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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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On December 15th -- thirteen days from now -- Iraqis will go to the polls to
vote for a constitutionally elected government. More than 225,000 Iraqi
soldiers will help to provide security during the election, and both proponents
and opponents of the war agree it will be an important day for Iraq's future.
In his speech at the Naval Academy on Tuesday, President Bush said, "Despite
the costs, the pain, and the danger, Iraqis are showing courage and are moving
forward to build a free society and a lasting democracy in the heart of the
Middle East -- and the United States of America will help them succeed."
But what is the measure of success? A new report today by Zogby International
finds that 78 percent of people polled in six Arab countries in October thought
there was more terrorism because of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. How well
is the U.S. doing in winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis and the rest of the
Middle East to support democracy? What progress is being made? Are the American
people hearing the whole story about Iraq -- all of the good and all of the
bad? What is the impact, both here and abroad, of the latest stories about the
U.S. military's involvement in press reports in Iraq and other countries?
Chris will get an update on the reports of Pentagon propaganda from NBC's Jim
Miklaszewski, and he'll also talk with Richard Haass, president of the Council
on Foreign Relations, former director of policy planning for the Bush State
Department, and author of "The Opportunity: America's Moment to Alter History's
Course." Here's Haass' bio if you want to check it out:
http://www.cfr.org/bios/3350/richard_n_haass.html
Plus, Chris will talk about the numerous war issues with Rep. Elijah Cummings
(D-MD), former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Bill Shuster
(R-PA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee who just returned from
Iraq Thursday.
We'll also have the latest on the CIA leak case -- and the newly revealed
involvement of Time reporter Viveca Novak -- with a report by Hardball's David
Shuster and top notch analysis by Newsweek's Michael Isikoff and Deb Orin of
the New York Post.
Plus, presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of "Team of Rivals:
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" joins Chris to talk about the
presidency, war, and White House leadership through the years.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--AP hears Sen. John Warner (R-VA)'s reaction to his Pentagon visit about the
propaganda reports http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10298037/
--MSNBC reports on the 10 Marines killed and 11 wounded in a Fallujah bombing
Thursday http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10294579/
--AP snapshots this month's economic news and the president's comments
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10294472/
--AP relays that the Justice Department reaffirmed its stance in the much
debated Texas redistricting http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10296548/
--AP reports that the head of Louisiana's elections thinks that their upcoming
vote should be postponed http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10297033/
--AP recaps Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)'s chat with SCOTUS nominee Sam Alito
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10297616/
--Hardblogger! (which gets even BIGGER and BETTER on Monday)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/
--Doonesbury http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html
Please join us tonight for an informed and thought provoking start to your
weekend!
Brooke Brower compiled the "Hardball Briefing" in Washington, D.C.
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