Who Has No Plan?

Nedra Pickler writes for the Associated Press that Bush "made one gaffe in Montana that may be a sign of the toll of frequent campaign trips. He spoke of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Lancaster, Pa. Lancaster is 165 miles east of where United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, killing everyone on board."

Kerry Watch

White House spokesman Tony Fratto announced to the press corps yesterday morning that the White House was done with the Kerry Kerfuffle. (See yesterday's column for background.)

"MR. FRATTO: Senator Kerry made his apology, maybe four days late, yesterday, but it was the right thing to do. And I don't think we have anything more to say on that."

But apparently, the message didn't get out to Vice President Cheney.

Here's Cheney in Idaho yesterday: "Aren't we lucky he lost that election? (Applause.) I see you all remember John Kerry -- (laughter) -- . . . He's the one, you'll recall, who last year said that American soldiers were terrorizing children in Iraq.

"AUDIENCE: Booo!

"THE VICE PRESIDENT: And just this week he took another swipe at the U.S. military."

And so on.

Blooper

Fratto, a recent arrival in the press office, flubbed up in response to a question about Bush's visit to Nevada when he announced: "There is no Senate candidate in Nevada."

Bush was in fact there in part to support Sen. John Ensign, who is being opposed by Jimmy Carter's son, Democrat Jack Carter.

Oversight (Non) Watch

Elizabeth Williamson writes in The Washington Post: "Open-government advocates are howling this week over a newly released transcript of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in April on topics including domestic wiretapping and surveillance, treatment of potential terrorists, and the president's power to declassify information.

"During the session, Gonzales evaded most of the four dozen questions asked by Republican and Democratic members by claiming ignorance, or telling the committee -- which oversees the Justice Department -- that the answers were too secret to share."