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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
So was that a big show last night or what? Thank you, Thank you...We thought it was
great too...But we're not resting on our laurels...Tonight we bring you an exclusive
interview with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld...Folks, you've been with us for a
long time and you know where Chris is on this war...He's been there from day one (long
before most had a clue that Iraq was even on the table)...He was skeptical of this war
before being skeptical of this war was cool...Our staff has been in overdrive all
morning pulling background material together for the interview, putting factoids and
quotes on blue cards, etc...I'm not gonna give the game away on the interview because
rarely do these things go as planned...I'll only repeat: you know where Chris has been
on Iraq...
The Defense chief will be half the show and in the remainder we'll talk to NBC
Pentagon guy Jim Miklaszewski (Folks at NBC just call him "Mik" for short) and a
couple of reporter types for Rummy reax...
Two of the big stories today out of Washington: Bush/Cheney spent 3 hours this morning
meeting with 9/11 Commission in the Oval Office..POTUS found the interview "useful"
but cautioned that America is still "vulnerable to attack" by terrorists...From
Iraq...What deal, if any, has been struck in Fallujah to stop the violence there?
"Marine Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne said in Fallujah that a deal was reached under which
Marines would withdraw and a newly created Iraqi force led by a former general in
Saddam Hussein's army would take over security in the city of 200,000. "
More from AP: "The force...could even include gunmen who fought alongside the
guerrillas against the Americans -- particularly criminals who signed on for money or
ex-soldiers disgruntled over losing their jobs by the U.S. disbanding of the old Iraqi
army, another Marine officer said on condition of anonymity."
Tomorrow we're tentatively planning to run highlights from Rummy & Kerry for your
benefit...I'll confirm that with you tomorrow though...
PS Chris will be on Imus at 8:29 am ET tomorrow, Friday 4/30...Btw if you can't find
Imus on the radio, he's simulcast on MSNBC..
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Hardball Briefing from Washington, DC
We love ourselves section of the Briefing...
Hardball 7th Anniversary Party Page http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4759855/
de Moraes gives us a nice little shout out in her column today
MSNBC actually beat one of its competitors in prime time this month. "Hardball With
Chris Matthews" edged out CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" at 7 p.m., with 480,000 viewers
and 461,000 viewers, respectively. Of course, both got whomped by Fox News Channel's
"Fox Report With Shepard Smith," which clocked far more viewers than the other two
shows combined -- 1.5 million -- and also beat their combined ratings in the
25-to-54-year-old demographic, the one that matters to news operations...Still,
MSNBC's beating of CNN at 7 is pretty big stuff. Heck, MSNBC beating anybody is pretty
big stuff. Especially when you consider that as recently as March, Cooper had a fairly
comfortable lead over Matthews: 502,000 viewers to 436,000 viewers. MSNBC appointed
Tammy Haddad executive producer of Matthews's show in January. Haddad was the longtime
executive producer for CNN's "Larry King Live" and senior broadcast producer for NBC's
"Today." She also helped launch CBS's "The Late, Late Show With Tom Snyder."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51762-2004Apr28_2.html
Cablenewser took note of our promotion last night in the Briefing
http://www.cablenewser.com/archive/2004_04_01_archive.htm#108320949344278952
Do you want your very own Chris Matthews Bobblehead like the one Ron Reagan presented
Chris last night and benefit a good cause?
http://www.bosleybobbers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BB0055&Category_Code=01
Quote of the Day
"...On your anniversary, I just -- I got some statistics. In seven years, for you,
Chris, 1,841 interrupted responses, 3,621 guest bullied into crying, and 2,974
unfairly rephrased positions. That`s quite a record, Chris. Congratulations." -Bill
Maher
More from Maher http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4857692/
9/11 panel finishes Bush, Cheney session...3-hour private testimony was at the White
House (AP) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4862296/
President Bush emerged from more than three hours of closed-door talks with the
commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and said he and Vice
President Cheney had answered all the panel's questions in a session that he described
as "wide-ranging" and "cordial (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52692-2004Apr29.html
Pentagon denies deal in Fallujah; 10 GIs die...Eight U.S. soldiers killed in car
bombing near Baghdad (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4824213/
Briefing "must reads"
Iraq congress members under investigation...Allegations include abduction, robbery,
assault, car theft (Lisa Myers) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855109/
Saddam security blamed for postwar bombings...Intelligence report: Campaign planned
prior to U.S.-led invasion (MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4862536/
One year after the declared end of major combat in Iraq, Americans have new doubts
about the war and doubts about what the Bush Administration has said about it. (CBS
News) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/28/opinion/polls/main614605.shtml
Only a third of the Iraqi people now believe that the American-led occupation of their
country is doing more good than harm, and a solid majority support an immediate
military pullout even though they fear that could put them in greater danger,
according to a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-28-poll-cover_x.htm
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday waning support among Americans for
the occupation of Iraq would revive once U.S. forces there stamped out a surge of
armed resistance. (AP)
http://news.myway.com/politics/article/id/190232|politics|04-29-2004::12:33|reuters.html
U.S. faces dilemma in Fallujah, Najaf...Officials see no good options to end sieges
(The Washington Post) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4856772/
Kerry vetting former rivals...Gephardt and Edwards top list of veep prospects (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4855562/
Kerry campaign lacks diversity at top...Mostly white inner circle worries some
observers (AP) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4862787/
Leaks About Foes Seen as Routine in Campaigns (Kurtz)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51419-2004Apr28.html
Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg on Wednesday called Vice President Dick Cheney the
"lead chickenhawk" in an escalating war of words over the Vietnam-era military service
of President Bush, Democratic rival John Kerry and the vice president (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040428/D8281TFG0.html
No permit for protest at GOP convention...Anti-war group told that N.Y. crowd would be
too big (AP) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4862641/
Los Angeles malls on terror alert...Residents of Los Angeles' Westside were asked to
be on the lookout for unusual activities around local shopping malls after a terrorism
task force reported an "uncorroborated" threat of a possible attack Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4861685/
Hundreds of Italians protest Iraq war...Families of hostages hope demonstration will
lead to freedom (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4836736/
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has been pegged as a
possible leaker of the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to a syndicated columnist,
according to accounts in a book by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, Plame's
husband. (AP) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040429/D828K32O0.html
Opinion/editorial
Katrina: An Open Letter to Tony Blair...Isn't it time for retired US diplomats to
speak out against 'doomed' Bush policies?
http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7
Terry: Reading Iraq's Ayatollah http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=3722
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
Steiner http://www.washtimes.com/national/steiner.htm
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