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Posted at 1:25pm on Jun. 30, 2008 Politician Wes Clark attacks John McCain's service

Is he the Wes Clark whom Obama knew?

By Mark Kilmer

UPDATE: Barack Obama's peeps have tossed Wes Clark under the Scoop. (The candidate himself has thus far said NOTHING.)

"As he's said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service, and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark."

and:

Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs did not reject Clark’s comments.

“Those are the comments of Gen. Clark and they are not the comments of Barack Obama. We certainly honor the service and sacrifice and heroism of John McCain.”

Will Wes Clark now be publicly bounced from Barry's campaign? The rebukes of Clark are very, very mild.

= = = = = =

This bears repeating: Wes Clark, former general in the United States Army, is now a politician whose mental functions seem to have dissipated, turning him into a nasty, bitter man. I quoted him yesterday in RedState's The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review, but it was spelled out in a greater detail over Politico.com.

On CBS' Fact the Nation Sunday:

After saying, "I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war," he added that these experiences in no way qualify McCain to be president in his view:

“He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded — that wasn't a wartime squadron,” Clark said.

"I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president." [emphasis my own]

We can ask what then were Clark's qualifications eight-years ago. More immediate: What qualifies Obama right now?

Read On…

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Posted at 1:19pm on Jun. 29, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, June 29, 2008

PREFACE:

On FNS, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said that though both he and President Clinton are disappointed that Obama won the Dem nomination, Bill Clinton will do whatever he is asked for Obama. Rob Portman said that though he's pleased to be home in Ohio with his family, he would like to get back into public service at some point. He seemed to think it would be as a cabinet secretary, perhaps, though everyone has the veepstakes on their minds.

Bob Barr was next for host Chris Wallace on FNS, and he insists that he is a Libertarian despite having voted for the war, for the Patriot Act, and against medical marijuana. He said that his votes were mistakes made because he trusted the Administration. BushLied™.

On ABC's TW, Rahm Emanuel and Tim Pawlenty made the case that they have been friends for a long time. The highlights were when Pawlenty asked when Obama had ever led on anything. Emanuel searched his mind and came up with once back when Barry was in the Illinois State senate. Pawlenty later asked when Obama has fought his party when he thought they were wrong. Emanuel had nothing.

Next for host George Stephanopoulos on TW was Ralph Nader, who attacked Obama. Steph begged him to attack McCain, so he did that. Then Nader declared the two-party system to be broken.

On NBC's MTP, host Tom Brokaw talked to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, both Dems. Both men talked of the independence of the west. They support Obama but do not agree with all that flies from the candidate's trap. (Freudenthal is in favor of domestic energy exploration, for example, and Ritter is pro-life.)

Same show, Arnold supports McCain, loves the environment and fears global warming, but doesn't agree with McCain on everything. He said that Tim Russert had promised that he'd repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and insisted that now, Tom Brokaw had the power to do this.

On FTN, Joe Lieberman explained that the Dem Party was no longer the party of JFK which he had joined as a young man. He pointed out that Iran and al Qaeda would be the greatest influences in a chaotic Iraq if we had followed the Dem lead and gotten out when they wanted out.

Next on FTN, Wes Clark claimed that Obama is more prepared to be President than is John McCain: "I do not think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification for being President."

On LE, with Candy Crowley in for Wolf Blitzer, Senate Republic leader Mitch McConnell talked about the Republicans "drill more, use less" bill regarding oil. He said that he expected that Republicans, running with a strong candidate in John McCain at the top of the ticket, would hold steady in the Senate despite the numbers.

Next up, Obama surrogate Jon Corzine said that Congress must break us of our oil habit and that offshore drilling is a "short-term gimmick."

Also on LE, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said that Obama must be held accountable, as he too often says one thing and does another. He also did not rule out a gubernatorial veto of a Dem pay grab by the State legislature.

(The show-by-show review is below the fold.)

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Posted at 8:25am on Jun. 28, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: a preview

By Mark Kilmer

For Sunday, June 29, 2008

FOX News Sunday (FNS): Host Chris Wallace talks to Ed Rendell for Obama and Rob Portman for McCain. Then it's a trip to the fringe with Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr.

This Week (ABC): Host George Stephanopoulos talks to Rahm Emanuel for Obama and Tim Pawlenty for McCain.

Meet the Press (NBC): Host Tom Brokaw sits down with California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wyoming Dem Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D-WY), and Governor Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) to discuss the politics of the wild, wild west.

Face the Nation (CBS): Host Bob Schieffer speaks with Joe Lieberman for McCain and Wes Clark for Obama.

Late Edition (CNN): Host Wolf Blitzer talks to Bobby Jindal for McCain and Jon Corzine for Obama, then to Mitch McConnell and the usual cast of thousands.

=====

There are potential veeps, I have heard, it Rendell (D), Portman (R), and Pawlenty (R). Jindal's name has been thrown around, and I'm surprised I've not yet heard Emanuel's name.

This week is also of note for the fact that the two "mob governors," Rendell and Corzine, will be on in the morning, though on different shows.

I'll do the review tomorrow.

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Posted at 12:59pm on Jun. 22, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review

Sunday, June 22, 2007.

By Mark Kilmer

PREFACE:

On TW, host George Stephanopoulos held an energy roundtable at which Ed Markey spewed slogans, Columbia U' Jeff Sachs sailed in la-la land, Senator Hutchison made the Republican case, and American Petroleum Institute CEO Red Cavaney made perfect sense.

On FNS, Tom Daschle explained that Barack Obama never really promised to accept public financing thus did not flip-flop on the issue. Tom Ridge contested Daschle's use of "Bush-McCain."

On MTP, Joe Biden maintained that Obama did not flip-flop on campaign finance reform but has made public financing a less achievable goal.

On FTN, Bob Schieffer observed that Obama had flip-flopped on public financing of his presidential campaign. Carly Fiorina, speaking for John McCain, said that it was disingenuous for Obama to claim that he was doing this in the name of reform. Bill Richardson, speaking for Obama, said, nuh-huh, Barry didn't flip-flop, McCain flip-flopped.

Speaking for Obama on LE, Richardson said that the Surge had "absolutely not" been successful, as there has been little political reconciliation in Iraq and they are not sharing oil profits. Speaking for McCain in the next segment, Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin dismissed the falderal that the Iraqis should sell us oil at a discount, asserting that it should be sold at market prices so we will not be kept artificially dependent on it.

The show-by-show review is beneath the fold.

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Posted at 9:02am on Jun. 21, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - a preview

By Mark Kilmer

For Sunday, June 22, 2008

FOX News Sunday (FNS): Host Chris Wallace does the surrogate thing, with Tom Ridge for McCain and Tom Daschle for Obama.

This Week (ABC): Host George Stephanopoulos talks energy and the price of oil with such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Representative Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts),American Petroleum Institute CEO Red Cavaney, and economist Jeffrey Sachs, who runs something called the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Meet the Press (NBC): Brian Williams will host the show Tim Russert wanted to host last Sunday, featuring Joe Biden and Lindsey Graham. The surrogate thing.

Face the Nation (CBS): Host Bob Schieffer does the surrogate thing, with Carly Fiorina for McCain and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for Obama.

Late Edition (CNN): Host Wolf Blitzer does surrogates with Richardson for Obama and Tim Pawlenty, becoming known nationally, for John McCain. He talks also to Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia and that gawdawfully dim bulb Bob Wexler of Florida. And the usual cast of thousands.

~~~~~

We've plenty of surrogates this week and Steph's oil thing.

I'll have the review tomorrow.

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Posted at 8:58am on Jun. 14, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - a preview

The post-Russert era.

By Mark Kilmer

For Sunday, June 15, 2008

FOX News Sunday (FNS): Host Chris Wallace will chat with Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Byron Dorgan, then he'll talk to American Petroleum Institute CEO Red Cavaney.

This Week (ABC): Host George Stephanopoulos talks to John Edwards and Fred Thompson, former Senators both.

Meet the Press (NBC): It was to be host Tim Russert interviewing Lindsey Graham and Joe Biden, but… we'll see.

UPDATE: From NBC News comes word of the revised listings for "MEET THE PRESS WITH TIM RUSSERT." This one is for remembering Tim: Tom Brokaw of NBC News, Mike Barnicle of MSNBC News, James Carville, MTP Executive Producer Betsy Fischer, Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gwenn Ifill of PBS, Mary Matalin, and former NBC News correspondent Maria Shriver.

Kudos to Fischer for selecting Barnicle as the obligatory MSNBC representative Mike Barnicle. This memorial could have become a farce.

Face the Nation (CBS): Host Bob Schieffer will talk to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Newt Gingrich.

Late Edition (CNN): Host Wolf Blitzer will chat with Republicans John Boehner and Arlen Specter and Democrats Janet Napolitano and Chris Van Hollen, plus his usual cast of thousands.

= = = = =

This is a unique week, and singular sad at that. David Brinkley of ABC's This Week had retired, turning his show over to Sam & Cokie, when he passed, while Tim Russert was at the top of his game and went suddenly. His passing alters the face of Sunday morning.

It's pretty much surrogate-ville again across the board, except for Bob Schieffer at FTN. From time-to-time, he'll go all-conservative, and with Bobby J. and Newt G., he will be taking that step again.

I don't know what to expect from MTP this week. We'll see.

The reveiw of the shows will come in the space early tomorrow afternoon, and I'll have more on the passing for Tim Russert later.

"If it's Sunday..."

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Posted at 12:11pm on Jun. 8, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review

Your map of next week's political news.

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, June 8, 2008

PREFACE:

On FNS this morning, Time Pawlenty and Tim Kaine were in studio for what host Chris Wallace called an "American Idol audition" for their preferred candidate's veep slot. (Kaine's an Obama governor, while Pawlenty favors McCain.)

On TW, Dianne Feinstein, host of last week's historic, unprecedented, breakthrough, significant, dramatic, and earth-shaking tête-à-tête 'twixt Obama and Hillary, said that she favors Hillary for veep despite Jimmy Carter's protest that such a ticket would bring "the worst of both worlds." (An African American and a woman?)

Next on TW, Lindsey Graham pushed John McCain while John Kerry made mindless pronouncements.

On MTP, journalist Andrea Mitchell offered that prior to yesterday's Hillary speech, Bill Clinton had been crying. Host Tim Russert argued that John McCain can compete with the Obama juggernaut by convincing the American people that he's "a comfortable shoe." He compared Obama and RFK, pointing to RFK's vision in 1968 that a "negro" could be elected President in forty years, in 2008.

On FTN, Hillary's former campaign mouthpiece, Howard Wolfson said that Hillary will do "whatever she has to" and "whatever she can" to see that Obama is elected President. Chuck Rangel, on next, said "I would hope so!" when asked if Bill Clinton would be involved in everything during an Obama Administration if Hillary were Barry's Veep. Jim Webb, on next, compared himself intellectually to Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

On LE, for some reason, host Wolf Blitzer put Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania up against Jon Kyl of Arizona, and it was embarrassing. (To Pennsylvanians, if not to the Democrats.) Kyl hammered Obama for his ever-changing position on meeting with the leaders of rogue and/or terroristic nations, and Casey could only argue that Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush did that.

Some good stuff this week. Read the summary below the fold.

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Posted at 12:46pm on Jun. 1, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review

What did Saturday's Dem RBC freak show solve? Anything? Well, "on to Denver."

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Preface:

On FNS, Hillary's main mouthpiece, Howard Wolfson, expressed discontent with the face that the Dem RBC's Saturday freak show decided to give Obama four of Hillary's delegates, amounting to two votes, and were willing to fight this simply on principle. He also didn't care for the "uncommitted" delegates from Michigan being given automatically to Obama.

Next on FNS, Obama surrogate Dave Bonior declared that the popular vote doesn't count but that he would not entertain a question which stipulates that Obama might not win the popular vote.

On ABC's TW, Obama mouthpiece Bob Gibbs assured us that Barry is "still a strong Christian," despite leaving the church where he found Christianity.

Up next on TW, Clinton campaign honcho Terence McAuliffe declared: "This is not the Democrat Party I know." He quickly added that he had just had dinner with Hillary, leaving open the possibility that these are also her sentiments. He added that one Wednesday, after the results of the final contests have been resolved, Team Hillary begins chasing the superdelegates.

Finally on TW, FDR's grandson called for a "unity choice" for veep. Howard Dean said that the most important person in the race is the second place finisher, which he was in 2004.

On NBC's MTP, host Tim Russert interviewed Scott McClellan, both accusing McClellan of hypocrisy and reveling in his charges against the Bush Administration. Is Tim Russert a true believer in this tenor lefty insanity or is he, like McClellan and Olbermann, doing this for ratings, for the fame and the money?

On CBS' FTN, Cuddly Carl Levin, who says he's backing neither Dem candidate right now, said that both Hillary and Barry have promised him that the Michigan delegation would receive their full votes. Barry, he conceded, had promised that this would happen only after he'd received the number of delegates he needs to secure the nomination.

On FTN, Hillary supporter Mandy Grunwald said that Hillary had received the most votes of anyone ever. Schieffer asked her if this includes voters in the caucuses, and she said that they were in the newspapers, so it did.

On CNN's LE, Howard Dean had an interesting comparison. He told host Wolf Blitzer that he had learned not to answer hypotheticals when raising two teenagers. Barry and Hillary behaving like teenagers? FDR's grandkid was there, as well.

Next on LE, Hillary's buddy Harold Ickes evoked the image of September 11 when he declared that the Michigan delegates had been "hijacked" from Hillary.

Read the review beneath the fold.

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Posted at 12:48pm on May 11, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows: The Review

To quote the late Rep. Bono (R-California): "And the beat goes on..."

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Preface:

On FNS, Obama campaign boss David Axelrod told host Chris Wallace that he was "encouraged" by the McCain campaign's proposal to hold joint town hall meetings this summer. Next up, Clinton mouthpiece Howard Wolfson argued that the race for the Dem nomination would not be over until someone garnered the support of 2209 delegates, the number required to nominate if both the Florida and the Michigan delegations are counted.

On TW, Harry Reid told host George Stephanopoulos that Americans have outgrown the 2nd Amendment as an issue in Presidential campaigns and that John McCain was a "flawed" candidate because of his temper. Asked for evidence of this temper, Reid said that "everybody knows" about it. Carly Fiorina, McCain advisor, was up next, and she made a point about "incentivizing" private companies to develop green technologies to combat the global warming threat. (She didn't use the term "global warming threat"; rather, I get a kick out of it.)

On MTP, Obama supporter Chris Dodd said that he was not upset that Hillary was still in the race; rather, he didn't want her trashing Barry. Hillary's campaign manager, Terence McAuliffe, threatened that if the Democrats nominate Obama, they'll lose both the Presidential election and the House of Representatives.

On FTN, host Bob Schieffer talked to John Edwards who said that he might eventually endorse. He added with a twinkle in his eye that John McCain seemed to be open about his proposal to create a cabinet-level Poverty Czar. (I hope not.) Next up, Terence McAuliffe answered questions about Hillary being the candidate of white people.

On LE, host Wolf Blitzer first talked to Obama, who opined that the American people want change and that he wanted to appoint Supreme Court justices who saw the court as a "refuge for justice." With two shrubberies so you get the two-level effect with a little path running down the middle. He next spoke to Roy Blunt and Chris Van Hollen, with Van Hollen spouting memorized notes he clearly did not understand.

The complete, show-by-show review is beneath the fold. …

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Posted at 1:58pm on Mar. 2, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review

Lots of Surrogates

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, March 2, 2008.

On FNS, Diane Feinstein blurted that Hillary has been "tested by the anvil of [her husband's] White House [in a male-dominated society] for eight years." Dick Durbin called for her to quit the race if she doesn't win big on Tuesday.

Next on FNS, Karl Rove talked about John McCain matching up against Barack Obama. He pointed out that using Obama's middle name could backfire on McCain, as it is seen as "going too far." He advised those who want to help McCain not to do it.

On TW, Howard Wolfson and David Axelrod behaved like brats. The best part, I thought, was when Barry's guy Axelrod compared his candidate's Rezco scandal with Whitewater.

On MTP, Tim Russert held another Matalin-Carville-Murphy-Shrum roundtable. They talked a lot about the Dem race and seemed to agree that Hillary had to win Ohio and Texas then go on to win Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Murphy said she still wouldn't have the delegates. Mary Matalin reminded that Puerto Rico, which holds its contest in June, has 63 delegates. (Never mind.)

On FTN, Bob Schieffer talked to Hillary surrogate Evan Bayh and Obama surrogate Chris Dodd. It was the usual divisive squabble, but Schieffer seemed most concerned about Bayh's admission that, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he had been told that it was not a question of IF al Qaeda attacks the U.S. again, but WHEN they do. Schieffer wanted to know if Bayh had any idea when, and Bayh told him that it was common knowledge that al Qaeda would attack again.

Next up, Schieffer had the bearded Bill Richardson, who refused to endorse anyone but said that he is "tired of the bickering" like that we'd heard between Bayh and Dodd.

On LE, Wolf Blitzer first talked to Obama surrogate John Kerry. Kerry said the usual stuff, but the funniest part was when he expressed concern that people would hear the telephone ringing in Hillary's commercial and mistake it for their own phone. He also claimed that Obama has more foreign policy experience now than what Ronald Reagan had when he was sworn-in in 1981.

Hillary supporter and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes was next up on LE. He said that he saw no Obama momentum in Texas, citing an El Paso County commissioner who had switched his support from Obama to Hillary. He also said that the House would pass FISA within a week.

House GOP whip Roy Blunt was next up on LE. He wants to pass FISA, he said, but he lacks Reyes's optimism. Blitzer wanted to know what kind of "message" it sent to the world, that Ahmadinejad could meet with the Iraqi government. Blunt said that it showed that the Maliki government was not a delegation of U.S. puppets.

Read More for the show-by-show review. …

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Posted at 1:25pm on Feb. 24, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review

"Shame on you, Barack Obama!"

By Mark Kilmer

On TW, Joe Biden said that the situation in Kosovo was "not as dire" as the media is making it out to be. He added that it has long been U.S. policy to invade Pakistan without warning Pakistan if we felt Osama bin Laden were hiding there.

Next on TW, Kay Bailey Hutchison said: "I don't want to be vice president."

On MTP, Ralph Nader said that he will run for President. Russert complained that he might again throw the election to the Republicans, but Nader countered that Obama supports Israel.

On FTN, host Bob Schieffer talked first to Governors Janet Napolitano, an Obama supporter, and Jenn Granholm, a Hillary girl, about Hillary going ballistic on Barry about a few old fliers the campaign had mailed. Only Granholm was able to spit the platitude about "two wonderful candidates," but only after taking a few shots at Obama. Napolitano says that she will use her superdelegate vote for Obama even though Hillary won Arizona.

Next on FTN, McCain advisor Charlie Black brushed off the NYT hit piece after calling it a smear. He said that McCain had not even begun to think about who would be a good running mate.

First on LE, John King played a tape of this morning's interview with Mike Huckabee. Huck thinks Nader draws votes from the Dems and that there will be no significant challenge from the right. Huckabee wants Fair Tax and Human Life Amendment.

Next on LE, Tim Pawlenty said that he expects Mike Bloomberg will support John McCain.

Third on LE, Chuck Hagel said that he's out of the process but that he would not support anyone until some later date. (He used to follow John McCain around like a puppy dog but now has wrested the maverick mantle away from the GOP nominee.) He wants to negotiate and to trade with Cuba, calling it a "great country" and comparing it with Vietnam and the PRC. He wants to negotiate the future of Iraq with Iran, and he's backed away from his QUAGMIRE, QUAGMIRE, VIETNAM rhetoric regarding Iraq, but he refused to say that the surge has worked.

Read on for the show-by-show review:

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Posted at 9:43am on Feb. 23, 2008 MI MORNING UPDATE:Call of Precinct Delegates, Politico's talk show tip sheet,Granholm on face the nation?, Nader to announce?,

By saul anuzis

256 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

Yesterday afternoon I addressed over 50 ladies who gathered at the Bloomfield Hills Women’s Republican Club. We discussed the upcoming campaign and met several folks running for office in Oakland County. Thank you ladies for having me at your luncheon!

POLITICO’s Sunday Talk Show Tip Sheet is below.

BECOME A PRECINCT DELEGATE!! Fill out and return the Affidavit of Identity to your county clerk or send it to the state party…we’ll handle the filings. Link to form:

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Posted at 1:59pm on Feb. 17, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review

The attack of the rabid Dem surrogates

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, February 17, 2008

First up on FNS, Wisconsin's Dem Governor Jim Doyle boasted Obama's large crowds and grassroots support. He urged the superdelegates to go with the momentum. Ohio's Dem Governor Ted Strickland said that people like Hillary on health care and the Dems' should seat the delegates from Michigan and Florida. Doyle predicted that the 2008 Democratic National Convention could be like the one in Chicago, 1968.

Next on FNS, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said that the FISA law was needed in order to have private companies cooperate with the government in the fight against terrorism. He said that al Qaeda was much less a threat than it was on 9/11 and that the NIE the media declared told us that Iran had joyfully stopped making nukes had said nothing of the sort.

On TW, John McCain promised no new taxes. He even nodded when Steph asked if we could read his lips. He said that he would have cut interest rates further than to Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, but that he would consider reappointing Bernanke in 2010.

On MTP, Senators Dick Durbin (Obama) and Chuck Schumer (Hillary) argued about Michigan and Florida, as well as superdelegates. Schumer specified that if the race was still that close on June 5, the two would have to sit down with Howard Dean and work something out. We learned that the two men are DC roommates, and they chided each other about who came home last night and who was the "neat one."

On FTN, we had some Obama and Clinton surrogates. First the ops: Howard Wolfson for Hillary and David Axelrod for Barry. They argued about superdelegates, public financing vows, debates, and the use of race as a campaign tool. Next, the mayors: Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles for Hillary and Doug Wilder of Richmond for Barry. Wilder challenged Bill Clinton for his racist remarks in South Carolina, while Villaraigosa assured host Schieffer that blacks have liked the Clintons since Little Rock. Wilder said that this Democrat convention could be worse than the Dem convention in Chicago, 1968.

On LE, Wolf talked to Mitch McConnell, who is excited that McCain will attract Indies from the Dems and certain that he can excite conservatives. Next, Wolf had on Obama surrogate Bill Bradley to play the apologist for his guy. Then, he had on Hillary apologist Lanny Davis to start spewing his wild charges on her behalf. The notes are there for you to read, but then I stood athwart this nonsense and sighed: "Enough, already."

Read More for the show-by-show review. …

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Posted at 1:57pm on Jan. 6, 2008 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review

New Hampshire's next.

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, January 06, 2008

On FNS, Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney argued that John McCain is not an agent of change because he has been in Washington for too long and boasted that the charge of "phony" would not stand up because of his record as governor of Massachusetts, including, he boasted, working with the Dems to fashion the nation's first Universal Health Care program.

On FNS, Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee proclaimed: "I think the Republican Party needs some repair." He said that he does not want the rich to become poor, but would like for the poor to be given the opportunity to become rich. Whatever that means.

On TW, Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards said that he would continue is fight until the Dem convention.

On TW, Huckabee mentioned about disagreeing with the President in order to "distinguish" himself from the President.

On TW, Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said that he erred in calling the McCain immigration plan "amnesty" even though it was "amnesty." You see, he said, though it was not "amnesty" by the dictionary definition, it was "amnesty" by the "normal, colloquial definition." (Would he know it if he saw it, under the alternate definition of "saw"?) Steph argued that after Saturday night's debate, it seems the term "flip-flop" had suck to Romney. Romney blamed McCain.

On MTP, Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain defended his vote against the Bush tax cuts, promised tax cuts only with concomitant spending cuts, attacked Donald Rumsfeld, and defended Ronald Reagan. McCain told Russert that he expects to win New Hampshire, but he refused to classify it as a "must win."

On FTN, McCain pointed out that he and Huckabee differ on a number of issues but can have a "respectful debate" in South Carolina. He said that we can stay in Iraq for 100 years, as we've had a presence elsewhere in the world for long periods of time, if we eliminate American casualties.

On LE, Blitzer asked Huckabee about an exchange at last night's debate, where Romney denied ever having supported a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Huckabee pointed to The Hill newspaper. Huckabee also called Romney on claiming that he had called the President, "arrogant." No, Huckabee argued, he had called the foreign policy of the Administration, "arrogant."

Read On for the Show-by-Show review. …

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Posted at 1:47pm on Dec. 30, 2007 The Sunday Morning Talk Shows - The Review

Four Days until the Iowa thing, it seems.

By Mark Kilmer

Sunday, December 30, 2007

On FNS, Republican Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson seemed to predict a strong third place showing in Iowa, stating the the RCP average which put him a distant third included an outlier. Asked about Mike Huckabee, Thompson pointed out that Huckabee has a "blame America first" mindset. Asked about Mitt Romney, Thompson offered that Mitt changes his philosophy as the wind blows and that it is "hard to pin Mitt down on what he actually believes."

Next on FNS, David Yepsen said that Romney's negative advertising could work for him in Iowa.

On TW, Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton declared that she played a major role in Bill Clinton's Administration but promised that he would not play a major role in hers. She boasted that she was given access to classified material when he was President despite the fact that she lacked the requisite security clearance.

Next on TW, Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain defended himself against Romney's attacks in response to his attacks in response to Romney's initial attacks by pointing out that he was merely quoting the Concord Monitor stating that Mitt Romney is a "phony." He would not there call Romney a phony, saying that this was something the voters will decide.

On MTP, Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee covered a list of what he said were Romney mischaracterizations of him and his records. He was effective here, and he did not slip when defending his foreign policy or his faith.

Next on MTP, Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama talked about a "we" who had to fix things in Pakistan. I'm assuming that he meant the United Nations rather than the United States. Russert suggested that Benazir Bhutto was shot as a result of our invasion of Iraq, and Obama disagreed.

On FTN, Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards spouted that corporate greed and corporate power have a hold on the soul of our democracy. He boasted that when he calls the ambassador and demands a call back from Pervez Musharraf, Musharraf calls back.

And on CNN's Late Edition, Fred Thompson told host Wolf Blitzer that it would not surprise him if he came in second place in Iowa. As for his campaign, he promised to keep doing what he's doing: "There will be on change in Fred."

Next on LE, Hillary stressed curtailing monetary assistance to Pakistan because Musharraf is not reliable. She wants an "independent, international investigation" of Bhutto's death, as she doesn't trust Pakistan.

The show-by-show review is beneath the fold. Read On…

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