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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight on MSNBC at 7p, 11p & 4a ET & 4p, 8p & 1a PT Find MSNBC on your
TV http://www.msnbc.com/CableOperator.asp MSNBC also is on your XM satellite radio on
channel 130
So I'm home sick today and like the workaholic that I am decide to log on to the MSNBC
server thing. Big mistake. One thing's for sure in this business, you take one day
off and you're totally out of the loop. I've been snooping around the e-mails flying
among the Hardball staff and those cats sure are brewing a hot show for you tonight..
Before I get to tonight's show, dig on this first: Friday Chris heads to New York to
begin RNC convention coverage live from Herald Square in Manhattan...Here's our press
release with all the details
http://nbcumv.com/msnbc/release_detail.nbc/msnbc-20040825000000-msnbcannouncesconv.html
Max Cleland and Jim Rassman (two of Kerry's top "band of brothers") headed down to
Crawford today to hand deliver a letter to the President urging him to denounce the
anti-Kerry swift boat ads. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040825/D84MDUV80.html
Not to be outdone, the Bush camp gave Cleland a letter for Kerry which read in part:
"You can't have it both ways. You can't build your convention and much of your
campaign around your service in Vietnam, and then try to say that only those veterans
who agree with you have a right to speak up."
We lead tonight with Max Cleland from Crawford and get a sense of his little field
trip down south today....
And the battle of the 527s is heating up...We'll talk the guy in charge of the Federal
Election Commission, Bradley Smith. He's in charge of regulating campaign money in
this country and making sure candidates and the special interest groups abide by the
law. http://www.fec.gov/members/smith/smith.html
Here's an interesting backgrounder for you to read: Vets' lawyer quits Bush campaign,
2nd link between group, GOP re-election effort http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5818431/
We'll do the politics of all this with a package from Shuster on 527 ads and then get
into an old school political buzz type segment with Dee Dee, Laura "It's not just a
radio show it's an addiction" Ingraham and J.C. Watts. We'll also throw in a
convention preview and get into the touchy politics subject on gay marriage.
We finish up tonight's show with Cheney's admission last night that he disagrees with
President Bush on an amendment banning gay marriage...Patrick Guierro, head of the gay
GOP group, Log Cabin Republicans, and a Cheney supporter
http://www.logcabin.org/logcabin/press_0824904_2.html will take on Tony Perkins,
President of the Family Research Council http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR04H08
More on this controversy on blog plus a posting from Dee Dee on the swift boat
veterans http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/
Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, drew criticism from both
proponents and foes of gay marriage Tuesday after he distanced himself from President
Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5817720/
Republicans endorsed an uncompromising position against gay unions Wednesday in a
manifesto that contrasts with Vice President Dick Cheney's supportive comments about
gay rights and the moderate face the party will show at next week's national
convention. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040825/D84MEO3G1.html
Sorry, I'm light on links today. As I said, I'm sick so I'm going back to
bed...Dominic Bellone
The Navy task force overseeing John Kerry's swift boat squadron in Vietnam reported
that his group of boats came under enemy fire during a March 13, 1969, incident that
three decades later is being challenged by the Democratic presidential nominee's
critics. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5818634/
Diary refutes Kerry claim...John Kerry's own wartime journal is raising questions
about whether he deserved the first of three Purple Hearts, which permitted him to go
home after 4½ months of combat. (The Washington Times)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20040825-125217-7993r
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Wednesday that civilian leaders in
the White House and the Pentagon should be held accountable for abuse at Iraq's Abu
Ghraib prison. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040825/D84MDOB81.html
Al Franken Urging GOP Protests. Al Franken wants you to get up out of your chairs,
open your windows, stick your heads out and yell ... fuggedaboutdit? Well, yes. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040825/D84MEICG0.html
Army releases own Abu Ghraib abuse report...27 in military intelligence unit tied to
abuses (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5816887/
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