Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 23 July 2006

Various big media television networks ^ | 23 July 2006 | Various Self-Serving Politicians and Big Media Screaming Faces

[Alas Babylon!]

The Talk Shows

Sunday, July 23rd, 2006

Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.; Washington National Opera director Placido Domingo.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC): White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten.

FACE THE NATION (CBS): Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon; Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha.

THIS WEEK (ABC): Pre-empted for live coverage of the British Open.

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Bolton; former CIA officer Gary Berntsen; Isaac Herzog, Israeli tourism minister; Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; Reps. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., and Jane Harman, D-Calif.

30 posted on 07/23/2006 9:01:29 AM EDT by Alas Babylon!

[daybreakcoming]

If this were to happen again, GWB could recesss appoint again, BUT Bolton would have to work without compensation.

Thank you Chuck for the info. I figured there had to be an answer out there. And I'll trust your memory. :o)

[Bahbah]

I thought Brit, while asking very good, very direct questions (there really is no one better), had a most careful way of going about it. It was somehow different from his usual manner. I thought perhaps he sees Hastert is doing a really dumb thing with this search issue and wanted to bring that out, but that he doesn't feel that Hastert is a bad guy and is maybe not up to much of a challenge in the questioning department and he didn't want to spook him or appear aggressive with him. I don't know, it was just not Brit's usual way.

[Txsleuth]

I don't think that Hastert has been all that effective...and from the interview, he didn't sound very happy with much of anything the Bush Administration has done.

AND, if he had been a Democrat..I would have laughed at the way he tried to parse, dodge, and avoid Brit's questions..and if Brit hadn't pushed him...he wouldn't have owned up to his "misstatement"...blech

[Txsleuth]

I am not going to dispute anything you said:

But, Rush mentioned last week that he met with President Bush in the Oval Office a couple of weeks ago...and I have heard Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld on his show..

I have also heard Bill Gertz of the Washington Times on his show...so IMHO..he has the respect of the top handful of people in the whole world...so, to heck with ESPN, or the Weekly Standard.

[Fishtalk]

So, I am the exception that proves your rule.

You have that exactly right. For sure yours is not a typical career path. Which is good, heh, as you don't have the dingbats who came before you to clean up after.

In fact, I managed to carve out a nice life for myself with my ability to clean things up after others have made a mess.

I started out temping. Man, I was one great temp. I'd get in that door and give me a minute and I'd figure it out. Then I'd fix it.

After a while my temporary employers began to ask for me to work for them but I stopped working full time a long time ago. So I offered my services independent like, without bother of a temp agency.

Boom, soon I had banks, law firms, accounting firms and all manner of businesses that called me for "consultant" work and hey, I charged them $25.00 buckaroos an hour.

Now, what with my midlife embrace of the written word, I only have to client that I keep. One is pretty good, the largest property management firm in Baltimore Merryland. They also own hotels, campgrounds and sorts of crap down here in Delaware, where I moved. I thought I would get away, heh, but go on, they have a campground about five miles from my new house. I worked there too...hand to God, went in an managed a campground, fixed up their computer system...boom. But I had to stop because I do not want to work full time.

People with talent, especially in this America place where all avenues are open to those willing to work, can carve out their own life and it's nice.

My REAL passion in life is....yes indeed, BLOGGING. I love it. Make no money at it and have a modest number of daily hits. Although I'd argue my readers may be few but they're very loyal.

But I've got thirty years (or one year times thirty as your Dad puts it) under my belt. I worked like the dickens all my life but you know what I always told my employees? No matter how dead end a job may seem, you can always learn SOMETHING. And no one can ever open up your head and take out your knowledge.

There's a moral there somewhere.

[mjolnir]

True--- well said!

Ronald Reagan handed off the torch of being the standard bearer for conservatism in America... Obviously the approval of ESPN means diddly squat next to that.

I think since he came back, Rush cares a lot less about that sort of thing than he used to in any case-- in fact, I'm probably projecting, because it bugs me when he wrongly gets the shaft even though my only connection to him is listening to and reading the guy.

[samantha]

I think that all those Libs like Juan and Beckel and Mort know what is going on,but they are tied to the Demoncrat Party and have to pander and play act for the Wackos in the Dem base. Every once in a while they will throw the Conservatives a bone like they are coming over from the dark side, but they quickly jump back to cash their paychecks. Are they prostituting themselves? You betcha,just like Trent Lott,and most of the Rino Republicans.

[Chuck54]

You're most welcome. I plan to brush up on this stuff in the days to come. The entire stupidity of the Democrats would be shown for all the world to see if they were to filibuster Bolton again and President Bush does recess appoint him again. Bolton and President Bush go on TV together to make the announcement and President Bush says "this is the best man for the job and Mr. Bolton has agreed to work free gratis for the good of our country". "With the world and the Mideast in turmoil, terrorists blustering, and the U.S. being a main player in defeating these threats, we need Mr. Bolton on the job". "Thank you John for serving your country, you are a true American".

Do it in prime time too. I would live for that day.

[Morgan in Denver]

I respectfully disagree. Hastert has gotten more legislation passed than his predecessor if I remember correctly. I don't have time to verify specifics, and I'm sorry for taking an opinion without more to back me up. I just remember more than one House member commenting on how effective he's turned out to be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big Hastert fan and I disagree with many things he's done in the past. I'm just suggesting he is not as bad as the perception he seems to project. I really think we need more information before condemning him.

As I said, Hastert is more of a manager than an advocate. As such, he comes across as ineffective or not a team player on some issues. Add in his obvious lack of charisma and he does not interview well nor does he seem to have an effective personality.

[shalom aleichem]

Yes, Coach Hastert has his warts, but envision a House under Madam Pelosi. That stark choice may be what saves the day this November.

[altura]

Oh, I didn't know Lee (Habib) had left the Laura show.

They seemed so close, I thought they were like best friends, joined at the hip, etc.

Do you know where he went and why?

[Bernard]

RE Bolton and a confirmation hearing --

And if Mr. Bolton's confirmation is hung up in Senate hearings, an empty chair at the UN would send a very powerful message about this country's opinion of the UN.

[Txsleuth]

Rush seemed to indicate when he came back from rehab..that his perspective had changed...

I am think it is apparent...although he hasn't lost his passion for the "fight".

[Phsstpok]

ummmmmm

well

ummmm, yes

(cough, cough)

Excuse me (ducking head and trying to hide)

ummmm

that wasn't my intent, you know?

ummmm

(cough, cough)

(what have I done now?)

please pay attention to the last part... "I don't have 30 years experience... I have one year experience, 30 time"

Now you've made me all self concious.  That was not meant to be self agrandizing.  Yeah, I was bragging... a bit... (but it's not bragging if it's the truth)... that's just how things happened.  Again, I'm still doing now what I did then (within the confines of keeping current).  If I were really smart I'd have sucked up to Jobs and Wozniak lo these many years ago. 

As it was they were in the booth next to me at The First West Coast Computer Faire, way back in 1977.  Woz (who I knew from computer club meetings in SF) came over to our booth and pounded on the keyboard to demonstrate to a potential customer of his how my PC had no internal buffer on the keyboard.  "See?  No keyboard rollover" meaning you had to let go of key #1 before you could type key #2 (he was right).  I smacked his hand away and told him to get back to his booth.  We laughed about it over drinks later that week as the show was wrapping up.  He even offered me a job with his company, just an entry level thing.  I turned him down because they didn't have benefits at the time and I knew I had my first corneal transplant coming up.  The rest, as they say, is history.
 

[Phsstpok]

Having read your stuff I can definitely say you're not charging enough at $25/hour.

[Phsstpok]

Mark Kilmer has posted his review on RedState.COM. Here is the header. The rest is available at the link.

The Sunday Show Review

By: Mark Kilmer · Section: Other Politics

For Sunday, July 23, 2006

This morning on Meet the Press, host Tim Russert was again tuned into the Bush Administration's nefarious designs, and his questions reflect that. He asked White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten if the Bushies wanted Israel to obliterate Hezbollah. Bolten said that Israel was entitled to a self-defense and that we support them in that. Russert also tried to grasp the logic of the President's stem cell position, recycling the 2001 argument that allowing experiments on existing lines of stem cells is the logical equivalent of killing more embryos.

UN Ambassador John Bolton on FNS spoke of the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon. (Brit Hume showed the image of the lonely tower on screen.) We don't need another 28-year interim, he said.

House Speaker Dennie Hastert did not rule out getting involved in disgraced Congressman William Jefferson's latest lawsuit, though he indicated that he would not do it in defense of Jefferson; rather, he thinks Representatives have certain "prerogatives" written into the Constitution which demand a procedure for searching beyond, evidently, the standard warrant.

Syrian Ambassador to the United States Dr. Imad Moustapha went on FTN and attacked the Bush Administration while maintaining that Clinton (Bill) knew "how to engage in the Middle East." (We saw the fruits on September 11.) His Israeli counterpart, Daniel Ayalon, told Bob Schieffer that Israel would not invade Lebanon. Rather, they'd continue the in-and-out precision strikes.

A guy named Mohammed Chatah, an advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, told Wolf Blitzer on LE that no one can blame Lebanon and attack her, because the Lebanese government does not control southern Lebanon. There was talk this morning by John Bolton and Dick Lugar about empowering the Lebanese army to do just that instead of installing a permanent international force.

For Bolton, Blitzer played a clip of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour threatening the Israelis with prosecution for war crimes. Speaking lawyer-to-lawyer, Bolton criticized her professional ethics for threatening prosecution based on press accounts.

Finally on LE, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar said an international force for Lebanon was one thing, but the United States could not participate. This has to do with 1983, of course, which Blitzer attributed to President Reagan's well-intentioned bumbling.

Sitting opposite Chairman Lugar, Chris Dodd attacked the President's "juvenile attitude" in not negotiating with Syria.

The show-by-show review is below the fold…

(8 comments, 8 new, 2686 words in story) Read Story & Discuss

Jul 23rd, 2006: 10:58:44

May I empahsize this part of his post:

Syrian Ambassador to the United States Dr. Imad Moustapha went on FTN and attacked the Bush Administration while maintaining that Clinton (Bill) knew "how to engage in the Middle East." (We saw the fruits on September 11.)

I'd say Mark gets it.

[Fishtalk]

Having read your stuff I can definitely say you're not charging enough at $25/hour.

You're right, really. But here's the thing...and it's worth a million bucks an hour to me...I get to work mostly from home. I spent so many years hiking down the BW parkway from Merryland to DC and that Baltimore Beltway that I just decided it was not worth it.

Which is not to say I am wealthy and do not need money. Heh. But when we up and moved to Delaware because Merryland was entirely too liberal and they were destroying us with property taxes, well circumstances and situations allowed me to work from home. Not that I work all that much but I do a bunch of different stuff.

I teach night school at the local district school, writing in fact. I work for the NWF cause I like birds. I write for little anthologies...chicken soup for the soul, that kind of thing. And I have written some books and I get little teeny tiny royalty checks. I do the accounting for my niece's beauty salon and hey, it's very rewarding. She's a little entrepreneur doing what the largest small business in this country does....styling hair. And I work for that property management firm up in Baltimore whenever they have an emergency.

So I'm cheap. I'm the cheapest kind of expertise you'll ever get. But I like what I'm doing and circumstances and situations allowed me to set up my life like this and I love to write. Not that you can't tell or anything.

Anyway, here's the scoop. I just got done writing the bestseller of the next decade.

Hand to God. And I got interest in this thing, I got lots of interest. Wow, I am doing okay down here in the swamps of Delaware because around Labor Day I will be doing a book signing and two days before that I will be the GUEST AUTHOR on a 2 hour radio show. Damn I'm good.

So this book....here's the scoop. It is just THE greatest book and the book store I'm doing the signing with, well that owner is in LOVE with my new book. And it isn't even but still in my computer.

The title, well I thought you'd never ask.

I am NOT making this up....it's called "Republican Sex".

This book has everything. Absolutely everything. Conservative values, erotic but not x-rated love scenes, a great love story...anyway that's the scoop.

I'm just a pretty American woman out here doing her thang and waiting to be discovered. Insert wink here.

And do ask me more about this "Republican Sex" book. I will not be insulted.

[Txsleuth]

Okay..you guys ganged up on me...and I defer to you both...LOL

No..I see your point Morgan..and I am sure he is frustrated as all get out over Sen. Frist. Frist has been confusing, ineffectual, and wishy washy.

I also posted to some people that were accusing him of being drunk..that I know he has had cellulitis and was hospitalized for about 4-5 days...so he could be on pain meds, which would make for not much cheer.

Morgan..I really didn't know the job description of the Speaker of the House includes being more neutral than partisan,...so that is part of the problem, I was judging him as an advocate.

Thanks for explaining to me...and yelling. LOL

[Phsstpok]

It sounds like you are being paid not enough but at least more than the $25/hour, then. It's just that you have put a value on your time that you no longer have to spend dealing with the commute (and the rest of the BS) by making the choices you have made. That strikes me as a rational bargain.

I am very impressed by the book. "Republican Sex" is a title that will definitely garner interest. I expect you to hold Freeper oriented book signings at some point. I'm in Memphis and we regularly have authors come through here for signings (usually at a place called Davis Kidd). Do let me know when you'll be anywhere in this region. I can travel to meet an author of that sort of book... particularly a "pretty American woman out here doing her thang."

I do have a family member who is one up on you, however. My nephew has sold his first two novels and the first one has been optioned as a movie. He's an L.A. cop who has spent 10 years on the gang and drug task force in South Central L.A. His novels are set in that arena, though they are not autobiographical.

He grew up a typical California kid with typical California liberal outlook. He started out as a (liberal) reporter for some small papers but his real ambition was to write novels. For that he figured he needed "life experience" and where better to get that than on the LAPD? Over the next few years, as he was exposed to the seamy side of California he converted to a conservative several sigma to my right. I used to have to ask him to "dial back" his liberal views. Now I have to ask him to "dial back" on his conservative ones. He's a good kid. I expect him to be a major star over the next few years. He's got the looks to star in movies himself and he is both brilliant and well spoken.

His first book is LA Rex and is due out in October.

I need to get him to sign up here.  The two of you, with the other writers we have here, could start the FreeRepublic Literary Society.  I'm not joking about that.

Congrats on the book.  I look forward to more info and, particularly, info on when and where we can get copies.  I don't see it listed on Amazon yet.
 

[malia]

On a post about 8 this morning I read what a poor job Josh Bolten did on MTP.

I finally got to hear Russert this evening and I was very impress with Josh Bolten! I understand he is new to the Administration and I liked what I heard from him.

I think Russert is on his way out following right behind Matthews.

I also like John Bolton - only saw him on FNS - both are class!!