Sunday Morning Show Headache

Flipping around the channels is not a good way to start the day, unless one is accompanied by mimosas. I was not.

Observations:

1) I saw Russert grill Andy Card on Meet the Press and Chris Wallace interview him on FOX. Russert was particulary snippy, but Card remained cool.

2) On FOX, Wallace did a good job of calling Pat Leahy on his misleading verbal gymnastics regarding the filibuster matter. (I wish Vice President Cheney had been there to offer a suggestion to Leahy.)

3) Chris Dodd and George Allen appeared together on MTP, discussing a myriad of issues. Often, when Russert wasn't jumping down Allen's throat and he was given an opportunity to respond, the camera shot included Dodd shaking his head. I flashed back to the Bush/Gore debates in 2000. Dodd didn't sigh and groan the way Gore did. He just kept trying to interrupt Allen. There was so much crosstalk during the segment, I think producing a transcript will be nearly impossible.

At one point, Russert went nuts, trying to trap Allen into saying he disagrees with the President on Social Security. In spite of Dodd and Russert's boorishness, Allen held his ground reasonably well.

4) Nancy Pelosi was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos. (Obviously, the WH had no interest in sending Card to the low-rated ABC show.) She tried to depict Bush's Social Security plan as an assault on the middle class, saying, "I don't know what the middle class did to President Bush, but he sure has it in for them." That's straight from the Dem playbook. To Steph's credit, he asked her what the Dem plan was to manage Social Security. After lamely trying to sell the idea that there's nothing wrong with the current program, Pelosi said the Dems are willing to "go to the table." That's the only idea the Democrat leadership has to offer the American people--going to the table.

"Going to the table" is as meaningless Kerry's "I have a plan."

When discussing Tom DeLay, Steph let her slip out of answering for her own questionable behavior in terms of the ethics rules.

I admit I had trouble concentrating on what Pelosi was saying. Her eye-popping appearance always distracts me.

5) I didn't watch much of Chuck Hagel's appearance on Face the Nation. I did hear him say that at this point he has not given his support to John Bolton.

When asked about the two year anniversary of Bush's speech on the carrier with the "Mission Accomplished" sign as a backdrop, Hagel said Bush's comments were "not a wise and mature statement." Since Hagel seemed to be parroting what Pelosi was saying, I flipped off CBS and returned to ABC.
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I sure could use a mimosa.