Saturday Shows For November 25^th, 2006

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 things be made to look any worse?  Mort and Fred will try their best.
• Topics:
  • Putin is 'down' after another one of his critics dies
  • Bush plans to meet Iraqi PM despite threats
• 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:
  • After his opener of the '08 presidential race with Obama last week, Tim continues his try outs for potential candidates with the candidate from Breck
• Topics:
  • John Edwards talks about politics, policy and his new book, “Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives.”
• Guests
  • Former Senator John Edwards
• CNBC's Tim Russert Show airs Saturday at 7pm, 10pm & 1am ET

Fox News Watch (Eric Burns)

• Meme:
  • I can name four of them
• Topics:
  • After you've finished your turkey, tune in as our panelists name the biggest 'turkeys' in the media!
• 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:
  • OK, now that the we know the rest of the shows will be dealing with irrelevancies, let's get down to some real issues
• Topics:
  • Opinion Journal web page: "Feel a Draft?"
    • Trouble in the Americas:
      • Hugo Chavez's bid to become the next Fidel Castro and what the U.S. can do about it
      • The turmoil in Mexico
    • Charlie Rangel wants to revive the military draft. Does he have a point?
  • Fox News Channel web page
• Guests
  • Mary Anastasia O'Grady
    • Wall Street Journal columnist
• 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

NBC Meet The Press (Tim Russert)

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:
  • Ah, yes, the good old days are back!
  • There's a really stupid looking Dhimmicrat taking over the House Armed Services committee, so let's skewer the outgoing Republican who thinks he has a chance to be President
  • Arnold, the perfect Republican, more liberal than his Democrat opponent
  • So, to make this fair and balanced let's get two retired generals who hate Rumsfeld's guts and ask them what they think about Iraq
• Topics:
  • Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican governor of California that defied the political odds and sailed to re-election, joins us in studio to discuss how he managed to win in the middle of the 2006 anti-Republican tide. What is next for him and the GOP?
  • A war council of some of the key players and brightest minds in the debate on the nation's military to ask: How do we proceed in Iraq?
    • Policy makers this week synthesized American options as, "Go Big," "Go Long" and "Go Home."
      • What are the promises and pitfalls of those choices?
      • Are there others?
• Guests
  • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican - California
    • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Hollywood Reporter, United States - Nov 17, 2006)
    • Maria in the middle (Capitol Weekly, CA - Nov 23, 2002)
    • Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wins reelection (Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 7, 2006)
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Governator II (National Ledger, AZ - Nov 8, 2006)
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Rips Washington Politics (National Ledger, AZ - Nov 10, 2006)
  • Representative Ike Skelton, Democrat - Missouri
    • House web site | Bio
    • Incoming House Armed Services Committee chairman
    • Rep. Ike Skelton Wins Re-Election (Kansas City Channel.com, MO - Nov 7, 2006)
    • Exit B-1 Duncan, Enter B-2 Ike (Harper's Magazine, NY - Nov 22, 2006)
    • Research institute at FLW brings $16.8 million to area (Waynesville Daily Guide, MO - Nov 23, 2002)
    • Hunter: No need for armed services oversight panel (ArmyTimes.com, VA - Nov 21, 2006)
    • Skelton to Prioritize Pentagon Oversight (Washington Post, United States - Nov 17, 2006)
    • Top Dems say they oppose reinstating draft (Carlsbad Current Argus, NM - Nov 21, 2006)
  • Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican - California
    • House web site | Bio
    • Outgoing House Armed Services Committee chairman
    • Hunter Calls For Iraqis To "Saddle Up" (NBC Sandiego.com, CA - Nov 21, 2006)
    • Socal's Duncan Hunter Tries To Raise His National Profile (KTVU.com, CA - Nov 17, 2006)
    • Duncan Hunter praises Rumsfeld (North County Times, CA - Nov 8, 2006)
    • San Diego County's Rep. Duncan Hunter to make presidential bid (Los Angeles Times, CA - Oct 31, 2006)
    • Q&A: Duncan Hunter on '08 White House Bid (Newsweek - Oct 31, 2006)
  • General Wayne Downing (retired)
    • Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command
    • Iraq: 'De-Baathification' to officially end (Green Left Weekly, Australia - Nov 18, 2006)
    • Veterans concerned with direction of war in Iraq (News 10 Now, NY - Nov 10, 2006)
    • Metal Storm Limited Announces Board Change (Market Wire (press release) - Oct 31, 2006)
    • Bin Laden Not Top Islamist Thinker: Study (Asharq Alawsat, UK - Nov 16, 2006)
  • General Barry McCaffrey (retired)
    • Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Southern Command
    • Four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey on Iraq, Tennessee troops (WBIR-TV, TN - Nov 15, 2006)
    • Army secretary says shorter Iraq tours could cost lives (Stars and Stripes, DC - Nov 21, 2006)
    • Volunteer force may be ‘severely degraded’ soon, retired (Stars and Stripes, DC - Nov 17, 2006)
    • General: Cut forces by one-third or Army will ‘break’ (ArmyTimes.com, VA - Nov 16, 2006)
• 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)

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:
  • Ah, yes, the good old days are back!
  • New faces, same old politics and DBM bias
• Topics:
  • Issues For The New Senate
• Guests
  • Senator-Elect Bob Corker, Republican - Tennessee
    • Campaign web site | Bio
    • Bob Corker's Hollow Victory (The Chattanoogan, TN - Nov 8, 2006)
    • Sen.-Elect Bob Corker (R—Tenn.) (CQPolitics.com, DC - Nov 7, 2006)
    • Senator-Elect Bob Corker's Comments on Rumsfeld (WRCB-TV, TN - Nov 8, 2006)
  • Senator-Elect Claire McCaskill, Democrat - Missouri
    • Campaign web site | Bio
    • Democrat Claire McCaskill Upsets Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri (ABC News - Nov 8, 2006)
    • Sen.-Elect Claire McCaskill (D—Mo.) (CQPolitics.com, DC - Nov 8, 2006)
    • Transcript: Missouri Senate Candidate Claire McCaskill on 'FNS' (FOX News - Nov 5, 2006)
    • Kick Ass, Claire McCaskill (Huffington Post, NY - Nov 6, 2006)
  • Senator-Elect Sherrod Brown, Democrat - Ohio
    • Campaign web site | Bio
    • House web site | Bio
    • Sherrod Brown: Middle-Class Message Man (Huffington Post, NY - Nov 20, 2006)
    • New Member Profile: Sen.-Elect Sherrod Brown (D—Ohio) (New York Times - Nov 7, 2006)
    • Two-term incumbent Mike DeWine ousted by Sherrod Brown (New Philadelphia Times Reporter, OH - Nov 7, 2006)
    • New senator: Sherrod Brown (Akron Beacon Journal, OH - Nov 7, 2006)
• Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

Fox News Sunday (Chris Wallace)

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:
  • Ah, yes, the good old days are back!
    • A New York Democrat from Harlem is in charge of the patronage Ways and Means committee
    • A Detroit Democrat is in charge of the subsidies for mobbed up unions Energy and Commerce committee
    • A gay Democrat from Massachusetts is in charge of punishing the companies that don't hire pink Banking and Financial Services committee
    • An idiot honky from Mississippi is back in the leadership of the Republicans and he can be portrayed as both the face and voice of the Republicans and a clown at the same time
  • Mitch who?
• Topics:
  • A look at what Democrats have in store for the country when it comes to issues like taxes, social security, gas prices and prescription drugs.
    • will they govern from the left or forge compromises with the White House and adopt a more centrist approach
    • their plans to investigate the White House
    • their approaches to key issues confronting the country
  • Fox web site essay: Coming Up on FOX News Sunday
• Guests
  • Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)
    • Incoming Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee
  • Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
    • Incoming Chairman of House Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Rep. Barney Frank. (D-MA)
    • Incoming Chairman of House Financial Services Committee
  • Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)
    • Senate Minority Whip
  • Sunday Panel
    • Brit Hume
      • FOX News Managing Editor
    • Bill Kristol
      • Editor, The Weekly Standard | Bio
    • Juan Williams
      • Senior National Correspondent, NPR | Bio
    • Mara Liasson
      • National Political Correspondent, NPR | Bio
• Fox News Sunday contact information - FNS@foxnews.com

ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos)

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:
  • Ah, yes, the good old days are back!
• Topics:
  • What can be done to stem the growing tide of violence in Iraq?
  • US efforts to help end the genocide in Darfur.
  • Voices segment: With World AIDS Day less than a week away, Super model Maggie Rizer talks about her father's death from AIDS and her own efforts to raise AIDS awareness and prevention.
• Guests
  • King Abdullah II of Jordan
  • Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat - Illinois
  • Senator Sam Brownback, Republican - Kansas
  • Super model Maggie Rizer
  • Roundtable:
    • George Will
    • Donna Brazile
    • Torie Clarke
      • Former Pentagon spokesperson
      • Web site | Bio
      • Author Lipstick on a Pig: Winning in the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game
      • Bush open to domestic compromise, less so on Iraq (Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 8, 2006)
    • E.J. Dionne
• ABC This Week comment web page

CNN Late Edition (Wolf Blitzer)

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:
  • Wow, haven't the Republicans made a mess of foreign policy?
• Topics:
  • Should the United States “Go Big,” “Go Long,” or “Go Home” from Iraq?
• Guests
  • Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas: Armed Services Committee
  • Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island: Armed Services Committee
  • Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie: Iraqi national security adviser
  • Zbigniew Brzezinski: Former national security adviser
  • Henry Kissinger: Former secretary of state
  • Brig. Gen. David Grange: Ret. U.S. Army; CNN military analyst
  • Lt. Gen. Michael Delong: Ret. U.S. Marine Corps.
  • Lt. Gov. Michael Steele: R-Maryland
  • Donna Brazile: Democratic strategist, CNN contributor
• CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

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Very brief preview tonight.  I got the guests and links done on MTP and FTN, and the guests on  FNS Thursday night, before the surgery.  I got to the hospital about 10 after 6 and the transplant was done and I was out of surgery, in recovery, before 10 AM and checked out before noon.  The surgery appears to be a success, again, but we'll wait for the judgment till I see my surgeon again tomorrow morning at 8:30.  It does hurt, but I'm not pushing it.  I can watch TV or read kind of OK with the left eye, but my glasses have to sit at a funny place on my nose because of the big shield I've got over the right eye.  I have this big white swirly blob in my vision in the right eye behind my patch which occasionally overwhelms what I'm seeing with the left eye, so I'm not going to push anything.

As to my usual witty commentary...

The drive by media is happy that the "right" (left) people are back in charge and they are going to try to force feed us their views on how the usual suspects will make our lives a paradise if we only surrender to their will.  Or something like that.  Oh, and Trent Lott is stupid and easy to make fun of.  Well, that got me on that last one, since I agree with them.

 

Evening, Phsstpok. There's nobody home tonight it seems. Rest your eyes, my friend. We'll see what we can find to give us some insight into what they are going to throw at us this weekend.

By now it's clear that we know the dialog from every one of the guests and hosts.

No new ideas, no new faces, just the same old same old boring rhetoric.

Not planning on spoiling a perfect good family weekend watching the boob tube.

I am glad that the transplant seems to be okay...but, you need to rest your eyes...and maybe take this opportunity to rest your whole body and spirit.

There will be wars to fight and win my friend...but, this is a good time for your body to rest and heal.

Thank you for posting this...I thought you were taking this week off....so it was a very pleasant surprise.

What isn't a surprise is the 2-3 dems for every GOP person on these shows...dang, you would think now that the GOP are LOSERS, they would get the higher guest ratio. LOL

I promise, I'm going very easy... but

I did send this to Face the Nation:

Subject: interesting display of your bias 

Senator-Elect Bob Corker, Republican – Tennessee

Senator-Elect Claire McCaskill, Democrat – Missouri

Senator-Elect Sherrod Brown, Democrat – Ohio

Three senators, two of them Democrat and one a Republican.  Yes, I know Corker is the only new Republican, but the Senate is divided as close to 50-50 as you can get.  This is clumsy, heavy handed and all too typical.

I'm working on similar notes for each of the shows.  Join in.  Maybe someone will actually listen.  I'm saving my most scathing note for Fox.  Having Lott on instead of McConnel is unforgivable.

Yes...considering Lott was on one of the shows LAST week..and no McConnell...for that to happen 2 weeks in a row is a trend...

Fox is having 3 of the most blatantly disgusting DEMS on also...Frank, Rangel, and Dingell..

Then, you add Bush-hater Lott...and you have 4 against the White House..sigh

I'm glad you're ok. We were praying for you!

Rest, rest, rest, my friend.

By now it's clear that we know the dialog from every one of the guests and hosts.

&&&&&

Too true!
I am watching old videos from the Nineties - my mother's collection - and some of the faces may have changed but the rhetoric hasn't. As I type Ms Clinton is on a panel of politicians in a venue in Baltimore promoting her Universal Health Care Reform. Congressman Cardin (who just beat Michael Steele for a Senate Seat in 2006) is praising Ms Clinton for her leadership. I will have to fast forward when she gets up to speak.

Mikulski is there, Donna Shalala is there, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, who Cardin also beat in this election is the host.

"Happy Days Are Here Again"--but not for the reasons you suggested ('rats control of Congress, etc.). But because your eye operation was apparently successful. Perfect timing, with Thanksgiving providing us all with yet another reason to be thankful.

Wow talk about dedication, you are the best Phsstpok!
Glad the surgery went well, best to take it easy for a while, do not push things.

Thank God for Bob Corker! I can't imagine how much worse I would feel if Harold Ford had won. It's bad enough to lose Allen and Santorum and JD etc, etc. But to have that pissant win and be all over the Sunday shows would be pure hell.

Bob Corker = my new hero.

WOW! ....What a treasure trov! :)....readin'