Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 20 November 2005

Various big media television networks ^ | 20 November 2005 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[Alas Babylon!]

The Talk Shows

Sunday, November 20th, 2005

Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.; Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt; Dr. Julie Gerberding, director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Mike Ryan, director, Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response Department of the World Health Organization.

FACE THE NATION (CBS): Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

THIS WEEK (ABC): Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

[Fishtalk]

Go to hell. So the People's Republic of Massachusetts gets free heating oil.

Well thanks for the link. It will be on my Blog next week.

[A.Hun]

Whether a person served or not- a liberal hack is still a liberal hack.

[rodguy911]

Welcome back to celebration week Seattle.

[samantha]

I love the way GWB was already way ahead of the hasbeenmedia on the Bird Flu. I think what is scaring Timmy is that recently there has been statements that say HIV may cause it to mutate early. I think Fat Buffalo brain Timmy is concerned that some of his Gay activists will be blamed when it does mutate, and that they will be "victims" of Aids and Bird flu. Just my opinion, but I am so glad that GWB anticipated this several months ago.

[rodguy911]

MNJohnnie will do the honors today, I get to play. Is it getting chilly in the UK.

[Seattle Conservative]

Agree with you.

For those who missed it, the following is from a thread on a flashback to Murtha's statements in 2004:

FLASHBACK May 2004: Murtha says conflict may be now ‘unwinnable’ (MSM Fails to Mention)
The Hill ^ | May 6, 2004 | Hans Nichols

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1524082/posts
Posted on 11/17/2005 2:41:35 PM PST by new yorker 77


Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told his Democratic colleagues Tuesday that he feared the war in Iraq is unwinnable if the U.S. military does not dramatically increase troop levels, provide more ground support and seek significant international involvement.

But Murtha — a Vietnam veteran, an early Democratic advocate of President Bush’s authority to invade Iraq and one of Congress’s staunchest supporters of the military — expressed serious doubts that those remedies are even faint possibilities, given current military deployments, a lack of support from NATO allies and widespread outrage over the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners of war.

Patrick g. ryan Rep.Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) signals sea-change.

---

Coming from a senior appropriator with close ties to the Pentagon, Murtha’s bleak analysis led many colleagues to surmise that he believes a democratic Iraq is a lost cause.

The White House, however, notified Congress yesterday that it would ask for an additional $25 billion supplemental bill for military operations in Iraq and the war on terrorism. The request will most likely be attached to the 2005 defense appropriations bill.

Many Democrats, especially those long opposed to the war, welcomed Murtha’s apparent change of heart. Democrats continued to vent about the U.S. casualties, the administration’s planning for the war and the POW images.

Murtha declined to elaborate on his presentation, given in this week’s “leader lunch,” but several lawmakers and aides confirmed that he had delivered his dire warning.

And because of his stature among colleagues, Murtha’s increased gloom about Iraq may indicate a sea change within the Democratic congressional ranks, the sources added.

Murtha told The Hill that he would appear with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a press conference tomorrow to “talk about the situation, and to talk about the prisoner situation.”

At the closed-door luncheon, several members urged Murtha to take his bleak assessment public and use his stature as a bipartisan hawk to make his case to the American people.

Neither Murtha nor his staff gave any indication of just how harsh his comments would be at today’s press conference or whether his public statements would be as critical as his private briefing to colleagues. (On Tuesday night, he spoke to a Center for Strategic and International Studies invitation-only event.)

Word of Murtha’s briefing spread throughout the Democratic caucus, as many lawmakers were not in Washington for Tuesday’s lunch.

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), an opponent of the war and close confidant of Pelosi, characterized Murtha’s presentation as a “dose of reality.”

“People recognized the significance of someone of his stature to say this. We’re obviously digesting and thinking about what he’s saying,” Miller told The Hill, noting Murtha has been to Iraq several times and has “been following this from the beginning.”

Even senior Republicans conceded that an assessment from Murtha had heft because of his bipartisan and pro-military reputation. However, Republicans cautioned that any discussion of Iraq needs to be put into the context of election-year politics.

“John Murtha is a well-respected member, but you have to factor everything though the prism of an election year,” said Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.).

Davis warned that if Murtha did publicly say the war was unwinnable, it would be “a devastating statement for our soldiers.”

“Can you imagine what that will do for morale on the ground?” said Davis. He added, “You can’t exploit the war for political purposes.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.),, who addressed the luncheon after Murtha, told The Hill that Democrats who voted against the war were thrilled and gratified that “John Murtha, who has such enormous credibility, speak his mind on this issue.”

The dean of the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), said that he sensed a fundamental shift in the Democrats’ thinking as a result of the images of prisoner abuse, coupled with Murtha’s willingness to ask fundamental questions about the war.

“What friends the White House had on this matter [the war] are outraged, and those who didn’t support the war are even more outraged,” said Dingell.

Another Democratic lawmaker said that Murtha’s presentation changed the calculus for many Democrats. ‘This is going to force the Democrats’ hand. The Democrats are finally developing a political strategy on Iraq, and this will help.”

Pro-war Democrats cautioned against overreacting to news reports from Iraq. “It’s one thing to say it’s unwinnable. It’s another to say we’re going to pull out,” said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), a colleague of Murtha’s on the Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) also spoke at Tuesday’s luncheon. He told The Hill, “It’s critical that we have a better understanding of Islam and the nature of Muslims in general.”

[cardinal4]

One last point-I was struck by the difference in decorum in the House the other night-the Republicans were composed ad diginified, while the dems were interupting and cat calling during Republican time. I truly hope a lot of Americans were watching the democrats in their natural habitat..

[Morgan in Denver]

Thanks. Guess I was wrong about Murtha being there more than once.

[snugs]

I wonder also if he has to be more careful on TV than in Congress I would suspect in Congress he has some sort of privilege but outside would he not be subject to some form of libel laws if he came out point blank saying the President lied.

Correct me if I am wrong but I cannot actually remember hearing one RAT actually say on TV Bush lied inferred but not direct comment. Though correct me if I am wrong but I believe it has been said in the House or the Senete.

Just a thought.

[johnny7]

Sh_t... is that an eye-opener or what?!

[anita]

All great points, thanks. We are lucky to have grandpas & grandmas like yours, who always make sense. We learn a lot from their living experience.

[Just mythoughts]

"Go to hell. So the People's Republic of Massachusetts gets free heating oil.
Well thanks for the link. It will be on my Blog next week."


Could well explain why the SOROS funded RHINO's voted against ANWAR.

[Clara Lou]

Juan Williams is a biased ignoramus.

[CedarDave]

Juan losing it on "outing of a CIA agent" -- says its serious to do so. Panel laughing at him -- Plame had already been outed, as said most recently by Woodward. Ceci only half kidding when she says she is not the source for the Plame leak -- I get the impression WP reporters are nervous about being called before Fitz's new grand jury.

[A.Hun]

Could you have two hitches in Nam in one calendar year?

If so, you might not be.

[rodguy911]

Hannity is rapidly growing a set. Over the past month he is now professing to be a conservative and is pissed about the border and the spending, he may make it yet.

[Seattle Conservative]

Agree.

[demkicker]

Thanks, anita. I thought the same thing when reading that Russert doesn't have anyone on to balance Murtha. It's getting so that Tim Russert likes flaunting the fact that he's a dem shill and is through pretending that he is fair.

Russert is disgraceful.

[old_sage_says]

I couldn't agree with you more, Clara. He is almost as bad as Chrissy Matthews.

[Bahbah]

Murtha...one of Congress’s staunchest supporters of the military —

From what I have been reading about Murtha lately, his "staunch support" seems to come in getting appropriations for military contracts that he then channels to friends and family.