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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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With midterm elections just 5 weeks away, the capital is embroiled in the
scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley and the House leadership.
The Foley scandal has spread from the former Congressman to the Republican
leadership. Tonight on Hardball, correspondent David Shuster will get us
started with a report on the political crisis now entangling House Speaker
Dennis Hastert and other members of leadership.
The NY Times reports on President Bush's responds to the Foley scandal:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/us/politics/04foleycnd.html?hp&ex=1159934400&en=e88452fbaca9df2e&ei=5094&partner=homepage.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)is calling for Attorney General Gonzales
and President Bush to launch a federal investigation into Foley's conduct with
current and former Congressional pages. Rep. Schultz said yesterday, "Sadly,
in calling only for a Department of Justice investigation regarding the
sexually explicit content of emails and instant messages, Speaker Hastert fails
to grasp that what is at issue here is that he and other members of the
Republican House leadership jeopardized the safety of not just the teen in
question, but all of the teens in the House Page program."
Rep. Schultz will be joined by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a Hastert
supporter. She'll tell us what she thinks about allegations that the Foley
scandal broke just in time for the November elections, and whether she and
other Republicans are concerned about the effects it will have on the Christian
conservative base.
We'll also be joined by Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council,
for more insight on how Christian conservatives feel about the GOP House
leadership.
Today, the Washington Times published an editorial calling on Hastert to
resign. Late this afternoon on The Rush Limbaugh Show, Hastert said he would
not step down. Read "Resign, Mr. Speaker" here:
http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20061002-102008-9058r.htm.
"To vote for this candidate, you have to vote for Mark Foley. How many people
are going to hold their nose to do that?" That was House Majority Leader John
Boehner (R-OH) describing the situation in Florida, reported today in the NY
Times. Joe Negron is the Republican tapped to run for Foley's seat in the
House. He'll be here tonight to tell us about the reaction in Florida and what
he expects in the coming weeks.
What will the Foley aftermath mean to Republicans come November? Craig
Crawford, MSNBC Political Analyst, and Walter Shapiro from Salon.com will be
here to talk about whether this is another Washington scandal story or
something bigger. What about House Speaker Dennis Hastert? In a Hardblogger
exclusive, Craig Crawford reflects on his days as a Congressional page:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15110582/#061003a.
Read Walter Shapiro's latest from Salon.com:
http://www.salon.com/books/review/2006/10/03/woodward/
And then it's the Hardballers. Politics. Foley. Woodward. Polls. Pat
Buchanan, MSNBC Political Analyst, and Hardball Political Analyst Bob Shrum
will be here to duke it out.
Don't miss Hardball tomorrow. Legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward,
author of the new book "State of Denial," will be here.
Here are some things you might not have read yet today:
--Washington Post: FBI knew about Foley's emails to teens since July
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100200333.html
--MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, a former Foley colleague, blogs about the scandal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15106507/
--Howard Fineman says "If Democrats can't win now, they're doomed to become
modern-day Whigs" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15116302/
--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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