------------------------------------------------------ The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC ------------------------------------------------------
There's so many fun and interesting things in Hardball land I don't know where to start...Everyone's on fire today...Did you see/hear Chris on Imus this morning? En Feugo on the intell flap...Plus, they replayed the Buzz bite from last night when Chris "got stupid" (That's old school slang for going crazy in a positive way) on Kucinich...If you missed it tune in tonight...We're going to replay it and have Congressman Chris Smith respond...He's the guy Kucinich accused of wanting to criminalize abortion...And that's just a small part of tonight's show! We got G. Gordon Liddy who's riding in on his motorcycle to do the hit...One of our producers wants to get some B-Roll of him on the bike outside of the studio...Not sure if we'll get it though...Kerry's in the Bronx blasting Bush and we'll probably cut some sound to play for The G Man and get his reax.. Plus, There's going to be some grilling on the Hill today and CIA chief George Tenet is tops on the menu....He's going to give a closed door testimony to the Intelligence Committee on Iraq's nuclear program and we'll lead the show with one of the Committee's top Republicans, Trent Lott...Washington "Wiseman" David Gergen will be in the B block with some reax and thoughtful, gravitas laden analysis... And your favorite roaming Hardball producer Howard Mortman checks in with another edition of "Extreme Mortman" from last night's Frank Luntz Baseball All-Star Game party: "Oh, the sprawling Frank Luntz resort and palatial home deep in monied, desirable McLean, Virginia -- home to half the Republican establishment and Saudi kingdom. As always, Frank's Baseball All-Star game party was equal parts frolic and bucolic. Every year we enjoy strolling the grounds without official escort, admiring the pictures of Frank Luntz, the name tags featuring Frank Luntz, and various signs with Frank's name on it, as well as the oily love grotto (ooops, that's Hef's place). Spotters identified political and media celebs such as Katherine Harris, Cliff May, Harry Reid, Malcolm Hoenlein, Jonathon Karl, Matt Cooper, Barbara Comstock, Pat Harrison, and Governor-in-waiting Darrell Issa, who balanced his plate like he was balancing a $38 billion deficit. We also got a fleeting glimpse of Frank Luntz himself. Which leads us to wonder, if Frank Luntz was in McLean -- WHO THE HELL WAS ON TV?!? Frank's All-Star game party has grown deep roots in Washington social lore, ever since he snatched the franchise away from Extreme Mortman many years ago in a still-unresolved and mysterious manuever. Be that as it may, we still appreciate the invitation and opportunity to observe and interact with all the Frank Luntz political paraphernalia he's captured for his home. We still maintain that Frank's house features the greatest collection of Frank Luntz memorabilia ever assembled in one place. Trust us -- we've been to museums." That was Extreme Mortman reporting .... And on a different yet important note, is Abercrombie and Fitch discriminating against minorities? We'll debate in the D block.... http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030618/bs_nm/retail_abercrombie_dc_1 Oh and I almost forget...The following piece is being put in The Briefing sine qua non "must read" file...Pincus is on his game on this one...Bush faced dwindling nuclear data...Much was undercut, disproved by U.N. inspectors in Iraq (The Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/939538.asp?0sl=-13 Just asking...Is famed Roll Call Scoopster Ed Henry in line to succeed Lloyd as the new Reliable Source?? Our man at Human Events, Terry Jeffrey, checks in with his latest piece and would like you to pay particular attention to his exchange with Rep. Porter Goss (Chairman, House Intell Committee) on how the blame for the flap must be laid at Clinton's doorstep: Our man in Niger http://www.townhall.com/columnists/terencejeffrey/tj20030716.shtml Katrina is hopping mad along with Chris on the Intell stuff...Read her editor's cut http://thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7 Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC Wednesday's Wash Post recipe...Definitely a "clip and save": Basil and Garlic-Slathered Chicken Breasts http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57995-2003Jul15.html CIA Director George Tenet was expected to testify behind closed doors Wednesday about President Bush's claim in his State of the Union address that Iraq was trying to buy uranium in Africa to restart its nuclear weapons program. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20030716/ap_on_go_co/iraq_intelligence U.S. soldier killed near Baghdad...Three attacks Wednesday on U.S. troops in and around Baghdad killed one soldier and an Iraqi child, and wounded at least seven troops. (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/870749.asp The pro-American mayor of the western city of Hadithah was shot and killed driving through the town Wednesday in escalating violence in Iraq that also took the lives of a U.S. soldier in a supply convoy and an 8-year-old Iraqi in an attack on U.S. forces guarding a Baghdad bank (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030716/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq Democratic presidential contender John Kerry said on Wednesday President Bush suffers from a "dangerous gap in credibility" on national security and questioned if the United States was safer since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3100735 Democrats sharpening Bush attacks...Assault focuses on instability, intelligence justifying war (The Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/939591.asp?0cv=CA01 DeLay: ``They think if they just get a little bit angrier and a little bit meaner and a little bit louder the American people will start hating the president as much as they do'' http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/national/kenn07162003.htm Senate Republicans braced for a continued faceoff with Democrats trying to use a multibillion-dollar Pentagon (news - web sites) funding bill to criticize President Bush's handling of Iraq and the war on terrorism. The White House said it smelled politics in escalating Democratic attacks. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20030716/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq Bush raises more than all 9 rivals...Dean surges, but Gephardt struggles on money front (The Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/938965.asp?0sl=-10 Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of U.S. soldiers aired their plight on U.S. television on Wednesday and said they had lost faith in the Army. (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RBZJWQC0ZTYWKCRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=3100641 "I realize many of you are upset. I am too," Anita Blount, wife of Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, wrote in an anguished E-mail to the wives of soldiers under her husband's command. (NY Daily News) http://www.nydailynews.com/07-16-2003/news/story/101231p-91654c.html U.S. Presses New Iraqi Council To Begin Tackling Major Issues...Bremer Links Length of Occupation to Panel's Progress (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61588-2003Jul15.html?referrer=email 3 Support Same-Sex Marriage...Democrats Appear At Rights Forum (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61360-2003Jul15.html First day on the job, Scott McClellan showed he'll be a cautious White House press secretary, eager to establish rapport with reporters but careful not to let secrets slip from his lips. (AP) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=703&e=4&u=/ap/20030716/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_spokesman NAACP hit for policy on Cuba...Cuban dissidents yesterday accused the NAACP of a double standard in its promotion of human rights, defending those of blacks in South Africa while embracing - rather than condemning - the treatment of blacks in Cuba. (The Washington Times) http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030715-114858-9348r.htm Give 'Terminator' a shot at White House?...Hatch is pushing amendment to lift Oval Office limit (Deseret News) http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,510039949,00.html A secret Pentagon report states that once-promising leads in the hunt for Capt. Michael Scott Speicher in Iraq have turned up no evidence of his whereabouts, contradicting public official comments that the search was producing positive results. (The Washington Times) http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030715-114916-4526r.htm Lewinsky hopes to be a loser...While Hillary Clinton is out and about promoting her best-selling memoir, Bill Clinton's "other woman" has reportedly checked into a fat farm. Jeannette Walls Delivers the Scoop. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/930658.asp Opinion/Editorials Saletan: The Buck Stops There...Bush shifts the blame for his Iraq whopper. http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2085604 Kinsley: Who Is Buried in Bush's Speech? The truth has been shot! Round up some unusual suspects. http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2085612 Ilana takes a shot at Howard in her latest piece: Bush's 16 words miss the Big Picture http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33590 Joe's Real Deal: The Democrats smell blood. The gauntlet has been thrown down, and one presidential candidate is talking about the impeachment of Pres. George W. Bush. http://www.msnbc.com/news/939752.asp Goldberg: Can YOU say 'Senator Springer'? http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/jonah.html Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/ Mallard http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp ========================================= This email is never sent unsolicited. You have received The Hardball Briefing Newsletter because you subscribed to it or, someone forwarded it to you. To remove yourself from the list (or to add yourself to the list if this message was forwarded to you) simply go to http://www.msnbc.com/tools/newstools/e/emailextra.asp?nfeature=19 <http://www.msnbc.com/tools/newstools/e/emailextra.asp?nfeature=19>