Sunday shows: Axelrod, Thune, Jarrett, Kyl, Dodd

ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos: Obama senior advisor David Axelrod and a round table with E.J. Dionne, Peggy Noonan and ABC's Jake Tapper and George Will.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.).

CBS' "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer: Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Kerry (D-Mass.).

CNN's "GPS" with Fareed Zakaria: Thomas Ricks, "Superfusion" author Zachary Karabell, "Keynes: The Return of the Master" author Robert Skidelsky, John Micklethwait of the Economist, and Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

CNN's "State of the Union" with John King: Emanuel, Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Kerry and CNN's Donna Brazile and William Bennett.

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Terry McAuliffe, Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.),  Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and John Thune (D-S.D.).

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, John Podesta, Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Maria Shriver, California first lady and special NBC correspondent.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: White House (Jarrett with Obama).

Sunday shows: Levin, McConnell, Feinstein, Daniels

ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.); Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Gen. Jack Keane (Army, retired) on Afghanistan. On politics, President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize: Donna Brazile; Arianna Huffington, Nicole Wallace and George Will.

Bloomberg Political Capital with Al Hunt: White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers.

CBS Face the Nation nwith Bob Schieffer: Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.); David Ignatius, Washington Post; Michael O’Hanlon.

Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Govs. Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.); Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.); Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts; Mark Zandi, Moody’s.

CNN GPS with Fareed Zakaria: Author Richard Haass; Stephen Biddle, the Council on Foreign Relations. Husain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador to the U.S.

CNN State of the Union with John King: William J. Bennett; Brazile; Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat.

NBC Meet the Press with David Gregory: Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Army, retired). Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers (Air Force, retired). Panel: Ronald Brownstein, Atlantic Media, Paul Gigot, Wall Street Journal, Katty Kay, BBC, Bob Woodward, Washington Post.

-- Steve Padilla

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Photo: Mitch McConnell. Credit: Associated Press

Sunday shows: Uribe, Greenspan, Gen. Jones, Rice

ABC "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos: Ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) and a round table with Matthew Dowd, Katrina vanden Heuvel and ABC's Cokie Roberts and George Will.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Mark Warner.

CBS' "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer: National security advisor Gen. James Jones, former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Anthony Zinni, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

CNN's "GPS" with Fareed Zakaria: Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, report of the UN fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict author Richard Goldstone, "Facts Are Subversive" author Timothy Garton Ash, Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Reuel Marc Gerecht.

CNN's "State of the Union" with John King: Gen. Jones, Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and political strategists Mary Matalin and James Carville.

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and a panel with Fox News analysts Brit Hume, the Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol and NPR's Mara Liasson and Juan Williams.

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and a round table with David Brooks, Rachel Maddow and political consultant Mike Murphy.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Colombia President Alvaro Uribe. Credit: Associated Press.

Bill Clinton more watched than Hillary Clinton

Last Sunday's morning talk shows were all about the Clintons.

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory took the top ratings spot with 3.26 million viewers.

That win was due to ex-President Bill Clinton, who was a guest on the program.

In second place, CBS' "Face the Nation" pulled in 2.86 million viewers. Harry Smith, sitting in for Bob Schieffer, interviewed Hillary Clinton.

The secretary of State's appearance clearly wasn't enough to push the CBS show into first place. Hey, Hillary, what would Bill think of that?

George Stephanopoulos, clearly having made a mistake by not at least getting Chelsea Clinton on his show, came in third, with 2.65 million people tuning in.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Sen. John McCain showed up on ABC's "This Week." Two old guys talking about war.

Fox's show came in last again with less than half the number of people who watched Stephanopoulos' show. Yes, "Fox News Sunday" still exists. No, it didn't get a Clinton. 

But those numerous non-viewers missed the day's big talk-show news, ironically.

As The Ticket reported here, it was host Chris Wallace's question of California Democrat Dianne Feinstein eliciting the information that she's really good with Guantanamo Bay detainees being shipped to her home state to help fellow Democrat President Obama close that prison facility in Cuba. Kit Bond, the show's other talking senator and a Republican, was also good with the terrorists going to California and not Missouri.

-- Mark Milian

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Photo credit: Ramin Talaie / EPA

Calif. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's good with Guantanamo prisoners going to her state

As one of its very first promises after the inaugural showing of Aretha Franklin's huge hat last Jan. 20, the Obama Democratic administration promised to close the terrorist-housing facility in Guantanamo Bay within one year.

They're not going to make that deadline, Obama officials now admit. A big problem is where to put these fellows who want to kill Americans enmasse. The last Bush administration deemed communist Cuba a good spot.

Members of Congress have not exactly been jumping up and down waving their hands to bring those guys to their home states.

But on Fox News Sunday this Sunday, Dianne Feinstein, the ex-mayor and veteran California Democrat and Intelligence Committee chairman was asked if she'd be OK with those hardened terrorists being moved from the isolated maximum security detention facility in Cuba to a maximum security place in her state, the nation's most populous, and she said, "Yes."

Her co-guest, Republican Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri did not think Missouri was a good spot. He worries that terrorist prisoners will recruit new followers from an American prison population. But the Missouri too was OK with California.

Here's the video proof:

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Sunday shows: Gates, Bond, McCain, 2 Clintons

ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and a round table with Bob Woodward,  ABC's Martha Raddatz and George Will.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: ex-presidential advisor John Podesta.

CBS' "Face the Nation": Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

CNN's "GPS" with Fareed Zakaria: Libyan Leader Moammar Kadafi.

CNN's "State of the Union" with John King: Gates, Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and CNN's Mary Matalin and James Carville.

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Sens. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Virginia governor candidate Bob McDonnell (R), filmmaker James O'Keefe and a panel with Fox News analysts Dana Perino, columnist Charles Krauthammer and NPR's Mara Liasson and Juan Williams.

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: President Bill Clinton (D), N.Y. Gov. David Paterson (D), Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.).

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press (Gates).

Sunday shows: Obama, Obama, Obama, Medvedev

ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos: President Barack Obama and a round table with Democrat Donna Brazile, Republican Ed Gillespie, columnists George Will and Peggy Noonan and ex-Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich.

Bloomberg's Political Capital with Al Hunt: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer: Obama and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

CNN's GPS with Fareed Zakaria: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (see photo).

CNN's State of the Union with John King: Obama, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and CNN contributors Mary Matalin and James Carville.

Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), FedEx Chairman Fred Smith, CISCO Chairman John Chambers, Office Depot Chairman Steve Odland and a panel with Fox News contributors Brit Hume, Paul Gigot of the Wall Street Journal and NPR's Mara Liasson and Juan Williams.

(Watch this C-SPAN video for a preview of what Lewis is likely to say.)

NBC's Meet the Press with David Gregory: Obama, Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Politico's Roger Simon.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Jim Young / Reuters (Medvedev and Obama in July).

Video courtesy of C-SPAN

New poll finds Americans not buying Obama's light-at-the-end-of-the-recession talk (Updated)

In recent days both Democrat Vice President Joe Biden and the other fellow have begun to make the argument in public that from the point of view of the secure White House, they can somehow see the current dumpster economy smelling better, light at the end of the tunnel, the dawn of a new economic era just over the horizon.

This is based largely on scattered economic stats indicating that things are not so much really getting better; they're just not getting bad as much as before. Back in those awful winter days when new blood and Aretha Franklin's hat arrived with such promise and the new team inherited a terrible situation from you-know-who and his evil partner, you-know-him.

Also Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, who also still has a fulltime job and newly-renewed contract, sees the recession as virtually over.

(UPDATE: Friday, 1 p.m. Newly-released figures indicate California's August unemployment rate jumped to 12.2%, the highest in modern record-keeping.)

But a new poll indicates it's gonna take a whole lot more than repeated rhetoric to....

Sunday shows: Joe Wilson, Snowe, Sebelius, McCaskill, Abdullah

ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) and a round-table with ABC's George Will, Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson and David Brooks.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Bloomberg's Hans Nichols, Kristin Jensen, Rich Miller and Kate O'Beirne.

CBS' "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer: White House advisor David Axelrod, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), columnist Kathleen Parker and Politico's Roger Simon.

CNN's "GPS" with Fareed Zakaria: Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, former Afghan diplomat Masood Aziz, "The Places In Between" author Rory Stewart, "Limits of Power" author Andrew Bacevich and Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal.

CNN's "State of the Union" with John King: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Democrat CNN political contributor Donna Brazile, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern and a panel with Fox News' Brit Hume and Fox News' contributors Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and NPR's Juan Williams and Mara Liasson.

NBC's "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), ex-Gov. Howard Dean, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and a round-table with CNBC's Erin Burnett, author Joshua Cooper Ramo and NBC's Chuck Todd.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah. Credit: PBS

Sunday shows: Hoffa, Giuliani, Duncan, Dole, Gates

(UPDATE 10 p.m. Sat. Certain to be atop the questions this morning, the midnight resignation of Obama green jobs czar Van Jones for controversial and crude comments he made in recent months. Last night's posting on the middle-of-the-night news is available here now.)

BC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, ex-Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, former Republican Sen. Bob Dole, Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and a roundtable with political strategist Matthew Dowd, Katrina vanden Heuvel of the Nation, columnist George Will and David Sanger of the New York Times.

Bloomberg's Political Capital with Al Hunt: James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Bloomberg's Lizzie O'Leary, Heidi Przybyla and Kate O'Beirne.

CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer: Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

CNN's GPS with Fareed Zakaria: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Democrat N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the Dalai Lama.

CNN's State of the Union with John King: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), CNN contributors Ed Rollins and Joe Trippi.

Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, former aide to President Clinton John Podesta, former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich and a panel with Fox News consultants Bill Kristol and Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard and Mara Liasson and Juan Williams of NPR.

NBC's Meet the Press with David Gregory: White House advisor David Axelrod, ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, ex-Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) and NBC's Tom Brokaw.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press