Weekend Show *Preview* for 4/21 - 4/22/07 (not the live thread)

This week the dinosaur media provides a case study in the same type of schizophrenia, self absorbed psychotic view of reality that led the VT killer to go on his rampage. We, the unwashed masses, made them show those horrendous videos. Laws must be passed to take away guns from everyone, despite what that stupid old Constitution says. But don't you dare think about changing the laws that keep gun dealers from seeing the mental health records of dangerous psychotics who are stalking and threatening others when they do a background check because that would invade the ~~psychotics'~~ innocent victims of society unwritten Constitutional right to privacy. Then we have the spectacle of President Leahy, President Specter and President Schumer consulting on the death penalty for the Attorney General because he did something legal, while President Pelosi, President Reid and President Dodd race each other to see who can put the most terrorist friendly foreign policy in place. And to top it off we have Saint's Friedman, Davis, Gingrich and the rest of the all wise to declare, Ex Cathedra what is right and what we must do. They have spoken. We must obey.

Any other week the Al Qaeda counter surge in Iraq would have been the lede. Dingy Harry tried to get that ball rolling as he sees all sorts of political booby traps in the gun control ~~debate~~ crusade his partisans are wanting to launch. Unfortunately he may have provided the single most devastating proof of the perfidy and dishonor of he and his party instead. They can't spin their way out of this absolute proof that they are the party of treason and all of their actions need to be viewed through Harry's "minor slip" and put in their proper context. The copperheads are back and they still want to destroy our country. This time they should not be allowed to leave the field as a functioning political party, but instead they should be made to go the way of the Fascists, Communists and Klansmen who they so resemble.

Where's Walter Winchell when we need him? We must wake up and take action or it will be "good night, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea..."

NBC Meet The Press is all Cho all the time. Desperate to justify their grotesque exploitation of the psychotic killer's video they are going to get all analytical this weekend, looking to prove that there's something wrong with our society behind this action. That would make what they did not a crass ratings driven act but would ennoble them and give "social significance" to their acts. Pardon me, should I have prefaced that with a "barf alert?" Their guests this week include two of the three cabinet members the President assigned to do a nationwide review of "school safety" following the massacre in Blacksburg. For some reason the Attorney General, also assigned to the task, isn't appearing anywhere this week. They also have two of the members appointed by the Virginia governor to a state panel to review the specific circumstances and responses at Virginia Tech to lend a further air of "seriousness" to their actions. And if all else fails they've got Pete Wilson, the reporter who did the stand up to go along with the videos, along as the fall guy. Lil' Timmah covers all the bases.

CBS Face The Nation goes a different direction by first serving up Torquemada Leahy to give us the update on the worst scandal involving (totally legal) actions by a sitting Attorney General in our nations history. Then Saint Patrick will likely pontificate on how lax and dangerously permissive our current gun laws are. That will serve as a perfect introduction for the Bradys. Somehow I doubt they'll be asked about the laws that keep the mental health records of someone like Cho from being available during the Brady background checks. They will, of course, call for more restrictions on guns, possibly escalating all the way to an outright ban on all guns "for the children." Ol' Bob won't even consider raising the issue of the ban on CCH permit holders exercising their right to self defense on college campuses and it's possible beneficial effect on situations like this. Nope, wouldn't be prudent, nor would it fit the template.

Fox News Sunday reverses the Tiffany networks order and uses a bit of MTP's casting, starting with the Virginia Lieutenant Governor and the President of George Washington University to discuss the VT shootings then segueing to the great and powerful politicians, Specter and Schumer, who will hand down their wisdom from on high. As if we haven't heard it all before ad nauseum. Who knows, maybe Chris Matthews... oops, Chris Wallace, will betray a little common sense in questioning these droning nincompoops. Brit, Bill, Juan and Mara discuss the weeks events, or at least as many of them as can be fit into such a pitiful amount of time. Frankly I'd love to have an hour of just the roundtable sometime, particularly if it allowed for multiple smack downs!

CNN Late Edition has an interesting pairing in Brownback and Wyden, seeming polar opposites, politically, but unusual allies in pushing for a flat tax. Somehow I'm betting Wolfie will either gloss over that or ignore it all together and concentrate instead on ~~abortion~~ a woman's right to choose and the Neanderthal views of extremist Christians like Brownback. The Virginia Attorney General, Bob McDonnell, may be an interesting interview as he has been involved in a fight to keep the list of CCH holders confidential while anti-gunners are wanting to get the least under a freedom of information type request and splash it all over the press. Talk about a brain dead move on the part of the anti-gun crowd! Tom Friedman is on to pass on his simple minded pap as if it were worth listening to. No doubt he'll praise Nazi Pelosi's brilliant dipomacy and ignore the blood thirsty nature of the "peace offer" the Syrians have made. Clinton alum Lanny Davis and Reagan alum David Rivkin, both practicing lawyers, are also on, but they don't seem to have many issues in common. Davis has been on a crusade to get the "nasty scandals" out of politics. The man simply ignores irony. Rivkin has been an outspoken defender of our war on terror, our military (particularly over things like Haditha) and on the extra Constitutional games that the Dhimmicrats are playing in Congress right now. No doubt Davis is on to perform his usual task for the Clinton slime machine, launching vicious personal attacks on anyone who dares to disagree with the ~~leftist~~ progressive orthodoxy as decreed by Bubba and her Thighness. And he's so good at it. Then CNN goes into incest mode with Schneider, Meserve, Chetry and Roberts on to give the official CNN version of Truth. CNN doesn't appear to be getting involved in any discussions of the propriety of NBC showing the Cho video, but with their own history of airing Al Qaeda propaganda tapes you know what side of the argument they'll come down on.

ABC This Week trots out Newt Gingrich, who now has media cred thanks to his agreeing with Jon F'n Carry on the theology of global warming in their recent pseudo debate. Newt must really want to run for president and feels that he needs more face time (at any cost) in order to fend off Fred Thompson who is clearly horning in on Newts strategic position as being the non-candidate candidate. Then they move on to the smaller slice of white bread from the infamous waitress sandwich, Chris Dodd. Dodd is seeing all the press that the nation's mother in law is getting over her shadow government diplomacy so he is beginning to toss out diplomatic bon mots like they were confetti. Were I an Israeli I'd batten down the hatches and get ready for incoming. Heck, as an American I'm going to batten down the hatches and get ready for incoming as long as twits like him are in charge in Congress. Sam, Cokie and George join little Georgie for the ritual condemnation of all things conservative and particularly to indulge in their regular Bush bashing round table. Ho hum.

The Saturday shows may be interrupted because of the late afternoon crash of a Blue Angel FA-18. It's just been announced (4:30 central) that the pilot was killed and there's reports of lots of houses on fire on the ground in the rural area of South Carolina. Prayers for all involved.

When and if they air, the Saturday shows covers largely the same two issues, the VT shootings and the Gonzalez inquisition. the Beltway Boys seem thoroughly predictable, so if you want a regurgitation of the conventional wisdom of the chattering class tune in. On CNBC's Tim Russert Show Bernard Goldberg hawks his latest book, this time getting more coverage because he also bashes conservatives (as wimps). Bernie knows the rules, if he wants face time he has to pander to the DBM's notions of reality. Fox News Watch circles the media transmission trucks in order to defend the anointed ones from the criticism of lesser mortals over their coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. They ought to change the name of the show to Fox Media Apologists. The Journal Editorial Report touches on these same topics but also gives one of the few explicit looks at the Supreme Court partial birth abortion case. Interestingly the Opinion Journal version of the show listing includes the abortion issue along with a court expert as the guest, while the Fox web site doesn't list that topic and mentions the AG "scandal" instead. More and more evidence that Fox is trying to toe the dinosaur media line so that they can "fit in." Truly sad.

So, one of the most violent weeks of terrorist attacks in Iraq in four years and a Supreme Court decision that rivals anything in the last 30 years, and the media wants to go with "if it bleeds it ledes" and the non-scandal manufactured by the moonbats who are in charge of Congress. I wonder if this is what it was like in Rome under Galba and Otho? The timeline is all messed up and analogies like this break down all too easily, but I don't see Bush in either ruler, though the times are similar. If Bush can be compared to any Roman emperor it might be Claudius, certainly at least in how they are both portrayed as idiots. Of course, of all the sad first family of Roman emperors, Claudius was perhaps the best.

I digress. The absolute collapse of the "news media" to identify the important stories of the week and their willingness to go with inconsequential (even if horrible) shootings and outright faked "news" instead of truly significant events is very telling about who and what they are. John Roberts, this years helmet haired Ted Knight and Kiran Chetry, the network hopping bimbo de jour, are the poster children for the vacuous nature of the institution. I recognize the pain and loss involved in the Virginia Tech shootings, but in the larger context of history it's a totally irrelevant issue. And the Gonzalez hearings bear little resemblance to anything in history except perhaps the Salem witch trials or the Spanish Inquisition. No doubt colorful and to some entertaining, but it is the very essence of the line from Macbeth, that it is truly "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing." And, boy, are these clowns poor players that strut and fret their hour upon the stage and then (hopefully) are heard no more.

Enough. The Beltway Boys are already half over. In the newspaper business they used to end a piece with a mark, probably intended for the printer, but it means "I'm done."

This should be cross posted to my blog at Wizards.townhall.com later today, though I have yet to cross post the last several weeks items to my blog and will rectify that first. This post exists primarily as a heads up for who is on the weekend talks shows, what they've been invited on to push (based on their recent pronouncements) and the spin (meme) the DBM is likely trying to push based on that information. All of this is prep work for the weekly Sunday Morning Talk Show thread posted by Alas Babylon!. That thread provides a live commentary and analysis of the Sunday talking head shows, with valuable insight and exceptional fact checking. we are the Jedi Council of FreeRepublic, at least in regards to these DBM gabfests. You wanna know what was said and what it meant, as well as where they messed up? Read that thread!

Mark Kilmer has posted his excellent preview of the Sunday shows over at Redstate.COM.

Politico.COM may have dropped their Sunday Talk Show Tip Sheet. It's not posted as of 1:30 Central Time on 4/21.

Saturday Shows for April 21, 2007

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:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
- L'Affaire Gonzalez: where is a modern day Émile Zola? Who will shout; "Senators, J'accuse!" today?
Topics:
- Aftermath of the Virginia Tech shoootings. Who was responsible and how can another school massacre be prevented in the future?
- Alberto Gonzales is 'down' this week and we'll tell you why!
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:
- Well, Bernie may be a traitor and a liar when he bashes leftists, but now that he's called conservatives wimps it's time to talk to him
Topics:
- Tim talks to former CBS News correspondent Bernard Goldberg about his book, "Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right."
Guests
- Bernard Goldberg
  - Author Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right: How One Side Lost Its Mind and the Other Lost Its Nerve
  - Web site | Bio
  - "A Powerfully Corrosive Internal Culture" (TCS Daily, DC - Apr 12, 2007)
  - Conservatives sour on 'rebel media' (Boston Globe, MA - Apr 19, 2007)
  - BLAST AT CBS NUTS AND WIMPS (New York Post, NY - Apr 12, 2007)
  - Should Rosie Be Fired From ‘The View’? (FOX News - Mar 30, 2007)
CNBC's Tim Russert Show airs Saturday at 7pm, 10pm & 1am ET

Fox News Watch (Eric Burns)

Meme:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
Topics:
- SPECIAL EDITION: Media coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre
  - How did the media perform?
  - Did NBC make the right decision when it published Cho's manifesto
  - Is it too early for the media to start pointing fingers?
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:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
- Typical, no one will remember the "if it bleeds it ledes" headlines about shootings, but a court decision reversing a third of a century of single minded promotion of "murder for convenience" as a "Constitutional right" under all circumstances barely get's mentioned, and when it does it's grotesquely distorted.
- Did you know that the Supreme Court ruled on a case that will likely be remember 100 years from now? I didn't think so.
- L'Affaire Gonzalez: where is a modern day Émile Zola? Who will shout; "Senators, J'accuse!" today?
Topics:
- Opinion Journal web page: Was It Preventable?
  - Could Virginia Tech have done more to quarantine Cho Seung-hui, or did the laws get in the way?
  - An interview with Jan Crawford Greenburg on the direction of the Supreme Court
- Fox News Channel web page
  - Partial Birth Abortion Ruling: After this week's decision are we looking at a new conservative Supreme Court?
  - Attorney General Under Fire: After grilling on the Hill can Alberto Gonzales survive?
Guests
- Jan Crawford Greenburg
  - ABC News Legal Correspondent | Bio
  - Author Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court
  - Built to Last (The American Prospect, MA - Apr 5, 2007)
  - 'Supreme Conflict' by Jan Crawford Greenburg (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA - Apr 14, 2007)
  - SCORPIONS IN BLACK ROBES (New York Post, NY - Apr 1, 2007)
  - Nets Separate from 'Partial-Birth' Term, Frame Story Around Loss of 'Abortion Rights' (NewsBusters - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Exclusive: Gonzales Contradicting His Own Testimony (ABC News - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Two Bomb Threats at Virginia Tech Last Week (ABC News - Apr 16, 2007)
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:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
- The Gods of the Marketplace have spoken, they swear, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes will cease
- Brian Williams had his highest ratings as Nightly News anchor thanks to the Cho video, but there has been a huge backlash. Therefore NBC news is doing the right thing and offering up Williams on MTP to accept the criticism and explain his actions. Oh, not Brian Williams, Pete Williams, the designated fall guy in case the media goes all Imus on them.
- L'Affaire Gonzalez: is Patrick Leahy a modern day Émile Zola? Will he shout; "J'accuse!" at the AG?
- You realize, not only is the massacre the fault of gun owners and conservatives everywhere, along with the basic evil that is America, it's also obviously Bush's fault™
- Did you know that the Supreme Court ruled on a case that will likely be remembered 100 years from now? I didn't think so.
Topics:
- Two Bush administration cabinet members who will conduct a nationwide review and issue recommendations on school safety in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech plus two members of the review panel established by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will join us to discuss the massacre and the broader issues of school safety
- Roundtable:
  - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill with Republican calls for his resignation
  - The President and the Democrats continued to clash on Iraq
  - The Supreme Court handed down a major decision on abortion
Guests
- Michael Leavitt
  - Secretary of Health and Human Services | Bio
  - Gonzales Among Appointees on School Violence Panel (Bloomberg - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Recent disasters should remind us all to be prepared for an emergency (Clanton Advertiser, AL - Apr 14, 2007)
  - Bloomberg Pushes for 9/11 Health Funds (New York Sun, NY - Mar 21, 2007)
  - Senate GOP against negotiating on drugs (Herald News Daily, ND - Apr 17, 2007)
- Margaret Spellings
  - Secretary of Education | Bio
  - Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Shootings at Virginia Tech (U.S. Department of Education (press release), DC - Apr 17, 2007)
  - Gonzales Among Appointees on School Violence Panel (Bloomberg - Apr 20, 2007)
  - At least 31 dead in US college shooting (The Northern Echo, UK - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Bush 'horrified' by Virginia Tech shootings (CNN - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Solid Lesson Plan Could Forestall 'Coming Crisis in Citizenship' (Human Events, DC - Apr 9, 2007)
  - Federal urge to meddle reaches college campus (St. Petersburg Times, FL - Apr 6, 2007)
  - Testimony alleges mismanagement of federal reading program (USA Today - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Textbook scandal reaches Congress (USA Today - Apr 15, 2007)
- Colonel Gerald Massengill
  - Retired VA State Police Superintendent
  - Experts To Investigate Campus Killings (Sky News, UK - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Experts: Massacre to fuel mental health debate (WDBJ7.com, VA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Day of mourning for Virginia Tech shooting victims (CBC.ca, Canada - Apr 20, 2007)
- Tom Ridge
  - Former Homeland Security Secretary | Bio
  - Ridge: Panel will look at time lapse (KGAN, IA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Ridge: Shootings probably couldn't been prevented (CBS 47, CA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Tom Ridge on massacre review panel (WSLS.com, VA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Former Homeland Security czar questions communication at Va. Tech (NEPA News, PA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - House Members To Get A Refresher On Ethics (Evening Bulletin, PA - Apr 20, 2007)
- Roundtable:
  - Doris Kearns Goodwin
    - Presidential Historian
    - The value of dissent over belief (Prince George Citizen, Canada - Apr 16, 2007)
    - Imus in the Twilight (Slate - Apr 12, 2007)
  - David Gregory
    - NBC News Chief White House Correspondent
    - Gregory Repeats Claim That Pelosi Was ‘Sloppy,’ Gave Incorrect Message To The Syrians (Think Progress, DC - Apr 9, 2007)
    - NBC Hypes 'Tough Times' for GOP With Out-of-Touch Analysis of McCain's War Stance (NewsBusters - Apr 9, 2007)
  - Jon Meacham
    - Newsweek Editor
    - For Don Imus's Frequent Guests, A Moral Dilemma (Washington Post, DC - Apr 10, 2007)
    - The God Debate (Newsweek - Mar 31, 2007)
    - In the Words of the War Dead (IraqSlogger - Mar 26, 2007)
  - Pete Williams
    - NBC News Justice Correspondent
    - Descending Into Hell (Huffington Post, NY - Apr 20, 2007)
    - 'When the time came I did it' (MSNBC - Apr 19, 2007)
    - NBC News statement on gunman’s video (MSNBC - Apr 19, 2007)
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)

Meme:
- L'Affaire Gonzalez: is Patrick Leahy a modern day Émile Zola? Will he shout; "J'accuse!" at the AG?
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
- The Gods of the Marketplace have spoken, they swear, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes will cease
Topics:
- None listed, however, it's obvious that they'll be talking about:
  - The Gonzalez Inquisition
  - Those evil guns
Guests
- Senator Patrick Leahy
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Statement of Chairman Patrick Leahy, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On "Department Of Justice Oversight" Witness: Attorney General Gonzales (YubaNet, CA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Committee presses Gonzales on Mercer's dual role, testimony on firings (The Missoulian, MT - Apr 19, 2007)
  - US attorney-general defends firings (Aljazeera.net, Qatar - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Rove's name keeps popping up in Senate Dem questions (Arizona Republic, AZ - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Bush aides lying about lost e-mails: Leahy (Peninsula On-line, Qatar - Apr 13, 2007)
  - Congress Introduces Patent Reform Act of 2007 (Circuits Assembly, GA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - US Senate freezes Colombia military funds (MSNBC - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Uribe defends human rights record (BBC News, UK - Apr 21, 2007)
- Jim and Sarah Brady
  - Founders Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence | Jim Brady Bio, Sarah Brady Bio
  - Sarah Brady Calls for More Gun Control on Tragic Anniversary (Crosswalk.com, VA - Mar 30, 2007)
  - Gun Control Reaps Another Bitter Harvest Robert Kreisler (Opinion Editorials, VA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - CNN First to Pursue Gun Control Angle With Virginia Tech Murders (NewsBusters - Apr 17, 2007)
  - NRA's Response to Virginia Tech Shootings: Stand Your Ground (Mother Jones, CA - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Ted Nugent: Nothing more American than our NRA family party (Waco Tribune Herald, TX - Apr 15, 2007)
  - Shootings horrible but not reason to ban guns (YourHub.com, CO - Apr 17, 2007)
  - Second Amendment applies to civilians (Bloomington Pantagraph, IL - Mar 28, 2007)
- Gregg McCray
  - Criminal profiler
  - Virginia Tech Gunman Sends Message to NBC (CNN ANDERSON COOPER 360 transcript - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Shootings Unsettle Washington, DC Area (Voice of America - Oct 9, 2002)
Face The Nation contact information - ftn@cbsnews.com

Fox News Sunday (Chris Wallace)

Meme:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; played the tapes; now taking heat; take the "high road," let them get beat
- The Gods of the Marketplace have spoken, they swear, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes will cease
- L'Affaire Gonzalez: where is a modern day Émile Zola? Who will shout; "Senators, J'accuse!" anybody?
- Senate Majority Leader, Lord Haw Haw, would like to say just a few more words of explanation
Topics:
- Massacre at Virginia Tech: How did the system fail the victims of this week’s tragedy?
  - With the state of Virginia conducting an official review of the case and university officials across the country reassessing their own alert systems, we will speak with two key leaders on the state of campus security
  - Do any changes need to be made to gun control laws, the mental health care system, or campus security measures in order to ensure future tragedies are prevented?
- The Exploitable Eight pseudo scandal
  - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales delivers his long-awaited Senate testimony and receives a harsh grilling from both Republicans and Democrats.
  - With an increasing number of leading Republicans questioning his credibility and ability to continue as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer — is it only a matter of time before he resigns?
  - Will President Bush continue to stand by the Attorney General?
- Fox News Sunday panel
  - Debating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) declaration this week that the war in Iraq is “lost.”
- Fox News essay: Coming up on Fox News Sunday
Guests
- Bill Bolling, Republican - Virginia
  - Virginia Lieutenant Governor | web site | Bio
  - Virginians come together to mourn (Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Hotline After Dark: The Politics Of Tragedy (National Journal, DC - Apr 17, 2007)
  - Massengill will lead task force (Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Shad planking lacks usual political ribbing (Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Apr 19, 2007)
  - 'This is truly a sad time in our county' (News Messenger, VA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Lt. Governor seeks ideas in Richlands (Richlands News-Press & Clinch Valley News, VA - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Bill Bolling's big idea (Roanoke Times, VA - Apr 14, 2007)
  - Bolling launches 100 idea initiative (Charlottesville Daily Progress, VA - Apr 10, 2007)
- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
  - President of George Washington University | Bio
  - Trachtenberg Won't Deliver Commencement Address (WTOP, DC - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Colleges Feel Caught In Shifting Landscape (Washington Post, DC - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Our Worst Nightmare (Washington Post - Apr 19, 2007)
  - When Laws Create Barriers to Care, the Consequences Should Be No Surprise (Washington Post - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Staff Editorial: Seniors deserve more (Daily Colonial, DC - Apr 11, 2007)
  - Could Anything Have Been Done? (AOL News Newsbloggers, VA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - University Campuses Face Security Challenges (PBS News Hour - Apr 17, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
- Senator Arlen Specter
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is seeking GOP support (WANE, IN - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Senator Arlen Specter's Closing Statement At Alberto Gonzales Hearing (All American Patriots (press release), Sweden - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Gonzales, begone (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Specter: "We Haven't Really Gotten Answers" (TPMmuckraker, NY - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Specter: Gonzales Has "Burden of Proof" (TPMmuckraker, NY - Apr 19, 2007)
  - White House, Senators to Confer on E-Mail Expert (Washington Post, DC - Apr 14, 2007)
  - After Virginia Tech Massacre, Time To Overhaul Clery Campus Crime Legislation (VDARE.com, VA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Specter faults colleges on crime (Keystone Politics - May 20, 2006)
  - Specter Unveils Initiatives To Curb Youth Crimes (KDKA, PA - Apr 5, 2007)
  - US Republican Senator Arlen Specter says Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was right to go to Damascus (DEBKA file, Israel - Apr 8, 2007)
  - Pelosis trip: helpful, not harmful (UWM Post, WI - Apr 15, 2007)
  - US Sen.Lieberman: Pelosi Syria visit was ‘bad for America' (Ya Libnan, Lebanon - Apr 8, 2007)
- Senator Chuck Schumer
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Lives of the Democrats - Chuck Schumer, left, and Charles Rangel. (New York Times, NY - Apr 21, 2007) Note: that second part is actually a subtitle for a picture, but it's what Google brought up in the search and it was just TOOO GOOOOD!!!!!!
  - What's Really At Stake for Schumer in Confronting Gonzales (TPMCafe, NY - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer reclaims the middle class (Harvard Political Review, MA - Apr 11, 2007)
  - Schumer presses Port Authority to resume lease talk about Howland Hook (Staten Island Advance, NY - Apr 20, 2007)
  - In the Face of the Foreclosure Crisis, Dems Emerge Gutless (Drum Major Institute, NY - Apr 19, 2007)
  - The quotable Chuck Schumer (Point of Law, NY - Apr 9, 2007)
  - Rapping Chuck Schumer on the air (Park Slope Courier, NY - Apr 5, 2007) Note: may be real reason Imus was abandoned by "friends"
- Fox News Sunday panel
  - Brit Hume
    - Fox News
    - Afraid of Fox News? (Kansas City Star, MO - Apr 18, 2007)
    - Will the Firing of Don Imus Be Bad for Democrats? (FOX News - Apr 13, 2007)
    - Here's What The New York Times Didn't Report About the Duke University Rape Case (FOX News - Apr 12, 2007)
  - Bill Kristol
    - The Weekly Standard
    - McCain v. Reid (Time Magazine - Apr 20, 2007)
    - In 2008 It's Ronald Reagan vs. Bobby Kennedy (Time Magazine - Mar 29, 2007)
    - Agreeing with Bill Kristol on RFK's Legacy? (Huffington Post, NY - Apr 5, 2007)
  - Juan Williams
    - National Public Radio
    - On the Hill: A 'Lost' War, and Gonzales Advised to Resign (NPR Day to Day - Apr 20, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
    - On the Imus Fallout (National Review Online Blogs, NY - Apr 16, 2007)
    - Was Pressure on Prosecutors a Partisan Issue? (NPR Morning Edition - Apr 20, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
  - Mara Liasson
    - National Public Radio
    - McCain's Stance on Iraq Weighs Down Campaign (NPR All Things Considered - Apr 11, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
    - McCain VMI Speech Aimed at Reenergizing Campaign (NPR Morning Edition - Apr 12, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
    - GOP Faces a Wide, and Shifting, Presidential Field (NPR All Things Considered - Apr 3, 2007) Note: includes link to streaming audio
Fox News Sunday contact information - FNS@foxnews.com

CNN Late Edition (Wolf Blitzer)

Meme:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; live from campus; brand new hosts; quick before shows gives up ghost
- The Gods of the Marketplace have spoken, they swear, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes will cease
- Did you know that the Supreme Court ruled on a case that will likely be remembered 100 years from now? I didn't think so.
- It's all the stubborn Jooos and MChimpy Bushitler's fault in the Middle East
- When both a "real conservative" and a true leftist moonbat endorse a flat tax something is afoot
Topics:
- Tragedy at Virginia Tech.
  - Talking about the lessons learned with Virginia’s Attorney General and two top Senators
- New York Times columnist Tom Friedman on Iraq, Israel and more
Guests
- Senator Sam Brownback, Republican - Kansas:
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Senate Judiciary Committee member
  - Presidential candidate | campaign web site | Bio
  - Sam Brownback looks to rally conservatives (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Sen. Sam Brownback Backs Flat Tax (NewsMax.com, FL - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Terry Bill Supports Stay-At-Home Parents (KETV.com, NE - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Landmark Decison Upholds Abortion Law (WKRN, TN - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Ann Coulter, Advocate for Death, to Speak Tonight with Sam Brownback at Pro-Life Banquet (Brad Blog - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Join 'Conversation' With Sam Brownback (Kansas City Channel.com, MO - Apr 6, 2007) Note: includes links to video clips
  - Sen. Brownback Stumps in South Carolina (WIBW, KS - Apr 13, 2007)
- Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat - Oregon
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Senate Select Intelligence Committee member
  - The Politics of Wyden and Smith Jeff Alworth (BlueOregon, OR - Apr 17, 2007)
  - Democratic leaders won't criticize Smith (OregonLive.com, OR - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Sen. Ron Wyden calls for Congress to act on health care now (Chicago Sun-Times, IL - Apr 12, 2007)
  - Grassley leads stalemate over Medicare drug $$ (DesMoinesRegister.com, IA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Wyden Legislates For A Flat Tax (KOBI 5, OR - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Senators to hold conference on GSA's Doan (FCW.com, VA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Vets vent during visit to Tigard Armory (The Regal Courier, OR - Apr 6, 2007)
  - Somebody up there is listening (The Daily Astorian, OR - Apr 17, 2007)
- Bob McDonnell, Republican - Virginia
  - Virginia Attorney General | State web site | Bio
  - McDonnell: Concealed weapon permit list shouldn't have been released (WDBJ7.com, VA - Apr 6, 2007)
  - Attorney general says state may withhold some handgun records (Virginian Pilot, VA - Apr 6, 2007)
  - Extremist Kansas church plans to picket victims' funerals (Daily Press, VA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - The death penalty (Daily Press, VA - Mar 31, 2007)
  - Virginia AG McDonnell Addresses Constitutional and Political Issues (Virginia Law Weekly, VA - Mar 23, 2007)
  - Tough love from the AG at Roland E. Cook (Cave Spring Connection, VA - Apr 9, 2007)
- Thomas Friedman, Egomaniac - New York
  - New York Times Columnist | web site
  - Author, "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century"
  - Thomas Friedman: China needs to bring in "the green cat" (CCTV, China - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Thomas Friedman: Warming debate over; let the solutions begin (Pasadena Star-News, CA - Mar 29, 2007)
  - Eco-Orwell: How Green is Tom Friedman? (Bay Area Indymedia, CA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Last "Friedman" in Iraq Was the Worst So Far (Huffington Post, NY - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Bill Gates: The next great success will come from Asia (Balita.org, UK - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Spreading pain best way to end property taxes (Orlando Sentinel, FL - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Thomas Friedman: `Clinton plan' for Mideast only realistic option (Pasadena Star-News, CA - Apr 3, 2007)
- Lanny Davis
  - Former Clinton special counsel
  - Partner Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP | Bio
  - Author, "Scandal: How "Gotcha" Politics Is Destroying America"
  - Rough Week, Mr. AG? You Could Say That (Washington Post, DC - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Republican who probed Clinton White House hits at Democrats for House investigations (Raw Story, MA - Apr 10, 2007)
  - Liberal McCarthyism (Wall Street Journal - Aug 8, 2006)
  - Ex-White House Counsel Lanny Davis Says Congress & Bush Were Right to Act in the Schiavo Case (Fox News - Mar 24, 2005)
  - NPR : The 2006 Election: End of 'Gotcha!' Politics? (NPR Weekend Edition Saturday - Nov 25, 2006) Note: page has link to streaming audio
- David Rivkin
  - Former Reagan-Bush legal counsel
  - Partnet Baker & Hostetler LLP | Bio
  - 'Lawfare' Over Haditha (Excerpts from Wall Street Journal via Baker & Hostetler web site - Jun 7, 2006)
  - Howard cautions against celebrating Hicks' guilty plea (ABC Online, Australia - Mar 28, 2007)
  - Long, Winding Road Led to Padilla Trial (NPR Morning Edition- Apr 16, 2007) Note: page has link to streaming audio
  - Time to Close Gitmo (Commentary, NY - Mar 29, 2007)
  - Get tough on Iran (The Argus, CA - Apr 2, 2007)
  - House: End war in '08 (Chicago Tribune, IL - Mar 24, 2007)
- Jeanne Meserve
  - CNN’s Homeland Security Correspondent | Bio
  - GUNMAN ANGRY AT 'RICH KIDS' (Free Market News Network, FL - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Campus killer's purchases apparently within gun laws (CNN International - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Jeanne Meserve: Pros Don't Crack, Do They? (Jersey Goddess blog - Aug 30, 2005)
  - Katrina: Audio of Jeanne Meserve (Media Bistro - Aug 30, 2005) Note: includes link to MP3 file of emotional report from New Orleans
  - Homeland Security Advised NFL of Potential Stadium Threat (CNN The Situation Room transcript - Oct 18, 2006)
  - CNN Correspondent Jeanne Meserve on Bush's strategy and surrogates (CNN - Nov 20, 2000)
- Bill Schneider
  - CNN Political Analyst
  - Nets Blame Virginia's 'Lax' Gun Laws, Gibson and Couric Press Bush on Gun Control (NewsBusters - Apr 17, 2007)
  - CNN's Schneider, Politico, and Time's Tumulty misled on gun-control politics (Media Matters for America, DC - Apr 18, 2007)
  - Should the Media Have Run the Cho Tape? (FOX News - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Political Perspective: Tragedy Reveals Several Realities (NBC4.TV, CA - Apr 18, 2007)
  - '08 candidates put their spins on abortion procedure ruling (CNN - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Schneider: Too late to get into the '08 race? (CNN International - Apr 7, 2007)
- Kiran Chetry
  - Anchor, CNN’s "American Morning" | Bio
  - CNN’s Ali Velshi: Carbon Offset Credits are a 'Way Out of Their Sins' (NewsBusters - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Kiran Chetry, Google, and a reminder that photos live forever (Business 2.0, CA - Apr 5, 2007)
  - CNN: Soledad O'Brien Out, Kiran Chetry In (Post Chronicle - Apr 3, 2007)
  - Success Sweet Revenge for Kiran Chetry (News Hounds, CA - Apr 4, 2007)
  - Discover why a Connecticut school's play about the Iraq war was canceled (CNN Student News - Mar 27, 2007)
  - CNN's Attack of the 'Killer Stoves' (Business Media Institute, VA - Apr 6, 2007)
- John Roberts
  - Anchor, CNN’s "American Morning" | Bio
  - Roberts: Snow a 'larger-than-life kind of guy' (CNN - Mar 27, 2007)
  - The Gab at CNN: Soledad's 'Very Brave' Hero Katie Couric, Larry King's Musical Heir? (NewsBusters - Apr 21, 2007)
  - Va. Tech Shootings: New AM Co-Hosts Roberts & Chetry Live In Blacksburg (mediabistro.com, NY - Apr 17, 2007)
  - John Roberts to co-anchor CNN's American Morning (Toronto Star, Canada - Apr 4, 2007)
  - CNN revamps morning news (Gay Socialites, NY - Apr 5, 2007) Note: nothing instructive in the brief article, but why is it on this gay blog site and why does it feature a picture of John Roberts?
CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos)

Meme:
- Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and news rooms bubble; tape of killer; film at eleven; Nielson ratings climb to heaven
- The Gods of the Marketplace have spoken, they swear, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes will cease
- Newt has turned to the dark side on global warming - quick, the DBM must reward him with face time!
- And the real horse race is on for 2008: which Dhimmicrat can say the dumbest most extreme leftist things the loudest?
Topics:
- The former speaker of the House discusses the tragedy at Virginia Tech and the rest of the week's news
- On the trail with Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn in New Hampshire.
Guests
- Former Speaker Newt Gingrich
  - Web site | Bio
  - Gingrich, Ford Laud Bloomberg's Leadership (New York Sun, NY - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Rediscover God in Washington (CitizenLink, CO - Apr 20, 2007)
  - From Whom Does Thompson Pull? (New York Sun, NY - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Political correctness continues to rear its ugly head (Washington Post, DC - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi: Two Peas in a Pod (FOX News - Apr 16, 2007)
  - Earth to Kerry: Shut up, already (Boston Herald, MA - Apr 19, 2007)
- Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat - Connecticut
  - Senate web site | Bio
  - Presidential candidate | Campaign web site | Bio
  - Dodd brings pollution tax proposal to NH (The Union Leader, NH - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Sen. Chris Dodd: Tax 'Greenhouse Gas' Emissions (NewsMax.com, FL - Apr 19, 2007)
  - Dodd says presidency isn't a place for on the job training (Boston Globe, MA - Apr 20, 2007)
  - Chris Dodd is totally maybe and/or maybe not boycotting Imus (TheDay, CT - Apr 11, 2007)
  - Dodd Speaks Out About Iraq Troop Surge (WHO-TV, IA - Apr 12, 2007)
  - Dodd also takes McCain to task (MSNBC - Apr 11, 2007)
  - Dodd calls for 'surge of diplomacy' on Iraq (WTNH, CT - Apr 11, 2007)
  - Dodd Asks: What if Your Child Were Gay? (Town Hall, DC - Apr 4, 2007)
  - Dodd Fundraising Disappoints (Hartford Courant, CT - Apr 3, 2007)
- Roundtable
  - Sam Donaldson
    - Facing Death Politically (CounterPunch, CA - Apr 18, 2007)
    Cokie Roberts
    - The Edwards family pushes forward (Black Hills Pioneer, SD - Mar 30, 2007)
  - George Will
    - George Will A case for lowering drinking age (Indianapolis Star, IN - Apr 20, 2007)
ABC This Week comment web page

Ping

The Weekend Talk Show Preview Thread is up

It will also be cross posted (sometime soon... maybe) to my blog at

http://wizards.townhall.com/

Here's a sample of my usually witty commentary...

This week the dinosaur media provides a case study in the same type of schizophrenia, self absorbed psychotic view of reality that led the VT killer to go on his rampage. We, the unwashed masses, made them show those horrendous videos. Laws must be passed to take away guns from everyone, despite what that stupid old Constitution says. ... Then we have the spectacle of President Leahy, President Specter and President Schumer consulting on the death penalty for the Attorney General because he did something legal, while President Pelosi, President Reid and President Dodd race each other to see who can put the most terrorist friendly foreign policy in place. And to top it off we have Saint's Friedman, Davis, Gingrich and the rest of the all wise to declare, Ex Cathedra what is right and what we must do. They have spoken. We must obey.
<snip>
So, one of the most violent weeks of terrorist attacks in Iraq in four years and a Supreme Court decision that rivals anything in the last 30 years, and the media wants to go with "if it bleeds it ledes" and the non-scandal manufactured by the moonbats who are in charge of Congress. I wonder if this is what it was like in Rome under Galba and Otho? ...

How do they come up with such dumb statements?

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall?*

Neil just totally blew off the guy raising the HIPPA privacy problems not allowing this psyco's mental condition to make it into the system so that he couldn't buy a gun in order to go back and try and score some points against the evil NRA. The man has blood on his own hands and he can't get off of his extreme left wing template.

They end with homages to Shep Smith and Jerry Rivers (Geraldo Rivera) about just how tough it was to report on the VT story. Someone in the media is going to have the insight to point out that the murders happened precisely because of the "investigative reporting" that made Geraldo famous on the truly horrendous conditions at NY mental hospitals. The net result of that expose, however, was laws that led to the dumping of truly distrubed people out onto the streets from many other institutions. It also led directly to the current disfunctional health care system that lets dangerous maniacs out on the streets and campuses of America and, in the name of privacy (remember the penumbra granted privacy rights in the Constitution) prevents law abiding citizens from knowing about the danger, to the point that the gun dealer couldn't even find out about Cho's mental condition.

In some ways this can be viewed as the Jerry Rivers massacre.

* the punchline to that old joke "how do you get to Carnegie Hall" is "practice, practice, practice."

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Preview and Analysis for Weekend of April 21st and 22nd, 2007

Saturday Shows for April 21, 2007

Preview and Analysis for Weekend of April 21^st and 22^nd, 2007