Weekend Show *Preview* for 2/10 - 2/11/07 (not the live thread)

The biggest news this week was the debate over the debate on the Iraq surge. Republicans wanted to debate not only the anti-surge resolution of the Dhimmicrats and wobbly RINOs but also other resolutions and amendments. Ones that reinforced promises made about supporting the troops or even (dare I say it?) support the surge as the right thing to do. Dingy Harry Reid didn't want to allow debate on anything but the "Bi-Partisan Blame Evil America and Embrace Defeat Resolution" and so he blocked all debate rather than let a real debate break out in the middle of his debate over the debate (that's like going to a fight and having a hockey game break out). He then had a dramatic speech on the Senate floor accusing the Republicans of blocking the debate. Guess how the dinosaur media reported it? I bet they even wrote his speech for him (that way they can make their deadlines easier). All of the shows, including Fox News Sunday, got the talking points and are faithfully set up to present the Dhimmicrat spin as the Truth. Chris Wallace even opens his weekly "coming up" essay with "Republicans halt the much-anticipated Senate debate on Iraq, blocking a vote on a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's troop surge." Well done, Chris. You've proven that you aren't going to be held to that "fair and balanced" nonsense and can be just as leftist as the next Washington reporter, maybe even be like dear old dad.

There were two other major stories in Washington this week, the Libby trial testimony by drive by media (DBM) stalwarts such as Lil Timmah Russert and the release of the report by the Defense Department IG report regarding five years worth of Dhimmicrat charges that "pre-war intelligence had been manipulated." Now, the DBM got the story 180 degrees out of whack on the surge resolution debate, so you'd think they'd be a little more accurate in at least one of these other stories, just based on the odds. But then you'd be wrong. They reported uniformly that the news media types in the Libby trial "contradicted" and "refuted" Libby's version of events and that the defense tried but failed to discredit the valiant reporters. Of course, they did fail to actually use any real quotes from the testimony to demonstrate those assertions. The inconvenient truth is very inconveniently being reported widely by bloggers who are live blogging the trial and it reads like reports from an alternate universe (see firedoglake, JustOneMinute and The American Thinker, for example, as well as the coverage at FR). Unfortunately for the DBM the bloggers are using actual quotes and not merely self serving characterizations of the testimony. And the DOD IG report? Well, I'm sure there's some colorful southernism about dogs and bowling balls and digging post holes, but I'm no Foghorn Leghorn so I'll just stick to saying the DBM is a tad short on telling the truth in their reporting (see links on the Fox News Sunday detail post regarding Douglas Feith). And once again the blogs come through where the DBM fails to report accurately and without bias.

I think I detect an accelerating trend. When they get this outlandish and demonstrably false in their reporting they are either desperate or they've lost touch with reality and have begun to drink the Kool Aid. With that, it's on to the shows.

NBC Meet The Press moves directly into the debate over the debate about the surge by talking to two opposing House leaders, Hoyer and Boehner. With the rules of the Senate inconveniently interrupting the Dhimmicrat plans there they have moved on to the House, where America's Mother In Law^TM rules with an iron fist (and no mamby pamby velvet glove for old Nazi Pelosi, no siree!). I actually look forward to these two discussing this as both are able politicians and advocates for their side. I'm further intrigued by reports that Boehner is being pushed to be more aggressive, be more like Mitch McConnell. We could be well served if he would follow that advice. The panel is then stacked heavily in favor of those friendly to Lil Timmah's version of what was said in court this week. Watch for much descriptive characterization of how badly things look for Libby and how noble and honest the reporters all are. It's called circling the wagons.

CBS Face The Nation presents the other half of Teddy the swimmer's waitress sandwich as if he were a realistic candidate for president. He'll faithfully hit the Dhimmicrat talking points about the surge, the DOD IG report and the Libby trial, if asked, but he's going to be far more interested in listing the various bribes he's lined up for the voters. He's even pushing a big bribe for the number one constituency in any election, the media. He thinks that if he champions their ability to hide behind anonymous sources that the DBM will love him and take him on the same kind of ride they used to give John McCain and are now giving Obama. The fact that he got the chairmanship of the totally unsexy (though lucrative for ~~bribes~~ campaign contributions) Senate Banking Committee shows that he is not taken too seriously by the powers that be in his party. FTN chooses to list his membership in the Foreign Relations Committee, instead, so he's on to give the Dhimmicrat spin on Iraq and the surge. And Joe Biden, the Foreign Relation Comittee chairman, is in hiding until we forget about his "Obama is a clean African American" boo boo. Dodd's Republican counterpart is Trent Lott. The press has been salivating at the vengeance they expect him to seek on Bush and all those who betrayed him over the Strom Thurmond joke debacle. Except for being way too visible in comparison to the actual minority leader Trent has pretty much stayed on the reservation. We'll see if that holds.

Fox News Sunday presents the aforementioned Senate Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell and Democrat Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island. McConnell is emerging as a successful minority leader, having thwarted the Dhimmicrats surge for a surge denunciation. He managed to hold all of the Republicans together to continue the debate and defeat cloture, forcing Dingy Harry to halt the debate and try his Orwellian doublethink accusation of who blocked debate. As mentioned earlier Chris Wallace has cast the surge debate issue in totally 100% Dhimmicrat terms. I expect Senator McConnell to correct this in no uncertain terms, even if Chris doesn't want to give him the opportunity. Jack Reed is on instead of Carl Levin, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, because Reed is a veteran and (so far as I can determine) Levin isn't. It gives Reed more credibility when trying to argue against sending reinforcements to our troops in Iraq when their new commander says that they are needed. Plus Levin is neck deep in the DOD IG debacle and his presence might prompt embarrassing questions and even more embarrassing answers. No Brit or Mara on the roundtable this week, but Paul Gigot and Nina Easton will act as understudies. Any smack downs will be up to Bill Kristol.

CNN Late Edition offers up two moonbats, Wyden and McAuliffe, and two conservatives, Cornyn and Hunter, that the DBM would like to paint as Neanderthals (is that the opposite of moonbat?). No doubt they are destined to discuss the surge, though CNN has taken a different tack if their web page promo for the show is to be taken seriously. They ask if we need "a new course" in Iraq. I thought we were just starting a new course? I guess Wolf didn't get the memo. Their other lede is about problems in Afghanistan. Perhaps they want to distract us from Iraq in case the non-existent new course already being tried might just be working, as many reports seem to indicate. Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry's comments that have been presented as discussing a "Taliban surge" (though he isn't quoted as using that word anywhere I can find) is probably the reason he got invited on by Wolfie. His DOD bio is nowhere to be found on the Defenselink web site, though it is still in Google's cache. The page is very brief and doesn't give any real background, particularly information that might give me any feeling for whether or not he is one of the class of "Klinton Kommanders" (like Wesley Clark) promoted after the Clintonistas had purged all of the Reagan crowd from the Pentagon. It looks likely, however, that he is a political general, not a combat leader. I'll see what he says to see whether I need to dig up further info on him for future reference.

ABC This Week provides a platform for a new liberal superhero, "John Kerry, unbound!" Expect the full moonbat that is Jon F'n Carry to shine froth (sic). I bet the Dhimmicrats have encouraged John boy to plumb the depths of rhetorical excess as a way to see what attacks on Bush and Republicans in general can gain traction and which will have negative consequences. They have plausible deniability with him and can just walk away. They've done it before. I think Georgie Steponallofus is also hoping to tar his next guest, Mike Huckabee, with the "Kerry is a loser" brush by associating the two of them in people's minds. Watch for lots of questions about Huckabee's religion (read Christian extremism), fishing for criticism of Romney's Mormon faith, etc. Don't expect anything of substance. And then there's Sean Penn defending an Army officer who is being court martialled for refusing to follow his orders to deploy to Iraq. This soldier in the all volunteer Army claims that the Iraq war is illegal, of course Sean Penn is going to be there and support him. He's a moonbat, it's what they do. The ABC roundtable has some interest in that George Will has recently written praising Chicago's move to sell off assets, while Robert Reich is apparently the author of Hillary's plan to seize all oil company profits, and other socialist lunacy. I need to see if I can get George (either one) to ask Reich what he thinks about Hugo Chavez' "reforms" in Venezuela. Oh, and cafeteria Catholic Cokie Roberts will likely bring up how unimportant the debate over abortion is nowadays. She's so intent on labeling anyone who disagrees with "choice" as a "bomb thrower" that she must have failed to notice the 100,000 plus marchers peacefully assembled across the country, tens of thousands in her city, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. They quietly and respectfully called for an end to the mass slaughter of innocents, nary a bomb in sight. There was a barely noticeable counter demonstration by pro-abortion supporters, who certainly threw their share of verbal bombs, from the reports I read. After all, it wasn't on the evening news so it must not have happened.

The Saturday shows are politics, politics, politics and then the one show that absolutely should be politics insists on going tabloid. The Beltway Boys are fully engaged in the '08 horse race. I hope someone is taping these things so that we can bring back a few choice predictions a year from now when the first primary votes are cast. Tim Russert's CNBC book hawking show is more about political posturing and the science of spin than it is about a specific race, it appears. I'm sorry I missed John Burns appearance on Lil Timmah's gab fest last week. Apparently the New York Times John Burns schooled mister Russert on the real history of the Iraq war. Fortunately NewsBusters has the info and video. Perhaps this weeks show will be equally interesting. Fox News Watch refuses to engage the fraud in their profession and instead chooses to wallow in tabloid trash. Neal probably threatened to reveal what he knows about the rest of the panel's private lives if they did address the faux reporting. The AP/Reuter's brand of fiction as reporting has now migrated to our shores after the successful try outs in the middle east. After all, if the DBM says something it must be so. Journal Editorial Report veers back to the '08 horse race, concentrating on Rudy and the chances that he can woo conservative voters. Interestingly their guest, a Rudy advisor and his biographer, is a member of a "left of center think tank." They also cover a bit more substantive issue, the Alternative Minimum Tax, which is rapidly moving away from being a tool to keep the so called rich from avoiding taxes and turning into a backdoor massive tax increase on the middle class. Years ago Tom Snyder (Wikipedia link for those who have forgotten him already) did a bit in his days as the anchor on the local ABC News in New York City about the new 1040EZ form. He said it asked "how much did you make last year?" and then told you to "send it in" (kind of like this). We're quickly moving to that state of affairs if the AMT isn't dealt with. It's typical that JER is dealing with it, while others deal with less reality based concerns.

Well, I'm back to being long winded and a bit more timely after a couple of abbreviated and late in posting weeks. That's because I didn't have any stitches removed from my eye today, unlike the last two Saturdays. That makes such a difference! I know there are probably some of you who would wish that I was a bit... less better... so as to spare you my long winded diatribes. Those who feel that way will be happy to know that this is probably a brief respite in that regard as I go back for more work on my eye next Saturday. And now my surgeon is talking about needing to put a stitch back in because he doesn't like the way one spot on the graft is looking. Sheesh, but I'm getting tired of this.

I'm going to spend much of the rest of the day writing notes to the various shows to highlight the problems with the DBM narratives that I cited this week, particularly lambasting Fox News Watch. I think I'll also add a note to Reliable Sources and do a little reality based analysis of Howie's WaPo piece about Lil Timmah's testimony. I would really like to encourage everyone to do the same kind of thing, particularly if you can point to specifics and provide links to evidence. I've barely scratched the surface on the excellent and well documented work being done on the blogs on these subjects. I'd say it's on the level of Rathergate, except this time the DBM is simply ignoring anything and everything that doesn't fit their template. We need to break through. I wish Rush hadn't been on vacation this past week. We'll have to see what we can do to change this situation ourselves.

The dinosaur media is really spinning out of control. The egregious examples this week of how the reporting diverged from what really happened and what was really said is astounding. We need to exercise the power that made us Time's Man Of The Year. Perhaps they were hoping that honor would jinx us, like a sports star being on the cover of Sport's Illustrated with an article about them being the likely winner of something. I think that's known as SIKOD.

There's actually some interesting things that could happen on the shows this weekend. However, the odds are that it will be frustrating to watch the version of reality spun out by the moonbats being accepted whole and promoted as definitive. It will be like global warming being declared an established, unquestionable, Fact, sans evidence. It's just a "consensus" that must be accepted as Truth. The growing fanaticism and religious fervor of the moonbats and their fellow travelers on all of their issues is leading them further and further into positions that I simply don't believe they can sustain, unless they are willing to take drastic, Orwellian action. And if they are challenged by some real event that contradicts their fantasy I'm afraid they could become violent. Simply examine the extreme rhetoric that even their most "mainstream" leaders are embracing.

I know, maybe I'm paranoid. But that isn't the question. The real question is am I paranoid enough? However, it would do well for us to remember our Kipling.

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
  To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
  Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld, And the people who ask it explain That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation, To puff and look important and to say: -- "Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you. We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation, For fear they should succumb and go astray; So when you are requested to pay up or be molested, You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld, No matter how trifling the cost; For the end of that game is oppression and shame, And the nation that pays it is lost!"

We are being asked to pay the Dane Geld by the moonbats, hoping that our enemies will leave us alone. What they fail to address is that these enemies aren't asking for Dane-Geld. They are asking for our heads.

This should be cross posted to my blog at Wizards.townhall.com later today. 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 valuable 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!

Mark Kilmer has posted his excellent preview of the Sunday shows over at Redstate.COM. I will try post a link to his Sunday review when it is up.

Saturday Shows For Saturday February 10, 2007

Below are the topics and guests announced for these programs, along with my take on the "memes" that the shows are trying to push. With each guest's name are a series of links that I found in a web search that helped me get a handle on who they are and what their likely positions will be when they are interviewed.

The Beltway Boys (Mort Kondrake, Fred Barnes)

Meme:
- Can you say "Bush is a lame duck"? We knew you could
- So here's the story, you've got "unstoppable winners" with "strengths" in the Democrat race and "losers" with "baggage" or "damage" in the Republican race
Topics:
- Race for ’08: Obama/Clinton showdown in New Hampshire
- Can Mitt Romney win conservatives’ approval?
- What is it about Rudy Giuliani that's raising eyebrows in some GOP circles?
Beltway Boys contact information beltway@foxnews.com
The program airs on FOX News Channel Saturdays at 6 and 11:30 p.m. ET

CNBC's Tim Russert Show (Tim Russert)

Meme:
- So here's the story, you've got "unstoppable winners" with "strengths" in the Democrat race and "losers" with "baggage" or "damage" in the Republican race
Topics:
- Tim talks all politics
Guests
- Terry McAuliffe
  - former DNC Chairman
  - Wikipedia Bio
  - Author: What a Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals
  - Review: What A Party! My Life Among Democrats (International Herald Tribune, France - Feb 5, 2007)
  - EXCERPTS FROM TERRY McAULIFFE'S 'WHAT A PARTY' BOOK (Syracuse Post Standard, NY - Jan 20, 2007)
  - McAuliffe Rips Kerry 'Malpractice' in Memoir (Huffington Post, NY - Jan 23, 2007)
  - The Meltdown Democrats (Human Events, DC - Feb 4, 2007)
  - Babbin Blows Holes in McAuliffe's Hype for Hillary (Human Events - Feb 2, 2007) Note, video clip
  - Terry McAuliffe on Immigration (Commonweal, NY - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Knights of Malta in Rome Reject Pro-Abortion Terry McAuliffe (Lifesite, NY - Feb 2, 2007)
  - Terry McAuliffe And Me: Just A Couple of Irish Catholic Kids Kicking Around Catholic Teaching (Hugh Hewitt, Town Hall, DC - Jan 30, 2007)
- Frank Luntz
  - Republican Pollster
  - Huffington Post Bio
  - Author Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
  - Book Review: Words That Work by Dr. Frank Luntz (Blogcritics.org, OH - Feb 7, 2007)
  - GOP strategist: Environmentalists are mean (MSNBC - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Will the GOP Heed the Warnings of Pollster Frank Luntz? (National Ledger, AZ - Jan 31, 2007)
  - Frank Luntz's Tarnished Legacy (CBS News, NY - Jan 29, 2007)
  - Frank Luntz is a Liar (Huffington Post, NY - Jan 23, 2007)
  - Frank Luntz: Words That Don't Work (Yahoo! News - Jan 21, 2007)
CNBC's Tim Russert Show airs Saturday at 7pm, 10pm & 1am ET

Fox News Watch (Eric Burns)

Meme:
- Media tabloid coverage instead of real informative news is bad, therefore lets devote our entire show to tabloid coverage
- Who are you going to believe, the truth or the AP? OK, then believe the Washington Post, they can't both be wrong, can they? (I bet they don't cover this)
Topics:
- Space Odyssey: How have the media covered the strange saga of Astronaut Lisa Nowak?
- Analyzing Anna: Media fascination with Anna Nicole Smith and coverage of her death
The program airs on FOX News Channel Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 2:30 a.m. ET
Fox News Watch contact information Newswatch@foxnews.com

Journal Editorial Report (Paul Gigot) - FNC show page

Meme:
- Rudy, Rudy, he's our man, if he can't do it Romney can!
- Did you know that Rudy's close advisor and biographer works for a "left of center think tank" in New York?
- OK, this tax on rich people is now beginning to hit people on welfare...
Topics:
- Opinion Journal web page: Can Giuliani Win?
  - Can Rudy Giuliani really win the GOP presidential nomination?
    - An interview with his biographer, Fred Siegel
    - A debate among Journal editors
  - The Beltway tax debate.
- Fox News Channel web page
  - Rudy's running but can he win the GOP's nomination?
  - The Bush budget battle: Our panel previews the looming showdown over the Alternative Minimum Tax
Guests
- Fred Siegel
  - Wikipedia Bio
  - Author The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life
  - White House Bid? Giuliani Is Still Undeclared (New York Times, NY - Feb 6, 2007)
  - The Oral Arguments About Giuliani (New York Observer, NY - Jan 18, 2007)
  - Giuliani Is Cautious as He Weighs ’08 Decision (New York Times, NY - Jan 27, 2007)
  - Giuliani A Tough Conservative Sell (Guardian Unlimited, UK - Jan 25, 2007)
Journal Editorial Report (at Fox News) contact information - jer@foxnews.com
The program is from The Wall Street Journal and airs on FNC Saturday at 11 p.m. and again Sunday at 6 a.m. ET

CBS Face The Nation (Bob Schieffer)

Below are the topics and guests announced for this program, along with my take on the "memes" that the show is trying to push. With each guest's name are a series of links that I found in a web search that helped me get a handle on who they are and what their likely positions will be when they are interviewed.

Meme:
- Those dastardly Republicans blocked the Iraq surge debate by actually daring to debate! ... wait...
- Forget McChimpy Bushitler, here's a real President! Just keep Teddy and the waitress out of sight.
- Good old Trent, always ready to stab a fellow Republican in the back or vote for some good old fashioned pork - he's CBS's idea of a good Republican
- Can you say "Bush is a lame duck"? We knew you could
Topics:
- Politics and the Iraq war resolutions
Guests
- Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat - Connecticut
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Foreign Relations Committee member
  - 2008 Presidential Candidate
  - Campaign web site | Bio
  - Celebrities Backing Dodd (Hartford Courant, CT - Feb 9, 2007)
  - CHRIS DODD - HEARING ON PRESERVING THE AMERICAN DREAM: PREDATORY LENDING PRACTICES AND HOME FORECLOSURES (OpEdNews, PA - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Poll: Dodd Way Behind Hillary In Home State Of Connecticut (TPMCafe, NY - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Senator Dodd announces bill for six weeks of paid FMLA leave (CCH - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Dodd reports $4.9 million in campaign funds (WTNH, CT - Feb 1, 2007)
  - Protecting reporters' privilege? (First Amendment Center, TN - Feb 8, 2007)
- Senator Trent Lott, Republican - Mississippi
  - Minority Whip
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Dems: Senate Debate on Iraq Inevitable (ABC News - Feb 5, 2007)
  - Of sausage and policy (Indian Country Today, NY - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Payback Time for Trent Lott? (Newsweek - Jan 26, 2007)
  - Housing Still Issue for Gulf Coast (WTOK, MS - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Miss. to get $18M for projects (Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS - Feb 5, 2007)
  - Lott Seeks State Support for Amtrak (WLBT-TV, MS - Jan 17, 2007)
  - Trent Lott Senate's top jet-setter (Concord Monitor, NH - Jan 17, 2007)
- John Harris
  - Editor in Chief, The Politico
  - New Media and Old (RealClearPolitics, IL - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Politico: Niche Web Site Isn't Yet A Notch Above (Washington Post, DC - Jan 28, 2007)
  - Politico Mojo (American Journalism Review, MD - Jan 26, 2007)
  - The Politico Roundtable (CBS News, NY - Jan 21, 2007)
Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

NBC Meet The Press (Tim Russert)

Meme:
- Those dastardly Republicans blocked the Iraq surge debate by actually daring to debate! ... wait...
- Forget McChimpy Bushitler, he's not a real President! Now that the Dhimmicrats are in charge all power is theirs. Repeat after us: "lame duck, lame duck, lame duck."
- What plane controversy. There's no plane controversy. There never was a plane controversy The new Dhimmicrat House Committee on Truth flushed that down the memory hole 48 hours ago when the polls starting coming in! These aren't the droids you're looking for... move along.
Topics:
- With the House debate over a nonbinding resolution to express opposition to a troop "surge" in Iraq set to begin next week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.,) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will square off over the President's new Iraq strategy.
- Roundtable
  - A busy weekend in the 2008 race for the White House as Barack Obama officially announces his candidacy and Hillary Clinton makes her first campaign trip to New Hampshire.
  - The trial of Scooter Libby nears the end of its third week as more journalists and officials are expected to be called to testify.
Guests
- Representative Steny Hoyer, Democrat - Maryland
  - House Majority Leader
  - House web site | Bio
  - House Majority Leader Hoyer on Iraq, Katrina (NPR - Feb 9, 2007) - Note, audio at link
  - House debate limited to surge (GOPUSA, TX - Feb 9, 2007)
  - House Democrats Plan Iraq Vote Next Week (Fox 28, IN - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Hoyer: House will go ahead with Iraq debate (CNN - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Bush Parries Senate, House Dems Try Next (U.S. News & World Report - Feb 9, 2007)
  - PROPOSED BUDGET WOULD AFFECT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ BENEFITS (FedNews-Online, AL - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Voters growing impatient with Congress (San Jose Mercury News, CA - Feb 9, 2007)
- Representative John Boehner, Republican - Ohio
  - House Minority Leader
  - House web site | Bio
  - House measure on Iraq to measure its language (Los Angeles Times, CA - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Baghdad security sweep under way, says top official (Albuquerque Tribune, NM - Feb 7, 2007_
  - GOP Advisers Press Boehner to Be More Aggressive (U.S. News & World Report - Feb 7, 2007)
  - House Republicans take to the airwaves (The Hill, DC - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Kennedy has Boehner picking up the pieces (The Hill, DC - Feb 7, 2007)
  - House GOP leader sides with Miller in controversy (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Strong economy helps balance budget (Hillsboro Times Gazette, OH - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Caucus Chatter (New York Times, NY - Feb 5, 2007)
- Roundtable:
  - David Broder
    - Columnist for the Washington Post
    - Democratic race for 2008 still wide open (Gwinnett Daily Post, GA - Feb 8, 2007)
    - One Leak and a Flood of Silliness (Washington Post - Sep 7, 2006)
  - Gwen Ifill
    - Moderator of PBS's "Washington Week"
    - Jury Selection Begins for Trial of Lewis "Scooter" Libby (PBS News Hour (partial transcript) - Jan 17, 2007) - Note, audio and video at link
    - PBS Host Talks of Changing Times (The Ledger, FL - Jan 31, 2007)
  - Howard Kurtz
    - Media reporter for the Washington Post
    - Host of CNN's "Reliable Sources
    - Tim Russert, on The Uncomfortable Side of a Question (Washington Post - Feb 9, 2007)
    - Many in press count Bush as lame (Concord Monitor, NH - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Roger Simon
    - Chief Political Columnist for the Politico
    - Obama Off and Running (Politico.COM - Feb 9, 2007)
    - Maureen Dowd: Congressional case of hearing, not listening (Whittier Daily News, CA - Jan 27, 2007)
What would you like to ask this week's guests? (web page for submitting questions for this weeks show)
Meet the Press mailbox (web page for comments)

Fox News Sunday (Chris Wallace)

Meme:
- Those dastardly Republicans blocked the Iraq surge debate by actually daring to debate! ... wait...
- Extremism in the pursuit of the defeat of the United States is not a vice... in fact, it's the only true patriotism!
- Who are you going to believe, the truth or the AP? OK, then believe the Washington Post, they can't both be wrong, can they? OK, OK. But you have to believe Karl Levin! He's a senator and he wears those glasses that make him look like he's smart.
- Can you say "Bush is a lame duck"? We knew you could
Topics:
- Will Democrats block an Iraq troop surge with binding legislation?
  - Republicans halt the much-anticipated Senate debate on Iraq, blocking a vote on a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's troop surge.
  - There are indications that the Democrats may now be planning to oppose the surge with more forceful, binding legislation.
  - What are the next steps for the U.S. Senate as critics on both sides of the political aisle seek to put their views on the record?
- Did Pentagon officials cherry pick intelligence to build the case for taking down Saddam?
- Power Player of the Week: the courtroom artist for some of the biggest D.C. trials in the last two decades
- Fox News essay, Coming Up on FNS
Guests
- Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican - Kentucky
  - Senate Minority Leader
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Republicans Try to Block Iraq Resolution (ABC News - Feb 5, 2007)
  - Republican senators stifle debate on Iraq (Malaysia Sun, Malaysia - Feb 6, 2007)
  - McConnell giving Iraq 9 months (Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - Jan 29, 2007)
  - Who Won in the Senate? (The Conservative Voice, NC - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Mitch McConnell, fierce partisan, tames his image (Scripps News, DC - Jan 25, 2007)
  - GOP Advisers Press Boehner to Be More Aggressive (U.S. News & World Report, DC - Feb 7, 2007)
  - When the GOP Torpedoed Nixon (Politico, DC - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Both Parties Lash Out at Bush's Budget Plan (WBKO, KY - Feb 5, 2007)
- Senator Jack Reed, Democrat - Rhode Island
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Quote Of The Day II (TPMCafe, NY - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Senate Panel Examines Faulty Iraq Intelligence (New York Times, NY - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Senate Democrats push for Iraq vote (Providence Journal, RI - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Who's Blocking Debate on Iraq War? (Crosswalk.com - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Reed skeptical of Bush's new Iraq plan (Eyewitness News, RI - Jan 11, 2007)
  - RI delegation questions budget for Iraq, health care (Providence Journal, RI - Feb 6, 2007)
  - US Senate confirms Gen. Casey despite critics (Reuters AlertNet, UK - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Democrats And Veterans Demand Accountability On Iraq Escalation (All American Patriots (press release), Sweden - Feb 8, 2007)
- Douglas Feith
  - Former undersecretary for Defense on Policy
  - Department Of Defense Bio
  - A Little Learning - What Douglas Feith knew, and when he knew it. (The New Yorker - May 2, 2005)
  - Douglas Feith Responds to Criticism (NPR - Feb 9, 2007) - Note, transcript, audio at link
  - Report About How Douglas Feith Manipulated Intelligence to Link Iraq to Al-Qaeda, Dragging America to Invade Iraq (Al Jazeera - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Probe faults Pentagon's false 'alternative' Iraq intel (The NewStandard, NY - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Smart bombs (The Spokesman Review, WA - Feb 10, 2007)
  - Byrd: Inspector General Report Raises Major Questions on White House War Truths (HNN Huntingtonnews.net, WV - Feb 10, 2007)
  - Tommy Franks Was Right (Atlantic Free Press, Netherlands - Feb 10, 2007)
  - The Memory Hole: DOD Backed Away From Feith's "Inappropriate" Intel in 2003 (TPMmuckraker, NY - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Report says Pentagon manipulated intel (AP Yahoo News - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Official's Key Report On Iraq Is Faulted (Washington Post, DC - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Correction: Dubious Intelligence At The Washington Post (RedState.COM - Feb 10, 2007)
  - WaPo whoops; AP blunders (Michelle Malkin's Blog - Feb 9, 2007)
  - What? The AP and Senator Levin Mischaracterized The DOD Inspector General's Report? (Hugh Hewitt's Blog - Feb 9, 2007)
  - DoD Inspector General Report Destroys Claims of Pentagon Intel Manipulation (Flopping Ace's Blog - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Report says Pentagon manipulated intel (BlackFive Blog - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Inspector General's Report - Executive Summary (Department of Defense, via Washington Post - Feb 9, 2007) Note, PDF file, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Power Player of the Week
  - Courtroom Artist William Hennessy
- Roundtable
  - Bill Kristol
    - Weekly Standard Editor
    - The GOP's Moment of Truth (The Weekly Standard - Feb 19, 2007 issue)
    - —On the Senate Resolution— (National Review Online Blogs, NY - Feb 2, 2007)
  - Juan Williams
    - NPR Senior National Correspondent
    - Black Voters Aren't Fully Sold on Obama (NPR - Feb 9, 2007) - Note, audio at link
    - Bush Vows 'Firm' Response to Iran Military Action (NPR - Jan 29, 2007) - Note, transcript, audio at link
  - Paul Gigot
    - Wall Street Journal editorial page editor
    - Trials and Tribulations (Journal Editorial Report (transcript) - Feb 4, 2007)
    - Four Years On: Probing Press Failures in Run-Up to War (Editor & Publisher - Jan 24, 2007)
  - Nina Easton
    - Fortune Magazine Washington Bureau Chief
    - Popular issues, unpopular president (CNNMoney.com - Jan 24, 2007)
    - The new Newt thing (CNNMoney.com - Jan 22, 2007)
Fox News Sunday contact information - FNS@foxnews.com

CNN Late Edition (Wolf Blitzer)

Meme:
- Those dastardly Republicans blocked the Iraq surge debate by actually daring to debate! ... wait...
- Here's the plan, we paint conservative Republicans as lunatics by pairing them with the loopiest left Dhimmicrats we can find...
- McChimpy Bushitler's surge might actually be having an effect in Baghdad... quick, bash him about Afghanistan!
- Can you say "Bush is a lame duck"? We knew you could
Topics:
- Iraqi insurgents change tactics: Is it time for the United States to chart a new course?
- The other terror front, Afghanistan.
Guests
- Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat - Oregon
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Select Intelligence Committee member
  - 2007 Intelligence Authorization Bill Advances in Senate (Secrecy News, DC - Feb 9, 2007)
  - No, No, No, No: Wyden Gives Smith Cover on Iraq (Loaded Orygun, OR - Feb 3, 2007)
  - Sen. Ron Wyden: Stop Pentagon Sales of Surplus F-14 Parts (NewsMax.com, FL - Jan 30, 2007)
  - Oregon's Great United States Senator: Ron Wyden Jon Isaacs (BlueOregon, OR - Jan 24, 2007)
  - That sad parade (Albany Democrat Herald, OR - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Return of Old Faithful: Smith 180s on Iraq Vote--AGAIN (Loaded Orygun, OR - Feb 5, 2007)
  - Senate OKs Wyden bill to ban 'scret holds' (KTVZ, OR - Jan 19, 2007)
  - Senator questions "don't ask, don't tell" in letter to Gates (The Advocate, CA - Jan 29, 2007)
- Senator John Cornyn, Republican - Texas
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Armed Services Committee member
  - Texas Senators Push For More BRAC Funding (ClickonSA.com, TX - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Funding May Not Come To Ft. Bliss (KFOXtv.com, TX - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Hutchison, Cornyn push for vote on GOP war resolutions (KSWO, OK - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Bush backers aren't true to words (Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, TN - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Report Shows Agents Lied, Covered Up Shooting (KFOXtv.com, TX - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Anger grows in Congress over border agents' case (Houston Chronicle, TX - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Senate Debates Resolution on Troop Increase in Iraq (PBS - Feb 6, 2007)
  - ACLU Alarmed At Justice Department Move to Collect DNA, Violates Privacy Rights and Causes Further Delays in Overwhelmed System (ACLU (press release), NY - Feb 5, 2007)
- Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican - California
  - House web site | Bio
  - Armed Services Committee member
  - 2008 Presidential Candidate
  - Campaign web site |
  - 2008 Presidential Contender: Duncan Hunter (American Chronicle, CA - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Hunter Outraged Over Prison Attack (KFMB, CA - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Duncan Hunter: Amnesty for Border Patrol Agents Dave Eberhart (NewsMax.com, FL - Jan 30, 2007)
  - Presidential Frontrunners Would Surrender America's Borders (American Daily, OH - Feb 8, 2007)
  - The Case for Duncan Hunter (ProLife Blogs - Feb 4, 2007)
  - Helicopter downings signal possible shift in enemy tactics (North County Times, CA - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Duncan Hunter Blasts Kerry for 'Pariah' Remark (NewsMax.com, FL - Jan 29, 2007)
  - Duncan Hunter Pushes Platform On Sunday Talk Show (KFMB, CA - Jan 29, 2007)
- Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry
  - Former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan
  - Afghanistan: The Forgotten War (TPMCafe, NY - Feb 5, 2007)
  - Sen. Clinton meets with Karzai, troops (AngolaPress, Angola - Jan 15, 2007)
  - BAAG Afghanistan Monthly Review Jan 2007 (ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Gates may push to send more troops to Afghanistan (CTV.ca, Canada - Jan 17, 2007)
  - Taliban step up attacks: US military (Hindustan Times, India - Jan 17, 2007)
  - US Heads NATO-IASF in Afghanistan (Prensa Latina, Cuba - Feb 4, 2007)
  - US officials say Taliban attacks are surging (Zee News, India - Jan 16, 2007)
- Terry McAuliffe
  - former DNC Chairman
  - Wikipedia Bio
  - Author: What a Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals
  - Review: What A Party! My Life Among Democrats (International Herald Tribune, France - Feb 5, 2007)
  - EXCERPTS FROM TERRY McAULIFFE'S 'WHAT A PARTY' BOOK (Syracuse Post Standard, NY - Jan 20, 2007)
  - McAuliffe Rips Kerry 'Malpractice' in Memoir (Huffington Post, NY - Jan 23, 2007)
  - The Meltdown Democrats (Human Events, DC - Feb 4, 2007)
  - Babbin Blows Holes in McAuliffe's Hype for Hillary (Human Events - Feb 2, 2007) Note, video clip
  - Terry McAuliffe on Immigration (Commonweal, NY - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Knights of Malta in Rome Reject Pro-Abortion Terry McAuliffe (Lifesite, NY - Feb 2, 2007)
  - Terry McAuliffe And Me: Just A Couple of Irish Catholic Kids Kicking Around Catholic Teaching (Hugh Hewitt, Town Hall, DC - Jan 30, 2007)
CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos)

Meme:
- Those dastardly Republicans blocked the Iraq surge debate by actually daring to debate! ... wait...
- Jon Carry is a loser, can we taint Mike Huckabee by association?
- There have been hundreds of false charges made against our soldiers over fake "war crimes," therefore we must defend a mutineer as the real hero - fragging is patriotic!
- Can you say "Bush is a lame duck"? We knew you could
- Let government confiscate or regulate everything... no, have government should sell everything everything and get out of the way...
Topics:
- Former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass on his decision not to run in '08
- "On the Trail" with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
- Sean Penn on the controversial court martial of Lt. Ehren Watada.
Guests
- Senator John Kerry, Democrat - Massachusetts
  - Former presidential candidate
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Jane Fonda, John Kerry and suspect intelligence (Salem Statesman Journal, OR - Feb 4, 2007)
  - A Presidential Also-Ran, Kerry Adjusts to What Passes for a Normal Life in the Senate (New York Times, NY - Feb 4, 2007)
  - NY Times Finally Notices That John Kerry Looks Like a Sad Horse (Wonkette (satire), DC - Feb 5, 2007)
  - A new Raleigh life for Kerry (News & Observer, NC - Feb 8, 2007)
  - Poor John Kerry (Christian Broadcasting Network, VA - Feb 6, 2007)
  - The real John Kerry says no go (Stockton Record, CA - Feb 4, 2007)
  - John Kerry can't shake loser label (Edmonton Sun, Canada - Feb 4, 2007)
- Mike Huckabee
  - Former Arkansas Governor
  - Wikipedia Bio
  - Huckabee defends traditional marriages (Centre Daily Times, PA - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Huckabee: Marriages face enough challenges without 'experiments' (WMC-TV, TN - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Huckabee warns of wars with Islam, unhealthy behavior (Boston Herald - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Huckabee's political kiss of death (Statesman Journal, OR - Feb 9, 2007)
  - Can Mike Huckabee Compete In '08? (CBS News, NY - Feb 7, 2007)
  - Huckabee To Tackle Tax Critics (Fort Smith Times Record, AR - Feb 8, 2007)
- Sean Penn
  - Sean Penn demonstrates at court martial for Iraq war objector (KPUA, HI - Feb 6, 2007)
  - Sean Penn joins protesters outside court martial (Kansas City Star, MO - Feb 5, 2007)
  - What to do with Army deserter Ehren Watada; Send him to jail in Iraq and strip him of his bars (Opinion Editorials, VA - Feb 6, 2007)
  - "Support the Troops"? How? (The Conservative Voice, NC - Feb 8, 2007)
  - If You Missed The "Peace Protests" (Post Chronicle - Feb 7, 2007)
- Roundtable
  - Robert Reich
    - Clinton Administration Labor Secretary
    - Make the oil companies pay (Marketplace, CA - Feb 7, 2007) - Note, Transcript, audio at link
    - Keeping Up Appearances (American Prospect - Jan 17, 2007)
  - Cokie Roberts
    - The cooling abortion debate (Black Hills Pioneer, SD - Feb 8, 2007)
    - The least bad outcome for Iraq best we can do (Billings Gazette, MT - Jan 11, 2007)
  - George Will
    - Chicago sheds assets in hopes of gaining residents (The Union Leader, NH - Feb 7, 2007)
    - New majority, same old political trick (Daily Mail - Charleston, WV - Jan 29, 2007)
ABC This Week comment web page

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Here's a sample of my usual witty commentary...

The biggest news this week was the debate over the debate on the Iraq surge. Republicans wanted to debate not only the anti-surge resolution of the Dhimmicrats and wobbly RINOs but also other resolutions and amendments... Dingy Harry Reid didn't want to allow debate on anything but the "Bi-Partisan Blame Evil America and Embrace Defeat Resolution" ... Guess how the dinosaur media reported it? ...
There were two other major stories in Washington this week, the Libby trial ... and the release of the report by the Defense Department IG report ... Now, the DBM got the story 180 degrees out of whack on the surge resolution debate, so you'd think they'd be a little more accurate in at least one of these other stories, just based on the odds. But then you'd be wrong... I'm no Foghorn Leghorn so I'll just stick to saying the DBM is a tad short on telling the truth in their reporting...
... I think I detect an accelerating trend. When they get this outlandish and demonstrably false in their reporting they are either desperate or they've lost touch with reality and have begun to drink the Kool Aid. ...
... There's actually some interesting things that could happen on the shows this weekend. However, the odds are that it will be frustrating to watch the version of reality spun out by the moonbats being accepted whole and promoted as definitive...

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