The initial reactions to President Obama's speech last night weren't positive. We'll let 'em sleep on it, we thought, and check back in the morning.
Well, after a night of reflection, the buzz on Twitter hasn't gotten any more pro-war. The tweets are in, and Obama's plan to dispatch an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan's eight-year war has very few vocal fans.
We sort of rolled our eyes at Michael Moore's Open Letter to President Obama, but based on dozens of tweets, he may have been on the money. A lot of supporters are losing trust in their touted candidate. Onlookers seem to be pining for an immediate end, not a plan.
We've pulled out some of the more interesting tweets from the stream (shown after the jump)....
November Sweeps, that time of the year when TV networks get in a career-making/career-sinking tizzy over ratings, didn't cause any drastic changes in the Sunday talk show arena. Maybe because the guests were a bit of a snooze.
NBC's "Meet the Press" came out on top on Sunday, Nov. 24, grabbing 3.05 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The race continues to stay competitive, as we've noted in the past. ABC's "This Week" had 2.77 million viewers followed by CBS' "Face the Nation" with 2.60 million.
"Fox News Sunday" seems to be slowly gaining momentum, with a now-consistent reach of more than a million people tuning in on Sunday mornings. Thank you, David Axelrod. Would you please denounce Fox News some more?
When you factor in reruns, however, the numbers get even more interesting. The NBC show still holds onto the crown when you add a repeat on cable MSNBC. Then, in second place now is the Fox show with Chris Wallace. Combined, more people watch that show's reruns than its original airing.
The other two programs don't offer repeat showings.
Catching Up: An amazing story out of Iraq over the holiday with likely domestic political repercussions, involving another possible case of political correctness gone awry:
Three Navy SEAL commandos, who recently captured one of the most-wanted terrorists in Iraq, are now being charged criminally by the Navy for giving the terrorist a bloody lip.
The captive is Ahmed Hasim Abed, who was codenamed "Objective Amber." He's the alleged mastermind of the capture, mutilation and deaths of four Blackwater security guards in 2004 (see photo above).
After patiently tracking the suspect and capturing him, the SEALs turned the prisoner over to Iraqi authorities in September. He then complained of being punched at some point. He was returned to U.S. custody, resulting in....
ABC's " This Week With George Stephanopoulos": Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Kati Marton, author of "Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America," and Robert Merry, author of "A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent."
CBS' "Face the Nation With Bob Schieffer": Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.); former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas); Dede Scozzafava, former Republican candidate for New York's 23rd Congressional District; Ed Gillespie, former Bush White House counselor.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, journalist Maziar Bahari.
CNN's "State of the Union With John King": Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Jack Reed, (D-R.I.); Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.); former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace": Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.); former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.); Howard Dean, ex-chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Maj. Gen. Carla Hawley-Bowland, commanding general of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
NBC's "Meet the Press With David Gregory": Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the Gates Foundation, and the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of California's Saddleback Church.
(UPDATE 8:48 p.m. A news video update has been added below.)
It's not unprecedented, of course, for the White House to issue messages of condolence on the death of prominent individuals or major disasters, at home or abroad. Most are boiler-plate hearts-going-out condolence stuff. So was today's, about the Russian train wreck.
Perhaps it's just to show the world that, even on a slow-news U.S. post-holiday day, the Obama crowd is on the job.
Publicly commenting on other news is a time-honored way for public figures, especially high-profile politicians, to insert themselves into the daily news flow, help shape their image in the minds of voters and position them for future moves. Sarah Palin, for instance, is doing this at times on her ongoing "Going Rogue" book promotion tour, often using her Facebook page, which allows her to put a statement out without requiring answers to follow-up questions.
We'll have to watch and see what criteria the 10-month-old Obama administration uses to issue such regular comments -- what type disaster merits comment, how many dead to warrant a White House message, and in what country.
If it's every multiple-death incident in every country, they're going to be pretty busy in the press office. But at least they have jobs. Today's train wreck in Russia occurred between Moscow and St. Petersburg, killing 25 at latest count
The comment, though not presidential, could play well if widely dispersed in Russian media. If the incident turns out to be terrorist-related, it could also help underline the international commonality of such threats. And Obama has gone out of his way to make friends with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Here's what the White House press office said:
Statement by the White House Press Secretary on the Train Derailment in Russia
We are deeply saddened by the terrible loss of life and injuries resulting from the reported derailment of a train between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
As authorities investigate the circumstances of this tragedy, our hearts go out to the families of those who lost loved ones, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
The hubbub about Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who crashed the first state dinner hosted by PresidentObama, got us thinking about other unauthorized appearances at notable events.
Perhaps the most famous party crasher is Scott Weiss, who successfully found his way into the Grammys and — in his most audacious moment — the Oscars. His antics were described in detail earlier this year in a highly readable and entertaining Column One by our colleague Chris Lee.
And speaking of the Oscars, who can forget the time a man crashed the live television broadcast while the inimitable David Niven was preparing to give out an award? Unlike the Salahis, the uninvited man was easy to detect, mostly because he wasn’t wearing clothes.
The video below shows not only the streaker (with naughty bits chastely blurred) but that the suave Niven didn’t need a script to deliver, with perfect timing, the perfect punch line. The Niven snippet comes about two minutes into the video (it's worth the wait). You also get to see some very funny Oscar moments from Whoopie Goldberg, Doris Day and others.
Well, he's starting to think so. Word out of New York this afternoon that LD is pondering a run for the White House.
The 64-year-old award-winning former radio/TV host, the son of a Texas propane dealer (no gasbag jokes, please), was asked on a radio interview today about this "crazy idea" floating around of him seeking the presidency of these United States.
His response: "What's so crazy about that? Golly!" (Except he really said golly.)
He elaborated slightly:
"Well, I’ll tell you this much -- it’s one of the discussions that we’re having. For the first time, I’m actually listening to some people about politics. I don’t think I’ve got the nature for it. [But] we’ve got to do something in this country, and I think that being in the public arena means you’ve got to be part of the solution.
The controversial Harvard-educated CNN commentator, who was particularly outspoken on this cockamamie idea that the United States has some kind of illegal alien problem, abruptly resigned on-air Nov. 11. Protest groups claimed they had him pushed out.
But Lou cited his growing concern over the nation's expanding problems and the need to address them beyond his cable commentator's role. (See video below for his complete resignation remarks.)
Now, it's taken the self-described "independent populist" 12 whole days to....
broach the idea of running for the White House, good news for any incumbent since Dobbs and you-name-all-the-others can divvy up the voters unhappy with him.
It is, of course, a preposterous idea that someone never elected to anything except high school student body president in rural Texas could win the nation's top elected job on the backs of angry voters who believe the incumbent is incompetent.
Next thing you know, people will be suggesting that some old movie actor from California, who switched parties and peddled refrigerators on black-and-white TV, could run against a Democratic president elected after eight years of Republican controversy and scandal. And then the Republican actor could be elected president -- twice.
According to Chicago Mayor Richard "Have a Nice Day" Daley, you can just blame (credit) that dad-gummed media again for chasing that Windy City institution Oprah off of television after compiling a personal federal reserve of only about $2.3 billion.
Oprah has announced she'll close down her daily syndicated chatfest in 2011 (see her tearful announcement video below). But she likely won't be gone long. O, gee, whatever will she call her own channel?
The diva of daytime TV, who's seen the ratings slip some since her prominent presidential campaign involvement, says she's retiring because it's time to leave and it's cold in Chicago and it's warm at her palace in Montecito, California. Also, she's got her man in the White House now.
Chicago's Democrat mayor hasn't been in a real good mood since his president failed to acquire the 2016 Summer Olympics for his adopted hometown.
According to Da Mayor, the real issue over the global star's departure is the stink the media churned up over the city closing down North Michigan Avenue for two days in September to accommodate Oprah's season-opening show taping.
The Chicago Sun-Times quotes the longtime mayor son of a longtime mayor as putting it this way:
She loves this city, and I will be talking to her, but again, that became a big rhubarb of the Chicago press: Beat up Oprah. And so, you keep kicking people, and people will leave. Simple as that.
Speaking in his usual straight face, and strangely in the past tense, Daley....
... also said: "I think she was the most successful woman that we will ever know in the history of this country." That should warm up the temperature for her -- and the rest of the planet.
According to sympathetic city officials always eager for the municipal publicity, the 48-hour closure of that main drag cost only $54,832, which Oprah's company repaid. So what's the big deal? asks the head of the Democrat machine that allowed Barack Obama to emerge on the South Side as long as he didn't make too many waves.
That price to the city, however, doesn't count the cost of increased blood pressures in thousands of notoriously genial Chicago drivers forced to divert to crowded State or Wabash Streets. No reimbursements there.
The mayor's theory may be right, although that would not account for why he and his late father stuck around town for so very many years despite their share of media bashings, scandals, trials and the like. If you have an opinion to share with the mayor, his door is always rarely open. But Daley's office phone is: 312-744-4045.
A few weeks ago, Fox News had the White House on the defensive. Network anchors were scoring political points by ridiculing President Obama for ignoring the largest news cable audience in television. Glenn Beck pounded green-jobs czar Van Jones, who eventually resigned.
Today, it's Fox News that's on the defensive, after anchor Gregg Jarrett waxed on about the crowds former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had been getting on her book tour. Except it turned out the footage Fox was using at the time was from the 2008 campaign.
Last week, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart called out Fox's Sean Hannity for running video of a
huge tea party protest in Washington last September -- as he was discussing a rally by the same causes outside the
Capitol this month -- where far fewer protesters showed up.
Hannity apologized on air for what he called an inadvertent error.
"Reviewing" Sarah Palin's new book is quite an assignment. There are a lot of pages. And not many pictures. But here goes:
Despite the involvement of a professional ghostwriter, Republican ex-Gov. Palin has penned one of the most powerful pieces of personal or political literature in a generation of American books. It's "Going Rogue: An American Life" (HarperCollins, $28.99).
Her behind-the-scenes memoir -- you may have noticed a photo of the cover above -- is flying off store shelves across the country even as you read this. (Now, see video below.)
It's a 413-page masterwork of personal and political insight that makes Dick Cheney's upcoming memoir look like a Golden Book. Based on the first 48 hours of....
... sales reports, HarperCollins has already ordered additional printings. And Palin is destined to become a millionaire. Again.
With her trademark down-to-earth tone and gee-gollys, Palin takes her readers inside a compelling personal quest from her loving family's upbringing through the....
