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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Hardball airs tonight at 7p, 11p & 4a ET & 4p, 8p & 1a PT...
A couple of must reads in the Washington Post today...One is the revelation of new
torture pix...The other is the Robin Wright piece on Bush "chiding" Rummy...While the
"chiding" angle is making the headlines, the big thing that popped out of the story
for me was a senior State dept. official (read someone close to Powell) distancing
Powell from the pictures...
"It's something Powell has raised repeatedly -- to release as many detainees as
possible -- and, second, to ensure that those in custody are properly cared for and
treated," said a senior State Department official familiar with the discussions.
The statement further isolates Rumsfeld, highlights fissures in the administration and
showcases routine Washington blame gaming...This on the heels of a new GQ report with
top Powell aides & confidantes going on the record about Powell's discomfort in his
job...(stories below)
The other big questions surrounding the controversy are: When did the Pentagon know
about the reports of the abuse? (January according to the Post) Who exactly knew?
When did Rumsfeld tell the President? And what was done about it? (We're seeing a lot
of this in today's daily White House press conference)
Bush Privately Chides Rumsfeld...Officials Say Pentagon Resisted Repeated Calls for
Prison Changes (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A5733-2004May5?language=printer
WP: More Iraq photos emerge...The collection of photographs begins like a travelogue
from Iraq. Here are U.S. soldiers posing in front of a mosque. Here is a soldier
riding a camel in the desert. And then: a soldier holding a leash tied around a man's
neck in an Iraqi prison. He is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4908787/
Washington Post photo gallery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/photo/world/G63388-2004May03.html/?nav=msn-1
Republicans put heat on Rumsfeld over Iraqi abuses...New photos surface on eve of
Senate testimony (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/
Lots of outrage brewing on the Hill as well...As reported yesterday, Rumsfeld will
testify before the Senator tomorrow on the matter...On the eve of his testimony we
talk to Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) & Bill Nelson (D-NE)....
This week POTUS (President of the United States) and his top National Security chief
Condi Rice went on Arab television to explain the actions of the U.S. in Iraq and
quell the controversy over the torture pix...We talk to Hafez Al-Mirazi, Washington
bureau chief for Al-Jazeera to get the Arab world's reaction to the interviews and a
general read on how our efforts in Iraq are playing in the Middle East...
Queen Noor (fmr. of Jordan) will be here to discuss Iraq and peace efforts between the
Israelis and Palestinians...That's a big chunk of the back half..
We round out the show much as we did last night with the "politics of damage control"
type segment...Got a call out to Howard but haven't heard back...We'll see..Keep it
Real
And heh, you can watch us and still catch the Friends finale!
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Briefing from Washington, DC
Powell calls halt to talk about his future...Top aide says secretary unlikely to stay
for second term (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4906842/
For the second time in a month, the State Department yesterday found itself fending
off questions about Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's role in the Bush
administration, after some of his top aides gave interviews to GQ magazine suggesting
he was frustrated and isolated. (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5643-2004May5.html
Iraq blasts kill 3 U.S. soldiers...A suicide car bomb exploded Thursday outside the
so-called Green Zone that houses the U.S. headquarters in Baghdad, killing five Iraqi
civilians and a U.S. soldier. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4899904/
Kin confirm identity of new U.S. hostage in Iraq...Man claiming to be civilian
Pentagon employee shown on Arab TV (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4914840/
Red Cross warned of abuse...The international Red Cross said Thursday it had
repeatedly asked U.S. authorities to take corrective action over prisoner abuse in
Iraq.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855930/
The White House reaffirmed President Bush's support of embattled Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday even as a Democratic senator became the first in Congress
to demand Rumsfeld's resignation over the U.S. military's abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
(AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040506/D82D65IO1.html
$25 Billion More Sought to Fund Wars...White House Hoped to Delay Request Until After
Election http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5641-2004May5.html
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Wednesday that the Bush
administration's response to abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. soldiers has been
"slow and inappropriate." (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040506/D82D5LQO5.html
Bush, GOP set fund-raising record...Republicans rake in $38.5 million in one night
(AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4910209/
NBC poll: Pessimism not sticking to president...Half of voters unhappy with direction,
but Bush still leads Kerry http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4907503/
Fineman: Bin Laden: The 'other' candidate...Things couldn't be better for al Qaida
leader http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4908312/
Americans are more dissatisfied with the nation's direction than at any time in more
than eight years and President Bush's job approval rating has sunk into a tie for his
worst-ever showing, according to a new Gallup Poll. (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/polls/2004-05-06-gallup-poll_x.htm
The FBI, closely tracking the anti-war movement in the 1970s, concluded John Kerry was
a glib, moderate figure in a Vietnam veterans group that took a radical turn around
the time he left it, documents show. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040506/D82D7KJG2.html
Bush to Appear on Christian TV for Prayer Day...Three-Hour Program Airs Tonight (The
Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5572-2004May5.html
Democrats praise party's fiscal restraint...Fiscal conservatism appears no longer to
be the exclusive political bastion of the Republican Party as congressional Democrats
are touting themselves as the chintzy guardians of the people's money this election
year. (The Washington Times)
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040505-111701-5635r.htm
Opinion/Editorial
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Rumsfeld must go
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Editorial+%2F+Commentary/48FD15D57EE2A4B986256E8C0038769D?OpenDocument&Headline=SECRETARY+OF+DEFENSE%3A+Rumsfeld+must+go
Coulter: Even With Hindsight Liberals Can't See Straight
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/ac20040506.shtml
Katrina: An Open Letter to George Bush...This public rebuke was a rare display of
dissent for state department personnel.
http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7
Steiner: http://www.washtimes.com/national/steiner.htm
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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