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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Kerry's military record popping up
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| | ON CNN TV | 
Stay with CNN for updates, reports and analysis of reactions to the testimony of FBI Director Robert Mueller, CIA Director George Tenet and others before the 9/11 commission in Washington.
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| 9/11 TESTIMONY SCHEDULE | 
Wednesday, April 14:
George Tenet, 9:30 a.m. ET
John Brennan, Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, John Pistole, James Pavitt, 11 a.m. ET
Robert Mueller, Maureen Baginski, 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch CNN-USA for live coverage of these testimony sessions and ongoing analysis and updates on their impact.
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 VIDEO |
 President Bush discusses the September 11, 2001, attacks in his news conference.
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 CNN's Kelli Arena on counterterrorism officials' defense.
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 John Ashcroft denies accusations that he wasn't interested in terror threats.
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RELATED |
 Gallery: Quotes from the 9/11 testimony
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
• CHANGE OF HEART: John Kerry's tour of duty in Vietnam, distinguished by Silver and Bronze stars and the close-range killing of an enemy fighter, is highlighted in his campaign ads and cheered on the trail. Even the campaign of President Bush, who did not see combat, hasn't tried to make an issue of his opponent's service record. But as the presidential campaign heats up, some Vietnam veterans are using the Internet and talk radio to question the Democratic candidate's military record. They complain that Kerry's three Purple Hearts were for minor wounds and that he left Vietnam more than six months ahead of schedule under regulations permitting thrice-wounded soldiers to depart early.
The Boston Globe: Kerry faces questions over Purple Heart
• BOSTON BASH: Returning to the host city of the Democratic convention with his party's nomination under his belt, John Kerry last night presided over the largest political fund-raiser in Massachusetts history and offered some red meat from his trail speech for a hometown audience. "We're not just here tonight to raise money," Kerry told a crowd of 3,300 gathered in a ballroom at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, a group that collectively raised $4 million for Kerry's campaign and $1 million for the Democratic National Committee. "We're here to mark the beginning of the end of the Bush administration."
The Boston Globe: Kerry visit to Boston nets $4m
• SCALING BACK: Despite its unprecedented fundraising success, President Bush's re-election team is scaling back its massive level of television advertising, according to senior Republicans familiar with the campaign's planning. In the next few weeks, viewers in the 18 states where the ads have aired since early March will see about 30 percent fewer a week, one ranking GOP strategist said.
The Los Angeles Times: Bush camp scales back advertising
• HEAR THIS: Inundated by more than 140,000 e-mails and 11,000 faxes -- the most in its 29-year history -- the FEC will begin hearings today on what, if anything, it should do to regulate the so-called 527 groups and other nonprofit advocacy organizations that spend money to influence elections. More than 30 people are scheduled to speak on the issue today and Thursday.
The Los Angeles Times: Panel deluged on advocacy groups' election ads
• SECOND ROUND: Loyalists to Sen. John Edwards are executing a behind-the-scenes plan to push North Carolina's favorite son to victory Saturday in the state's presidential caucus and, they hope, bolster his vice-presidential prospects.
The Hill: Edwards backers hope to win a Veep victory
• IRAQ ATTACK: On a day when President Bush sought to assure the nation on his handling of Iraq, John Kerry on Tuesday touted his own approach to end instability there, reiterating his call for an internationalization of the country's security and reconstruction effort.
The Los Angeles Times: Kerry in verbal attack mode on Iraq
• AD WITHDRAWN: A Florida Democratic club has taken out a newspaper advertisement urging the assassination of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and another partisan group is running a national television commercial with an actor impersonating President Bush's voice saying, "I used 9/11 as an excuse to invade Iraq." The ad - a fund-raising appeal for John Kerry's presidential campaign - was paid for by the St. Petersburg Democratic Club and appeared in a Gulfport, Florida, weekly. It criticizes the "Bush Bunch" and compared the Iraqi insurgents to American patriots during the Revolutionary War.
The Washington Times: 'Kill Rumsfeld' ad withdrawn
• PRESSER PRESSURE: An unapologetic President Bush stood before the nation last night. Robustly defending the principles behind his policies in Iraq and the war on terrorism, Bush steadfastly refused to admit mistakes and passed up opportunities to explain what it will take to achieve his goal of a free and stable Iraq.
The Washington Post: President is long on resolve but short on details
• TUITIONS UP: John Kerry criticized President Bush on two fronts Tuesday, accusing the president of mismanaging the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism and charging that the administration's domestic policies have put the cost of college out of reach for many young Americans.
The Washington Post: Kerry says Bush policies drove tuitions up
• GETTING IN TOUCH: John Kerry was doing his best to channel John F. Kennedy again, denouncing apathy and trying to get young people excited about politics and public service.
The New York Times: Kerry recruits votes for today and politicians for tomorrow
• WHAT'S THE PLAN: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry yesterday demanded a "specific explanation" from President Bush about how his prosecution of the war will lead to a shared goal of a stable Iraq.
The Associated Press: Kerry demands Bush spell out his plans for stabilizing Iraq
• BUSHES' TAXES: President Bush and wife Laura paid $227,490 in federal income taxes last year on adjusted gross income of $822,126 -- a federal tax rate of 28 percent, according to returns released yesterday by the White House. The Bushes overpaid their taxes and were due a $61,451 refund, but applied it to their 2004 taxes. They didn't check the box for the optional $3-per-person donation to taxpayer funding for presidential elections.
The New York Post: Bushes 227G tax payment
Compiled by Heather Riley
