Posted on 08/11/2006 7:12:13 PM PDT by Phsstpok
Weekend Talk Show Preview - Analysis for August 12th and 13th, 2006
On the shows this weekend I'm most interested by Vali Nasr, on CNN, and Ken Mehlman, on Meet The Press. I think we'll learn more about the events in the Middle East from Nasr and more about the coming campaign from Mehlman than all of the other guests, combined.
Nasr is an expert, from Iran, on the issues of conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. I actually view this as our best hope of winning the coming world war. Just as Communists and Nazis joined forces to start World War 2 in Europe then fell out and, fighting each other more than us, helped end it, we can hope that the mutual Sunni / Shiite hatred will be their undoing. We'd best not count on only that, however!
Mehlman appears to be doing an excellent job of laying out the "it's us or the moonbats" strategy for this falls elections. This is starting to give me more confidence in my own prediction that Republicans will pick up seats in both the House and Senate this fall. I started predicting that just in reaction to the smug "it's a sure thing" predictions of doom for the Republicans. I'm now beginning to see the shape of a truly historic defeat for the Democratic left. The more Joe Liebermans' loss pushes the rest of the Democrats left the more likely it is that Republicans will win big. I do, however, predict that Joe Lieberman will win and will caucus with the Democrats. However, I also predict that a big loss for the dims this fall will end in a break up of the Democrat party as we know it now. Joe will stay with the DLC. Where the DNC goes is anybodies guess.
I don't think this has happened before, at least not since I've been doing the preview, but one person, in this case Michael Chertoff, is on all of the Sunday shows this week. I hope he's got his game face on. Either that or he's being put out there to "sink or swim" on this one. He didn't come off well after Katrina and is a political liability in the eyes of many. This is a chance to shine and gain back credibility, but if he fails in some way I think he's history.
ABC This Week has Chertoff, probably with lots of nasty rhetorical questions lined up, followed by the Hardy Boys duo of McCain and Feingold. This time they supposedly are "facing off" over the war on terror and the impact of Joe Lieberman's loss. How much do you want to bet that they end up agreeing more than they disagree? Is this the under card for the Newt/Biden traveling road show, or vice versa? The Roundtable is an obscene collection of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) and should truly be amusing/nauseating/infuriating. Pay special attention to the link to the article Reich urges citizens to effect change for some truly amazing lefty lunacy and tunnel vision.
Meet The Press also starts with Chertoff, also probably with lots of nasty rhetorical questions, coupled with lots of lil Timmah hunching up on the table as he confronts the evil Bushie minion. that gets followed with a different Hardy Boys duo of Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton. These two "giants" from the 9/11 commission have a new book which blames the Bush administration and claims, without evidence, that Rumsfeld's Pentagon wasn't telling the truth during the commission hearings. I guarantee you that they won't be asked about Jamie Gorelick's Wall or the Clinton's turning down Osama's head on a platter. I also guarantee you that these two media sell outs put "extra crispy" Bush bashing text in their book in order to sell it for big bucks. This obscene performance will be followed by Ken Mehlman and his "evil twin" Howard (the scream) Dean. Probably the better analogy than twins is matter and antimatter. Watch for lots of hostile "quotes" to be thrown at Mehlman by lil Timmah, with no chance for him to respond, followed by long, free form opportunities for Dean to expound on anything he wishes, sans challenge.
Fox News Sunday continues the Chertoff-go-round, with probably the least hostile hostile interview (though Wallace will probably be continuing his attempt to prove that he's "independent"). It looks like Pete Hoekstra is on to "humanize" the new TSA restrictions, warning us against the potential evils of... hair care products!!!! Might he be being set up for future ridicule? Nah, never happen. Hoekstra is followed by Ned Lamont making the rounds of the "real" media to prove that he's a "real" candidate. This is dangerous territory for him. The fact that he's appearing on Fox is bad enough, but his accepting the invite probably means he's going to try to push back to "the center." He is endangering his base, which is all that he's got going for him. We may be witnessing the beginning of one of the nastiest meltdowns in political history if that happens. How does third place sound?
CBS Face the Nation is likely back to (very) hostile territory for Secretary Chertoff. Why do I suspect some Katrina questions will get thrown his way on this show? Though Harman has been getting lots of face time (mostly to protect her from the MoveOn types in her primary) Roberts hasn't. Perhaps a whiff of anti-Bush and anti-Iraq war rhetoric is what he needed to get an invite. Dare I suggest that this was made plain to him and that he responded for his own crass benefit? Nah, a politician would never sell out like that to the old media! Ned Lamont makes his second Sunday appearance in a likely much friendly venue. Watch for the outlines of a hagiography to come.
CNN Late Edition completes the full rounds for Michael Chertoff. I expect a "less hostile" encounter here, but instead look for a dismissive one. Wolfie is on to "real issues" and not the "manufactured ones" that the Bush administration keeps trying to "foist on a credulous public." I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the first serious ridicule of the DHS color coded alert system, coupled with questions as to whether or not the UK "explosive liquids bomb" terrorist threat was real or simply imagined. Watch for ridicule, not challenge, in this interview. Hagel and Reed will make an effective BDS tag team, alternately challenging Bush's moral position, intelligence and simple right to live. At the margins this twofer could raise the question of whether Barbara Bush should have aborted her idiot child and spared us all of this trouble. Ehud Barak has a lot of splainin' to do over his decision to pull out of Lebanon in 2000 and give Hezbollah the ability to develop a killing field for Israelis. He'll probably be offered an opportunity to blame Bush for not providing the needed support for the UN to effectively control southern Lebanon. It's even possible, in the back of his mind, that he thinks an effective performance on this show could bring him back the PM job. Dream on, Ehud! It's looking more and more like it's Bibi's turn (again). The Lebanese "special envoy" is increasingly drifting off into Baghdad Bob territory, which is a real risk for Wolfie. Expect a short segment with very simple (and prepared) questions. General George Joulwan is yet another Clinton era general being trotted out to say how perfect things were in that benighted administration. Expect no questions of merit and lots of opportunities to vent against Bush and company. Vali Nasr is, on the other hand, a very interesting newbie to these shows. From what I have read he may bring some real (and sobering) insights to the "end game" of what's going on now. We may see CNN trying to set up the "who lost the Middle East" blame game at this stage. Bush shouldn't do anything, anything he does is wrong and, if the Israelis suffer a set back it must be Bush's fault (whether he did something or not).
The Saturday pre-show line up is fairly typical, with Mort and Fred trying to claim credit for pointing out the obvious to us, yet again, Fox News Watch drinking the drive by media kool-aid, as always and the Journal Editorial Report providing interesting and insightful analysis by adults, at hours that no normal person is watching. Lil Timmah's book fair is pushing the paperback release of David McCullough's 1776. I can only assume that he intends unfavorable comparisons between the President George of that era and the President George of ours. Without that it's strictly crass lucre. He wouldn't think of invoking the theme identified on the Technometria blog review of this book, “don’t give up.” Never happen.
So, to summarize my take on this weeks shows
All of the above is simply my humble opinion, so have at it.
The individual shows are posted below, with the Saturday shows first, then individual posts on each of the Sunday shows.
In order to satisfy a suggestion from Alas Babylon!, I have reversed my previous practice and put this on TownHall.COM first, before posting the thread here on FR. This was done in order to allow me to have the link for the following statement.
This is cross posted at my blog on Townhall.com (analysis post only at http://wizards.townhall.com/g/df14d2da-5371-4faa-ba85-387831d9d65d). This post exists primarily as a heads up for who is on the weekend talks shows, what they've been invited on to push (based on their recent pronouncements) and the spin (meme) the DBM is likely trying to push based on that information. All of this is prep work for the weekly Sunday Morning Talk Show thread posted by Alas Babylon!. That thread provides a live commentary and analysis of the Sunday talking head shows, with rare insight and exceptional fact checking. we are the Jedi Council of FreeRepublic, at least in regards to these DBM gabfests. You wanna know what was said and what it meant, as well as where they messed up? Read that thread!
David Gregory substituted on MTP today. He's the NBC White House correspondent who melted down and started screaming at Tony Snow's predecessor during the discussion of the Cheney hunting accident in the White House Press Briefing Room.
So that was the sub. I was listening to the idiots on the radio and I couldn't place the smarmy voice.
It makes sense then that the digs on Giuliani came in at the end. The leftie MSM is preparing the ground for hit and run attacks on the conservatives in 2008.
Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 13 August 2006
for live reports, analysis and discussion of the shows as they air today.
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