Below the fold: videos, funnies, quotables, Colbert, headlines, and more...
The Lineup (Copying to another site? Link back here):
- MTP: US Amb to Iraq Ryan Crocker; roundtable of WaPo's E.J. Dionne, National Review's Kate O'Beirne, WaPo's Eugene Robinson, National Review's Byron York
- FTN: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI); Iraq Study Group member Lee Hamltion
- This Week: Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Martin Sheen; roundtable of Martha Raddatz, The Nation's David Corn, and George Will
- Fox News Sunday: Gen. David Petraeus; NYT's Tom Friedman
- Late Edition: Iraqi FM Hoshyar Sebari; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX); Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI); Seymour Hersh; Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA); roundtable of Ed Henry, Donna Brazile (D), Terry Jeffrey (R)
More TV Alerts (all subject to change) (would appreciate a link back to this diary or my Penndit post, for those copying this to other sites.)
- Political Capital with Al Hunt (Bloomberg, repeats throughout weekend): Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on 6/15
- Chris Matthews Show 6/16-6/17: Howard Fineman, Katty Kay, Michele Norris, Tucker Carlson discuss "With the Iraq war going badly and with bipartisan charges of incompetence, does President Bush have a plan for the rest of his presidency? What model of First Lady do American voters want: The Hillary Clinton model or the Laura Bush model?"
- Newsmakers (CSPAN, 10am): Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on 6/17;
- Road to the WH (C-SPAN, 6:30pm): Sam Brownback in IA on 6/17;
- Dateline: Donald Vance (American held captive by US in secret military prison in Iraq) on 6/17
- 60 Minutes: Stolen money in Iraq on 6/17; memory pill on 6/17; John Daly on 6/17;
- Charlie Rose 6/18: Sam Nunn (D-GA)
- The Daily Show: Steve Carell on 6/18; Brian Williams on 6/19; Fareed Zakaria on 6/20; Greg Bear on 6/21
- The Colbert Report: Toby Keith on 6/18; Harriet the Eagle with handler Marybeth Garrigan on 6/19; Anne-Marie Slaughter on 6/19; Will Schwalbe on 6/20; Vincent Bugliosi on 6/21; Tom Hayden on 6/25; Jerry Miller on 6/26; Spencer Wells on 6/26; Daniel Gilbert on 6/27; Zbigniew Brzezinski on 6/28
- Tavis Smiley: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) on 6/18
- The View: Michael Moore on 6/19
Sunday Talk Ratings for Last Week's Shows
Hotline 6/14: "For the week of 6/10, NBC's "Meet the Press" was not counted by Nielsen due to coverage of the French Open. ABC's "This Week" and CBS' "Face the Nation" both received a 6 share. "This Week" received a 2.0 rating and 2.646M viewers while "Face" received a 1.9 rating and 2.461M viewers. "Fox News Sunday" came in with a 1.0 rating/3 share and 1.368M viewers." Last week's guests here. Highlights and lowlights rom last Sunday:
The GOP Pres Field In A Nutshell
Senator Harry Reid zings 'em
I’ve learned one thing in listening to all the debates and reading about all these people running for office, and the one fact I’ve learned, I can’t get out of my mind, is that Rudy Giuliani has been married more times than Mitt Romney’s been hunting.
Maybe a result of nightmares from John Dingell being a jerk to her when she was a newbie
But mostly because it's smart politics... Pelosi (and House Dem leadership) bolster freshman Dems. Give credit to Rahm Emanuel, too. One of his major responsibilities is getting the freshman Dems re-elected next Nov.
The House Democratic leadership has begun bolstering the stature of Courtney and other new Democratic members: showing them off at events with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including them as co-sponsors of major pieces of legislation and praising their performance at news conferences. Politics is about nothing if not self-interest and the maintenance of power, and in the past, the self-interest of senior members dictated that House freshmen subserviently wait in line behind them for everything -- particularly powerful committee assignments and prime speaking time on the House floor. Not now. During the opening weeks, Courtney and other Democratic freshmen received speaking assignments on the floor during the Democrats' much-touted "100 Hour Agenda" -- a mix of bills addressing high-profile domestic issues such as the minimum wage, Medicare prescription drugs and loan rates on college tuition.
Some older Democratic bulls complained privately that they were being overlooked in favor of the freshmen. Pelosi reminded them that they wouldn't have their new power in the House but for the many newcomers, whom she calls "Majority Makers." In a favor seldom bestowed on freshmen in other eras, Courtney and many other new members have received their choice of key committees. Courtney won spots on the Education and Labor Committee and, potentially even more important for him, the influential Armed Services Committee. That body annually examines an important budgetary issue for Courtney: the building of nuclear-powered, attack submarines, which accounts for the jobs of more than 6,000 of his constituents.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) Calls Out GOP Whining
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) whined and then...
Holy Crap. Paris Hilton says something intelligent
Tip to betson08. Link
Hilton added she was "shocked" by the attention her case has received and suggested the public and media focus on "more important things like the men and women serving our country in
Iraq."
Uh, This Guide Wouldn't Have Helped George Allen.
From the NRSC internet guide
Always assume you’re being recorded, and always record your opponent.
Trackers have been used for years by both sides. That's what made Allen's Macaca moment dumber than most. He used a racial slur and said it right into the camera being operated by someone who he knew was from his opponent's campaign.
McCain v. McCain
Headlines
- Bush still supporting Enron
- Iraq escalation is now complete.
- Romney opposed pardons, a policy challenged by Iraq war veteran A pardon for Libby but not for an Iraq war veteran who was convicted at age 13 for shooting another boy with a BB gun (shot didn't break the skin).
- Republican lobbyists are completely lost in trying to figure out how to function in a Democratic Congress Aww... How sweet. I know that there are crooks of all stripes in politics, but would it kill for the media to, uh, report on this major change?
- New State Department center aims to counter terrorists' messages Sounds like something Karen Hughes can fail at.
- Mueller Often Uses FBI Jet Bought for Counterterrorism
- Immigration Judges Often Picked Based on GOP Ties, 1/2 lacked experience in immigration law
- Joel Achenbach does his best David Broder impersonation
- US relies on Sudan for Iraq intel; Criticizes Sudan for Darfur genocide
- US troops still in Iraq at end of HRC's second term
- Regulators Kept Quiet as Subprime Lenders `Targeted' Minorities
- Senate GOPers filibustering energy reform
- Tester: Offer incentives for carbon capture
- Online Will Overtake Television News Within Five Years
- Cantwell promotes legislation making gas gouging a federal crime.
- Rubin, Summers Say Fund Managers Should Pay Higher Tax Rates
- MTV Launches Climate-Change Campaign
- Think Progress has been especially good this past week, so most of the bigger headlines are neatly catalogued there. (I'm talking about anything to do with Iraq, US atty purge, Lurita Doan, Scooter Libby, etc.) I'm trying to focus attention on news items that get less attention in the headlines section. Always check The Gavel, (Pelosi's blog) for House Dem info. A nice compilation of Lurita Doan investigation stuff.
Electoral Stuff
Calendar (subject to change)
- House Financial Services Cmte hearing on consumer credit report disputes on 6/19 at 10am
- House Oversight Cmte hearing with testimony from ex-CIA dir. George Tenet, SoS Condi Rice
- House Foreign Affairs Cmte hearing on PTSD in civilians returning from Iraq on 6/19 at 2pm
- House Judiciary Cmte hearing on US atty purge. Deputy AG Paul McNulty testifies. 6/19 at 1pm. 2141 Rayburn.
- 6/19: AFSCME Dem pres forum moderated by Chris Matthews
- 6/19-6/20: "Take Back America" Conference in D.C. Speakers include: Hillary Clinton (8:15 am ET), Bill Richardson (9:00 am ET), Barack Obama (12:00 pm ET), John Edwards (12:30 pm ET); Wed.: Mike Gravel (8:00 am ET), Dennis Kucinich (8:30 am ET).
- Senate Env. & Public Works Cmte hearing on ""Federal Government Failures on Environmental Impacts of 9/11 World Trade Center Attacks." 6/20 at 10am.
- Senate Judiciary Cmte on various judicial nominations. 6/20 at 2:30pm.
- Senate Judiciary Cmte on rising crime in Katrina's Aftermath on 6/20 at 10am. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) testify along with others.
- Senate Rules & Admin Cmte hearing on S.1285, the "Fair Elections Now Act." 6/20 at 10am. 301 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
- Senate Finance Cmte hearing on "Barriers to Work for Individuals Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits." 6/21 at 10am.
- Senate Judiciary Cmte hearing on "Civil Rights Division Oversight." Expected witnesses include Wan Kim, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department; Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Brian Landsberg, professor at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific, Sacramento, Calif.; Helen Norton, visiting assistant professor in the School of Law of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Md. 6/21 at 2pm in Dirksen.
- 6/25-6/29: George Bush's Africa trip.
- 6/26: CA-37 holds special election to replace ex-Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D)
- List of cmte hearings is NOT exhaustive. Lots of other hearings on FY 2008 budget, nominations for various posts, border security, environment, health care, workforce issues, veterans' issues, etc.
Stephen Colbert Gets Serious
On Law & Order: Criminal Intent:
The Funnies
- Letterman: "Vice President Dick Cheney is going into surgery. He's having a new pacemaker installed. ... Doctors are confident that Cheney will be up and sneering in no time."
- Leno: "Scooter Libby has been sentenced to 30 months in prison ... even though he is a good friend of Vice President Dick Cheney. Hey, he got off easy. Cheney's other friends got shot in the face."
- Leno: "Scooter Libby is going to jail unless President Bush acts quickly. And the city of New Orleans says, 'Good luck with Bush acting quickly'"
Via Hotline's WakeupCall 6/14:
"But can he spell Diamondbacks?" -- ESPN's Steve Philips, on spotting Dan Quayle in a Diamondbacks jacket in Yankee Stadium [Wed] night (ESPN).
Sen. Robert C. Byrd:
"I'm told that 90 is the new 80," Byrd, a Democrat, said in a statement issued by his office. "I am proud of my white mane, but I still long for the black hair of my youth."
Lewis Black on neoconservatives and Terri Schiavo controversy:
Happy Valentine's Day from Dick & Lynne Cheney:
Top Better Know A District moments:
Entourage Returns 6/17
Ari Gold's "Best" Moments from Seasons 1 & 2
In my best Harry Kalas: Outta There!
Mets-Yankees game today:
UPDATE, 1:25 p.m.: I try and avoid politics at all costs on this blog. But it is interesting to note that rival television talking heads Keith Olberman (MSNBC) and Bill O’Reilly (Fox News) are at the game. O’Reilly went into the Mets clubhouse without a pass and was ejected by a security officer. He complained on his way out.
One Billion Bulbs
Join the DKos group. Change your lightbulbs from the old kind to the energy efficient kind and join the DKos group. We're competing with Instapundit's group to see who can save more energy. They got a head start on us, so help DKos catch up.
ONE Vote launches anti-poverty campaign