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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Looks like two big stories out there today: What did the government know about 9/11
and when did they know it? Ace Washington Times National Security reporter Bill Gertz
reports today that CIA chief George Tenet declared war on Al Qaeda as far back as '98
"but had only five agency analysts assigned to study the group at the time of the 9/11
terrorist attacks"...He'll join us in the D block tonight...We'll get into what went
wrong, what was going on at the time and why was Bill Clinton distracted?
Also, President Bush is expected to drop language on the Iraqi resolution to Congress
today...The Post is reporting he wants "maximum flexibility" to carry out any war
plans..."Language" is one of those quintessential Washington words used to describe
how legislation is crafted and how statements are made...Any good lobbyist in this
town will tell you that the difference between an "and" or a "but" in a piece of
legislation can be worth millions of dollars to a client...
E.g. "Fax me some language and we'll see if we can slip it into a supplemental approps
bill or a CR"
We've got the resolution in our hot little hands and we'll leak it tonight with a
couple of upcoming Hardball College Tour guests, House Majority Leader Dick Armey and
Arizona Senator John McCain...There's a lot of news being committed at this hour so I
don't want to categorically say these will be the only two stories but clearly they
are the biggies...
Armey on Saddam: "He is what we in Texas know as a 'blowhard.' He can't help himself."
In the Buzz we've got Howard, Tony and Conason on all of the above...Below I've got
some good Fun Clinton & Gore news...Plus, Daschle slammed Bush on the Senate floor
yesterday calling his economic policies: "atrocious"...We're cutting sound...The
Mortman/Jensen team will do a "best of" from last night...We're two days away from
Mortman's swanky suarez honoring his employment at Hardball...It'll be quite the "talk
of the town" I'm sure...
Breaking News...Extreme Mortman posts another piece...Dig it: A scared
electorate...Spotlight on terror gives some politicians an advantage
http://www.msnbc.com/news/810093.asp
Btw, what a smashing success last night was, huh? I watched it twice...Hit "reply"
and tell me what you thought!...I appreciate all your suggestions for tour
sites...Plus, we're exploring exciting new ways to update content on our Hardball
College Tour website, up to and including putting out an online scrap book of behind
the scenes photos of Chris in action on the road...
>From the Briefing mail bag...Rosemary in Huntington Beach writes: Chris was awesome
>last night. I fell in "love" with him all over again. He's great in front of a live
>audience. The college bowl interview with Jesse Ventura was fantastic!
Andrena from Eden Prairie chimes in as well: I wanted to take the time to let your
staff know that I thoroughly enjoyed the "live" show.
Thanks Guys...Glad you liked it...There's plenty more where that came from!
Here's that website that's creating so much buzz in cyberspace
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/tvnews/Hardball_CollegeTour/
Hey, did you check out that neato crawl on the TV page? http://tv.msnbc.com
AP reporting at this hour that IDF forces have entered Arafat's compound...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=736&e=3&u=/ap/20020919/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_incursion
Chris will be on Don Imus' radio show tomorrow morning at 8:27 am et....On the radio
and MSNBC...
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited the Briefing in Washington, DC
Shuster/Jamison package gets a shout out in Star Tribune coverage of College Tour:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/3241209.html
Pioneer Press take: In an interview that centered on war and the military, Matthews
asked Ventura about his comments to Playboy Magazine in 1999, when Ventura called
organized religion "a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in
numbers." Matthews asked if Ventura regretted those comments now, "in light of 9/11."
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/4103977.htm
Fun Clinton News...
Bill and Hill dine at Washington's most over rated restaurant, imho...Page Six: After
so many nights on the prowl here, Bill Clinton made sure to remind the folks in
Washington that he is indeed still married to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
http://www.pagesix.com/pagesix/22609.htm
Lending a Midas touch to Carl McCall's campaign, former President Clinton will be
meeting with McCall in Harlem tomorrow to help him close a $20 million fund-raising
gap in his run against Gov. Pataki. (NY Post)
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57429.htm
Monica Lewinsky, Vernon Jordan and others ensnared in various White House independent
counsel investigations have joined former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton in seeking taxpayer reimbursement for their legal bills. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020918/ap_on_re_us/clintons_legal_fees_1
Bill Clinton's political offspring are taking a beating at the ballot box this year,
with Janet Reno in Florida and Robert Reich in Massachusetts the latest high-profile
losers in bids for elected office. (Reuters)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020918/pl_nm/politics_clinton_dc_1
On to Florida, cheers McAuliffe...Breakfast with Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, is always a breathless affair. Today, he didn't even
have time to drink his black coffee (Washington Whispers)
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/whisphome.htm
Gore on Jeb: ''You've got some work to do,'' he said. ``You need to get a new
governor.''
''Al Gore is yesterday's news,'' said Todd Harris, spokesman for the Bush campaign
(Miami Herald) http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/local/4095827.htm
Gore on Florida: "I didn't expect there to be all the problems at the polling booths
again...The money the Congress tried to allocate was defeated by President Bush and
there was a lack of attention and leadership at the state level by Governor Bush."
Jeb Bush spokeswoman reax: "This sounds like a wannabe candidate who's desperate to be
heard" (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36612-2002Sep18.html
President Bush asked Congress Thursday for authority to use military force to disarm
and overthrow Iraq's Saddam Hussein, saying the United States will take action on its
own if the U.N. Security Council balks. (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&ncid=716&e=2&u=/ap/20020919/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq
The U.S. government was aware of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden before the Sept.
11 attacks, but didn't have enough specific intelligence to stop the attacks, a State
Department official told a congressional panel Thursday. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020919/ap_to_po/attacks_intelligence_33
Bohler's Daily Dose of Mugabe: Zimbabwe parliament makes seizure of white farms
easier...Zimbabwe's parliament rushed through amendments to land laws, giving the
government of President Robert Mugabe a freer hand to seize white-owned property and
evict farmers, state television reported. (AFP)
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020918/1/32wt4.html
Gertz: CIA Director George J. Tenet declared "war" on Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda
network in 1998 but had only five agency analysts assigned to study the group at the
time of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Congress was told yesterday.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020919-666217.htm
U.S. intelligence agencies received many more indications than previously disclosed
that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network was planning imminent "spectacular" attacks
in the summer of 2001 aimed at inflicting mass casualties, according to the
preliminary findings of a joint congressional intelligence panel report released
yesterday. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36754-2002Sep18.html
Milbank: Barriers To 9/11 Inquiry Decried...Lawmakers from both parties Wednesday
protested the Bush administration's lack of cooperation in the congressional inquiry
into Sept. 11 intelligence failures and threatened to renew efforts to establish an
independent commission.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36615-2002Sep18.html
The United Nations is likely to throw into disarray America's war plans for Iraq by
introducing a timetable for weapons inspections that could give Saddam Hussein a
breathing space of almost 12 months. (London Independent)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=334645
Suicide bomber targets Tel Aviv...A suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded bus in
downtown Tel Aviv on Thursday, killing at least five people and wounding about 40 in
the second such attack in two days, police said. Click here for details.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/801833.asp
Bush sending Iraq resolution to Hill...President Bush prepared to send Congress a
draft resolution Thursday to authorize "maximum flexibility" -- including military
action -- against Iraq if Saddam Hussein does not meet U.S. and U.N. demands.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/805226.asp
Evidence on Iraq Challenged...Experts Question if Tubes Were Meant for Weapons Program
(The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36348-2002Sep18.html
WashPost: U.S. drops bid to boost germ accord...The Bush administration has abandoned
an international effort to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention against germ
warfare, advising its allies that the United States wants to delay further discussions
until 2006. http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/809885.asp
Hill Stalls Over Unfinished Business...With time running out for the 107th Congress,
Democrats and Republicans struggle to satisfy powerful constituencies in bills dealing
with federal spending and the creation of a Department of Homeland Security (The
Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36713-2002Sep18.html
Calling Mr. Bush's economic record "tragic" and "atrocious," Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle said in a floor speech that the president has devoted too much attention
to Iraq and the war on terrorism. (The Washington Times)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020919-143675.htm
Texas Politics: Republican Gov. Rick Perry holds a nine-point lead over Democratic
challenger Tony Sanchez in the state's highest-octane, highest-dollar race this fall,
according to a new poll for the Houston Chronicle and KHOU-TV Channel 11. (Houston
Chronicle) http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory2/1581517
Tennessee Politics: Former President Bush, stumping for Republican candidates at both
ends of the state yesterday, stayed away from sticky policy subjects facing the
president he calls ''No. 43,'' saying he did not want to ''complicate his life.''
(Nashville Tennessean)
http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/02/09/22571082.shtml?Element_ID=22571082
Democrat Phil Bredesen has out-raised Republican Van Hilleary in campaign
contributions and has more in the bank heading into the home stretch of their race for
governor, their campaigns reported Wednesday. (Go Memphis)
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_1425553,00.html
Women See Gains Slowing...Number of Female Lawmakers Not Expected to Rise Dramatically
(Roll Call) http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/00/2002/09/pol0919a.html
An alleged member of an upstate New York al Qaeda sleeper cell e-mailed an accused
co-conspirator in July about a "Big Meal" that "no one will able to bear" - a chilling
message authorities fear refers to a planned terror attack. (NY Post)
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57441.htm
Cutting Cake 2,000 Ways...On the floor of MCI Center, Sens. John McCain and Tom
Daschle and Rep. Dick Gephardt clasped the hands of Hispanic leaders gathered for the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 25th-anniversary gala. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37403-2002Sep19.html
Art Bell take note: President Bush on Wednesday renewed a presidential directive
preventing the release of information about a top secret Nevada air base [Area 51]
(AP) http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2002/sep/18/091810800.html
Illegal labor aided [Congressman] Tancredo...Workers say they redid basement for
immigration critic (Denver Post)
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E867981%257E,00.html
Lott Twists Arms...Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) wanted money from local
phone giant Verizon Communications Inc., and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
(Roll Call) http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/09/news0919b.html
Texas Lawyers Fill Frost Fund...A soft-money PAC operated by House Democratic Caucus
Chairman Martin Frost (Texas) collected $300,000 in the last filing period from two
Texas trial lawyers enmeshed in an unfolding controversy over billions of dollars in
legal fees awarded in a settlement the state reached with Big Tobacco in 1998 (Roll
Call) http://www.rollcall.com/pages/news/00/2002/09/news0919c.html
Page Six: The fallout from the Andrew Cuomo withdrawal doesn't look good for Carl
McCall. http://www.pagesix.com/pagesix/22604.htm
Actress Winona Ryder will go to trial next month on charges she stole designer
merchandise and illegally possessed painkillers (AP)
http://www.pagesix.com/apstories/V7648.htm
News of the weird: Israel found itself under attack again yesterday - at a bus stop
where a homicide bomber blew himself up, and on a fashion runway in Beirut, where a
shocking, blood-splattered dress was featured. (NY Post)
http://nypost.com/news/worldnews/57447.htm
Will DiCaprio and Diaz sizzle?...Look for some titanic love scenes between Leonardo
DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz in "Gangs of New York." Jeannette Walls Delivers The Scoop.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/809732.asp
Fun political cartoon page http://cagle.slate.msn.com/
de Moraes nugget: National numbers for George Stephanopoulos's debut flying solo on
ABC's Sunday Beltway show "This Week" won't be in until today, but household numbers
are available in our market, and they show Tim Russert's NBC show, "Meet the Press,"
maintaining its lead. (Viewer numbers were not available.)
"Meet the Press" averaged 123,000 households in the nation's capital, the nation's No.
8-ranked TV market. "This Week" averaged 75,000 homes, just ahead of CBS's Bob
Scheiffer-anchored program "Face the Nation," which averaged 72,000 homes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36957-2002Sep18.html
Opinion/Editorial
Fund's Diary: More Is Better?...Efforts to increase voter turnout may encourage fraud.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110002292
NC Senator John Edwards: Congress Must Be Clear...Quick action will ensure that
politics plays no part in the debate about Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36908-2002Sep18.html
Saddam bomb...How close is Iraq to having a nuclear bomb? The answer lies at the heart
of the case for those advocating a preemptive war, writes Michael O'Hanlon of the
Brookings Institution.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/809264.asp
Novak: Stalling pays on terror insurance bill
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak19.html
Elder: Saddam to Bush: Checkmate?
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/elder.html
Lambro: Regimen to sustain recovery...This is an administration that, for all its
strengths, has been weak in communicating its case on the economy, one that is both
realistic and sensibly optimistic.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20020919-1335298.htm
Thomas: President Bush's 'Big Mo'
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas.html
Dunleavy: Boxing guru Burt Sugar said, "Smoking a cigar is the best fun you can have
without taking your clothes off."
Top attorney Raoul Felder put it like this: "It's more pleasurable smoking a cigar
than being with your wife. And it costs a lot less."
http://www.nypost.com/commentary/57426.htm
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
Mallard Fillmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
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