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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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The Al-Jazeera television news network aired an audio tape today from Al-Qaida
leader Osama bin Laden in which he said his group is preparing to attack the
U.S. again and that they would be open to a truce, but did not offer specifics
on either front. Here's MSNBC's full report:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10924015. And here's a translation of excerpts from
the tape: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10927325.
Speaking today in Sterling, Virginia, President Bush said, "The terrorists have
got a weapon: It's called our TV screens. These people are cold-blooded
killers. I'm telling you. As you know. I don't need to tell you that. And what
they're trying to do is they're trying to drive us out before democracy can
take hold because they understand -- I haven't talked to one so I'm not exactly
sure -- I'm putting words in somebody's mouth. I would suspect, though, deep in
their soul, they understand they can't compete. Their ideology cannot compete
with liberty." His full remarks are here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060119-2.html.
Vice President Cheney already had plans to talk about terrorism today before
the bin Laden tape surfaced. Speaking before the Manhattan Institute, a
conservative think tank, Cheney once again affirmed the necessity of the NSA's
domestic surveillance program and "warned that the United States still faced
significant threats from a network of terrorists intent on establishing a
radical Islamic empire throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East,"
according to a report by the Associated Press. Here's more from the AP:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--cheney-domesticsp0119jan19,0,6913640.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork.
On Hardball tonight, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), the ranking Democrat on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, will join Chris to react to the bin Laden tape and
offer his thoughts on the war on terrorism and the increasingly tense situation
regarding Iran.
Hardball's David Shuster will update us with the latest on the tape and what
happened when -- and since -- bin Laden issued his last taped message. Also,
NBC News' Counter-Terrorism Analyst Roger Cressey and former CIA agent Bob Baer
will all be here to assess the significance of and reaction to the tape.
Plus, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) will be here to talk about his campaign to be
the next House majority leader. National Journal's "Hotline on Call" had more
thoughts on Shadegg late Wednesday, in case you missed that:
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/01/sure_bout_shade.html#more.
Byron York, White House correspondent for the National Review, and Bob Herbert,
columnist for the New York Times, will also be here to discuss the House
leadership fight, the continuing Abramoff fallout, and today's terror
developments. By the way, the National Review endorsed Shadegg for leader a
week ago: http://www.nationalreview.com/editorial/editors200601131656.asp. And
York analyzed former Vice President Al Gore's speech this week:
http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200601170833.asp.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--Hardblogger All-Star Hilary Rosen writes about what lobbying reform can't do
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086
--AP reports that Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) announced his "no" on Alito today
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10925164
--NBC's (stellar) First Read http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626796
--Doonesbury http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html
Brooke Brower compiled the "Hardball Briefing" in Washington, D.C.
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