Like a magic bullet, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) defied the laws of physics on Tuesday, moving back and to the left. In doing so, he delivered what might have been a fatal blow to the GOP, were it not for a team of highly-skilled spin doctors.
They have the technology. They have the capability to build the world’s first monochromatic party. The GOP will be that party. Better than they were before. Better. Stronger. Faster.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; CDC Acting Director Dr. Richard Besser; Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA); Roundtable: Joe Scarborough (MSNBC) and Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie.
Face the Nation: Arlen Specter; Janet Napolitano; Kathleen Sebelius; Dr. David Besser.
This Week: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT); Janet Napolitano; Kathleen Sebelius; Dr. David Besser; Roundtable: Paul Krugman (The New York Times), Gwen Ifill (PBS), Gerald Seib (The Wall Street Journal), and George Will (ABC).
Fox News Sunday: Janet Napolitano; Kathleen Sebelius; Dr. David Besser; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); Sen. John Ensign (R-NV); Writer Christopher Buckley; Roundtable: Brit Hume (Fox News), Mara Liasson (NPR), Bill Kristol (The Weekly Standard), and Juan Williams (Fox News).
State of the Union: Patrick Leahy; House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA); Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R); Ex-Clinton White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart; Former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY); Kathleen Sebelius; Janet Napolitano; Dr. Richard Besser; Reliable Sources: Dana Milbank (The Washington Post); GOP Strategist Amy Holmes; Ryan Lizza (The New Yorker); Elizabeth Cohen (CNN); George Washington University Professor Mark Feldstein; Dr. Tim Johnson (ABC News Medical Director).
The Chris Matthews Show: Joe Klein (TIME); Kelly O'Donnell (NBC News); Howard Fineman (Newsweek); Kathleen Parker (The Washington Post).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Primetime viewing:
60 Minutes will feature a story about a Saudia Arabian "reprogramming" school for former jihadists; and, a report on a lawsuit brought by Ecuadorians against Chevron/Texaco for polluting the environment.
The National Geographic Channel will premiere Expedition Grizzly — focused on naturalist Casey Anderson's yearlong mission to chronicle the lives of Yellowstone's grizzly bears.
Jon Stewart looked at the ways the media covered President Obama's first 100 days in office, with a fairly unbalanced emphasis on Fox News.
The Daily Show
Monday: Actor Denis Leary ("Rescue Me")
Tuesday: Author Fareed Zakaria ("The Post-American World")
Wednesday: ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulous
Thursday: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Stephen Colbert offered a different perspective on Obama's first 100 days, focusing on the 14 Mondays.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Filmmaker J.J. Abrams ("Star Trek")
Tuesday: Former Publisher of Slate/Law Clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens Cliff Sloan; Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff
Wednesday: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Laurie Garrett ("The Coming Plague")
Thursday: Architect/Lecturer Mitchell Joachim ("The Carborexic City")
In other number-related news:
- The White House uploaded almost 300 behind-the-scenes photos to its Flickr account, and further immersed itself in Web 2.0.
- Michelle Obama was named one of the TIME 100 and the Maxim Hot 100.
Meanwhile, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) – who first gained notoriety for making a list of her own – has been saying enough crazy shit lately to fill a website.
Among her recent gems is this:
"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu
broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."
And speaking of head cases...
Grand Master Steele took off his thinking hat and put on a show, guest emceeing for Bill Bennett.
CALLER: I wanted to bounce off to you my opinion of the press conference on Wednesday.
STEELE: Okay, go ahead.
CALLER: That was truly an enchanting evening, wasn't it?
STEELE: I was enchanted beyond words, to the point where I was enchanted.
CALLER: It's just like the LA Times said last year, or two years ago, he is the "magic negro."
STEELE: Yeah, he (laughs) ... you read that too, huh?
CALLER: Oh yeah, I read that too, and even when things go wrong, he still manages to come out smelling like a rose.
STEELE: Well, uh, yeah. And it's because he's getting unprecedented coverage and cover by the media that is of course, his creator.
Stop! Hammer time!
You can't touch this.
- Trix