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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Tonight we lead with the bombshell from the Post today on Bob Woodward's
involvement with the CIA leak case...Who were his sources and what does it mean
for the ongoing investigation and others in the administration?...Now we've
gotten late word that Woodward has formally apologized for withholding his role
in the case...We'll talk to Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie
about Woodward's admission and apology...What's it all mean and how might it
change Fitzgerald's investigation? Not to mention journalism and the Post...
But first we'll lead with a Shuster package putting it all together with
context and background...
We'll also get reaction from Matt Cooper's lawyer, Dick Sauber, who has been
heavily involved in the case...
Of course we'll do some serious political slicin' and dicin' with Thomas
DeFrank of the Daily News who has been all over this story, Richard Cohen who
has been a buddy of Woodward's since back in the day and Joe Scarborough...Yes,
we've dragged him out of Scarborough Country and brought him inside the elitist
Beltway to "pundificate" for us...
We round up the show with Liberal Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) who'll
stop by to discuss the Senate's resolution which passed yesterday on Iraq and
what it means for our policy over there...Is he running for the White House or
what? When it comes to Iraq, Hillary and Biden essentially agree with Bush on
the policy...
Please join us...
Indulge me for a moment here on a personal note folks...I announce with great
bittersweet sentiment that Friday marks my last day at Hardball and the closing
of a significant chapter in my life...For those who have stuck with this
Briefing and show for years and who I got to know over e-mail, I thank you for
your loyalty...Your complimentary e-mails always brightened my day and made my
daily grind more worthwhile...I started at Hardball in Feb. '00 when I would
collect the morning papers, read through them and e-mail highlights to the
producers at Hardball...As time went on I start to cut and paste pictures and
graphics in the e-mail and then started throwing in some attitude...In the Fall
of '00 our then executive producer Phil Griffin (now top dog at the Today show)
had a crazy idea and suggested we take it public as a regular e-mail newsletter
for our viewers...I knew the thing touched a nerve when Chris began reporting
positive feedback from Briefing readers while he was on his various book tour
travels..And the rest is history...In addition to producing the Briefing I
segment produce (mostly the last quarter hour of the show, the e/f block, or as
it used to be called years ago "The Political Buzz")
I not only have Phil to thank for hiring me and starting the Briefing but for
also putting me in charge of some Hardball website stuff in 2002 which put me
in collaboration with Alex Bratty up in headquarters who later moved down to DC
and became my wife...We've been kickin' it freestyle ever since and she's been
the best fringe benefit of this job I could ask for...So in every way possible
this job has truly changed my life...
The Briefing will go on of course with someone else at the helm...I intend to
be a loyal subscriber...It's tough to leave as I've always considered myself a
"Hardball with Chris Matthews producer" rather than a TV producer...His work on
exposing the truth about Bill Clinton and his administration as well as the war
in Iraq have been second to none and have made me proud to work for him...In
life though, one must always recognize appropriate opportunities and when to
move on...I've accepted an offer of an executive producer position with the
Voice of America's South and West Asia Division and hope my work will benefit
viewers in that region....I look forward to new and interesting challenges and
hope you'll stay loyal Hardball fans as I will..
As always, keep it real for real...Dominic Bellone wrote, compiled and edited
The Hardball Briefing from Washington, DC
Woodward testifies in CIA leak case...Editor says senior administration
official told him about Plame (The Washington Post)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10057145/
Text of Woodward's Statement
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501829_pf.html
Woodward Apologizes to Post for Withholding Knowledge of Plame (Kurtz)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/16/AR2005111601286_pf.html
Pincus: Woodward 'Asked Me to Keep Him Out' of Plame Reporting (Editor &
Publisher)
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001523334
Bush presses China to expand freedom...President, on Asia trip, holds up rival
Taiwan as an example (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10042690/
Post Analysis: Tide turning in GOP senators' war view...Bipartisan amendment
amounts to rebuff to Bush http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10045041/
Hagel Defends Criticisms of Iraq Policy...Administration Calls Statements by
Democrats Harmful to War Effort, Troops (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501450_pf.html
Speech verbate
http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Speeches.Detail&Speech_id=21&Month=11&Year=2005
U.S. denies using phosphorous against civilians...Military says incendiary
powder used against Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10064711/
The United States has detained more than 83,000 foreigners in the four years of
the war on terror, enough to nearly fill the NFL's largest stadium. The
administration defends the practice of holding detainees in prisons from
Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay as a critical tool to stop the insurgency in
Iraq, maintain stability in Afghanistan and get known and suspected terrorists
off the streets. (AP) http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/16/D8DTOTT00.html
Rumsfeld cites Clinton officials in Iraq decision...Defense Secretary: Previous
administration believed Saddam was a threat (AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10051978/
The United States made a "big mistake" when it invaded Iraq, former President
Bill Clinton said Wednesday, citing the lack of planning for what would happen
after dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown. (AP)
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132053866236&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Iraq's Sunnis demand probe into abuse reports...Prisoners found malnourished,
possibly tortured at Baghdad prison (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10049773/
Document: Big oil met with Cheney task force...Industry officials denied
meetings as recently as last week (The Washington Post)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10045043/
Cindy Sheehan's going back to Crawford...Mom of fallen GI plans to resume war
protest; new laws could bring arrest (AP) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10064474/
Robert Shrum, the political consultant whose words and ideas have helped define
the Democratic Party for 40 years, has signed a contract to write his first
book. (NY Observer) http://observer.com/pageone_newsstory3.asp
Opinion/Editorial
Pat: The politics of war & the Patriot Card
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47406
LImbaugh: GOP Needs to Fight Back Harder on Iraq
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=10296
Fouad Ajami: Blowback...Zarqawi, a Jordanian export to Iraq, now wreaks havoc
in the land of his birth.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007556
Bozell: Media Can't Get Enough Anti-Bush Polling
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=10319
Doonesbury http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/
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