Forbes to endorse Bush

The Associated Press reports
that Steve Forbes is expected to endorse George W. Bush in a joint appearance
Tuesday night.

Bush's new education offensive

The AP also reports
that George W. Bush unveiled a new education plan called "Reading First" that would give $5 billion over 5 years to improve
reading among grade schoolers. According to the Bush campaign release the plan "sets a great
goal for America: that every child will read by the end of the third grade."

More on the "veepstakes"

Gail Collins sounds off
for the New York Times on the "veepstakes" with this sound bit of wisdom "if none of your elected
officials are being talked about as potential veeps, there is probably something wrong with
your state, and you should consider moving elsewhere."

Gore's anti-money show

Al Gore proposed a sweeping reform plan for the campaign finance system Monday that, if implemented, would end soft money and direct donations to single candidates. George W. Bush's campaign responded by questioning Gore's credibility on the issue, and other observers wondered whether the American public really cares enough about the issue for it to give Gore much traction.

The New York Times quotes Carla Eudy, the top fund-raiser for the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, as saying, "Al Gore is only proposing this because he wants to be John McCain." McCain's response was slightly more subtle: "The campaign-finance abuses of the current administration prove beyond a shadow of a doubt how badly reform is needed."

The Washington Post says that Gore's "new stridency on campaign finance reform is an attempt to neutralize the damage of his 1996 fund-raising lapses and seize the reform mantle in the wake of Sen. John McCain's departure from the presidential race."

While Gore trumpets his reform initiative, the Washington Post investigates how the Bush campaign is trying to raise more money after spending an estimated $66 million to defeat McCain in the primaries, leaving it with only an estimated $8 million.

Perot faction back on top

The New York Times reports that a federal judge awarded control of the Reform Party to Pat Choate, a member of the Ross Perot faction, and denied the Jesse Ventura partisan, Jack Gargan, his claims to the position. But this may be just the first step in rehabilitating the Reform Party. The Post quotes Gargan on the witness stand as saying the party "looked to the outside world 'like a bunch of clowns.'" The Post goes on to note that "when it comes to comic relief, the Reform Party never lets you down."

New York Senate race to be a squeaker?

The latest Zogby poll on the New York Senate race shows Hillary Rodham Clinton pulling ahead of Rudy Giuliani, 45 to 42, for the first time, with 10 percent undecided. The Zogby survey notes, "Support for Giuliani has plummeted among several subgroups including Upstate voters, Hispanic voters and Jewish voters."

In an article titled "Giuliani Takes Poll Slide in Stride," the New York Post quotes Giuliani's response to the results: "I don't use polls to guide my activity as mayor." The Post also quotes Long Island GOP Rep. Peter King as opining that "this race is going to be a roller coaster and in some ways it's going to be Rudy running against Rudy. He could be his own worst enemy."

Giuliani relents

The New York Times
reports
Rudy Giuliani and the Brooklyn Museum of Art have agreed to drop their respective law suits for a status
quo ante bellum arrangement. The museum's board of trustees chairman, Robert S. Rubin, said "The events of the past six months have
only made our institution stronger and
more dedicated to our mission." For Rudy's side of the story Michael D. Hess, the city's corporation
counsel, said "The exhibit is closed, and at this point it was time to end the hostilities on both
sides in terms of court proceedings.", "part of that exhibit was
obviously religion-bashing, and the mayor took exception to that, and rightly so."

Black activist quits GOP

USA Today reports that Faye Anderson, vice chairman of the New Majority Council, established in 1997 by the GOP to reach out to minorities, quit her position on March 13. In her latest column for politicallyblack.com, Anderson cites as her reason the "recent spectacle of the two leading Republican presidential candidates ... refusing to condemn the flying of the Confederate flag -- a symbol of defiance of the first Republican president -- over the South Carolina Statehouse. And Gov. Bush has yet to apologize to African Americans for failing to speak out against Bob Jones University's ban on interracial dating."

Talking heads

(All times EST and guests subject to change.)