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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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As you're well aware by now, Hardball is heading to North Carolina Central University
in Durham to spend the hour with NC senator/presidential candidate John
Edwards...We'll see if he's got what it takes to bring regime change to 1600
Pennsylvania Ave., NW...
Obviously Iraq and Powell's speech will play big tonight...Last year he accused the
Bush administration of engaging in "gratuitous unilateralism" with regard to
Iraq...What's his take post Powell speech?
Other topics in the ether...
His strategy to knock his presidential primary rivals out of the way...
Running as a trial lawyer...
His take on the NAACP economic boycott of South Carolina over the confederate flag
issue..
Hot topics of the day you won't hear him asked about anywhere else...
If you think you know Edwards, you don't...not until you watch Hardball
tonight...Exclusively 9 pm et only on MSNBC...The network Americans watch because it's
America's Newschannel and they trust us too...Plus, Americans never settle for second
best..
http://www.msnbc.com/news/865614.asp
Here's that black tie wing ding we all went to last night...Chris and Kathleen
emceed...
A Lot on the Menu...The annual Washington Press Club Foundation congressional dinner
is supposed to be a jokey event where pols poke fun at each other and themselves. This
year was a bit different.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33322-2003Feb6.html
Howard Mortman: February 5, 2003, 9:17 pm et For Immediate Release: "Oh the daunting
soup. The Hardball crew dined with "The Chris Matthews Show" gang at the J.W. Marriott
Hotel last night to throw our heads back in laughter at the rapid pitter-patter of
jokes, presented by Kathleen & Chris Matthews. But to get to the jokes we had to
struggle through the soup How odd was it? It was so crusty, we had to brush
ourselves off after eating it. The soup reminded us of something we've had removed
from our bodies--surgically. Some surmised that the soup was a finalist to replace
the World Trade Center. Just as the soup puzzled us, the dessert amused us. It was
shaped like a Capitol Dome, which reminded us of something else that we can mention in
polite company. Oh, we also spotted Frank Luntz
Bellone's take...I have a small quibble, a slight kerfuffle if you will, with
Mortman's account...Btw, as you know I have great respect for Mortman, a man who dared
to used the words "clumsy" and "potatoes" in the same sentence in his last food
review...I actually enjoyed the cream of mushroom soup en croute and considered it the
highlight of the meal...I supposed one can't really account for taste, as the old
saying goes...The spinach dumpling and the dessert (chocolate mousse in the white
chocolate capitol dome) deserve an honorable mention...The filet mignon topped with
pate fois gras was par for the course...
Getting hungry? The Post has a great pasta recipe below...
Chris and Kathleen had a great comedic routine going as the emcees but Harold Ford Jr.
really stole the show...Laura "It's not just a radio talk, its an addiction" Ingraham
tells me not to use the term "A-list who's who of Washington" so I won't and just say
a good crowd turned out...Too many names to go through here...read the piece
above...Luntz did work the room like a pro and Rahm came over to our table to pay
respect to Shuster...Mrs. Clinton sat next to Kathleen at the head table...We were
trying to schmooze with Roll Call's Ed Henry but someone was quickly bending his ear
about some juicy Hill gossip for his column...as we hushed up to say the Pledge of
Allegiance..
Yes, Mr. & Mrs. America, the rumors are true...Ventura is coming to MSNBC......
MSNBC is set to premiere "The Jesse Ventura Show," a new one-hour live primetime
issues oriented talk show, it was announced today by Erik Sorenson, president, MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/834185.asp
Jesse Ventura Gets His Own Cable Show (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030206/ap_on_en_tv/ventura_msnbc_10
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from deep inside the Beltway...
Dinner in 20 Minutes...Pasta with parmesan cream and crisp prosciutto.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23026-2003Feb4.html
Hardball Briefing subscriber John Fund offers this missive from his Diary: Total
Recall...Is Gray Davis unpopular enough to be booted from office early?
http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110003032
Edwards on Iraq: "I have long argued that Saddam Hussein is a grave threat and that he
must be disarmed," said Sen. John Edwards, a Raleigh Democrat and member of the
Intelligence Committee. "Iraq's behavior during the past few months has done nothing
to change my mind." Edwards, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination,
said Powell's "powerful case" put Saddam on notice and posed "a real challenge" for
the U.N. Security Council to act.
http://www.newsobserver.com/edwards/coverage/story/2175735p-2060304c.html
Two N.C. members of Congress came under fire Wednesday for comments that Islamic
groups and others say they find insulting. (The Charlotte Observer)
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/local/5117163.htm
Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan turned 92 on Thursday, increasingly isolated by
Alzheimer's disease from both his family and a troubled world over which he once held
sway. (Reuters) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36057-2003Feb6.html
The N.C. Republican Party was working Wednesday to undermine Edwards' appearance
tonight on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." The show, part of Matthews'
"College Tour," airs live from N.C. Central University in Durham at 9 p.m. (Under the
Dome) http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2174559p-2060344c.html
Powell makes his case to Congress...U.S. weighs seeking new U.N. resolution on
Iraq...Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Capitol Hill on Thursday, hoping to
bolster domestic support for a possible war with Saddam Hussein.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/842500.asp
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday overthrowing Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein could reshape the Middle East in a way that enhances U.S. interests and helps
end the Arab-Israeli conflict. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VZDTSKEJNARGOCRBAEKSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=2183320
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's speech to the United Nations yesterday won nearly
unanimous praise on Capitol Hill, but didn't change many minds. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030206-601057.htm
Majority See Justification for War...In the aftermath of Secretary of State Colin L.
Powell's address to the United Nations, a growing majority of Americans now say the
United States has presented enough evidence to justify going to war with Iraq,
according to a new washingtonpost.com-ABC News poll.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35407-2003Feb6.html
Activists in the growing movement in the United States against attacking Iraq are
expressing frustration at their inability to deflect President Bush from his course
(Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2183318
The Democrats hoping to challenge President Bush for the White House in 2004 largely
applauded the case made Wednesday by Secretary of State Colin Powell that Iraq is
hiding weapons of mass destruction in violation of the U.N. Security Council. (AP)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/02/05/national1718EST0769.DTL
NBC poll: More back Bush, war...A snapshot of America's mood shows increases in
President Bush's approval ratings and in the percentage of Americans supporting
military action against Iraq, according to an NBC Poll released Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/869402.asp
Speech Fails to Budge Europeans From Their Divergent Positions (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31874-2003Feb5.html
N. Korea warns of preemptive strike...North Korea could launch pre-emptive strikes
against U.S. forces rather than wait for an American attack after a war with Iraq, a
spokesman for the communist state told a British daily newspaper.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/850567.asp
Fournier: The United States has "robust plans for any contingencies" involving North
Korea, including military action, the White House said Thursday amid criticism from
Democrats and talk of war from Pyongyang.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&ncid=716&e=3&u=/ap/20030206/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_nkoreas
President Bush on Thursday urged Americans to pray for God's guidance as the Columbia
tragedy, potential war in Iraq and the constant threat of terrorism pose "a testing
time for our country." (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=544&ncid=718&e=3&u=/ap/20030206/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Vice President Dick Cheney paid tribute to the seven astronauts who died aboard the
space shuttle Columbia, praising them as "envoys to the unknown. ... They were united
not by faith nor heritage. . They were bound together in the great cause of
discovery," he said at a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral.
(MSNBC) http://msnbc.com/news/869419.asp?0cv=CB10
Democratic Sen. John Kerry has the best chance of defeating President Bush in the 2004
presidential race, providing he can "break the bubble" of public support Bush enjoys
on foreign policy, says the AFL-CIO's political chairman, Gerald McEntee (AP)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-02-05-kerry_x.htm
An aide to one Kerry rival ticked through a list of anti-labor votes cast by the
senator, arguing that labor leaders nationally would consider those positions before
deciding whom to endorse for president (The Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/037/nation/Labor_leader_calls_Kerry_best_chance_+.shtml
Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said Wednesday that he would moderate a series of
forums in Iowa featuring Democrats seeking the 2004 presidential nomination. (Des
Moines Register) http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/20422287.html
Bush keeps high ratings in Missouri, Illinois, poll says (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/0BDAC73648D2350A86256CC500177B1B
Hoffman blasts Bush's war plans...Dustin Hoffman has become the latest US star to
voice his opposition to war with Iraq (Ananova)
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_747771.html
Editorial/Opinion
Buchanan: The unintended consequences of war
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30833
U.N. scorecard on Iraq...How did Colin Powell fare in his presentation to the U.N.
Security Council? A country-by-country scorecard by William Saletan, in Slate.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078209/
Will: Pardon the French, they're living in a dream world
http://www.suntimes.com/output/will/cst-edt-geo06.html
The Wall Street Journal: Powell's Smoking Gun...His presentation persuades all but
Saddam's diehard backers.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110003033
Mondo Washington...Building the Case for War in Iraq, the U.S. Has Bigger Problems
Than France
http://villagevoice.com/alertrd.php3?article=41774
Novak: New Jersey's bid to become cloning capital may be cut short
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak06.html
The Washington Post: Irrefutable
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32515-2003Feb5.html
Mallard http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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