------------------------------------------------------ The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC ------------------------------------------------------
Looks like we're leading with the Bush/Bandar meeting in Crawford...Remember Bandar? He's the Saudi ambassador who said "BS" on our air last year when asked about some of the negative publicity his country was receiving post 9/11...We'll talk to former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hume Horan and Saudi advisor Adel Al-Jubeir about the meeting...Apparently, it's an attempt to "thaw relations" and discuss the Saudi's role in the war on terrorism...Obviously Iraq will be a big topic on the agenda as well... In the B block, we'll do the secrecy stuff...The Washington Post leads with two pieces on the matter...One is the federal appeals court ruling which says that 9/11 detainee hearings should be public and open to the media...The Bush administration disagrees for national security reasons... Plus, under the header of Fun Clinton News...The Bush administration is witholding documents related to the controversial Clinton pardons claiming executive privilege...A privilege, they claim, that extends to people and documents the President has never seen nor met...Critics charge the definition is way too expansive...Jonathon Turley and another legal type will join us...A call has been put out to Jay Sekulow.. The D block debate will be over Iraq...Is there an Iraq/Al Qaeda connection? And does there need to be one for an invasion to occur...Fmr. Reagan defense official Jeb Babbin thinks we don't need that type of justification but Samer Shehata of Georgetown University says we do...We'll get some sparks going on it... And in a genius stroke of editorial synergy between the Real Deal and Political Buzz segments we'll play some cool Clinton bites from his campaign appearance in West Memphis, AR last night...One of our old colleagues at Hardball who now works at a TV station in that region was at the event and tells me there was some great "must cut" sound from it....Laura Ingraham and Clarence Page will get into it...Plus, more Iraq around the clock... Also, a fullscreen was mailed around with the disgustingly decadent menu from that sustainable development summit in Johannesburg...We'll expose it tonight in the Real Deal.. Pls join us...Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited the Briefing from Washington, DC Our website http://msnbc.com/news/hardball_front.asp?0dm=C26CV Our Blog http://msnbc.com/news/751547.asp?0ct=-34t Our network locator http://msnbc.com/tools/newstools/n/msnbc_tv.asp The Fun Clinton/Gore stuff: Clinton gives 'em the spirit in home state...Former president Bill Clinton returned to his roots to reminisce and joke with friends in an energetic Arkansas Democratic Party unity rally in West Memphis Monday evening. (Memphis Commercial Appeal) http://gomemphis.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_1350091,00.html Former President Bill Clinton told Democrats in east Arkansas that they hold the key to the results of November's elections in the state....Returning to the heart of his own political base, Clinton rallied supporters for the state Democratic Party's slate of candidates. (AP) http://gomemphis.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_1349869,00.html Bush Backs Pardon Secrecy...President invokes executive privilege in blocking release of information on Clinton's last day. (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64818-2002Aug26.html Wow, a dateline from Clarksville, TN: Former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Bob Clement, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, will headline the Middle Tennessee Labor Day Celebration. (Knoxville News) http://www.knoxnews.com/cr/cda/article_print/1,1250,KNS_356_1349635,00.html Is Pryor repeating Gore's mistake?...Reports that Arkansas Senate candidate Mark Pryor wants to distance himself from local-boy-made-good Bill Clinton have Clintonites spitting bullets. (Washington Whispers) http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/whisphome.htm President Bush is opening his ranch to Saudi Arabia's ambassador, hoping to thaw relations chilled by the Sept. 11 attacks and questions about the kingdom's commitment to defeating terrorists. (AP) http://msnbc.com/news/799725.asp Court wants open detainee hearings...Judges chastise Bush administration over secrecy (Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/799650.asp Legal questions aside, lawmakers say President Bush needs to seek Congress' approval before sending American troops to attack Iraq because it's the right thing to do. Vice President Dick Cheney warned of grave consequences from not acting quickly against Saddam Hussein (AP) http://dailynews.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=512&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20020827/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_45 Cheney fires back at Iraq critics...Rebutting skeptics of a pre-emptive strike on Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that the United States would take whatever action President Bush deemed necessary to prevent Saddam Hussein from using his weapons of mass destruction. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/798852.asp Video of Cheney speech: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/apdaily/082602-3v.htm Verbate of speech: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63809-2002Aug26.html Sweet: The Bush White House, which did not want the administration to testify at the Senate hearings on Iraq, is poised to cooperate with House hearings next month to strengthen its case for war, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-iside27.html No-fly zone pilots to benefit in case of war with Saddam...A decade of patrolling the no-fly zones over Iraq has given coalition pilots intelligence and practical experience that could be helpful for war against Saddam Hussein. (AP) http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020827-86065232.htm War with Iraq is inevitable, Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., said Monday, in one of the strongest statements on Iraq from a member of the Senate. (St. Louis Post Dispatch) http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/477CEF1DB10EC2A786256C2200037A35?OpenDocument&Headline=Bond%20says%20war%20is%20inevitable%2C%20so%20U.S.%20should%20hit%20Iraq%20first Dateline: A Saudi apology for Sept. 11...Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the suspected hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Correspondent John Hockenberry traveled to Saudi Arabia to find out what triggered the terrorists' hate. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/798191.asp And for all the Robert Mugabe watchers out there: Mugabe Swears In 'War Cabinet'...Zimbabwe's Leader Says New Team to Fight Foreign Criticism http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64603-2002Aug26.html Earth Summit II mired over 'action'...A soil guru shared his wisdom as Earth Summit II turned its attention to agriculture, but the big news Tuesday was that countries were still haggling over what action to declare at the end of the conference. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/798955.asp Democrats are expected to take control of Georgia's congressional delegation this fall for the first time since the 1994 Republican revolution. But don't confuse this bunch with the conservative Southern Democrats who ruled through the 1980s. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=684&ncid=703&e=2&u=/ap/20020827/ap_on_el_ho/georgia_democrats_2 Oklahoma Primary Races Tighten (CQ) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63311-2002Aug26.html Oklahoma City Victims Feel Slighted...The day the planes tore through the towers, Oklahoma City bombing victims relived some of the pain they've harbored for seven years. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020827/ap_on_re_us/attacks_oklahoma_3 Stockholders of a computer software company under investigation for its accounting practices have sued current and former board members, including Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill Richardson, for failing to oversee its financial affairs. (AP) http://apnews.excite.com/article/20020827/D7LLDH480.html Kurtz: Cheney Rattles His Saber...Vice President Cheney's strong war cries Monday may have something to do with the fact that the go-slow types were drawing most of the media's attention recently. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1276-2002Aug27.html Democrats Janet Reno, Bill McBride and Daryl Jones will get their one-and-only opportunity on free television statewide to argue why they should get the chance to battle Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in November. Their one-hour debate will air live at 7 p.m. (Orlando Sentinel) http://orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-loc-debatestory082702.story?coll=orl%2Dnews%2Dheadlines New Hampshire's gubernatorial race may not have the cachet of the state's colorful Senate race, but the candidates lined up to replace Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who is running for U.S. Senate, are creating a stir. Three Republicans are vying for their party's nomination and all three are using personal funds to finance an increasingly costly race that has pushed election spending to new heights in the state. (Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1568-2002Aug27.html The Sept. 11 terror attacks had two concrete effects on the business of television news. One was that "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw decided that he wasn't yet ready to give up his anchor chair as he had been contemplating, and he signed a new contract to remain as NBC's lead anchor through 2004. (LA Times) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/showcase/cl-et-jensen27aug27.story Humanitarian groups criticized McDonald's for a new sandwich called the McAfrika, saying the offering is poorly timed because millions of Africans are facing starvation. (AP) http://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20020827-32768062.htm Opinion/Editorial The Washington Post: Mr. Cheney on Iraq...The administration must be ready to offer a realistic plan for how that goal can be achieved, and seek a congressional vote, as well as the material commitment of key allies, in support of it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A125-2002Aug26.html The Wall Street Journal: Saudis and U.S. Citizens...President Bush should demand that Prince Bandar free Ajmad Radwan. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110002185 Holbrooke: Take It to the Security Council http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A122-2002Aug26.html Dyson: Fine hour for black intellectuals in America http://www.suntimes.com/output/dyson/cst-edt-dyson27.html The Washington Times: McAuliffe's options...Why has Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe suddenly become so touchy about his Midas touch in the financial markets? http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20020827-48992864.htm de Borchgrave: Thinking the unthinkable...The Saudi royal household watched with growing horror as prominent American talking heads described their kingdom as "no friend of the U.S." - that was the polite version - and as an "adversary," or even an "enemy" http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20020827-69492890.htm Mondo Washington: All Aboard the Anthrax Train...Steven Hatfill's Big Idea http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0235/ridgeway.php Ingraham: Bush not attending the UN-sponsored "bash Amerika" conference!? http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0802/ingraham.html Walker: The Recycled Mascot...Why is the Taco Bell Chihuahua selling car insurance? http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2070017 Steiner: http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/steiner.htm Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/ Mallard Fillmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp ========================================= This email is never sent unsolicited. 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