- Michael Dukakis, who won only 9 states in his 1988 presidential bid, tells the New York Observer that he is working informally with the Democratic National Committee on organizing precincts in all fifty states.

"True to his technocratic roots, Mr. Dukakis has the idea of replicating, on every street, avenue, and rural route in the country, the kind of personal relationships that once powered big-city political machines -- with precinct captains calling on their neighbors every few weeks, asking them about their concerns, talking up their candidate and following up on any questions they might have. Mr. Dukakis' vision is rooted in good government -- making sure, for instance, that a neighbor's concerns about school vouchers are satisfactorily addressed."

- A new Gallup poll finds that approval of Congress has sunk to a poll-history low of 18%. 76% of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing. The poll also reported Pres. Bush’s current approval rating remains low at only 32% -- a slight improvement from its dismal 29% mark from a few months ago.

- After obtaining a confidential 27 page campaign document, the San Francisco Chronicle examines Sen. Hillary Clinton's strategy to win the California primary.

"They call themselves 'HillStars,' and they are part of a dedicated campaign army -- the 'HillCorps.' And with just more than five months until California's Feb. 5 presidential primary, the effort by the campaign... to organize trained volunteers -- 1,000 strong across the state -- suggests it is no coincidence that she has amassed a 30-point lead in California over her closest Democratic rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama."

In addition, Clinton's California grassroots organizing effort will use "the power of the Internet with traditional field methods to create millions of voter contacts leading up to the Feb. 5 primary."

- "Michigan appears poised to crash the party of early states seeking to influence the 2008 presidential nominating process, leapfrogging the other interlopers, Florida and South Carolina, and further scrambling the electoral calendar," the Boston Globe reports.

"If leaders of Michigan's political parties reach agreement, as early as tomorrow, on joint Jan. 15 primaries, New Hampshire and Iowa, the traditional leadoff states, would be forced to set earlier contests to preserve their coveted status. New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary would be moved to Jan. 8 at the latest because state law says that Secretary of State William M. Gardner must set the contest at least seven days ahead of the next primary."

Meanwhile, the Concord Monitor paints Michigan Sen. Carl Levin (D) as enemy number one of New Hampshire's first in the nation primary status. Several of Levin's colorful remarks about New Hampshire primary are dredged up, including ones made in private."

- "An analysis of more than 35,000 stories from print, broadcast and online sources finds political bickering and analysis over the 2008 election topping the news, a year before the vote," the Washington Post reports.

"According to a report released yesterday by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, the presidential election has emerged as the leading news story for the second quarter this year. The fare is heavily Democratic, with 51% of the coverage centered on Democrats in the first half of the year, compared with 33% devoted to Republicans. The rest was divided among third- or mixed-party coverage."

- "In one of the hardest hitting -- Republicans will undoubtedly say 'dirtiest' -- television ads aired in history, the Louisiana Democratic Party is accusing Rep. Bobby Jindal of being anti-Protestant," Stuart Rothenberg reports.

"The ads are an obvious attempt to destroy Jindal in Protestant North Louisiana (they are not running in the heavily Catholic southern part of the state), a generally conservative part of the state where he underperformed four years ago, when he narrowly lost his last bid for governor to Kathleen Blanco (D)."

Jindal's writings on religion also came up in his gubernatorial campaign four years ago.

- Sen. Barack Obama "often says that his wife, Michelle, is smarter than he is, stronger than he is, and gives better speeches than he does," the Chicago Sun Times reports. "On a trip to Iowa last week, Michelle was a firebrand, expressing a determined passion for her husband's campaign, talking straight from the heart with eloquence and intelligence."

However, the New York Post notes the "video of a sultry model in barely-there clothes singing about her' crush' on the Illinois senator is wildly popular with YouTube viewers, but it isn't getting raves with Barack Obama's family."

- "The 42 Democratic freshmen raised an average of $1.8 million to win election in November, half of them in Bush districts," USA Today reports. New Democratic members from districts that went for President Bush in 2004 raised an average of $600,000 in the first six months of this year -- almost doubling their Republican counterparts. Fourteen freshman Democrats raised more than the $600,000 six-month goal set by DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen, including four who raised over $3 million.

CQ has the latest cash-on-hand figures for all incumbents.

- Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) "was involved in an altercation last night at Dulles Airport. He was allegedly angered by the amount of time it was taking to get his luggage and tried to push his way through the United Airlines baggage claim office," reports First Read.

Filner has been charged with assault and battery, a class 1 misdemeanor. His court date is set for October 2.

- Could Bob Kerrey -- the former Nebraska senator, governor, one-time presidential candidate, almost New York City mayoral candidate and current president of the New School -- be thinking about getting back into politics?" asks the New York Times.

"Mr. Kerrey has made it known that he might be interested in running for the Senate seat in Nebraska should Chuck Hagel, a Republican, not seek re-election -- and Democratic leaders have made it clear that they would like Mr. Kerrey to run. Mr. Kerrey, in an interview yesterday, said it was unlikely but not impossible."

- So Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) "gets into a boatload of trouble after he acknowledged last month that his number was on the alleged ‘D.C. Madam’s’ phone list, and his poll numbers tank, right? Not exactly," reports The Politico.

According to a new survey by Southern Media & Opinion Research Inc., 66% of Louisiana voters approved of Vitter’s job performance, while just 22% disapproved.

- A new NewsMax/Zogby poll in Iowa shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 30% support, followed by John Edwards at 23% and Sen. Barack Obama at 19%.

"Clinton's move up in Iowa replicates what she has done nationally, building a powerhouse campaign and benefiting in part from the positive opinions of her husband."

- Former presidential speechwriter Ted Sorensen, who John F. Kennedy described as his "Other Half," praises Barack Obama's "bold call for American action to seize Osama bin La...[Message truncated]