ABC's "This Week" - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Reps. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Bobby Schilling, R-Ill.; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Egyptian-American scholar and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail
"Fox News Sunday" - Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Pretty well-rounded buncha Repug shills.
It's sadly telling that Schieffer, a veteran Sunday morning host, feels the need to frequently turn to a Republican Senator to discuss a foreign policy issue, rather than hosting any number of qualified Democratic voices to opine on Egypt.
McCain has waffled on his views regarding the pro-democracy protests. Initially, he expressed fear about the movement, calling it a dangerous "virus" that could spread throughout the Middle East. But following President Hosni Mubarak's decision to step down, McCain issued a statement applauding the "Egyptian people" for "beginning ... their country's transition to democracy." Moreover, in late January, McCain told CNN it would not be wise for the Obama administration to "cut [Mubarak] loose." A few days later, he was demanding Obama call on Mubarak to resign immediately.
Right -- and this is partly why I started keeping track of McCain's appearances in the first place. The media in general, and Sunday show bookers in specific, consider the Arizona senator a knowledgeable, credible expert on foreign affairs and national security. If there's evidence to support this assumption, McCain's kept it well hidden -- on CNN's Sunday morning show two weeks ago, he urged President Obama to support "the right side of history" in Egypt, but couldn't quite explain which side that is.
That McCain can go 30 minutes without his drool bucket is an accomplishment by itself.
Flyover country gets their political views from these Sunday shows (except the ones lucky enough to get basic cable/dish and FOXPAC of course. They're misinformed all the time.). It's getting so I don't bother with the first half hour. The panels later in the show are generally a little better.
The best and most entertaining are the PBS shows, Inside Washington (help ya down them Capitol steps, Chuckie?) and The McLaughlin Group (Genghis Khan and a BBOB** on one side, a crippled old widow (feisty, though!) on the other), which I collectively call "The Shouters". Total right-wing crap v. a semblance of reality, which is the best us reality-based types can hope for, but who watches that commie* PBS anyway?
MSNBC makes way for these shows on Sunday by showing a prison life marathon. Yeesh.
Us Dems/Libruls/Progressives/Realists/Fair-minded are basically just being told we're irrelevant or worse and STFU and move to the right, please.
*Commie = tries to present both sides.
**Bleached Blond Overaged Bimbo
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