Wednesday night, the final four candidates faced off in the season finale of Republican primary debates.
Mitt Romney's performance won him the qualified endorsements of the largest newspapers in Arizona and Michigan, and enabled him to reclaim his frontrunner status—and for the next day or so, he was riding high.
But by Friday afternoon, cockiness was a luxury he could not afford.
When the Romney family motorcade arrived at Detroit's Ford Field, it was greeted by the sound of crickets chirping, rather than the cheers of hopeful supporters.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); California Gov. Jerry Brown (D); Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R); Roundtable: Republican Strategist Steve Schmidt, Former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN), Kathleen Parker (Washington Post) and Chuck Todd (NBC News).Afternoon lineup:Face the Nation: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R); Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).
This Week: Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R); Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D); Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Cokie Roberst (ABC News), Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) and Former Michigan Gov. John Engler (R).
Fox News Sunday: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R); Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R); Roundtable: Bill Kristol (Weekly Standard), Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Republican Strategist Ed Gillespie and Juan Williams (Fox News).
State of the Union: Obama Campaign Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Former Shell Oil CEO John Hofmeister; Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D); Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R); Reliable Sources: David Brody (Christian Broadcasting Network); Margaret Carlson (Bloomberg News); S.E. Cupp (New York Daily News); Clarissa Ward (CBS News); Arwa Damon (CNN); David Zurawik (Baltimore Sun); Gail Shister (TVNewser).
The Chris Matthews Show: Dan Rather (HDNet); Joe Klein (TIME); Helene Cooper (New York Times); Katty Kay (BBC).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski; Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich; Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman; Gillian Tett (Financial Times); Zanny Minton Beddoes (The Economist).
Up with Chris Hayes: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Former State Department Official Ann-Marie Slaughter; Jeremy Scahill (The Nation); Zainab Salbi (Women for Women International); Former Speechwriter for Condoleezza Rice Elise Jordan; Author Eyal Press; Iranian Author Hooman Majd; Dan Dicker (CNBC).
Virtually Speaking Sundays on Blog Talk Radio will feature: Bloggers Marcy Wheeler and David Dayen discussing their most recent work. (Note: Due to the Academy Awards airing tonight, VSS will be broadcast live from 1-2pm EST, rather than its usual time.)Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on a deadly new type of extreme sport in which men don wing suits, jump off mountain tops and glide at speeds of 140 miles per hour; Anderson Cooper diving unprotected with Great White sharks; and, video of Alex Honnold scaling a 1,600-ft. rock wall using nothing more than his hands and feet.
On Comedy Central:
Jon Stewart examined the war on birth control that Congressional Republicans have been stirring up.
Monday: Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse TysonTuesday: Comedian Stephen Merchant
Wednesday: TBA
Thursday: TBA
And after addressing his absence from the airwaves last week, Stephen Colbert converted all dead Mormons to Judaism.
Monday: King Peggy of Otuam, GhanaTuesday: Ross Eisenbrey (Economic Policy Institute)
Wednesday: Writer/Performer William Shatner
Thursday: Actress Claire Danes
Elsewhere...
Indiana State Rep. Bob Morris (R) used teh Google to discover where all that Girl Scout cookie money goes.
A lawmaker has sent a letter to fellow Republican members of the Indiana House saying he will not support a resolution celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts because he believes it is a "radicalized organization" that supports abortion and promotes homosexuality.In a letter obtained by The Journal-Gazette of Fort Wayne today, Rep. Bob Morris of Fort Wayne said he did some research on the Internet and found allegations that the Girl Scouts are a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood, allow transgender females to join and encourage sex.
"After talking to some well-informed constituents, I did a small amount of Web-based research, and what I found is disturbing," Morris wrote in his letter, which also accused the group of promoting "homosexual lifestyles."
Meanwhile...
Virginia Del. Dave Albo (R) told his fellow lawmakers a funny story about his wife withholding sex due to his support for the state's now-abandoned fetal ultrasound bill.
Albo took the floor to explain how eager he was after the ugly debate to get home to his family and his big-screen TV — "a 46-inch screen," he boasted. As the evening went on, he got some ideas:"I thought, 'Wow, the boy's to bed, the wife's here..." Albo recounted to his colleagues, with a broad wink and a thumbs-up. "We have some red wine..."
He went on, about how he sat next to her, put an arm around her... "I then turn on the TV to find the Redskins Channel — I know you find that weird, but my wife loves the Redskins more than she loves me."
Instead, what should come up on the super-big screen was his own name. (Albo was one of the Republicans who crafted a compromise to make the procedures optional.) Followed, he said, by "the gentleman from Alexandria’s face" — Del. Dave Englin (D) — "as big as my wall, going trans-v this, and thans-v that! ... And this goes on and on!"
Punchline: "And the show’s over, and [my wife] looks at me, and she goes, 'I gotta go to bed.'"
And, in other comedic news...
A newly released batch of emails from her time as Governor revealed Sarah Palin (purportedly) joking about divorcing her husband to avoid an oily conflict of interest. 
"What If We, Er, When We Get a Divorce …"So says a 2007 email addressed to her husband, Todd, and her aide Frank Bailey, with the subject line "Martial Problems" "If we, er, when we get a divorce, does that quell the 'conflict of interest' accusation with BP?" Palin wrote. At the time, Todd was working for BP's North Slope oil pipeline. But later reports reveal that Palin was most likely joking, since the couple has been dogged with rumors that they are splitting up for years. Sarah and Todd have long a history of cracking wise about the reports on their marriage: In 2010, Palin said she called Todd "steaming" over a tabloid story that they were heading toward a $20 million divorce, and she said Todd responded by joking "$20 million? Write me a check." "He's good about laughing some of that stuff off," she told People magazine.
I give up.
- Trix
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