DENNIS MILLER SHOW - THURSDAY NIGHT

[7thson]

Anyone watch his program last night? I watched it for about the first 20 minutes or so. He had Scott Ritter on and basically - how I saw it - read him the riot act concerning Iraq and Saddam. Basically said that yeah, you have a job to do and a charter to do it under, but once you observe and witness first hand children in prison and torture, than the charter goes out the window and you have to do the right thing. Ritter kept on going on about saving lives and other bs. I thought Miller nailed him good on the going it alone bs.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Ritter kept repeating that soldiers are sent out to "die" for their country.

I strongly disagree!!

He is like no Marine I've ever met.

Marines are sent out to FIGHT for their country and make the other poor sob die for his(ala George Patton).

[Americathy]

So how did Colmes get on the show?

[GunnyB]

I tivo'd Miller's show last night and watch the entire exchange. As a former Marine, his actions, his very existance makes me see RED! He sounded like he was reading from International ANSWER's talking points. Miller's response was measured, but you could certainly tell that he was extremely irritated by the statements being made by Ritter. Ritter is scum. He has defamed the United States, the US Marine Corps, and all of his former bothers. May he rot in hell...

[7thson]

I also liked the book, however, when he has Kerry on the air, he mentions nothing in the book concerning Kerry voting to cut CIA, military, etc. I listen to him awhile on the radio but then I cannot stand it and turn on music. When I come home in the late afternoon, there aren't any good talk shows on. Let me correct that. Ron Smith up in Baltimore is excellent, but I cannot pull in his AM station - WBAL - down here in DC.

[nuconvert]

Why does anyone continue to allow Ritter any forum whatsoever?
He should be shunned.

[rmgatto]

How does one argue with a hypocrite like Ritter? Seldom is an argument won by making a killer point that causes an opponent to concede unconditionally. What I heard Miller doing was quite subtle and effective. He chastised Ritter for the crass way in which Ritter insulted the dead and wounded soldiers and their families. This was in stark contrast to Rittter's sensitivity to the will of the international community which the US "flouted" by assembling a coalition of the non-French to prosecute the war. (He also called the Polish contingent a "joke").

Miller's interviews are like chess matches, not the chess games played by most TV hosts. The last thing we need is another half-bright Brokaw wannabe jousting talking points with an equally half-bright politico.

[Huck]

LOL. Hey, I batter some of these pros. Hannity comes to mind. But I don't kid myself that I could waltz in and do a better job. With practice, who knows? Maybe I could. But what's the point of sitting in the back seat if you can't drive?

[Huck]

It is a quirky untested format, and that is a challenge. No question about it.

[Simonne]

Didn't see it & probably wouldn't have watched it because Ritter disgust me but I guess I missed a good show.

[AmishDude]

Miller should have been drinking from a Burger King cup during the interview.

[tcuoohjohn]

I think Miller needs to be looking for a new gig. Arbitron ratings have him at 0.3% share, half of what his opening was at a less thamn steller 0.6% If the trend holds in 8 months the only person watching Miller's show will be his mother and his crazy cousin Lenny.

Miller is a concert comedian and sketch type. He has to have a live audience to be effective. It's a timing thing. Ironically it was just the opposite of Rush. Rush didn't need a live audience for TV and had one. Miller needs an audience and doesn't.

[carton253]

But what's the point of sitting in the back seat if you can't drive?

Well, don't be surprised if the driver suddenly stops the car and lets you walk home. LOL!

[AmishDude]

Miller is also a monologuist and a commentator. He can't have a dialogue or an interview. If you showed him a video of something and asked him to make clever comments, he could do it, but when there's a comeback, he's not as pithy. Of course, nobody is. The only "comedic" types who do talk radio or talk TV either do a prepared schtick (Daily Show) or do impressions (Brian Whitman and he's not always funny).

I think Miller might find his niche if he realizes he doesn't always have to be funny.

[Fedora]

I was looking to see if there were any threads discussing this last night! :) Here's what I posted on another thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1076406/posts

To: g35x
Miller's comments [about the Kerry-Fonda pics] made me angry, too--I had watched every show up to then and cut him a lot of slack, but when he said that I turned the TV off in disgust and wasn't planning on watching again. However I knew he was going to have Scott Ritter on tonight and I wanted to see how he handled that, and I thought he redeemed himself pretty well--anyone else see it? He really took the wind out of Ritter's sails, I thought. My impression was that Ritter was trying to avoid Dennis' questions by using them as excuses to go into pre-rehearsed rants, but Dennis caught him off-guard by cutting into his rants with some pointed comebacks that Ritter wasn't prepared to answer. I'll give him another chance, though he does irritate me with some of his more liberal comments. Hopefully Ann Coulter will set him straight on some things :)

32 posted on 02/13/2004 12:59:42 AM CST by Fedora
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[olde north church]

I think that might be a false conclusion. It's been two and half years since the surprise attack that launched the Islamo-American Wars and what has changed?

We are referring to the people who died that day as "victims" and not "casualties", which would really put it into perspective.

We are being a fed the "peaceful religiion" lie, while members of it's radical terrorist arm have infilitrated our armed services and killed several, secrets have been passed on the enemy and agents in Iraq have been targeted for assassination and allied organizations have been attacked and killed.

The free travel of American citizens is being restricted as a result of political correctness, while al-Qaeda has succeeded in recruiting Caucasion agents?

There is no outrage. There is nobody confronting the Democratic candidates putting fire to their faces asking what would you do BESIDE using the UN, France, Germany, Russia, China answer.. There people are not out allies!

UGGGGHHH!!!!

[cdefreese]

Has anyone seen any rating info on Miller's show? I have seen numbers from his first night, but no averages, or stats since.

Has anyone else seen anything?

[tcuoohjohn]

I think you have hit upon the right formula for Miller. A conservative version of the Daily Show. It is open , energetic, free wheeling, satirical, and has great numbers. The 'commentator' format doesn't fit Miller well.

If he continues in this format then I suspect you will continue to see his numbers slide. Will Rogers once said that the key to great humor and ascerbic wit is to take humorous point very seriously without taking yourself too seriously. I suggest that Miller has become bumptiously serious about himself and has let his craft slide.

[GraniteStateConservative]

They couldn't find anyone who was either better or "prettier" than Colmes.

[Shermy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/794346/posts

''It's not that I was lying or misleading anyone,'' he said of his earlier remarks. ''It's just that I said things very forcefully when the fact is there should have been a statement afterward, a 'but' kind of thing.'' Back then, he said, he was using his ''quantitative filter,'' speaking as an arms inspector about an unfinished job, seeing a cup 10 percent full. Later, he switched to his ''qualitative filter,'' seeing Iraq as 90 percent empty and enfeebled.

This is typical of Ritter. Even when admitting he is wrong, he is insisting he is right. His self-image requires it, for more than a life story, he has a personal mythology. Ritter, 41, loves the telling of it, which he does exceptionally well. In each chapter, he is the courageous man of principle, a stout-hearted citizen up against the dimwitted, the wicked and the power-mad.
..."

[alnick]

LOL. That would have been subtle.