Coleman: "99% Improvement over Wellstone"

Republican Sen. Norm Coleman sparked a fury when he told Roll Call newspaper that said he's a "a 99 percent improvement" over the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

"To be very blunt and God watch over Paul's soul, I am a 99 percent improvement over Paul Wellstone," Coleman, R-Minn., said in a front-page story published in Roll Call. "Just about on every issue."

Coleman said he was stressing his ties to President Bush and told the newspaper that Wellstone "was never with the President."

The Roll Call story caused an uproar among Wellstone's former staffers. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum D-Minn., called for Coleman to apologize, saying his remarks were inappropriate, disrespectful and "an unnecessary attack on a leader our state continues to mourn."

"Paul Wellstone represented Minnesota families with integrity, respect and passion for 12 years," McCollum said. "Senator Coleman's remarks attacking our late senator were tasteless and do absolutely nothing to benefit the Minnesota families he now serves."

Rove Lays Groundwork for Campaign

The White House portrays Karl Rove, President Bush's most influential political adviser, as playing no role in military decisions that are shaping the Bush presidency.

But more than two weeks after the war began, Mr. Rove is busily working to shape perceptions of Mr. Bush as a wartime leader and to prepare for the re-election campaign that will start as soon as the war ends.

White House and Republican Party strategists have begun planning for a contest in which they envision raising as much as $250 million to wage a battle designed to break the political stalemate of the 1990s and make the GOP the country's majority party.

One early decision was to increase the price of admission for the Pioneers, Bush's premier fundraisers who, in 2000, raised $100,000 each for the campaign. The nation's new campaign finance law doubles the ceiling for individual contributions in the primary season, to $2,000. In light of that, the new threshold for Pioneers -- all of whom get prestige and bragging rights, while a few get administration appointments -- will grow to $200,000 or possibly $250,000.

Some Bush strategists have discussed using direct mail to raise a substantial amount of money from big donors, and the campaign would start with a list of about 69,000 individuals who contributed the maximum to Bush in 2000. That approach would not mean eliminating all fundraising galas featuring the president -- which some longtime donors find to be old hat -- but would be a low-key way to raise money in large chunks.

In 2000, the Bush campaign broke all previous records by raising about $100 million. GOP strategists say Bush advisers are talking about raising $200 million to $225 million, but they said the upper limit might hit $250 million. Asked whether there was a dollar amount beyond which it would appear unseemly for the campaign to keep raising money, one Bush adviser said, "I guess you could make that case. I'm not certain what that point is." He added that he doubted the reelection committee could raise that much, in any case.

Bush Cited Report That Doesn't Exist

There was only one problem with President George W. Bush's claim that the nation's top economists forecast substantial economic growth if Congress passed the president's tax cut: The forecast with that conclusion doesn't exist.

Bush and White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer went out of their way to cite a new survey by "Blue-Chip economists" that the economy would grow 3.3 percent this year if the president's tax cut proposal becomes law.

That was news to the editor who assembles the economic forecast. "I don't know what he was citing," said Randell E. Moore, editor of the monthly Blue Chip Economic Forecast, a newsletter that surveys 53 of the nation's top economists each month.

"I was a little upset," said Moore, who said he complained to the White House. "It sounded like the Blue Chip Economic Forecast had endorsed the president's plan. That's simply not the case."

Senate leader Frist won't run for re-election

Despite having taken over the leadership of the U.S. Senate this year, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) says he still plans to serve only two terms in Congress.

"The senator intends to stand by what he has said all along," Frist spokesman Nick Smith said Thursday after the publication of a newspaper interview in which the senator said that he will not seek re-election in 2006.

But his elevation to the position of Senate majority leader this year and his rising popularity in the Republican Party prompted speculation that the physician-politician would seek a third Senate term in 2006, perhaps as a prelude to a White House bid in 2008.

"Take Back America " Conference June 4-6

The right-wing politicians who now run Washington are out of control.

They are weakening America .

Join activists from over 25 national organizations in Washington , DC on June 4, 5 and 6 to kick off a national progressive movement to TAKE BACK AMERICA.

It's time to take back our country. Join John Sweeney, Jesse Jackson, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Julian Bond, Gerald McEntee, Kim Gandy, Sen. Jon Corzine, Andy Stern, Arianna Huffington.

Democratic presidential candidates also will appear which will be an excellent opportunity for progressives to judge first-hand the positions of potential challengers to George Bush.

Here are the details:

National Progressive Conference to "Take Back America "
When: June 4, 5 and 6
Where: Omni Shoreham Hotel 2500 Calvert St, NW , Washington , DC
Metro: Woodley Park/Adams Morgan Station (red line)

For those of you attending the conference, please identify yourself as a CWA member when you register.

For more info, click www.ourfuture.org

Stations Boycott Dixie Chicks Over Remark

A new wave of McCarthyism against entertainers who voice their opposition to the Bush Administration is sweeping the nation.

Associated Press reports that radio stations nationwide are boycotting the Dixie Chicks after lead singer Natalie Maines, told a London audience March 11: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.''

Maines is a Lubbock native.

Maines later apologized for her opinion. In her apology, Maines said: "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect.''

But groveling wasn't enough as numerous radio stations blacklisted the singer.

"We've had a huge listener reaction and movement against the statements,'' said Paul Williams of KPLX-FM in Dallas-Fort Worth, the nation's fifth largest radio market.

In Kansas City , Mo. , WDAF-AM set trash cans outside its offices for listeners to toss their Dixie Chicks CDs. Its Web site displayed more than 800 listener e-mails, most of them in support of the station's boycott.

After more than 250 listeners called Friday to complain about Maines ' comments, WTDR-FM in Talladega , Ala. , dropped the Dixie Chicks.

"The emotion of the callers telling us about their fathers and sons and brothers who are overseas now and who fought in previous wars was very specific,'' said Jim Jacobs, president of Jacobs Broadcast Group, which includes WTDR.

In the late 1940s and early 50s, Hollywood blacklisted hundreds of creative individuals and entertainers after they were unjustly accused of being communists or communist sympathizers.

The act of blacklisting American citizens for holding an opinion different from their government became known as McCarthyism. The term is derived from the name of former U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) who made a career out of falsely accusing citizens of communist sympathies during this era. He was later censored by the Senate and died a penniless alcoholic.

Paltry Job Growth?

Though jobs get top billing in the president's 2003 "jobs and growth" plan, the Bush plan would create paltry job growth this year and would actually cause job losses in the long run.

A new series of state-by-state reports by the Institute for America 's Future and the Economic Policy Institute show
that the White House estimated that the President's plan would only generate 190,000 jobs this year for the more than 8 million people seeking work.

Ohio , for example, lost 117,700 jobs since Bush came to office but would only gain 3,847 jobs this year according to original White House estimates. For more details, www.ourfuture.org.

Teamsters Want GOP Congessman's Donation Back

Acording to news media reports, the Teamsters have asked a Republican Party congressman to return a $8,500 donation from labor-affiliated groups after Teamsters President James P. Hoffa received a fund-raising letter depicting unions as violent, lawless organizations.

In the undated letter, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., refers to "union kingpins (and their water-carriers in Congress)'' and says union dues pay for "violent 'organizing' drives, a limousine lifestyle for union bigwigs.''

"Union thugs terrorize workers and communities with violent strikes - where they get away with beatings, arson - even murder,'' said the letter, which sought support for right-to-work legislation. Wilson said it was sent to Hoffa by mistake.

"Mr. Hoffa and the entire Teamsters organization are extremely offended by this letter,'' union spokesman Rob Black said Friday. Hoffa has written to Wilson asking for the money back, Black said.

The Bush Administration has been trying to woo the Teamsters and even hosted a reception for Teamsters President Hoffa at their 2000 GOP convention.