Sunday Funnies – vacation edition
posted by TheDon
I got in late from South Carolina Sunday night (NOT speeding!), so the notes are condensed this morning. I didn’t have my customary 2 receiver DVR, and they broadcast the shows at different times, but mostly I missed stuff I wanted to, and most of the GOOP debate, which counts as something I wanted to miss. Congress gave President WarCrimes expanded spying powers before scooting off for vacation, reinforcing the notion that we need more and better Democrats. Way more, way better. I’m tired of them using the Bob Allen defense against attacks on the Constitution. (Offer the attacker $20 and a blowjob.)

Sunday’s shows were a stunning full-court press by the Cheney administration to push the “surge is working” storyline, and attacks on Democratic front-runners. The stenographers played along.

Meat the Press

Bob Gates acknowledges how fundamentally wrong this administration has been in every aspect of the Iraq War so far, but NOW we should trust General Petraeus. Yikes. I guess you go on the Sunday shows with the storyline you have. Bob repeats the oft-claimed notion that Diyala and Al-Anbar “successes” prove that the “surge” is working, ignoring the worst July since the war began, and the claim by the Iraqi government that the power grid is about to completely fail.

Bob backs Cheney on the Edelman letter to Senator Clinton, ignoring his own prior denunciation. What a tool. He amusingly claims that if we have actionable intelligence that OBL is in Pakistan that Mushy would move on him. He says we wouldn’t move without permission, which I believe is true, but claims we would get permission which we know is false.

Panel Time

Carl Bernstein (Clinton biographer), Doris Kearns Goodwin (Lincoln biographer), David Mendell (Obama biographer), and David Boddy (CBN – WTF is he doing here?!?!?)

They spend their time bashing Clinton and Obama. Fun. Ambition and Arrogance seem to be the big flaws for both. Iowa poll says Clinton is comparatively strong and experienced, Obama is likewise honest and likable. Bernstein calls the voters “pretty smart” as a way of insulting Clinton’s honesty and likability, and Obama’s strength and experience. I really hate this panel.

The panel coalesces around the idea that the press hasn’t scrutinized presidential candidates enough, so it’s time to dig for flaws. That means more of what they did to Gore and Kerry on the Dem side, more of what they did to W on the GOOP side. Thanks, assholes!

More Dem bashing, and a national poll showing Dems up double digits on all issues except 5 points on morals, R’s with a slim lead on “strong military”, GWOT, and “homeland security”. Boddy claims that the only three issues that will matter are taxes, economy and GWOT, giving Rudy a big edge – calls him “authentic”. Heh. They really don’t like Mormons on CBN

Fred will apparently announce Sept 5. I’m starting to think of him as this cycle’s Wesley Clark – good on paper, no real chance. To clarify – I would never, ever compare the two men, only their much anticipated entrances into already crowded fields.

More Dem bashing, with Boddy calling them pussies for rolling over for wiretapping. Wait. That would be an *excellent* band name. Rolling Over for Wiretapping.

Bernstein says Hillary’s problem will be honety and candor, especially after the W presidency. It comes off as equating them. Ugh. On that note, they end the bashing. For now. I sense an anger growing in me as they do this for another year.

Fawkes News

What a waste of an hour. Condi! Only on Fawkes! Of course!

O’Hanlon and Pollack! Only in the echo chamber are they still referred to as “former war critics”.

A panel including Kristol and Krauthammer will be asked if Dems should be blaming W for the bridge collapse.

Condi starts with a list. Clearly the security situation has improved, clearly blah blah blah. Just. Can’t. Keep. Watching. This. Super. cilious. Liar.

I’ll pass on this noise and watch This Weak.

This Weak

Republican “debate”. Ugh. I’ll catch the end, after Faze The Nation.

Faze The Nation

First up, Condi! Wait. What? NOT just on Fawkes? Bless their hearts, they just can’t help lying. I guess they rightly assume that most of their viewers will never know the difference. I’ll try to make it through, since Schieffer will at least ask good questions.

Unlike on Fox, here she seems defensive and evasive, but it just has to be hard justifying not going after OBL in Pakistan (the NEW “Bush doctrine”?), and selling weapons to our enemies in Saudi Arabia. Laughably claims that, even though most foreign fighters in Iraq are Saudi, the real problem is Damascus. Says we are pushing for a security agreement with the US (I mean, the coalition of the willing), Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Good luck! Let us know how that turns out!

She then, amusingly, claims that the legislative vacation is unimportant because all the important people are still there, working on the framework. Guess she doesn’t know that half of the government ministers have resigned or are boycotting the “government”.

Rahm Emanuel comes on opposing the arms deal, says S.A. is not helping in Iran, Iraq or Israel. He hammers W for not doing the hard work of diplomacy for 6 and 1/2 years, and then trying to buy Saudi Arabia because we don’t have any credibility left in the region. Rahm claims that the atmosphere in Washington is better than it looks. Well, yeah. The liberals are going to be much nicer to the righties in the minority than the righties were to them. It’s our weakness, but one that is part of being a liberal.

Schieffer ends with a rant about Ted Stevens proving the need for ethics reform. Um. Yeah. Him and two dozen others that we know of.

Just don’t have the stomach to go back for more ‘publican “debate”.