A Golden Boy's guide to the Bush-Kerry contest
Nobody fits the Washington "been there, done that" profile more than ABC's This Week host George Stephanopoulos, former President Clinton 's Boy Wonder. So who better to tell us what to look for in the presidential race? George uses a Clinton trick to highlight the seven campaign "mantras": the old signs his and James Carville 's war room used, like "It's the economy, stupid!" George tells us, "These are the seven signs that I would put up in a newsroom." The first says "Divide and conquer," a reference to the obviously politically divided nation. No. 2: "Safety first." That means national security and terrorism will be the top issues. No. 3: "It's Iraq, stupid." But since Sen. John Kerry and President Bush sound similar on Iraq, he thinks antiwar candidate Ralph Nader could do well here. No. 4: "Forget history." This campaign will be different from others, he says, and voters will decide late. No. 5: "Don't forget healthcare." No. 6: "Catholics count." His hint to Kerry: "The swing vote is white Catholics." No. 7: "Focus on Ohio," and to win it, Kerry should pick a midwestern veep.
Ralph's cut-and-paste campaign
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader doesn't mind letting you know that he knows a lot about a lot. But it's not ego that makes him a motor mouth on everything from corporate greed to ads on baseball uniforms. He works at being smart and up-to-date, spending part of the day at his desk with sharp scissors and lots of newspaper investigative reports on what interests--and worries--him. "I take these articles seriously," says Nader. "I add them up, and I clip them up, and I put them in patterns." So frustration is only natural when political reporters from those same papers he clips ask him, "Hey, what's so bad that you want to run for president?" Nader says, "It just seems like when political reporters start reporting, they forget about what their own reports have been conveying." Unfortunately, he's too right. But at least Nader's not mean about it when scolding the press. In fact, he's downright sympathetic. "Now I understand when there are so many good articles that come out that you can't keep them all in mind," he says. "But if you got them all in front of you on a big table . . . ."
Saving Jessica II?
Is there a Saving Jessica Lynch sequel in the works? That was the buzz after Ben Affleck was spotted passing his card and phone number to the former Iraqi war prisoner. It came during the annual White House press dinner. Our spies noted that only Lynch got that special attention.
The Daddy deferment
Look for Kerry campaign surrogates to step up attacks on Vice President Dick Cheney 's five Vietnam War deferments, a strategy that began last week when Teresa Heinz Kerry called the veep unpatriotic. Veterans for Kerry, a campaign- support group, is using humor to hit Cheney in suggesting that he had a child to duck the war. "I never knew Cheney was the first hippie," said one. "He made love so he didn't have to make war."
From Dork to Prez
Al Gore might have his own cable channel, but Bill Clinton will soon influence a new TV show. We learn that a bestselling author and a former Clinton aide have sold Warner Brothers a show that tracks Clinton's story. "You don't have to look hard to see some of President Clinton's influence," said Steve Cohen, cowriter with author Brad Meltzer. Cohen, a former White House press aide, tells us that Jack and Bobby debuts this fall on WB. It's about two teenage boys "from a town called Hart" in Missouri, their zany, pot-smoking mom, and how Bobby goes from dork to president. "Think West Wing meets the Wonder Years, " says Cohen. The plot: President Bobby McCallister faces crises 40 years from now, and we see how his childhood influences his decisions. The forces behind the show are Tommy Schlamme of The West Wing and Greg Berlanti of WB's Everwood.
Back-door strategy
Wes Clark, the former presidential candidate thought to be angling for Sen. John Kerry 's running-mate job, has surprised everyone by endorsing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who's in charge of the Democratic Convention. But party insiders say it's a tactical move. Clark doesn't think Richardson's truly in the running, they explain. He's being nice in hopes of getting the New Mexico guv's support.
Rules of War
The Pentagon is eager to have the press chronicle the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but only if they follow this rule: No pictures of bearded Special Forces. It's got nothing to do with security, though. It's just that the brass get red faced when Green Berets go native, trying to fit into Afghan society, where facial hair is a sign of masculinity.
Inside the Mosque
Muslim activists have long suspected that the FBI is plugging snitches into their American mosques to track militants, but we're only now learning the truth. "It's not wide, but it's deep in places," says a top agent. One tipster, he adds, is so good that the FBI won't bring the informant's cases to court because it would blow his cover.
The Google Terrrorist
It was the lead item on the government's daily threat matrix one day last April. Don Emilio Fulci described by an FBI tipster as a reclusive but evil millionaire, had formed a terrorist group that was planning chemical attacks against London and Washington, D.C. That day even FBI director Robert Mueller was briefed on the Fulci matter. But as the day went on without incident, a White House staffer had a brainstorm: He Googled Fulci. His findings: Fulci is the crime boss in the popular video game Headhunter. "Stand down," came the order from embarrassed national security types.
Clinton's Curator
He has already collected 630 tons of documents, photos, and museum objects from the Clinton White House, but David Alsobrook, just named director of the Clinton Presidential Library, is hunting down more stuff. Alsobrook tells us he's seeking Clinton boyhood and family items and hopes to get the papers of all cabinet members. But please don't ask him about the Blue Dress. That's somebody else's property. Alsobrook has come a long way in his career as a National Archives exec. "When I was a kid," joshes the former director of the George H.W. Bush library, "I didn't even know what a presidential library was."
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With Suzi Parker, Mark Mazzetti, David E. Kaplan and Gordon Witkin
This story appears in the May 17, 2004 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.