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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight at 7 pm ET, 11 pm ET, 4 am ET & 4 pm PT, 8 pm PT & 1 am PT
A couple of editorial strings we're gathering this morning concern the outrage by some
over the new Bush ads...Some firefighters and 9/11 families are objecting to the use
of ground zero images as being inappropriate for a political ad...Sr. Bush campaign
advisor Karen Hughes was out on the talk shows this morning defending the ads...We'll
talk to Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died on 9/11 and Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY)
who's speaking for the Bush campaign...Also, John Kerry released a spot last September
9th mentioning 9/11, Howard Mortman reminds us...
Is the ad politicizing 9/11 or this an appropriate use of imagery from one of
America's most significant tragedies? How does one handle such an event and all of
its myriad implications in the context of a presidential campaign?
Shuster will kick off the show with a package on the brouhaha...
The other editorial thread we're pursuing are the culture wars: gay marriage, "The
Passion of the Christ", religion and the Catholic church scandal...We'll talk to noted
theologian and U. of Chicago sociologist Rev. Andrew Greeley, The New York Times'
Frank Rich and The Washington Times' Tony Blankley
Oh, and we'll also talk to the executive director of the liberal advocacy group
moveon.org who has a new anti-Bush ad which shows, as Chris noted yesterday on air, "a
man who's frustrated that he can't have sex with his wife" because he's working too
much overtime (I'm paraphrasing a bit)...I'm sure Chris will repeat the analysis
tonight
It's a politics meets gravitas kinda show tonight...
>From last night's show...Our dot com folks in Secaucus bring you an excerpted
>transcript of Chris' take on the new Bush ads http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4443598/
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Hardball Briefing from Washington, DC
The Bush reelection campaign yesterday unveiled its first three campaign commercials
showcasing Ground Zero images, angering some 9/11 families who accused President Bush
of exploiting the tragedy for political advantage (NY Daily News)
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/170291p-148587c.html
"With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of
the American people will as well," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The
Early Show" on CBS. "September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining
event for the future of our country...Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the
victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy
in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize
that." http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040304/D813IP7G1.html
Bush targets Kerry...President Bush took his first direct swings at Democratic rival
John Kerry on Wednesday, painting him as a candidate who would raise taxes and go
soft on terrorism. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4442896/
"We have no illusions about the Republican attack machine and what our opponents have
done in the past, and what they may try to do in the future. But I know that together,
we are equal to this task. I am a fighter," [Kerry] said Tuesday
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040304-122254-9881r.htm
Sen. John Kerry is a whopping $100 million behind President Bush in ready cash as he
embarks on the next phase of his White House campaign, and dependent on outside groups
he can't legally control to help close the gap. (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4446788/
With the Democratic primaries over, the veepstakes began yesterday, with former rival
John Edwards leading John Kerry's list. (NY Daily News)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/170200p-148620c.html
Kerry said he has asked Washington veteran James Johnson, a former president of Fannie
Mae and a onetime aide to Walter F. Mondale, to lead his vice presidential search,
amid speculation in political circles that Kerry might name a running mate earlier
than usual. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28576-2004Mar3.html
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday that Congress "must act and act soon"
to prevent a few judges and local officials from redefining marriage for everyone, as
lawmakers held the first day of hearings on a constitutional amendment to define
marriage as a male-female union. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040303-114646-4560r.htm
Campaigns poised to launch offensives...The Bush-Cheney campaign, which yesterday
announced its first round of re-election ads, plans to spend the next eight months
targeting Sen. John Kerry as a Massachusetts liberal who is weak on defense and
national security. (The Washington Times)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040304-122253-6047r.htm
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), under fire from gay Democrats for opposing same-sex
marriage, has promised that if elected president he would grant state-sanctioned gay
couples the same 1,049 federal benefits married heterosexuals enjoy, according to
people who met here with Kerry last Friday. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28566-2004Mar3.html?nav=headlines
WP: CIA hampered in Iraq...The CIA has rushed to Iraq four times as many clandestine
officers as it had planned on, but it has had little success penetrating the
resistance and identifying foreign terrorists involved in the insurgency, according to
senior intelligence officials and intelligence experts recently briefed on Iraq.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4442493/
Iraq militants claim al-Zarqawi is dead...Al Qaida-linked extremist suspected of
planning attacks (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4446084/
For Bush, an election-year powder keg...Analysis: Iraq violence poses political danger
for White House (The Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4433858/
Former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III yesterday denounced proposed tax increases,
saying Gov. Mark Warner and some Republican senators tricked voters in pursuit of
their tax-raising plans. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20040303-102619-7685r.htm
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pushed herself toward center stage in the election-year
debate over the export of American jobs yesterday, issuing a series of proposals to
strengthen the nation's manufacturing base and demonstrate that "America is open for
business in the 21st century." (NY Post)
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/19706.htm
Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Yale Bones connect Bush, Kerry...Both President President Bush
and his all-but-certain Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, were
members of the elite and secretive club that meets in a windowless mausoleum on the
Yale campus in New Haven. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/170302p-148497c.html
Opinion/Editorial
Tony on the new religious zeitgeist: A sign of things to come
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/tblankley.htm
WP: Iraq is beyond Bush's control...Yesterday's attacks on Iraqi Shiites is an apt
reminder that this year's presidential election is likely to be shaped by events the
Bush administration cannot control. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4433858/
Mickey Kaus: The Trouble With Kerry...Your one-stop center for doubts about JFK2.
http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2096408
Novak: Bush, GOP Congress not on the same page
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak04.html
Katrina: Let's End the Two-Party Duopoly...We need an electoral system that celebrates
our country's diverse views. http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7
Peggy: JFK Disease...It's more than "hoff" wacky.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004768
Broder: Bush-Kerry race should be close...For a politically polarized nation, a
campaign pitting President Bush against Sen. John F. Kerry presents the starkest of
choices - and almost certainly a close election. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4433857/
Margolis: President George W. Bush's re-election campaign opened this month on the
wild mountainous frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan where, according to
Pentagon leaks, a cornered Osama bin Laden is about to be captured by US Special
Forces. http://www.eric-margolis.com/
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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