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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
Mourning in America
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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| ON CNN TV |
 CNN presents special live coverage of the state funeral for Ronald Reagan at Washington National Cathedral, beginning at 10 a.m. ET Friday.
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 VIDEO |
 Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times on the new poll numbers
 A journey marked by solemnity, sadness, pride and precision.
 CNN's Joe Johns on the death of Reagan and stem cell research.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Returning from a tense day in Sea Island, Georgia, where his call for a stronger NATO role in Iraq was met with reservations, and facing troubling new poll numbers, President Bush today plans to visit briefly with Nancy Reagan and her family then view Ronald Reagan's casket in the Capitol Rotunda at 7 p.m. ET.
Also planning to visit the Rotunda today: George H.W. Bush and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
OK, back to politics: A new Los Angeles Times poll out this morning shows Bush trailing John Kerry, 51 to 44 percent, and that's even without Ralph Nader in the mix. Kerry still leads with Nader -- 48 to 42 percent with Nader drawing 4 percent.
Most respondents said Bush is "too ideological and stubborn" and has mishandled the economy and Iraq. (Some bright spots for Bush: He still receives good numbers for the overall war on terrorism, he leads Kerry in battleground Missouri and is running even in Ohio and Wisconsin).
For his part, Kerry will spend today at his campaign HQ and at a private dinner with Washington Post types.
Kerry had breakfast Wednesday in Los Angeles at the W Hotel with Steven Spielberg -- no word what was discussed or eaten.
(Speaking of celebs, Daniel Stern and Dana Delaney, who have roles in Kerry's daughter Alexandria's short movie, attended a screening of the film Tuesday evening. And the fund-raising concert featuring Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal and Neil Diamond that was postponed this week in L.A. because of Reagan's death has been rescheduled for June 24. The New York concert that was also put off will now be held July 8).
Nader in Arizona
In Arizona, Nader's campaign last night submitted more than 22,000 signatures to get on the state's ballot. If verified, that number would well exceed the required 14,600 names. Campaign state coordinator Cheryl Rohrick said their volunteers "had to work in 106-degree heat, and they had to deal with Democratic Party propaganda that misled the public and attempted to build hostility against us."
State Democratic Chairman Jim Pederson said party officials will be "putting these signatures under a microscope" and said they will examine the Nader group's financing.
Also today ...
Also today, a reminder that politics always lurks beneath the surface, even this week. Take, for example, the nasty spat between Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. George Nethercutt last night in the Washington state race for Senate -- over homeland security and former President Reagan's death.
A spokesperson for Murray's campaign issued a statement claiming that Nethercutt missed several votes on homeland security on Wednesday. "Where was George? What could possibly have been more important to him?"
Nethercutt played the Reagan card. "As President Ronald Reagan's body made its way to the Capitol Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Patty Murray's campaign stepped up its attack on George Nethercutt in an unprecedented act of partisan politics during the period of national mourning."
The statement accused Murray's campaign of being "disrespectful to the memory of President Reagan. .... It's unconscionable for Patty Murray to engage in attack politics during this time of national mourning, Even John Kerry has the decency to put the partisan politics on hold until President Reagan can be buried."
And finally today, Happy Birthday John Edwards. The Tar Heel Senator and would-be VP nominee is celebrating his 51st birthday quietly -- or at least, more quietly than he celebrated his 50th birthday last year.
