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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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It's a brand new year and the ever rapacious news cycle has hit the ground
running...Best if you tune tonight as Chris is back and we have lots to report and
catch you up on. Chris even got into the office early today. He's "jonesing" for
some news on the Dem primary field and the escalating tensions with North Korea and
what that means for Bush's "Axis of Evil"...Expect some heat from him on those
topics...
Btw, dig this...In the back half we'll super size the Buzz with Howard, Caddell,
Brazile and Dornan...Shuster and Jamison are working on a lead off "big picture"
package to kick off the D block back half: What is Bush's agenda for '03 and where
will Dems exploit vulnerabilities in '04? Plus, the upcoming battle between Bush's
economic stimulus/tax cut plan (he'll unveil it tomorrow) and the Dem's competing plan
(which they'll unveil today)...
Plus, more and more Dems are jumping in the '04 primary (Gephardt & Sharpton are the
latest)...Our panel will handicap the field...We'll also gonna throw in some foreign
policy politics in the F block (last segment of show)...Why is North Korea getting a
pass on preemptive action?
In the front half we'll go big on foreign policy...The New York Times has a "must
read" piece on a post Saddam Iraq...Quick seizing of the oil fields and an occupation
of at least 18 months among other items...U.S. troop deployments to the region
continue and Saddam declares he's ready for war...We'll talk to military experts Bill
Arkin and Barry McCaffrey about it..
Gratuitous MSNBC cross marketing platform synergy: MSNBC's "Lester Holt Live" and
"Countdown: Iraq," both anchored by Lester Holt, will broadcast live from Kuwait City
for one week beginning Monday, Jan. 6. Holt will offer an inside perspective on how
American troops are preparing for war with Iraq, and look at how Kuwait has changed
since Saddam's army was driven out more than ten years ago.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/854640.asp
Mortman "must read": "Fresh Face" take part deux: Political imagery...Edwards will
have to prove he's more than just another 'fresh face'
http://www.msnbc.com/news/854490.asp?0dm=N14SO
And you thought Rock Stars were bad with their backstage demands: Dig Arlen Specter's
overseas travel requirements
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15000-2003Jan5.html
A lot of news this week folks: Bush's economic plan to be unveiled, Dems firing back,
more saber rattling with the Axis of Evil and heavy troop build up in Iraq...
The Briefing was written, compiled and edited by Dominic Bellone in Washington, DC
President Bush's national security team is assembling final plans for administering
and democratizing Iraq after the expected ouster of Saddam Hussein. Those plans call
for a heavy American military presence in the country for at least 18 months, military
trials of only the most senior Iraqi leaders and quick takeover of the country's oil
fields to pay for reconstruction. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/06/international/middleeast/06IRAQ.html?ex=1042434000&en=c0173aa9f12a08f3&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
Buildup accelerates for Iraq invasion...Top divisions to participate in war scenarios
(The Washington Post) http://msnbc.com/news/855355.asp
The news came as the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort sailed for the Gulf region and as
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld weighed plans to deploy up to 200,000 troops in the
Gulf by mid-February. (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/852248.asp?0sl=-33
Scarborough: Rumsfeld bolsters special forces...Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
has approved giving U.S. Special Operations Command unprecedented authority to plan
and fight the global war. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030106-5292244.htm
Saddam on war: "We are confident, depending on the Almighty, that you will be, with
the beginning of every new day, better till you reach the best situation, in defiance
of the disappointed enemy, the friends and helpers of Satan, night and darkness. Their
arrows will go aimlessly while your arrows will hit them."
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/2778168?source=Evening%20Standard
Saddam accuses inspectors of spying...Iraqi leader says U.N. experts engaging in
'intelligence work' (MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/842500.asp
IAEA gives N. Korea a final chance...The U.N. nuclear agency on Monday gave North
Korea a final chance to abandon its covert weapons program and readmit inspectors.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/850567.asp
N. Korea Tests Bush's Policy of Preemption...Strategy Seems to Target Weaker Nations
(The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14613-2003Jan5.html
As the centerpiece of his economic growth package, President Bush will propose wiping
out the taxes shareholders pay on dividends, a step that would cost the Treasury more
than $300 billion over a decade, a senior administration official said Monday (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&ncid=693&e=1&u=/ap/20030106/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
House Democrats prepared to unveil their economic stimulus package Monday, a day
before President Bush was to formally unveil his own plan. The Democrats' plan will
focus on job creation and would not cost as much as Bush's proposal, estimated at $600
billion over 10 years. (MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/854805.asp
Lid Put on Domestic Spending...After several years of hefty increases in spending for
popular domestic programs, the Bush administration is trying to put the government on
a wartime fiscal path that could sharply restrain the growth of such initiatives for
the foreseeable future (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14741-2003Jan5.html?referer=email
Analysis Finds Little Gain in Tax-Cut Plan...2 Economists Assess Dividend Proposal
(The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14740-2003Jan5.html
Fineman's latest: Politics: The Dems' New Math...If nobody's got a shot at Bush in
2004, everybody does http://www.msnbc.com/news/854953.asp?0cv=KB10#BODY
Gephardt on why he's running: "Part of the reason I'm running is that I think the
president is not leading us in the right direction or not leading us at all,"
Gephardt, D-St. Louis County, said. "I believe it is time in the country for bold new
ideas to solve some of the long-standing problems that we face." (St. Louis
Post-Dispatch)
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/EAA6E0F64DA6F67786256CA5002D7367?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2Cgephardt&headline=Gephardt+calls+for+a+new+direction
Daschle may run...Joining a growing field of potential Democratic candidates, Senate
Minority Leader Tom Daschle said yesterday he's strongly considering a run for
President. (NY Daily News)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/49171p-46179c.html
Daschle on running for Prez: "I will continue to discuss with close friends,
supporters and colleagues over the next couple of days and make a decision in the next
couple of weeks," he said in an interview Sunday night in Sioux Falls. "I've always
come home and weighed these decisions with my circle of friends. Then I will be
ready." (Argus Leader) http://www.argusleader.com/news/Mondayarticle1.shtml
President Bush has spent a large chunk of his term at his remote, rambling ranch here.
But White House operations hardly come to a halt. (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&ncid=693&e=3&u=/ap/20030106/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_western_white_house
When it comes to setting priorities for President Bush's new-year domestic agenda,
White House political adviser Karl Rove argues for a politically risky path: revive
Mr. Bush's plan for riding some Social Security funds on the volatile stock market.
(AP) http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030105-91611150.htm
Hallow: Republican lawmakers predict that the House will remain the power base for
President Bush and his legislative agenda in the Republican-led Congress that will be
sworn in tomorrow. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030106-77211280.htm
The 108th Congress opens its two-year session Tuesday, as 535 men and women gather at
the Capitol for the festivities that traditionally mark the swearing-in of the
nation's senators and representatives. The party atmosphere won't last long. (USA
Today) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-01-05-congress-usat_x.htm
Jeb News: Governor discusses what's next for him...Bush brushes off questions about
run for president (Miami Herald) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/4881161.htm
>From Edwards Campaign, Variation on a Theme...Efficacy of 'Regular People' Message
>Debated (The Washington Post)
>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14621-2003Jan5.html?referer=email
Republican Rep. Pete King said yesterday that he may challenge Democratic Sen. Chuck
Schumer in 2004, arguing that New York could do better with an ally of President Bush
in the Senate. (NY Daily News) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/story/49135p-46157c.html
Bill Back, a candidate in next month's election for the chairmanship of the California
Republican Party, has issued a statement apologizing for distributing an article that
suggested the country might be better off, in everything from race relations to
international affairs to morality, had the South had won the Civil War. (San Jose
Mercury News) http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/politics/4880564.htm
The Republican Party has decided to hold its 2004 presidential nominating convention
in New York City, the GOP announced Monday. (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=548&ncid=703&e=2&u=/ap/20030106/ap_on_el_ge/republicans_2004
Frist Puts His Team in Place...Lott Lands at Rules Panel (Roll Call)
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/48_44/news/74-1.html
The Senate's No. 3 Republican, Rick Santorum, confirmed on Sunday that he was stepping
aside as a committee chairman in favor of ousted GOP leader Trent Lott. (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=512&ncid=1278&e=7&u=/ap/20030105/ap_on_go_co/lott_republicans
News of the weird: When new Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was a student at Harvard
Medical School, he ''adopted'' cats from Boston animal shelters, promising to give
them good homes...Instead, the budding heart surgeon used the cats to hone his
operation skills, killing the creatures in the process. (Scripps Howard)
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/sunday/news_e371ec43f40b022a000b.html
Republicans answer more Web polls...Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to
participate in online surveys, according to a poll that found a modest growth in the
number of people using the Internet to get campaign news.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/855509.asp
Opinion/Editorial
Pat: Political correctness at Little Round Top
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30338
Peggy: Human, but Not to a Fault...Why do people like President Bush? It isn't
complicated http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110002815
The Washington Post: The Tax Cut Trap
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15014-2003Jan5.html
Gulf War lessons, learned or not...The U.S. military had a legion of troubles in the
1990-91 Persian Gulf conflict, many of which caused unnecessary deaths to allied
troops and Iraqi civilians alike. What new technologies, tactics and equipment will
prevent them this time around?
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/852294.asp
Barnicle: A military draft would bare real patriots
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/story/48804p-45863c.html
Landfield: Congress Tells America's Unemployed: "Let Them Eat Cake"
http://www.practicalpolitics.net/landfield/12_29_02.html
Novak: The real crisis for South Korea
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak06.html
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
Mallard Fillmore http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
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