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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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Join us tonight for Hardball, live from Burbank, CA.
The investigation of ex-Rep. Mark Foley's interaction with teenage
congressional pages continues. Speaker Dennis Hastert today said "The instant
messages, reportedly between Congressman Foley and a former page sent in 2003,
are vile and repulsive to me, and to my colleagues. No one in the Republican
Leadership, nor Congressman Shimkus, saw those messages until last Friday when
ABC News released them to the public. When they were released, Congressman
Foley resigned. And I'm glad he did, if he had not, I would have demanded his
expulsion from the House of Representatives."
NBC's Mike Viqueira spoke with Hastert today and will have the latest from
Capitol Hill on Hardball tonight.
So, what did the House leadership know about Foley's actions and when did they
find out? Was this a case of inaction, or a cover-up? How big of a problem is
this for Republicans and what are they saying? Newsweek Chief Political
Correspondent and MSNBC Political Analyst Howard Fineman will be here with the
latest. As always, stay tuned to politics.msnbc.com for full coverage of this
and every big story from Capitol Hill.
We'll also discuss the politics of the Foley scandal with Tim Mahoney (D), who
is running for Foley's seat in Florida. He'll tell us what he's hearing from
the people who were represented by Foley in the Palm Beach area.
New polls out today by MSNBC/McClatchy Newspapers, and Mason-Dixon show GOP
Senate candidates in key races trailing or tied with their Democratic
opponents. Steve Thomma, chief political correspondent for McClatchy
newspapers will be here with all the numbers and his take on what Decision 2006
will bring come November. Take a look at the poll numbers here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15046834/.
According to Bob Woodward's new book, "State of Denial," White House Chief of
Staff Andy Card was among those inside the White House urging for Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's removal. NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Andrea Mitchell spoke to Card, and she'll be here tonight with her interview.
We'll continue the conversation with two of Woodward's Washington Post
colleagues, former Baghdad Bureau Chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of
"Imperial Life in the Emerald City," and Pentagon Reporter Thomas Ricks, author
of "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq."
Read Woodward on Rumsfeld from today's Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/01/AR2006100101148.html.
Plus, it's only Monday, but we've got full plates tonight for the Hardballers.
Veteran political columnist Tom Oliphant and The Hill's A.B. Stoddard will be
here to dish on Foley, Woodward and the buzz over the latest poll numbers.
And don't miss Chris on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, live at 11:35 PM EST
tonight!
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--Washington Times: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA): "Don't Back Down"
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20061001-111553-9418r.htm
--Philadelphia Inquirer: Santorum vs. Casey on war solutions
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/politics/15656903.htm
--NBC's "First Read" http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/
--MSNBC.com's political calendar http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14708421/
--POLITICS.MSNBC.COM http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/
Shelby Poduch and Colleen King compiled the "Hardball Briefing" in Washington,
D.C.
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