------------------------------------------------------ The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC ------------------------------------------------------
Hardball always airs on MSNBC at 7, 11 & 4 am et and 4, 8 & 1 am pt This is one of those shows, weeks actually, where if I have to tell you to break out the popcorn and the TV trays in front of Hardball tonight, it's time to hang up your cleats and hit the showers or better yet I'm gonna send you a one way ticket out of Hardball land...You're done... Folks you're as shocked as we are at the latest MSNBC/Zogby tracking poll showing Iowa a solid 3 man race with Kerry, Dean & Gephardt in a dead heat! Plus Luntzy tells me that Edwards is quickly emerging as a dark horse "second choice" candidate... Chris is out in Des Moines for the duration now getting the sights, sounds and smells of the Iowa Caucuses...Tonight he'll chit chat with John Edwards about his dark horse status... We'll also talk to Sr. Kerry strategist Tad Devine about his horse's sudden surge... And a lot has been made about comparing Dean to George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic nominee for president...Do the comparisons hold weight? We'll ask Senator McGovern tonight... Also, why are Hollywood celebs Martin Sheen (of Apocolypse Now fame) and Rob Reiner (All in the Family, When Harry Met Sally & Spinal Tap among other triumphs) why they are supporting Howard Dean....Shuster caught up with them yesterday on the campaign trail in Iowa and we'll bring you that conversation... In the Political Buzz we'll have Peggy, Howard and a Luntzy Focus Group of Iowa Dem Caucus goers ("Whole Lotta Luntz")...Howard & Luntz are in Des Moines, btw... Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Hardball Briefing from Washington, DC 3-way tie among Democrats in Iowa, poll shows...Kerry, Dean and Gephardt in virtual dead heat; Edwards close behind http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3965938/ Dean seeking to fend off surging rivals...Tight race in Iowa; Clark cuts lead in N.H.(Reuters) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3953119/ Balz Analysis: Iowa will test Dean's base...Army of supporters untried in crisis http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3962566/ Peggy: Iowa May Be Howard's End...Can the Democratic establishment stop Dean? Let's hope so. http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004559 Moseley Braun to end campaign...Carol Moseley Braun, the former senator and ambassador who waged an insurgent campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, intends to quit the race Thursday, according to MSNBC sources. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3962175/ Terry Neal: With former Vermont governor Howard Dean and Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt slugging it out here in increasingly harsh and personal ways, something seems to be happening under the surface: The other candidates are gaining on them. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/elections/2004/primarydispatches/ Howard Dean, anti-war apostle, and Dick Gephardt, defender of the working man, are going back to bedrock as they scratch for victory in the Iowa caucuses and the bragging rights that go with it. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040115/D803AHT00.html Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt questioned chief rival Howard Dean's integrity Wednesday, reprising months of attacks in a final push to take the lead in the race for the Iowa caucuses. (Des Moines Register) http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/23263843.html Tighter Race, Tougher Talk...Gephardt Makes Case Against Dean (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18200-2004Jan14.html The battle among Democrats that begins with the Iowa caucuses on Monday will determine more than the identity of the party's presidential nominee. Also at stake are the identity of the party and the legacy of the last Democrat to win the White House. (USA Today) http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-01-15-dean-clinton-cover_x.htm Rural areas of Iowa draw Edwards in delegate search (Des Moines Register) http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/23263847.html Kerry to zip across Iowa today in a helicopter (Des Moines Register) http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/23263845.html Democrats locked in a tight presidential battle are going negative as decision day fast approaches in Iowa and New Hampshire, with Dick Gephardt suggesting that Howard Dean is a fake and Dean accusing Wesley Clark of being a closet Republican. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040115/D803AL9G1.html Democratic presidential candidates are dropping the golden name "Bill Clinton," hoping to scoop up the support of voters who'd like nothing more than a Clinton-era economic comeback and other good things associated with his presidency. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040115/D803AIB80.html Yale roommate vouches for Dean on race (Atlanta Journal Constitution) http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0104/15roman.html Kucinich's own crusade...The smell of incense and cinnamon hangs in the air during a reception for Dennis J. Kucinich at a country mansion outside this "meditation community," a town of 9,500 and the home base of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Natural Law Party. (The Washington Times) http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040114-113844-3797r.htm The federal agency charged with providing security for U.S. airlines, and the airlines themselves are intentionally sabotaging the congressionally-mandated program to train and certify pilots who volunteer to carry guns in the cockpit, according to supporters of the program who claim tens of thousands of pilots have opted out s a result. (CNS News) http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200401\NAT20040115c.html Opinion/Editorial The Washington Times: Take the Next Step: http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040114-083323-8333r.htm Orin: Suddenly, it's time to think the unthinkable - Howard Dean could lose the Iowa caucuses on Monday and blow the Democratic 2004 race wide open. http://nypost.com/commentary/15810.htm Novak: From the start, O'Neill rowed against the Bush team http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak15.html Saletan: Hard-Headed Howard...Dean can win, with a little tough love. http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2093858 Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/ ========================================= This email is never sent unsolicited. You have received The Hardball Briefing Newsletter because you subscribed to it or, someone forwarded it to you. 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