Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 4/15-4/16/06 (not the live thread)

Network and Cable News Networks | 4/14/06 | Network and Cable News

[Phsstpok]

Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 4/15-4/16/06 (not the live thread)

I'm going to try a little different formatting this week.  The listings were growing too long to let us look at and organize the show contents after I started adding the Saturday shows.  So what I'm going to do is add 3 message posts on this thread, in this order

• the Sunday show contents in message 1
• the Saturday show contents in message 2
• the guests for all shows in message 3

Then I'll send out the ping to everyone.  I hope this will help make the thread easier to navigate.  Yes, I know it's posted Sunday then Saturday, but I think of Sunday's shows as the major leagues - if there's a consensus that folks would like it the other way for "proper order" then I'll switch (if I even do this again, it's up to y'all).

I thought about making one message per show, plus the guests, but that would have given me around 10 messages before I sent out the ping list and somebody would probably beat me to the last message and mess up the sequence (I can be slow posting sometimes).  If this works and you folks like it maybe I'll try that next week (or not, depending on your feedback).

As always, this is NOT intended to be the live Sunday Morning Talk Show thread. I trust AB will do that as usual. This is strictly a preview of who will be on the main shows. The idea is to give folks a chance to muster their resources for that thread.

I would particularly ask that anyone with specific knowledge or resources about the topics / guests announced for these shows post them here so that the rest of us can go into the shows with a heads up on what to look for.

It appears that most of the shows are pre-recorded for Easter.  All but CBS Face The Nation were up as of 2 PM on Friday.

Happy Easter, joyous Passover and best wishes for all

On to the shows.

[Phsstpok]

The Sunday Shows (the first string)

ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos)

• Meme:
  • Just what form of government will the Democrats put in place when they win everything in November?
  • Will George Bush bring about the end of the world by daring to question our Islamic overlords?
• Topics:
  • Iraq, Iran and President Bush's domestic agenda
  • VOICES: Singer/Actor Harry Connick, Jr. teams up with Habitat for Humanity to save the music and musicians of New Orleans.
• Guests
  • Senator Richard Lugar, R-In
    • He's not really running for president, but he'd like you to think so in order to keep being invited on these shows.
    • Dick's been listening to the voices in Washington for about 20 years too long, and he'll attempt to prove it on this show.
  • Senator Evan Bayh, D-In.
    • He's running for president, did you know that?
    • Attempting to out pander Hillary, just to a different clique
  • Joe Klein (roundtable)
    • The liberal Clinton insider who liberals love to hate (because he dared to tell the truth)
    • To prove he's not a partisan hack (as most liberals think) Joe Klein still thinks Christians are the biggest threat to world peace.
  • Donna Brazile (roundtable)
    • Al Gore never listened to her about his cloths and she doesn't think he looks good in earth tones
    • George Bush has done more things that she agrees with than Bill Clinton or any Democrat, ever, but she still hates Republicans
    • Restoring New Orleans as a chocolate city is more important than defending the country from a nuclear attack
    • 'nuff said? (I like her, but she's confused)
  • George Will. (roundtable)
    • Yes, he still hates the Bush family
    • On McCain and Global Warming, even a blind sow can find an acorn every once in awhile
    • He will be more mellow for a few months, Baseball season is upon us - ABC will have less use for him
• ABC This Week comment web page

CBS Face The Nation (Bob Schieffer)

• Meme:
  • Democrat/Hispanic Bill Richardson = good
  • Republican/dead white guy George Allen = bad
  • You now have your marching orders from CBS, go forth and implement The Agenda
  • Just what form of government will the Democrats put in place when they win everything in November and will Richardson be the next god king?
• Topics:
  • none listed (but I can guess)
    • Immigration debate
    • Who will the Republicans turn to now that they're going down in flames?
• Guests
  • New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson
    • Pay no attention to the Clinton slime smeared all over this great American
    • The Chinese did NOT steal nuclear secrets while Bill Richardson was in charge.  Bill Clinton got a very nice price for those, thank you very much!
    • Did you know he's Hispanic?
  • Sen. George Allen, R-Va.
    • That target looks very nice on your back, Senator
• Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

CNN Late Edition (Wolf Blitzer)

• Meme:
  • Just what form of government will the Democrats put in place when they win everything in November?
  • Will George Bush bring about the end of the world by daring to question our Islamic overlords?
  • Should all Christians be rounded up, since Jerry Falwell is obviously evil incarnate?

• Topics:
  • How should the United States respond to Iran’s nuclear threat?
  • What are Iran’s true intentions?
• Guests
  • Samir Sumaidaie: Iraqi Ambassador to the United States
    • Tell us, will you, how badly the Bush administration has screwed up your country?
  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California: Select Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee member
    • Illegal immigrants are gay, too, you know!
    • We must tighten up our border, which the Bush administration has failed to do (except where Mexicans are concerned)
  • Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California: Armed Services Committee chairman
    • And this weeks Republican bigot to be / punching bag is Duncan Hunter!
  • Henry Kissinger: Former Secretary of State
    • None of this would have happened if Nixon were in charge
  • The Rev. Jerry Falwell: Founder and chancellor, Liberty University
    • So, how much did you pay for John McCain's soul, BeelzaJerry?
• CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

Fox News Sunday (Chris Wallace)

• Meme:
  • Will George Bush bring about the end of the world by daring to question our Islamic overlords?
  • Exactly how evil is George Bush?
• Topics:
  • Showdown with Iran
  • GOP growing pains
  • Stepped-up enforcement by the IRS?
• Guests
  • Mitch McConnell
    • Mitch McConnell is married to an immigrant (Asian) therefore he must want to make all of the illegal Mexicans instant citizens
  • Chris Dodd
    • Where's Teddy and our waitress?
  • Newt Gingrich
    • He bashed Bush and the Iraq war and only got invited on FOX?
• Fox News Sunday contact information - FNS@foxnews.com

NBC Meet The Press (Tim Russert)

• Meme:
  • If Christians aren't leftists then they aren't really Christians
• Topics:
  • A special Easter Edition on faith & politics
  • Plus a Meet the Press Minute with Rev. Billy Graham.
• Guests
  • Sister Joan Chittister
    • God hates conservatives
  • Rabbi Michael Lerner
    • God hates conservatives
  • author Jon Meacham
    • God hates conservatives and vice versa
  • Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr
    • God hates the West
  • Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
    • Actually, there's this other point of view (shut up Richard and let the liberals talk)
  • Pastor Joel Osteen
    • Wild card - he has a new book to sell - can the MSM buy a quote for positive promotion of his new book?
    • "What are you mumbling, Richard... Get thee behind me who?"
• 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)

[Phsstpok]

Saturday Shows (the second string)

The Beltway Boys (Mort Kondrake, Fred Barnes)

• Meme:
  • Will George Bush bring about the end of the world by daring to question our Islamic overlords?
  • Even mindless talking heads in Washington can pick up on the most obvious fact if enough bloggers beat them over the head with it (McCain)
• Topics:
  • The nuclear standoff with Iran reaches the boiling point: Is it too late for a diplomatic solution?
  • New evidence the love affair between John McCain and the press is over.
• 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:
  • Just to make sure you understand, Jon Meacham on both MTP and CNBC with Tim
  • If Christians aren't leftists then they aren't really Christians
• Topics:
  • Jon Meacham, Newsweek Managing Editor and Author of “American Gospel: God, The Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation”
• Guests
  • Jon Meacham
• CNBC's Tim Russert Show airs Saturday at 7pm, 10pm & 1am ET

Fox News Watch (Eric Burns)

• Meme:
  • Anything wrong is not the medias fault
  • They're just following orders doing their jobs
• Topics:
  • The press and Iran's nuclear plans
  • The media and the Duke rape allegations
  • Page Six investigation
• 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:
  • Between taxes and the fact that everyone in the world hates us it's all over for American
  • Unless, of course, George Bush manages to blow up the planet first?
• Topics:
  • The Mullahs and the Taxman (from Opinion Journal web site)
  • Tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions continue to increase. Does the Bush Administration have any good options? (from Opinion Journal web site)
  • It's April 15. Are you one of the increasing number of taxpayers who'll get slammed this year by the alternative minimum tax? (from Opinion Journal web site)
  • We'll examine the success of the Bush tax cuts and the prospects for future reform in Congress (FNC web site)
  • Iran's nuclear ambitions (FNC web site)
• Guests
  • none listed
• 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 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. and again Sunday at 6 a.m. ET

 

[Phsstpok]

Ping

The Weekend Preview Thread is up

If you would like on or off my ping list please Freepmail me

There are actually a few interesting guests for me this week.  Will the MSM promote Bill Richardson or trash him as a threat to Hillary (depends on if he is to be Hillary's VP)?  Will MTP give Richard Neuhaus and Joel Osteen the opportunity to speak on what they want to, or will they be funneled into the MSM talking points?  And will Klein and Gingrich surprise the MSM and fight back, providing sound bites that need to be suppressed?

The dominant meme appears to be that Bush the GOP West is so over, let's look to his their it's replacement by our new Islamic overlords and ignore everything he they says say and do does that ever came out of western civilization from now on (unless it hurts Bush).  Oh, and we've lost in Iraq, let's go home now.

[chiller]

Hey !....you're perpetrating fraud here. YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN THE TAPES !

How'd you do that?

You've saved a ton of time, though....thanks.

[malia]

Thanks and how are you doing!!!

[Txsleuth]

I kept wanting to post a reply after the first, then the second, list....and just had to leave the thread, so I wouldn't break up the three posts...LOL

I was going to ask you if you have heard any rumors that the Paul Gigot show on FNC is being cancelled??

A poster on another thread said he/she saw it mentioned on some thread that it was being taken off in June.

I already wrote an e-mail to Fox asking them...and telling them what a hugh mistake it would be to take that show off.

Better to take off John Kasich's show..blech

[Phsstpok]

Doing good, thanks. I'm still getting used to my "new eyes," but that's a far cry from dealing with 70% vision out of one eye, total. The left eye and right don't see the world the same way, but then my left brain and right have never really gotten along, so I think it's only appropriate. ;^>

The biggest improvement is that I no longer lose the ability to read by mid-day (except in my specially controlled "dark room" set up I've got in my bed room). I'm still getting headaches, but I'm almost back to a full day at my desk and the nausea is gone.

The only big frustration I've got left since getting the new glasses is I haven't had a clear night to go out and try to see the stars. That's probably the thing I've dreamed about the most, even though I didn't admit it to myself until after I saw how good the vision was post surgery. It's cloudy tonight, darnit!

[Phsstpok]

I've heard nothing, but the reason Fox got the show is that PBS canceled it for low ratings.

I'd vote for canceling Kasich and letting JER have a chance to gain an audience. I'll send them an email to that effect now.

JER is a very good show with LOTS of potential. It's just not been promoted properly. It needs to be tied into a heavy interactive web component of Opinion Journal. That will give them new media cred and a reason to keep plugging.

I think they need to hire the two of us as programmers.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I have been in and out today so someone may have already mentioned the huge contradiction from the military types who were in Iraq and are now complaining about "the plan". These people worked "the plan". Some for more than a year. Now are they trying to tell us they willingly worked a plan they thought put the lives of men and women entrusted to them in greater danger than if there had been a "better plan"? If that is the case, where are the apologies to the parents and wives and children of the men and women they willing sent into battle with a bad plan?

If there were issues, certainly these would have been put into a memorandum. That is the military way. So where are the copies? These retired types are under no obligation to keep these memos to themselves. I want proof. These Generals are married to chain of command and protocol. There would be memos. I want to see copies. But you know what? They don't exist, because these people are liars, period.

[Txsleuth]

Tommy Franks was on with Chrissy Matthews tonight...and told Chrissy that some of these generals had been in meetings with he and Rummy, and had every chance to complain back then...and never did.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I understand that. I want us to go on the offensive. Tonight and tomorrow (when Mrs. GBC isn't watching) I will be contacting Congress criters and MSM requesting that they demand apologies to the parents, husbands, wives, children of all these people they willingly lead into combat with a "flawed plan". Military are notorious for generating those memorandums for the record. If these retired generals believe as strongly as they claim, demand they surely would have a memo documenting discussions about their reservations. Produce them. It's that simple.

[Txsleuth]

Good idea!

[Phsstpok]

I've been struggling with trying to synthesize this argument all this week. I think you've nailed it.

If these folks (who were in uniform till recently) have these complaints now, were they lying when they supported the policy? The "I was under orders and couldn't say anything" crap went out the window in 1946. Do they understand what honor is? Do they even know the name Billie Mitchell?

I've found histories of most of "the six" but I'm still working on a couple of them. They seem to be all Clinton appointed political Komisars, not folks who came up through the combat arm. Further they seem to be folks who object to Rummy's transformation from a military designed to fight the Soviet Union in the Fulda gap to a military built for WOT and special ops.

In short they're defending fiefdoms, not the Republic or the Constitution.

We need to identify and recruit folks who have seen the elephant and can bring their own bona fides to this argument (first to tell me if I'm WAY OFF BASE) so that we have a rational and persuasive case to put before the world.

I think you've framed the question and the opening arguments extremely well.

[Txsleuth]

I don't know if you saw Hardball tonight or not...but Tommy Franks was humoring Chrissy Matthews, during Matthew's rants and allegations that Rummy has had total control over the war...and that is why he needs to go.

Franks told Chris that Rummy NEVER gave the "plan"..the "plan" always came from the military...and they bounced it off of him. He also said that one never knew what "side" he was on, when two of his military men had different POVs.

He also said that Rummy NEVER said "Great, let's go with that" after a presentation by anyone. He always asked a lot of questions..and could be ruthless, if he didn't get the information he was seeking.

Franks was honest about how hard Rummy is on everyone...but, Franks admired that as only a military guy would (IMHO)...of course Chrissy would jump on remarks like that, and try to imply that Frank's statement was a "complaint"..and therefore a reason for Rummy's dismissal.

If I wasn't so disgusted with the way Chrissy spins things, and even lies, I would have laughed out loud at how totally Tommy Franks slapped down every negative thing that Chrissy brought up about Rummy.

Re: the "6 Generals"...I think Zinni either offered or was "asked" by Soros and the DNC to "recruit" some Generals to start a relentless attack on the whole war...especially Rummy and the rest of the Defense Department.

[gov_bean_ counter]

This just went off to Schieffer

By their own admission, several retired generals willingly and knowingly sent men and women into combat using a "bad plan". My question to you is do you have the intestinal fortitude to demand an apology from these officers to the parents, husbands, wives and children these officers sent into harms way on missions these officers felt did not have the prospects for success they should have had? Additionally, no officer registers a complaint about something like this without a CYA memorandum for the record. Do you have the intestinal fortitude to demand to see these CYA docs? A real journalist would. Now are you a real journalist or not?

This is pretty much what I will be sending off this weekend.

[mojo114]

Michael Smerconish has filled in for Joe Scarborough this week on MSNBC and has been excellent. Never heard from him before but I have to tell ya this guy was GREAT.

[malia]

"I haven't had a clear night to go out and try to see the stars."

Your Best Friend is Saving the Best for Last!

[Peach]

You've given me more chuckles this Saturday morning than I can remember in a host of Saturdays. Thanks for all your hard work, Phsstpok and have a Blessed Easter.

[MNJohnnie]

I'm surprised, thought for sure it was going to be an all Rummy Sunday. Guess the did not book some of the Generals head of time like Today Show did the other day.

[MNJohnnie]

The Generals are playing politics. They are Cold War Dinosaurs. Part of the dead weight Rummy had to shift to drag the Pentagon into the 21st Century. These guys are simply getting payback. I mean, a former Major General of Infantry goes on the Today Show and complains because Rummy "Was Abusive"??? That a PR crafted complaint, not serious commentary. Also, not one idea what we should do different. Finally, not one of these guys is a SOF or Counter Insurgency guy.

I am embarrassed for this guy. I am sure there are people who worked for these guys who thought "What an @$@%@#$%" some times too.

Gee sorry Rummy had to be tough to get some of these guys to get to quit plotting how to stop the Sovs from running the Fulda Gap and start thinking about the 21st Century.