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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight on MSNBC at 7p, 11p & 4a ET & 4p, 8p & 1a PT
Today we bear witness to the timeless Washington drama of a senior official being
"taken to the woodshed."* In this case, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and
Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Meyers go before Congress (both House and Senate) to
explain the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hand of U.S. service personnel...The
hearings are underway and Rumsfeld has apologized...He was also interrupted by
hecklers who demanded he be fired...The New York Times today is calling for Rumsfeld's
resignation as is John Kerry (no surprise there)...The heat is on...
Rumsfeld apologizes to abused Iraqis...Defense secretary testifies at Senate hearing
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/
Washington Post update
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7297-2004May7.html
Tonight we talk to members of the Senate--Cornyn (R-TX) & Dayton (D-MN)--and get some
spot reax...Shuster's in West Virginia attending a presser with family members of one
of the accused...He'll bring you the latest on that...
We then go old school with consummate Washington insider Joseph Califano who has a new
book aptly titled "Inside: A Public and Private Life"...He served in the Johnson &
Carter administrations and knows a thing or two about Beltway rituals and what Rummy
may be going through...We'll get his take...
We wrap up with USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro who'll asses the political fallout
of today's hearings and the special role Douglas Feith played in pushing this war
http://www.defenselink.mil/policy/bio/feith.html
* For those who don't know the phrase it harkens back to the days when kids in trouble
were taken to the woodshed to be administered their corrective corporal
punishment...The phrase entered Washington lexicon back in the Reagan era when his OMB
director David Stockman publicly criticized Reagan's tax policy and was "taken to the
woodshed" by Reagan...The original "woodshed" cartoon
http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/USPics2/79426.jpg
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC
Al-Sadr aide: Reward for killing British troops...Shiite also says female soldiers can
be taken as slaves (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4923763/
Pentagon was warned in 2002 of contractors...Abuse scandal includes use of private
interrogators (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4923442/
The Red Cross discovered "serious violations" of the rights of Iraqi prisoners, with
abuse so widespread it may be considered to have been tolerated by the U.S.-led
coalition, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5073940
Moran: Rummy's not going anywhere . yet: Shameful as abuse may be, resigning over this
issue is not an option http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4915920/
Three U.S. military policemen who served at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison said on
Thursday they had witnessed unreported cases of prisoner abuse and that the practice
against Iraqis was commonplace. (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5073171
U.S. troops, Shiite militia clash...U.S. troops clashed with Shiite gunmen near the
center of the holy city of Karbala on Friday, with heavy gunfire and explosions heard
near the office of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr less than a mile from several
shrines. Separately, gunmen killed two journalists south of Baghdad on Friday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4899904/
Old Iraqi army reborn in Fallujah...Deal represents significant gamble for U.S. (The
Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4919114/
Public opposition to the war in Iraq is at an all-time high - and support for
President Bush's handling of the broader war against terrorism is at an all-time low -
after the deadliest month for U.S. troops and revelations about the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners by American forces. (Knight Ridder)
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/8607135.htm
U.S. Faces Lasting Damage Abroad...Moral High Ground Lost, Experts Say (The Washington
Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7139-2004May6.html
President Bush opened a tour by bus through two Midwestern states he narrowly lost
during the 2000 election, carrying a message Friday of job gains amid an economic
upswing he contends has been sparked by lower taxes. (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4924533/
President Bush's campaign on Friday criticized the wife of Democratic candidate John
Kerry for calling Vice President Dick Cheney "unpatriotic" while defending her
husband's service in Vietnam against critics who had avoided the military. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040507/D82DQ02O0.html
John F. Kerry yesterday called for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to resign over
the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in US custody. He also criticized President Bush for not
knowing about the abuse until last week and for delaying an apology to the Arab world.
(Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/05/07/kerry_says_rumsfeld_should_resign_over_iraq_inmate_abuse/
Democrat says Bush war doomed...A key House Democrat said yesterday the way President
Bush is pursuing the war in Iraq makes it "unwinnable," drawing a stern rebuke from
Republicans who said Democrats essentially declared victory for terrorists. (The
Washington Times) http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040506-115327-4519r.htm
Ad assails Cardinal for stance on communion...Some say antiabortion group's tactics
may backfire (The Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4919118/
Opinion/Editorial
Wall Street Journal: Blood in the Water...The target isn't Rumsfeld today, it's Bush
in November. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005047
Curry: Will Rumsfeld survive abuse scandal?...Congress doesn't have a lot of goodwill
left for defense chief http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4916525/
Ilana: Lawrence of Arabia: Lionized liar
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38382
Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) Why we're in Iraq:
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/8609339.htm
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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