or "Why can't Chris Matthews retire right now???"
David Gregory did a very nice job on Hardball tonight; I just caught the second half but I was exceedingly pleased, which means that BUshCo will be exceedingly unpleased. That always makes me happy.
Guests: Norah O'Donnell (hold your groans for tonight, really!) John Dickerson from Slate and Dan Klaidmar from Newsweek.
More reporting below:
David Gregory asked the panel about the Rove statement. Surprisingly, O'Donnell said that she thought that it was all a big distraction from Iraq and other things that are not going well for the Bush administration. John Dickerson agreed that it was a distraction tactic. O'Donnell later said that 1/3 of women who voted for Bush want a partial or total pull out from Iraq, as do 60% of REPUBS! She said the administration has ample reason to want to distract Americans.
Dan Klaidman, Newsweek, made a very intelligent and insightful point. Gregory switched the subject to the hearings on Iraq today, which by the way the Republicans called, and Klaidman posited this: Rove used very acerbic rhetoric on the Dems. The theme of the hearings today was sticking it out in Iraq. The use of the rhetoric calling Dems traitors (well, that is what they really were calling us) would help get the base fired up and solidify their support behind staying in Iraq. They are even losing their base on this, so they had to fire all of the fundies up again, and that was Rove's job.
I liked his thinking - it was a multi-step plan, and I can see Rove thinking of it and implementing it. Repubs will say, "Heck, no, we ain't gonna cut and run like those mentally soft democrat lib'ruls! We are tough, just like George."
Nice thinking, Dan. Thanks.
Flash to Countdown. David Gergen was on - made a few good points I agreed with. He said this administration is impugning the patriotism of the other party; this, he said, has been tried before, (implying McCarthy) and did not ever work in the past.
Another very important point he made, which we can use to fight the repubs: he said that after 9/11, almost every single democrat stood with Bush in going into Afghanistan, and also gave him power to decide about Iraq, so to say that the Dems just wanted to analyze the terrorists is historically inaccurate. I know the point has been made by us a million times, but I like how he made it very formal sounding.
Yes, my friends, the tide is turning. Even the MSM is seeing the truth and calling it honestly. One final observation: there was a LOT more attention paid to Rove's remarks than Durbin's by the MSM in my view. Another victory for the good guys.
Finally, my favorite guy's blog on all of this; gotta love Keith!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8085423/#050623a