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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 Find MSNBC on your
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The Abu Ghraib report from Rumsfeld's independent commission is hitting the Beltway
today and we'll get into what's inside the thing. The Post reports on some of the
explosive charges below. We'll also talk to NBC's Fred Francis who's covering the
trial of seven MPs in Mannheim, Germany for Abu Ghraib abuses. These are the pretrial
hearings mind you.
The AP reports that Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II issued a statement Monday
saying he would plead guilty to some charges. He is charged with maltreating
detainees, conspiracy to maltreat detainees, dereliction of duty and wrongfully
committing an indecent act. We'll talk to Chip's uncle William Lawson about the guilty
plea...
We then dive back into the Swift Boat controversy with Terry Musser, a Wisconsin State
Rep who wants Bush to denounce the ads, and Bobby Mueller from the Vietnam Veterans of
America...We'll get Terry's take on the President "denouncing all this stuff being on
TV of the 527s." Is this enough of a denunciation for Terry? Btw, What's a 527?
Shuster has more below...
We wrap up the politics of it all with Tony Coehlo and Ed Rollins...We'll throw in
some sound from Kerry's NYC speech today which he delivered earlier today...
>From Shuster's Corner: The Swift boat Veterans for Truth are one of those "527
>organizations." Don't worry about the section of the federal code... just know that
>527's are supposed to be "separate and independent" from the presidential campaigns.
>And when you look at the republican 527's versus the democratic 527's... the
>democrats are winning hands down in terms of fundraising and spending. Is that why
>President Bush wants to ban "all 527's?" Hmmmm. (Apart from 527's, the republicans
>have an advantage when it comes to direct contributions to the party and the
>Presidential campaign. And the 527 "Swifty's" have gotten more free media than all
>of the democratic 527's combined.) However, tonight's package looks at the
>difference in $$$ between the various 527's... and we also look at the differences in
>style. Moveon.org is rolling out 10 new ads tonight that feature Hollywood's best
>directors, writers, and actors. (Okay, maybe Charlie Sheen is not one of Hollywood's
>best... but you get the idea.)
Bellone's note: Look for the Bushies to come out and denounce tonight's "star-studded
Hollywood hate-fest" (I just love that phrase!)in New York where the Moveon.org ads
are being released to great fanfare.
Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited The Hardball from Washington, DC
In N.Y., Kerry asks GOP to halt 'fear and smear'...Democrat accuses Bush of avoiding
real issues http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5807010/
Bush team lacks clear economic plan, critics say (The Washington Post)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5800960/
Abuse probe faults commanders...The Pentagon commission investigating abuse at Abu
Ghraib will accuse top commanders of responsibility for disorganization that led to
wrongdoing at the prison, NBC News has learned. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5800201/
Iraqi Teens Abused at Abu Ghraib, Report Finds...Officials Say Inquiry Also Confirms
Prisoners Were Hidden From Aid Groups (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A27048-2004Aug23?language=printer
A U.S. military judge refused on Tuesday to let lawyers question Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld and a key deputy in the case against an Army reservist charged with
abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison. (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5799105/
Bush calls for halt to anti-Kerry ads...President Bush says a veterans group should
stop television ads criticizing John Kerry's war record.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5797164/
Sammon: President Bush yesterday denounced TV ads that question Democratic
presidential nominee John Kerry's Vietnam record and called on the senator from
Massachusetts to be equally critical of ads financed by Democratic "billionaires
writing checks." http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040824-124651-6353r.htm
Curry: A 'filthy, obscene memory' or a heroic one?...Kerry, Swift Boat veterans battle
over war crimes charges http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5797822/
Kerry Team Lines Up Vietnam Witnesses...Bush Again Declines To Condemn Attack Ad (The
Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A26519-2004Aug23?language=printer
When a Republican-funded group of Vietnam veterans sought to run a blistering
television ad accusing John Kerry of lying about his decorated war record, Democrats
quickly fired off a letter to broadcasters imploring them not to air the
"inflammatory, outrageous lie." (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040824/D84LL7D00.html
Controversial book "Unfit for Command," which fires an election-year salvo at
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's war record, has claimed one unintended
victim -- bookstore chain Barnes & Noble Inc. (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=599&u=/nm/20040823/media_nm/media_barnesandnoble_dc_2&printer=1
Kerry bid to make Bush 'goat' for 9/11 seen risky...Sen. John Kerry's presidential
campaign is belittling President Bush for his immediate reaction to the September 11
terrorist attacks, stepping up its response to recent criticism of Mr. Kerry's conduct
during the Vietnam War. (The Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040824-124654-9870r.htm
Iraqi guardsmen ring Najaf shrine...In Baghdad, 5 said killed in attacks aimed at
government ministers http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5685031/
Most Floridians are satisfied with the way President Bush responded to Hurricane
Charley, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll. But that has not changed the
dynamic of the presidential race, which remains a virtual tie between Bush and
Democrat John Kerry in the critical Southern state
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/polls/2004-08-23-florida-poll_x.htm
Democratic Party chief Terry McAuliffe says his party doesn't need to help the
thousands of protesters who will descend on New York in anticipation of next week's
Republican National Convention. (AP)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040824/D84LLF180.html
Heinz defines 'un-American'...Bush administration has misled U.S. on economy, war, he
says (The Patriot News)
http://www.pennlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1093252824292371.xml?pennnpol
Sean (Puffy) Combs hasn't had a day like this since J.Lo kicked him to the curb. His
Diddiness scrubbed last night's scheduled performance at the new Ohio slavery museum
over what the rap mogul feels was a snub by the First Lady's office.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/225176p-193343c.html
Hollywood star-studded "hatefest": MoveOn, Mobilizing the A-List Against W...Hip-hop
impresario Benny Boom, who has directed videos for P. Diddy, Lil' Kim and LL Cool J,
didn't need to have his arm twisted to join an anti-Bush advertising campaign. (Kurtz)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27095-2004Aug23.html
Opinion/Editorial
The Washington Times: Soft money, hard sell...Ostensibly independent - though clearly
Democratic-oriented - 527 political organizations, such as MoveOn.org and the Media
Fund, have been financing TV ads and other political activities with unlimited
soft-money contributions, which the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance legislation
prohibited national political party committees from receiving after the 2002 election.
http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040823-084201-1294r.htm
The Wall Street Journal: Vietnam Boomerang...John Kerry's "war crimes" libel returns
to haunt him. http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005519
Terry: Who has allowed more harm to come to more babies during childbirth: John
Edwards or the doctors he sued? http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=4819
Katrina: The Bush Air War...Bush is waging the most negative assault in modern times.
http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7
Flinging the foul mud of Vietnam...The next time the nation gets into a war, why would
any American with an interest in national service show up to fight? When did the U.S.
come to blithely accept the tarring for political gain of honorably discharged combat
veterans? Obviously, I'm talking about the attacks on John Kerry by a bunch of angry,
Bush-backing Vietnam-war vets who claim the Democratic candidate doesn't deserve all
of the medals, which include Bronze and Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts, that he
won in combat in Vietnam. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5797119/
Why Kerry's war record matters...Almost 30 years after the last helicopter fled the
roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam remains the great American quagmire. You
might think it should belong to history by now, especially after the Clinton years,
when voters took the measure of a former draft dodger -- one who had been so bold as
to put his "loathing for the military" on paper -- and judged him fit and worthy to
become America's Commander-in-Chief. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5797120/
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