------------------------------------------------------
The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
------------------------------------------------------
As America stands on the brink of war, Hardball will bring you the latest NBC coverage
from the region as well as the homefront in DC...We'll have a number of live reports
to bring you up to speed 45 minutes after President's 8:15 pm et deadline for
Saddam...We'll even talk to Peter Arnett in Baghdad...We'll also do a hit from the
White House and the Pentagon...
Caddell will round out the show to vent in the unique way only he can...Fund will play
defense...
While we have a number of other guests and things planned, I don't want to promise too
much...This is a very fluid news situation from here on out therefore by the time you
read this, we may have changed the show around...All I can tell you is that when you
flip on that TV at 9 pm et on MSNBC you'll get the best we got...
Btw, MSNBC would like to introduce you some of the young men and women who will
prosecute this war...We call them America's Bravest...If you have a loved one who's
worthy of submission to this site, pass it along.
http://www.msnbc.com/c/0/143/343/ssMain.asp
Wondering where in the world NBC reporters are covering the conflict from?
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/reports/default.asp
NBC News has learned that US warplanes bombed Iraqi artillery just North of the
Kuwaiti border, and an Iraqi short-range missile battery outside Basra in southern
Iraq this afternoon. The artillery, which US intelligence reports is chem/bio capable,
is well within range of US troops who have moved close to the Iraqi border in
preparation for a US invasion. US military officials had reported the artillery would
have to be taken out before US ground troops stormed across the border into Iraq.
War against Iraq will be as short as possible but Americans must be prepared for loss
of life, the White House warned Wednesday as the deadline neared for Saddam Hussein to
flee. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bush_iraq
Ari: "Americans have to be prepared for loss of life. Americans have to be prepared
for the importance of disarming (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein to protect the peace"
(Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2408751
As Deadline Nears, U.S. Troops Advance Toward Iraq...The countdown to war with Iraq is
in its final hours. U.S. troops in the Middle East began their final preparations for
combat this morning and some convoys began to roll northward across Kuwait. (The
Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53082-2003Mar19.html
British warships in the Gulf shut their bars and called off beer rations on Wednesday
night, a sure sign that war is looming. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=Y0CRV4E5GM4R2CRBAE0CFFA?type=topNews&storyID=2408782
Mortman gets a shout out from Jill Lawrence in USA Today: The city's social schedule,
meanwhile, dependent on policymakers and those who cover them, began to unravel. The
Radio-TV Correspondents Association moved its dinner from Thursday to June 4. That
resolved "an anguished dilemma," wrote MSNBC columnist Howard Mortman: Miss out on the
dinner to cover the war, or attend and thereby show colleagues that "they're
non-critical personnel, a truly shameful situation."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-18-capital-usat_x.htm
Mortman's Capitol Notebook: Social unrest as the chattering class girds for war
http://www.msnbc.com/news/886654.asp?0si=-
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Hardball Briefing from Washington, DC...
As thousands of U.S. and British troops were poised to invade Iraq, 15 Iraqi soldiers
dropped their weapons and surrendered Wednesday at the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border, U.S.
military officials said. http://msnbc.com/news/870749.asp?0cv=CA01
U.S. and British troops moved into forward positions on Wednesday, ready to unleash a
massive assault on Iraq as time ran out for President Saddam Hussein to avoid war by
choosing exile. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2408438
The troops are ready. The war wagon is about to depart. The administration is in an
upbeat mood about the outcome of the impending second Persian Gulf War. It also is
wary of a possible upsurge in terrorism at home. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20030319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_risks
Iraq officials rally around Saddam...Hours before the deadline President Bush set for
Saddam Hussein to go into exile, Iraq's parliament on Wednesday urged the nation to
rally behind their leader.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/842500.asp
Iran ordered its diplomats out of Baghdad on Wednesday, following the closure of the
French, Greek and German embassies and the departure of U.N. inspectors and many
foreign journalists. As Iraqis stocked up on food and supplies ahead of a likely
U.S.-led invasion, only a handful of ambassadors said they intended to stay. (MSNBC)
http://msnbc.com/news/886365.asp?0sl=-12
Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz appeared at a news conference Wednesday, putting to
rest rumors that he had abandoned Baghdad regime of Saddam Hussein (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20030319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_aziz
Gertz: Pentagon's 'weapons of mass persuasion' hit Iraq army...The message to the
350,000-strong Iraqi army from leaflet bombs dropped by aircraft and airborne radio
broadcasts is simple: Surrender or die.
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030319-85008636.htm
U.S. goes to 'Orange-Plus' threat level...Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge laid
out plans Tuesday for how federal, state and local officials will implement steps
putting the nation's domestic security forces on a war-time footing on the eve of war
with Iraq.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/886959.asp
Bush clings to dubious accusations...Some U.S. claims about Saddam's arsenal are hotly
disputed (The Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.com/news/886806.asp
President Bush's "coalition of the willing" is a conflicted alliance: Its political
leaders want to help disarm Saddam Hussein by force, but many of their people want no
part of it. (AP)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=518&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20030319/ap_on_re_eu/conflicted_coalition
Antiwar camp has plans of its own...Protest blueprint calls for disruption and civil
disobedience (MSBNC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/887126.asp?0sl=-23
GOP rebukes Daschle for war plan criticism...Parties do not shy from taking shots (The
Boston Globe)
http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/078/nation/GOP_rebukes_Daschle_for_war_plan_criticism+.shtml
Kelly: Armed with high-tech weapons, night-vision goggles and pictures of their
targets, small teams of Delta Force commandos will soon descend on the outskirts of
Baghdad to begin the most anticipated mission of the war: capturing or killing Saddam
Hussein http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-18-us-forces-usat_x.htm
On War, Congress Gets Earful...Nationwide, lawmakers across the political spectrum
acknowledge that war opponents are far more organized than proponents, but they say
this has done little to change their opinions on the conflict. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49040-2003Mar18.html
Pew Research Release: America's Image Further Erodes, Europeans Want Weaker Ties...But
Post-War Iraq Will Be Better Off, Most Say
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=175
Move afoot in Congress to slash Bush's tax cut...Senate Democrats and a few
Republicans are citing the impending war against Iraq as a reason to dramatically pare
down or eliminate President Bush's economic stimulus package (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030319-248299.htm
Bush Message Machine Is Ready...When troops move into Iraq, the Bush administration's
message machine, staffed with political campaign experts and honed on the
communications lessons of Afghanistan, will be equally ready to roll. (The Washington
Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49399-2003Mar18.html
The Senate on Wednesday was expected to narrowly vote against opening the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, defeating the centerpiece of President
Bush's energy policy (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2407970
North Korea said Wednesday it has the right to develop missiles, increasing fears it
might resume test-launching long-range weapons while the United States is focused on
Iraq. (AP) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-03-19-nkoea-missiles_x.htm
The Oscars are still on for Sunday -- for now -- but the glitzy red-carpet arrivals
have been cut short for the first time in the show's 75-year history. (USA Today)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=680&e=4&u=/usatoday/20030319/en_usatoday/4961709
Kucinich tries to strike right chord with voters...Democrat testing waters for
presidential run (Dayton Daily News)
http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/localnews/daily/0319kucinich.html
Page Six: When Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience last
week that she was "ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas,"
country stations from Kansas to Pennsylvania immediately dropped the band from their
playlists. Maines soon apologized for her "disrespect."
http://www.pagesix.com/pagesix/pagesix.htm
Opinion/Editorial
How to tell if we're winning...What to watch for -- especially in the first few days
of battle -- to indicate whether war in Iraq is going well, badly, or somewhere in
between. By Fred Kaplan.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_infobeat.asp?/news/887084.asp
Pat: A time for unity http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31598
Blair: Our Choice Today: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/71160.htm
Lopez: In This Case, the Simple Solution of War Is Simply the Wrong One
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-war-lopez19mar19,1,7926371.story
Bowyer: The present-day Democratic party has focused rhetorical attention on the
dangers of deficits, and true to form they are blaming the current president for being
a budget buster. http://www.nationalreview.com/nrof_buzzcharts/bowyer031303.asp
Ilana takes on Pat's "cabal" theory: http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31594
Rosett: Delivering Dominoes...Those who know the Mideast should help democracy along.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/cRosett/?id=110003216
=========================================
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
