Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 22 April 2007

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling; Stephen Trachtenberg, George Washington University president; Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt; Education Secretary Margaret Spellings; Col. Gerald Massengill, former Virginia State Police superintendent; former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Jim and Sarah Brady of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence; former FBI profiler Gregg McCrary.

THIS WEEK (ABC): Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and his wife, Jackie Marie Clegg.

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell; New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman; Lanny Davis, former special counsel to President Clinton; David Rivkin, former counsel to President George H.W. Bush.

Sunday morning talk show thread Top 10 awards for April 22^nd, 2007

I wish to say thank you to all and sundry on this thread this week for going easy on me. We have something close to half our normal posts on this thread and I REALLY appreciate you folks being so considerate, considering... <g>.

However.... (you knew there was a "however") ... it also has made it even harder than normal to choose (you MUST be getting tired of me whining about that). Anyway, these posts are important for me to point out to anyone reading the thread who might have missed them. This selection of posts to go onto the "top 10" this week may have come down to either volume or my own prejudices, often tied to my familiarity with the poster. The point here is that ALL of these posts are worthy of note, but the rules of the game are I'm supposed to pick out some to rank as "better" than others. I have done that in there, but know, as always, that all of the posts are worth reading.

10th place Bernard

#23; "I look forward to hearing somebody on these shows explain why the VT killer thought so highly of NBC News that he sent them an exclusive. I wonder if NBC will use this fact in their future advertising campaigns."
#289; "... Here's one theory; this act was so horrible and so incredible that the media cannot fathom a solution. Since there is no solution, it is safe to talk about at great length, because it is seen as a bottomless pit of potential for new regulations, government intervention, and government spending. Look for governments to build a line item for grief counseling into all budgets, just in case. ... Whereas the illegal alien crime spree can be dealt with, but it would cause actions the media doesn't like. That is unacceptable and not to be spoken of." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #93)

9th place Knitting A Conundrum

#113; "It’s similar to all the urban crime we have all the time. We expect it, and no one thinks about it. ... We’ve already sacrificed black youth on the altar of PC keep’em on the plantation for their votes, no matter how miserable we help them be by setting things up this way. The mostly hispanic crime fits the same pattern and nobody blinks an eye about the source of the violence." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #93)
#157; "Niceness isn’t a virtue, but a lot of people use it as a substitute for goodness." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #147)

8th place BusterBear

#213; "... Friedman would fail Business 101. Planners KNOW that nothing can be said for sure. But the planning process is essential, in which you take into account many scenarios. Dwight D. Eisenhower: "It's not the plan that's important, it's the planning [process]." There must be detailed discussion and attempts to make the plan as flexible as possible, in order to cope with whatever situations come up. ... I guess Friedman typifies the drive-by media's "thought-processes" - wait for a catastrophe and then have the discussion of what we "might have done" - like with the VT killer or 9/11. That way we know "for sure" what might happen. ... Well, let's hope Pinchie is on the same page - the NYTimes will go bankrupt that much sooner." (Note: reply to Txsleuth's post #190, part of a discussion going back to Txsleuth's post #169)

7th place anita

#7; "... Spellings & Leavitt on MTP. Is Russert going after one of their heads (as he did for Chertoff)? ... Wallace is on his tired, old game. ... From CBS press release: For the April 9 broadcast, FACE THE NATION posted 3.27 million viewers, This is the broadcast's best viewer delivery and best household delivery since 2/4/05. Schieffer had an exclusive interview with Vice President Dick Cheney which was broadcast last Sunday."
#22; "Russert is going to talk about Homeland Secutity. Now, HS Chief coming out strong. ... Michael Chertoff goes afer conspiracy theorists and calls the bluff of Carter's National Security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski."
#42; "Specter should be careful because WH now decided to come out strong. First proof - Nebraska attorney general is running for Hagel’s seat with Rove’s approval." (Note, reply to maica's post #39)
#56; "This Sunday's Media Nuggets ..." (Note: excellent list, as usual)
#131; "Schumer suddenly appointed himself as president and Wallace was willing to live on his dream."

6th place samantha

#288; "They tell you what toilet you can put in your new house, and yet mentally ill child molesters are assigned to living under a bridge in Miami Beach. You cannot kick a filthy, smelly, drunken piece of human debris out of the Library, but you can abort your baby at almost any moment after conception. No wonder there are so many nutcases in our Society, the Liberals have made Societal rules and mores so convoluted who in the hell can tell what to do next?"
#309; "well Schumer does not get to decide anything, he is not President. He is a Commie Pinko worthless piece of Human Debris from a State that would elect Castro/Hitler if he moved there and had a D after his name. The Majority Population of Welfare recipients, left wing nuts and probably illegals get to say who the Senator is in NY and look what they have. a good portion of the State did not vote for the Gruesome twosome of Schumer and Hitlery, but get screwed over by the Majority that live in the Cities."
#310; "The only good thing about Gabler that I can ever say is that he has a very nice smile. That being said, Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer had nice smiles also when they were not murdering and mutilating people. I put Gabler in the same category as Lawrence O’Donnell, he does not need to be on any Broadcast network, he needs to be in a Rubber room."
#332; "... I really cannot stand to look at these botoxed to the Max, pathetic idiots telling us what to think and how to act."

5th place maica

#39; "I am watching FNS after many Sundays away, and I am making a Specter voodoo doll as I watch!"
#46; "... preserving the freedom of a lunatic to run around among us. #### and at the same time, a high school or elementary school student can be suspended for practically pointing a finger at someone else. /slight exaggeration" (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #37)
#54; "One thing that the insulated, isolated press corps does not realize about the VT murders - boomers are the demographic in America who have children in universities all over this country. Boomers are the dominant demographic for everything and this carnage has focused their attention powerfully. ... Russert et al will not be able to shape the argument. Changes to some of these draconian stupid privacy regs will happen."

4th place Txsleuth

#169; "Thomas Friedman on with Wolfie...talking about Iraq, says he doesn’t even think we should discuss what would happen if we left...because no one knows for sure. So that shouldn’t be taken into consideration...therefore, pulling our troops right now is okay. ... Oh...okay........???"
#173; "That point....about who Bush COULD get confirmed, is my big arguing point to people that just say “of course Bush should fire Gonzo”.... It is the consequences of actions that need to be considered...on so many topics...and I find that the supposed “intelligent people” in Washington, just skip that part." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #112)
#197; "OT: I found it very disappointing that David Gregory made the comment on MTP...that Pres. Bush gave a very detailed explanation of what is going on in Iraq, with slides, pictures... And that it was something he had not done, but is planning to do more of. ... My disappointment: MSNBC did NOT show the speech, so how are we to KNOW...and after he said all of that.. he said 'to little, to late:'...UGH."
#211; "You are exactly right...you never hear the Dems, MSM, or even some GOPers mention that it is the terrorists that are the problem... Just like with the shooting in VT...the MSM from the START, were all over the School President and the LEO for “letting” it happen. ... It would have been nice if they could have saved some of their outrage for the terrorist. ( I say terrorist, because he DID terrorize those people, not just the ones he shot and killed, but all on that campus. If he had had on a suicide belt like they use in Israel, the same amount of carnage would have taken place) ... NOW, we have to 'understand' him." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #204)
#217; "The MSM and the libs are both in the “hindsight all the time” mode. ... But, they only do it with a narrow focus, .... just like with the 9/11 Commission. ... They actually came out and said that they were only going to go back 'so far'... IOW, they narrowed their own focus, to have their hindsight fit their agenda."

3rd Place AliVeritas

Excellent links and insight on topics related to the talk shows, even if the talk shows didn't know that they were talking about some of these things... but they were! And links galore!

#186; "So you saw this on Gateway as well; Nancy should be asked about this. ... Dem’s New Buddies Call for Killing Americans ... W Zip reports... The Muslim Brotherhood calls for attacks in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan. ... Democrats are still seeking a few moderates among the terrorists."
#196; "Did you see these? (flopping aces articles The MSM Bias Is Alive & Well From Fox News and Defeatists Always Whine) ... I was also hoping we would find out who’s blocking legislation on earmark transparency. ... Obama sort of banning donations from lobbyists (I didn’t know he had Daschle-ites working for him) ... In case you missed it: Iran Watch: US-Iranian Nuclear Worker Steals Nuclear Plant Software for Iran ... Make sure you check out this when you have time... it has the Dr. Helen Smith link as well. ... Sanity Squad podcast on the Virginia Tech killings ..."
#203; "For those who never read it. ... Is Islam Compatible With Democracy? ... Fjordman Files, originally hosted on Jihad Watch ... Printable Version ... "
#214; "This makes me ill. ... Democrats wage Information Warfare against U.S. forces"
#220; "The Arrogance Of Silence re: VT blog silence protest"
#224; " ... If Chris WERE a Catholic, he would have surprised them with video of the procedure. Sure he would be fired, but worth it. Has anyone in the MSM spoken on it?" (Note: reply to Mo1's post #110)
#253; "Re: the murderer’s problem ... This English Department couldn’t have helped. Sheesh. ..."

2nd Place Bahbah

Always the most numerous and consistent of the live blogging of what's going on with the Sunday morning talking heads. Stimulating conversations in exchanges with others on posts they have made as well as sparking her share of new discussions, Bahbah always provides great continuity and focus to the thread.

#37; "I think it is interesting that the government wants to tell me what toilet I can have and maybe even what lightbulb I may use, but they are very adamant about preserving the freedom of a lunatic to run around among us."
#43; "Timmy ends this mind numbingly boring segment with a hope that there just might be someone we can “get” over this."
#48; "It was really pretty laughable. Timmy kept trying to get to the “gun thing” and the panel was digging their heels in on the mental health issue. ... Apparently they do not feel that the time is ripe to go gun grabbing again. As you say...for now."
#49; "Oh no, Timmy hasn’t given up on the gun control issue. Has a poll that says most Americans really, really want more of it, so why aren’t the candidates jumping on the bandwagon."
#52; "Doris Kearns-Goodwin is here to tell us that the dems position on guns did not lose them elections. They are just misreading election results. ... She says the dems MUST take leadership on this issue."
#55; "Timmy says the dem response to the abortion decision was muted. ... MUTED????? They are shrieking like stuck pigs."
#92; "The President of GWU just informed us all that not even his security people are armed. No guns on that campus whatever. ... Sounds like they’re next. ... I would not want this Tractenburg guy running my local supermarket."
#96; "A caller to C-Span had the answer this morning. It was done to distract us from our failure in Iraq." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #93)
#112; "Schumer tells us that the arrow points more and more at the White House and Karl Rove in this US attorney caper. ... Says the AG should not be there. Gossip says that many in the WH are telling the Prez the AG should go. He tries to avoid the question whether Schmuckie will hold up any confirmation of a new AG over a demand for Rove testimony. He names Comey as someone who could get through easily. Comey named Fitzfong as Special Counsel."
#116; "Good, Specter takes a stick to Reid on saying the war in Iraq is lost. Schmuckie tries to jump in, but Wallace cuts it off."
#140; "Kristol thinks the dems should get together and force Reid to step down, although it won’t happen. ... He’s right on both fronts. The dems don’t have any statesmen left in that party other than Liberman. ... WHO IN THE HELL DOES JUAN THINK WE’RE FIGHTING IN IRAQ????"
#147; "Republicans seem to have a problem with 'niceness.' They think it is a good thing. The problem is that it leaves hideous people in charge of things that affect the lives of all of us."
#159; "Shallow, cynical and contemptible is what Newt calls Reid’s comment that we have lost the war in Iraq. ... I am very glad that Reid’s statement is getting as much exposure on these shows as it is."

1st Place rodguy911

Always on the case, regardless of external issues, rodguy911 brought a much needed focus to the discussions that drove through other forces to keep the thread on track. Much needed and much appreciated.

#21; "Maybe not all the ills, here’s one we were not responsible for at: ... http://www.abledangerblog.com/ ... I check in with AD every once in a while just to see what’s new. This week, I was amazed at what I found. (I’m sure some of you out there already knew all this but others may not) the Able Danger blog contains a summary of a 328 page translation (courtesy of Paul Thompson who has created an entire, and extremely in-depth, 911 time line.) You can find it here: ... http://www.cooperativereserch.org/project.jsp?project=911_project ... The Le Monde article contains in-depth and well sourced info on the planning of 911 by Al Qaeda. ... I was floored to find out that this info was undoubtedly given to our CIA, well before Sept 11 and beyond that no one knows what happened. ... Two CIA officials state that they “don’t recall any special intel on 911” from the French” they are Gary Berksten and Mr. “Slick” Michale Scheuer. (and to think I used to think this guy was a straight shooter, wow was I ever duped) ... The piece at AD is very well done and contains all kinds of info about Ben Laden, his health, his ties to Saudi Arabia and his family, just how serious about terrorism the Saudi kingdom may or may not be, and all kinds of stuff you will never ever read in the Old DB media. ... It’s definitely worth reading. (sorry can't get the second link to work but it's mentioned in the first)"
#88; "I heard a story some months ago forget where, that when suicide bombing was tried in a certain country, it was widely advertised that all suicide bombers would be buried with pig entrails, and it was shown being done. After widely adv. the fact, much of the suicide bombing stopped. Evidently the islamo fascists are not too fond of porky."
#93; "Back to the VT killer, I find it odd that so much media time, energy, effort and air time is given to one event when we have illegals killing thousands of our citizens every year and no one hears a word about it. Talk about a double standard, what’s up with that. ... At least Rush mentioned it on his show last week."
#119; "Yeah I saw that Capus appeared deeeply saddened. ... Not so saddened was host Howie,I 'm so left wing, Kurtz after playing the Howie said he felt sorry for Baldwin having to endure such low journalism by having his private remarks taped,!! ... Way to go howie, go ahead and destroy what little bit of credibility you might have had, now everyone knows what a true bozo you really are."
#152; "... Something else that needs to happen is Freeper TV!! I thought Freeper Radio would be good but after watching the selection today of little, least or lousy, I am thinking we need to go straight to tv.!!"
#156; "You got it Bah, until we are willing to get down in the snake pit and duke it out with the dirty-dem/dbm- rats they will be calling many of the shots." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #147)
#168; "On another show with Woof, Woof Blitz, left wing slimes BSer Tommie friedman says we have no intel in Iraq since more bombings are occurring!! ... Good one Tom, hey there was an auto wreck last night in my neighborhood and we didn't know about it either.Bozo!!"
#204; "The guy is an idiot (lil tommie friedman), he says, no one knows whether or not we are 30% or even 70% of the problem in Iraq! ... Hey Ass hol.... the terrorists are 100% of the problem too bad you don't get it!!!"
#216; "Oh no not Stenni, I'm so dumb, Hoyuer again, this guy is rivaling Rep. William cool cash Jefferson for dumbest congressman of the decade."
#222; "... as I was watching the burning at the stake/lynching of AG Gonzalez by elected idiots in Congress I was thinking that it would be nice if he just sat in front of Congress and told them that what the President decides to do with his US attorneys is none of their bleeping business and they should all ST..U up, go home or get to the business of legislating and leave the tough business of Governing to the adults."

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Sunday morning talk show thread Top 10 awards for April 22nd, 2007

Sunday morning talk show thread Top 10 awards for April 22^nd, 2007