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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Conservative complaints, voting gender gap
 |  Never too early: A young boy holds up a campaign sign at a rally for President Bush in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Friday. |
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| | ON CNN TV | 
Stay with CNN-USA for frequent updates on the Bush administration's show of support for Donald Rumsfeld, and for a look ahead at Tuesday's testimony on the Hill by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who wrote a U.S. Army report on abuse of prisoners in Iraq. |
VIDEO |
 CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on Rumsfeld under scrutiny.
 CNN's Ben Wedeman on Court-martial proceedings set for a U.S. soldier.
 CNN's Elina Cho on how Jeremy Sivits' hometown is standing behind him.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
BASE BALKS: After three years of sweeping actions in both foreign and domestic affairs, the Bush administration is facing complaints from the conservative intelligentsia that it has lost its ability to produce fresh policies. The Washington Post: Conservatives restive about Bush policies
VOLUNTARILY DISENFRANCHISED: According to pollsters, when single women are compared with married men, married women and single men, they account for the largest number of Americans who are, in essence, voluntarily disenfranchised. More than 21 million single women -- almost half of those eligible -- did not cast ballots in the last presidential election. The Los Angeles Times: Unmarried, female and turned off by politics
COMMUNION CONTROVERSY: Sen. John Kerry, whose practice of receiving Communion despite breaking with the church's teaching by supporting abortion rights has triggered criticism from some church leaders and conservatives, received the sacrament yesterday, and watched a young parishioner participate in the ceremony for the first time. The Boston Globe: Kerry has usual Communion
VEEPSTAKES: Several people on the Kerry "short list" have been spotted with the right people. The latest? Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. The Washington Post: Kerry's running mate still a guessing game
BELTWAY JEOPARDY: Who in Washington is slated to star on "Beltway Jeopardy"? The Washington Post: Wonk heaven: What is beltway 'Jeopardy!'?
TAKE TWO: President Bush is resolved not to repeat what he thinks were the two fundamental blunders of his father's one-term presidency: abandoning Iraq and failing to vanquish the Democrats. In one of several exclusive interviews with The Washington Times, Mr. Bush said his father had "cut and run early" from Iraq in 1991. The Washington Times: Bush aims to avoid father's mistakes
SHOW US THE PHOTOS: Key senators yesterday called on the Pentagon to quickly make public all photographs, videos and other evidence of prisoner abuse in Iraq, which the senators described as systemic. The Washington Times: Senators want all photos to be shown
AD BLITZKRIEG: The John Kerry campaign chose the advertising theme "a lifetime of service and strength." Rolled out last Monday, it is the centerpiece of a $25 million ad buy -- the biggest yet in Kerry's presidential quest. The Kerry ads, however, are being aired in the teeth of a $70 million ad blitz by President Bush's campaign that is trying to sell an alternative view of the Massachusetts senator as someone who waffles on issues, is weak on defense, and is prone to raising taxes. The Boston Globe: Bush-Kerry ad wars commence
MESSAGE MARKETING: In bites of 30 or 60 seconds, the commercials aim to engage channel surfers and arouse hope, fear, nostalgia, patriotism and sometimes laughter. Two competing brands are using them for the ultimate one-day marketing test: A presidential election. But advertising experts critiquing the commercials express doubt that they are piercing through the clutter of TV and leaving viewers with a potent message.The Los Angeles Times: Ad experts not sold on campaign commercials
KUCINICH KEEPS ON KEEPIN' ON: He has fewer than three dozen delegates, not a prayer of winning the nomination, but an unflagging will to campaign for issues he thinks will consolidate support from the Democratic Party's activist wing in November. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich is still out there, bouncing between rallies of liberal Democrats, his boyish energy still strong, his popularity still high in progressive communities across the country. The Boston Globe: Kucinich plans to push populism through June primaries
STRONGHOLD SHIFT?: Orange County still reigns as Southern California's Republican stronghold when it comes to generating votes and campaign money for GOP candidates. But California's so-called Inland Empire, with its unbridled growth in population and registered voters, is gaining on its westward neighbor and could take over the region's Republican throne within a decade. The Los Angeles Times: GOP looks to inland empire
RUMMY'S FAMILY TIES: At the heart of the melodrama playing out in Washington is the complex character of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the great warrior of Iraq and Afghanistan who is now struggling to hang on to his job. The New York Times: A father's nemesis who became a son's trusted aide
FOCUS ON HEALTH: John Kerry kicks off a four-day focus on health care by releasing a campaign staff study that argues health insurance premiums have risen more than $2,700 per family over the last four years, four times the growth in income.The Associated Press: Kerry releases health care study
