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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight at 7p, 11p & 4a ET and 4p, 8p & 1a PT
We'll get to the Briefing in a moment but first a programming note...It's not often we
send Chris out on field which makes tomorrow's show very unique...We bring you a
special segment from Walter Reed hospital where Chris visited with wounded troops back
from Iraq...Chris tells us he was moved by the soldiers he met and is looking forward
to sharing the experience...You'll not want to miss it...
A couple editorial strings we're gathering today revolve around the 9/11 Commission
hearings and the big DNC dinner...Dean endorsed Kerry today and the grand poohbahs of
the party hold a big "unity" dinner with Clinton and Carter...Our own David Shuster
will cover the dinner for us and we'll dip in and out of it throughout the show...
The Democrats will also "unite" themselves with about $11 million big ones as a result
of the dinner...Unfortunately not all Dems are in the Kumbaya spirit...Moseley-Braun
and Kucinich will not be in attendance (not sure if it's a simple scheduling snafu or
that Braun is holding out for another ambassadorship and Kucinich a Secretary of Peace
appointment)...Fineman & Trippi will be at the dinner tonight so maybe they can sort
it out for us..
We'll also show you the new ads released by BC04...
On the 9/11 Commission issue, we'll talk to former SecDef under Clinton/Maine Senator
William Cohen who testified the other day...He'll give us reax and tell us what it all
means for President Bush, our understanding of 9/11 and the upcoming election...We
also talk to 9/11 widow Kristen Breitweiser who will give us her thoughts on the
hearings and if she feels satisfied with where the investigation is heading...
And yes we were all at the big Correspondents dinner last night...Too many names to
recount...Everyone was there...Although I was especially impressed to see Sam and
Omarosa from The Apprentice but I wasn't about to jock them...Even "The Donald" showed
up (Trump, not sure about Rummy)...The President had a funny comedic routine in the
theme of a White House photo gallery although some were upset that he joked about not
finding any Iraqi WMDs...Much of the fun was had of course at the post parties held by
the big 3 major cable networks...MSNBC was the only one with the famous chocolate
fountain, however
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62408-2004Mar16.html) Who really
needs a dance floor & vodka bar anyway? It's actually funny watching stiff
Washingtonians dance in their formal wear. We're not really into that kind of thing.
Nonetheless, Washington's media/political establishment were doing there best to get
their groove on.
But the night was not without controversy...Kerry just issued a release on the
President's WMD jokes: "If George Bush thinks his deceptive rationale for going to war
is a laughing matter, then he's even more out of touch than we thought. Unfortunately
for the President, this is not a joke. 585 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq
in the last year, 3,354 have been wounded, and there's no end in sight."
George Bush, Entertainer In Chief...At Radio-TV Dinner, President Competes With
Trump's Show (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22713-2004Mar25.html
Bush put on a slide show, calling it the "White House Election-Year Album" at the
Radio and Television Correspondents' Association 60th annual dinner, showing himself
and his staff in some decidedly unflattering poses. (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4596717/
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC
President Bush, fearing political backlash over the loss of U.S. jobs, casts
Democratic rival John Kerry as a tax-raising threat to the American economy in a new
television commercial airing Thursday. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040325/D81HGGEG2.html
Clarke: Government 'failed you'...President Bush's former counterterrorism adviser,
the star witness at hearings into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, apologized to
the families of the victims Wednesday, testifying that "your government failed you."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4568982/
Milbank Analysis: Clarke stays cool under fire...Ex-Bush adviser not rattled by GOP
attacks (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4596317/
Fournier Analysis: Clarke hurts Bush on signature issue...Ex-official's accusations
may have election impact http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4600713/
Panel: Confusion, Afghan 'proxies' hurt terror fight...Tenet, Berger insist U.S.
heeded terror threat (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4592469/
Transcript of committee interim report...Panel finds significant diplomatic efforts by
Clinton http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4586448/
Kerry gets loud and clear Dean endorsement...Clinton, Carter joining Democratic day of
unity (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4580606/
Kurtz: Dean, Kerry 'Like Oil and Water'...Pollster Maslin Offers Postmortem of
Vermonter's Campaign
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22219-2004Mar24.html
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, along with a who's who of Democrats,
will join the party's next nominee John Kerry on Thursday at a unity rally kicking off
a massive fund-raising drive. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=WWW5NTL44RREACRBAEZSFEY?type=topNews&storyID=4660949§ion=news
John Kerry celebrated his status as the leader of the Democratic Party on Thursday
with shows of unity from former rivals, former presidents and others who are putting
aside their differences to help him cast President Bush out of the White House. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040325/D81HGPDO0.html
Bush set to whack Kerry on home turf...President Bush hits Kerry Country with
rhetorical abandon today, hammering his Democratic rival for spending plans that
``don't add up.'' (The Boston Herald)
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=2957
President Bush, fearing political backlash over the loss of U.S. jobs, casts
Democratic rival John Kerry as a tax-raising threat to the American economy in a new
television commercial airing Thursday. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040325/D81HGGEG2.html
President Bush's best campaign week of 2004 came to an abrupt end when explosive
charges that he was snoozing at the wheel before 9/11 knocked the White House back on
the defensive. (NY Daily News)
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/177126p-154093c.html
Bob Kerrey's star turn as a 9/11 commission member is sparking talk that he could join
pal John Kerry on a 2004 Democratic ticket of Kerry-Kerrey. (NY Post)
http://www.nypost.com/commentary/21808.htm
The Supreme Court case over whether to keep a reference to God in the Pledge of
Allegiance is the latest skirmish in the "culture wars" that are helping shape the
presidential election, much to the delight of Republicans. (The Washington Times)
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040325-124959-4632r.htm
Blair meets Gadhafi in Libya...British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday in Libya, saying that the two shared a common goal
in defeating the al-Qaida terrorist network.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4599489/
Pakistan al-Qaida hunt continues...More than 50 terrorists have been killed in
Pakistan's military operation against suspected al-Qaida fighters and local
sympathizers on the Afghan border, the interior minister said Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4539021/
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has slapped a gag on the Boston Fire Department
Acappella Quartet, banning the group from singing during tonight's visit to Boston by
President Bush (The Boston Herald)
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=2958
Imus called CBS's Lesley Stahl a "gutless, lying weasel" yesterday for abruptly
canceling an interview during which Imus planned to hammer her about
conflict-of-interest allegations. (NY Post)
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/21669.htm
Opinion/Editorial
USA Today: Bush team ready for this fight but would prefer not to have it
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040325/6043004s.htm
Peggy: Hearings Won't Make Us Safe...Sins of omission and the 9/11 commission.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004864
Rousseaux: Asteroids and Oorts http://www.techcentralstation.com/032504D.html
Kaplan: Dick Clarke Is Telling the Truth...Why he's right about Bush's negligence on
terrorism. http://slate.msn.com/id/2097750/
Mondo Washington: Further Dispatches From Planet Rummy...Secretary Strangelove Has
Been Interested in Terrorism Since 1983
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0413/mondo5.php
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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