To the Point

Will 2003 Election Provide Clues for Bush in 2004?

President Bush campaigned in Kentucky and Mississippi this past weekend, on behalf of Republican candidates for governor, but the crowds were chanting, -Four more years,- and the White House was hoping for political momentum for next year-s presidential campaign. In Philadelphia, the Democratic mayor battled not just Republicans but news that the FBI was bugging his office. Did race play a political role? Is the national picture any different today? Could yesterday's electoral battles provide some hints about the future? With the presidential election less than a year away, we look at the results and their impact on the sagging economy with reporters, university activists and political analysts. Making News: Lawsuits Attempting to Block Abortion Bill President Bush today signed the Congressional ban on what opponents call -partial birth abortion,- but abortion-rights advocates have already filed three lawsuits designed to prevent the new law from ever taking effect. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, who writes about Congress and health issues for the New York Times, predicts a protracted battle over the legislation's constitutionality. Reporter's Notebook: The UN in Liberia The top UN official in Liberia has denounced all factions in that country for violating the August peace agreement that formed a new government after 14 years of civil war. Jacques Klein says, -Thieves, murderers and criminals- are not being controlled by what he called -weak leadership.- Into that maelstrom goes Mark Kroeker, a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and former Police Chief of Portland, Oregon.