Political Wire noted yesterday that Gary Hart has not excluded himself from the 2004 presidential race. It seems newspapers have interpreted his remarks differently.

Here are Hart's comments on FoxWire this past Sunday in response to an inquiry by Host Rita Cosby (Available on Lexis ):

"COSBY: And Senator Hart himself was in the news earlier this week, when one newspaper reported that he was considering running for president in 2004. And one report said that he was not.

Well, I asked him about the two reports, and this is what he had to say.

HART: I think both reports are wrong.

COSBY: The press is wrong? Wait a minute.

HART: Well, the contradictory reports are wrong. I think it's much too early for anyone, particularly including myself, to be talking about presidential races.

I think the voters have, frankly, had enough with the recent election and all the negative campaigning, and all the money that was spent.

So, let's put all that off at least till next year.

COSBY: But does that mean that you would consider running again? That you're not excluding it?

HART: It doesn't - no, it doesn't mean anything. It just means, let's discuss the issues that are on people's minds."

The day before, November 8, Hart answered the question during a national security lecture to college students in Boulder, Colorado, this way: "I don't want to run for office, but I want to make a contribution," he said during a lecture on national security to University of Colorado students.

"I don't have any great need to be in public office, but I don't want to sit on the sidelines either," said Hart"

Some, like the Associated Press, reported "Former Democratic Sen. Gary Hart, whose 1988 presidential campaign was derailed in a sex scandal, has ruled out another run for the White House in 2004," while others took only as meaning he wasn't excluding himself. Seems the latter view is correct. (AP article available on Lexis.)

And on a war with Iraq, Hart is critical of plans to invade Iraq. Here's another q and a session from the same interview with Rita Cosby:

"And in the op-ed you said, "War in Iraq should be initiated only when the United States is fully prepared to deal with the potential serious domestic consequences of undertaking that war."

What do you see as the potential domestic consequences? And do you think we are ready? Are we prepared to go to war?

HART: Well, of course we're not. And the Council on Foreign Relations task force, which issued its report about 10 days to two weeks ago, said this nation is not much better prepared a year after the first attack than we were then.

So we are not prepared for the inevitable retaliatory attacks on this country that will occur when we invade Iraq. It is not possible, it is almost inevitable.

And so, any prudent commander-in-chief or president would not commit forces to Iraq until this country is fully prepared to deal with the consequences of that attack. And I think they will be consequential. "