Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 1-10

123456 10 CHICAGO TRIBUNESECTION1 NATION By John W. Fountain New York Times News Service MILWAUKEE The trail seems to have grown cold. A cluster of teddy bears on a corner near 7-year-old Alexis house has begun to fade, worn from the sun, wind and rain. But hope still lingers that Alexis, who vanished eight weeks ago, will be returned home safely. just pray and ask God to lift me up and give me strength to hold said Ayanna Bourgeois, mother, who has slept little since her daughter disappeared on her way to school.

Now the army of volunteers, who early on scoured Milwaukee in search of the girl and distributed thousands of leaflets, has dwindled. Yet the efforts of an organization called Operation LAP, or Locate Alexis Patterson, founded soon after she was reported missing, forge ahead, even as the police investigation proceeds with no apparent suspects. One of Operation remaining faithful, Joyce Davenport, who has a 7-year-old daughter, said she would not stop volunteering until Alexis was found. just the idea that this little girl could have been my Davenport said. Some critics have raised questions about the widespread publicity the case of Elizabeth Smart, a 14-year-old Salt Lake City girl who was abducted from her home, has attracted, compared with the relatively sparse national attention given to Alexis case.

It would have been difficult on one recent morning to argue against assertion that the Smart case had drawn far more news media attention than their As the couple sat in their living room with their television tuned to MSNBC, two reports on the Smart case were shown within an hour, even as the ticker carried the message Smart has been missing for three Whether the disparity in coverage can be attributed to race may be an issue for debate, said Dick Schwarzlose, a professor of ethics, history and law at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. is an obvious way of defining the difference between the two abduction Schwarzlose said, not sure it. The Smart story is getting its play because of cable TV, which is defining news for the entire industry. All media have to give a nod to what they are doing. How many missing persons were missing in D.C.

last summer and all we heard about was Chandra Leon Dash, who teaches journalism at the University of Illinois and who was a reporter at The Washington Post for 33 years, is not convinced that race is not a key factor. plays an issue in everything that is Dash said. is a major fault line in American society. It affects every aspect of editorial judgment in terms of what is a story and what is not a Alexis disappeared on May 3. Her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, told police he walked her to the corner and watched as she strolled across the street monitored by crossing guards toward the Hi-Mount Community School, which is visible from the front porch.

When she did not return home that day, her parents reported her missing. School officials reported that Alexis did not attend class that day. Some news reports also have noted that LaRon Bourgeois has a criminal record. Bourgeois admits his troubles with the law, but says, record has nothing to do with somebody snatching my Alexis family prays, hopes Milwaukee search reaches 8th week By Jeff Zeleny Tribune national correspondent Gore delivered an impassioned confession Saturday, telling his most loyal followers that he lost the last presidential race because he was too scripted, too conflicted and too tightly controlled. And if he takes another run at the White House, he vowed, his own instincts will be his guide.

I had to do this all over again, just let it Gore told a closed-door meeting of top donors who came here from across the country, according to several aides in the room. hell with the polls, tactics and all the rest. I would have poured out my heart and my vision for In his most critical assessment of his 2000 campaign, in which he lost even his native Tennessee, the former vice president received a thunderous standing ovation after acknowledging that he paid careful attention to consultants and strategists but failed to directly convey his own thoughts while running against George W. Bush. The act of political contrition was the latest sign that Gore is positioning himself for another shot at the White House, a decision he said he would not make until early next year.

The Gore family played host for the three-day retreat for 60 supporters at the Peabody Hotel, where guests traded political stories, debated the state of U.S. politics and gauged Democratic chances in this midterm elections and the 2004 presidential race. Gore stopped short of sharing his intentions with even his closest friends but gave repeated signals that he is inching toward a decision to run and pledged to the chips fall where they if he seeks the nomination again. would spend more time speaking from the heart on a few occasions each week, addressing the major challenges of the country in-depth and spend a lot less time going to media events and making tactical Gore said in a brief interview with reporters. Although he has delivered four major political addresses this year, Gore has had little contact with many campaign contributors since the election.

words were welcome to people like Sheldon Drobny of Chicago, who traveled to Tennessee to urge Gore to plan a rematch against President Bush. of the things he missed in the last election was being said Drobny, an investment manager. managed by people, not sincere. And he does his best when Supporters pumped up The declaration of political soul-searching and introspection energized the Democrats, who belong to an elite fraternity of donors and political advisers urging him to run again. They mused about future over dry-rub barbecue and cocktails until the wee hours Friday and again Saturday over a fancy lunch.

But the business of the day was conducted behind the mirrored doors of the stately ballroom, where Gore and his wife, Tipper, stood beneath a chandelier and talked without microphones, hoping to keep the support of the financial stalwarts. Many of the guestshave followed Gore closely since 1988, when he first sought the presidency. Joe Cari, a Chicago lawyer and prominent party fundraiser, said Democrats are feeling a growing toward Gore that was not present in the 2000 campaign. The former vice president is in a strong position to seek the nomination, Cari said, adding that he would be surprised if Gore did not do so. Before political future can be determined, though, aides said he first had to articulate the shortcomings of his last presidential contest, in which Gore narrowly won the popular vote but lost the presidency after an unprecedented month- long legal battle for electoral votes.

So he faced the criticism head-on for the first time Saturday, trying to send a message to other Democrats that a third run for the presidency could be a charm. makes your heart sick about what he could do if he were in the said oldest daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff, who conducted a panel discussion at the retreat. no secret the job he wanted. He certainly has the sentiment of missed Competition within party Not all Democrats remain supportive of another Gore candidacy, however, and at least six other party leaders are exploring their own potential presidential bids and competing with Gore for money. As Gore held his retreat here, Sen.

John Edwards held a donor summit in St. Simons Island, and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) campaigned in Iowa. know if the American people or even if Al Gore knows who the real Al Gore said a veteran Democratic strategist not aligned with a presidential campaign. whole notion of reinvention is something that dogs him.

The real Al Gore could just look like another chapter in the reinvention book that has already been written on The Republican National Committee weighed in, too, releasing a recent poll that showed Gore would lose a rematch with Bush by 25 points. Despite the high approval ratings, Gore is intensifying his criticism of the White House. In a speech Saturday evening at the University of Memphis, he questioned the values and its stewardship of the economy. economic policies have been a total catastrophe for our Gore told several hundred Democrats, testing themes for a potential campaign of his own. ought to tear it up and start from And for the first time, he also directly criticized the Bush war effort.

1, they gotten Osama bin Laden or the Al Qae- da Gore said. they have refused to allow enough troops from the international community to be put into Afghanistan to keep it from sliding back under control of the warlords. It is a terrible situation over there right Gore admits botching 2000 run AP photo by Greg Campbell Former Vice President Al Gore greets a well-wisher Saturday during his three-day retreat for 60 supporters held in Memphis. Democrat says he was too scripted, vows to it rip' if he goes in 2004 By Michael Tackett Tribune senior correspondent WASHINGTON Democratic strategist James Carville is many things, but subtle is not among them. In his over- caffeinated view of the world, his party has finally come upon an in the corporate gives full voice to the classic Democrat rhetorical bumper sticker: Us Against Them.

Carville and other Democrats hope they can exploit the corporate meltdowns asem- blems of an abuse of responsibility. More pointedly, they want to drive home the issue that as the of Republicans have been complicit in the failures and should pay politically. is an up- and-down Carville said. on welfare need to be responsible, but people on the top need to be too. Republicans love to talk about the poor being accountable, but they want to hold rich people accountable and responsible.

and Cheney came to Washington and said they would run the government like a business. They certainly have. Same accounting Corporate responsibility has become the early summer anthem of this midterm political season, much as personal responsibility was in 1992. As a measure of its potency, President Bush addressed the issue at least three times in na- tionalbroadcasts last week, vowing to use the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to hold companies accountable. He made it the topic of his weekly radio address and plans a major speech on corporate responsibility next month.

America has got to understand there is a higher calling than trying to fudge the numbers, trying to slip a billion here and a billion here and hope nobody the president said at a Republican fundraiser Friday. The GOP has struck back quickly on the issue, releasing reams of data that show the Democrats were near-equal beneficiaries of political contributions from troubled com- panies. Republicans say they too want to see those responsible held accountable. think the Democrats are really overplaying their hand on this said Rep. Ray LaHood they are trying to lay blame for corporate corruption at the feet of Republicans, it will ring hollow.

We try to lay blame for union corruption, the Teamsters and everything, at the feet of the Democratic Party. People see through The Democrats would like to frame the issue in a national context, but that might prove quite difficult without the platform of a national presidential campaign. To the extent that corporate irresponsibility does stir voter excitement, however, polls show that Democrats are the more likely beneficiaries. is something profound going on in America today, and I think it does have political Democratic consultant David Axelrod said. began as a scandal for one company has now become a pervasive sort of breakdown of responsibility, and I think people are angry about it.

There is a partisan component to this, because if ever there was a group who were associated in minds with Corporate America, the Republicans Midterm elections rarely are in the sense that the outcome is the product of a major issue, although Republicans were able to make anti-incumbent change a profoundly important issue in 1994 when they took control of Congress. This year, the corporate scandalshave broad reach. scandals demoralize said Andrew Kohut, executive director of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. keep the market depressed, and the market is a good indicator to the public about the way the economy is going. And we are seeing fewer people thinking that the economy will pick up, and more people expressing concern.

To the extent that happens, people might vote against the powers that that is, the Whether voters would take out their economic woes on Republicans is far from clear. part it will depend on how well Democrats can use this Kohut said. been particularly good at playing populism any more than Republicans have been at playing their morals Corporate scandals often ignited voter passion. Theodore Roosevelt was able to stir voters with his anti-monopoly, trust-busting speeches. Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge were criticized by some for being too pro-business during the 1920s.

Several senators were hurt by their association with the savings and loan scandal in the 1980s, but there was no national effect. When the Enron scandal was dominating headlines, Democrats tried repeatedly to tag Bush with his long association with Enron executives, but to little end, as the president has maintained job-approval ratings of about 70 percent. The Democrats might have a different result, some analysts believe, if they focus on congressional Republicans, particularly members of the House Republican leadership such as Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the No. 3 ranking member.

easier to take on congressional Republicans than the president with 70 percent approval Kohut said. becomes a way of making the case that we need Democrats on the other end of Pennsylvania ANALYSIS Democrats seek benefit from corporate scandals Getty Images photo by Alex Wong James Carville says Republicans want to hold rich people Associated Press NEW of victims of the Sept. 11attacks paid tribute Saturday to the unheralded acts of heroism performed by unknown numbers of civilians who helped evacuate the World Trade Center. Their actions, though over- shadowed by the more publicized deeds of firefighters and police officers, were remembered by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Gov. George Pataki and others in a memorial service in midtown Manhattan.

are other heroes on Sept. 11that we can never bond salesmen, the of- fice workers, the cafeteria workers, the security guards. They too were Pataki said. Giuliani told of the 70-year- old man who stayed behind as an inferno closed in, allowing younger people to pile into elevators ahead of him. He also recalled a Morgan Stanley security worker who did not evacuate because he was helping others.

Several hundred people attended the service, which was organized by a group of family members, Give Your Voice, and meant to be more intimate and distant from the trade center site. given by the families for the families, and that makes it much more said Sandy Romagnolo, 37, who lost her husband in the attacks. Jim Samuel of Jamesburg, whose son died on Sept. 11, said, was the first one we ever went to that was supposed to cheer you Relatives salute those who helped others escape Sept. 11.