration continued to deny that the president had made the decision to actually go to war. But the election timetable was clearly driving the marketing of the product."
Another Dem, Howard Dean, also defended O'Neill yesterday. "It only took one day for the Bush White House to retaliate against Paul O'Neill with a politically motivated investigation -- and all he did was tell the truth about George Bush's rush to war in Iraq," Dean said in a statement. "Paul O'Neill is not a threat to our national security." (Dean says Bush obsessed with re-election)
Meanwhile, we're told that Dean has secured another big endorsement this week. It may not be Jimmy Carter or Sam Nunn (or is it??), but it's another Southern Democratic ex-officeholder who still draws a crowd.
Sources tell the Grind that former Texas Gov. Ann Richards is set to endorse Dean, probably in Iowa. Like Al Gore, Richards, whose not-so-narrow loss to Bush in 1994 set the stage for his meteoric rise, helps Dean make a key argument about his '04 electability. The argument: Few people are more viscerally focused on beating Bush than Richards and Gore, so they presumably wouldn't back Dean unless they believed he could win.
It was unclear whether Richards would issue her endorsement Thursday or Saturday. In any case, mark our words: she's with Dean.
Kerry's challenges
Elsewhere today, John Kerry gets kinda spiritual in Iowa.
Speaking at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Kerry will urge Iowans to "give America back its future and its soul." Aides say he'll outline his plan to stand up to the special interests and lay out the real divide between Bush and the ideals of average Americans.
We're told he'll talk about his lifetime of taking on the special interests and winning. He'll call on Iowans not only to join the fight to defeat Bush, but to take on the special interests and vote to open the way to a stronger, fairer, more prosperous country and victory for Democrats.
In the dwindling days of the Iowa campaign, however, Kerry will also take on two of his main competitors. He'll challenge Dean, for example, saying that the Iowa caucuses "don't belong to the special interests; they belong to you. I ask you to vote for answers, not anger," according to an advance copy of Kerry's text obtained by the Grind.
And Kerry will challenge John Edwards, promising to close the "outrageous tax loophole that allows wealthy business owners to avoid paying their Medicare taxes."
Aides said Kerry also will receive the endorsement today of Iowa Agriculture Secretary Patty Judge, whose support helps the senator combat a mailer Dean distributed last week attacking Kerry's farm record.
Foley endorsement to come
Also today, Florida Rep. Mark Foley, who ran a short but, uh, spirited bid to succeed retiring Sen. Bob Graham, will wade into the GOP primary he abandoned to endorse one of the remaining candidates.
Foley is doing so regardless of Katherine Harris, who has not said whether she'll join the race or seek a second House term.
Foley told the Grind that he'll organize supporters and the finance team that helped him raise more than $3 million behind his chosen GOP candidate.
The congressman plans to announce his endorsement at 10:30 a.m. ET in West Palm Beach.
The public event will be followed by a telephone conference call with statewide media outlets.
