tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31977392007-04-17T16:36:32.591-04:00PunditwatchAnthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13574350458725372201noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-1113870521246976732005-04-18T19:38:00.000-04:002005-04-19T07:30:16.700-04:00Special to Bacon's Rebellion, "Report from Potts Country" by J. Chadwick WorthingtonMiddleburg is the hardscrabble area of Northern Virginia. Over the lush rolling hills, punctuated only by an occasional fence, horse barn or mansion, farmers struggle mightily to make a living off the land. It is futile. Most must take work in the teeming DC suburbs as technology CEOs, attorneys, lobbyists, or Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-915545572003-03-28T11:48:00.000-05:002003-03-28T11:48:33.793-05:00Stand DownOur nation is at war and the conditions on the battlefield are constantly in flux. It is difficult to gather and process the information needed for a meaningful situation analysis. Therefore, it is almost impossible to provide informed opinions and assessments at his early stage of the conflict.
Punditwatch is not going to grasp at the ether of pundit speculation and opinion on Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-912341602003-03-23T14:05:00.000-05:002003-03-23T14:10:29.000-05:00Pundits Grapple With Breaking War NewsThe Sunday pundits normally look back at events of the past week, providing interpretation and analysis with the benefit of days or hours to prepare before going on camera.
With war in Iraq raging, this weekend’s pundit shows became almost indistinguishable from 24/7 coverage as they moved to “expanded” editions. Events that broke as the shows aired were Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-908126452003-03-16T13:58:00.000-05:002003-03-16T13:58:40.076-05:00“Cheney Rations” Issued on Sunday ShowsAs President Bush flew off for a final round of diplomacy in the Azores, Vice-President Dick Cheney reprised his rare, but critical role as the Administration’s ultimate “go to guy.”
Cheney sat for the full hour on Meet the Press and for a shorter stint on Face the Nation. It was his first Sunday appearance since September 8, 2002. His profile has beenWill Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-904109482003-03-09T14:01:00.000-05:002003-03-09T14:01:31.623-05:00Administration Heavyweights Complete President’s Press ConferenceSecretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice hit the talk shows to amplify President Bush’s terse answers at his Thursday night press conference.
When all was said and done, little was added to the President’s words.
Secretary Powell, although non-committal, said he thought the US had “a Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-900078072003-03-02T14:09:00.000-05:002003-03-02T14:15:37.000-05:00Anti-War Side Wins 'Most Improved' AwardLast week’s Sunday shows featured anti-war Hollywood activists and a marginal presidential candidate. The reviews were decidedly mixed, so this week’s anti-war guests were a more serious lot and the debates proved more illuminating.
Gone were actress Susan Sarandon, comedienne Janeane Garafolo, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In their place were Win Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-896072172003-02-23T13:32:00.000-05:002003-02-24T07:51:33.000-05:00Anti-War Leaders Make Their CaseThe conventional wisdom among most pundits is that Bush hasn’t made “the case” for a war against Iraq. The Sunday shows demonstrated that the anti-war forces don’t make a particularly compelling case, either.
When the questioning gets tough, “peace” advocates change the subject. Someone else in the world is as bad as Saddam, a war will cost too much, or a war Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-891935992003-02-16T13:02:00.000-05:002003-02-16T13:06:41.000-05:00Sunday Guests Battle Snow, QuestionsNeither snow, nor sleet nor freezing rain could stop Administration officials from their appointed rounds on the Sunday pundit shows.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge braved the elements to answer anti-war marches, UN recalcitrance, and runs on duct tape.
After last week’s bravura performance by SecretaryWill Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-888026692003-02-09T11:39:00.000-05:002003-02-09T19:47:23.000-05:00Powell's Good Week, Saddam's Bad“Two people had terrible weeks this week: Michael Jackson with his interview and Saddam Hussein,” was NPR’s Juan Williams summary on Fox News Sunday.
Thankfully, weekend pundits did not explore Michael Jackson’s difficulties. Instead, they concentrated on Saddam Hussein’s bad week, the result Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the UN. Mara Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-884324612003-02-02T14:57:00.000-05:002003-02-02T14:58:01.000-05:00Columbia Freezes Partisan DebatesA national tragedy freezes public debate on contentious issues. This phenomenon is due in large part to respect for the victims, but also an uncertainty about how a wounded public might react to early comments on sensitive subjects.
The Sunday shows largely jettisoned their planned political guests in favor of those who could try to help Americans understand Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-880536722003-01-26T13:02:00.000-05:002003-01-26T14:39:19.000-05:00Pundits Pass on PreviewPresident Bush gives his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, but pundits largely passed on a preview of his remarks.
It was hard to blame them. Only Chief of Staff Andrew Card was trotted out to produce a well-spun peek at the President’s proposals. Super Bowl weekend spinning cannot be a popular assignment.
Meet the Press host Tim Russert roughed Card up onWill Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-876891702003-01-19T14:21:00.000-05:002003-01-19T14:38:00.000-05:00Michigan Debate Leads Peace MarchesPresident Bush’s position on the University of Michigan affirmative action case and weekend demonstrations against war in Iraq topped the pundit agenda.
Discussions about Iraq and the peace marches with Secretary of State Colin Powell on Face the Nation and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice on Meet the Press were almost routine preliminaries before Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-873133192003-01-12T13:53:00.000-05:002003-01-12T13:53:03.016-05:00Frist Debuts as Sunday StarNewly elected Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, split his debut as top-drawer Sunday guest with Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday.
The two shows dueled over whether their interview with Frist was an “exclusive” or the “first,” but feisty Fox News Sunday host Tony Snow showed side-by-side stills of Frist appearing on each show. Frist wore a red tie on one Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-869693542003-01-05T14:01:00.000-05:002003-01-05T14:04:53.000-05:00Partisan Politics Delights PunditsIf the first weekend of 2003 is any indication, this will be a banner year for partisan punditry.
Partisan political divisions were front and center on economic and foreign policy issues, helped along by the mounting number of candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. President Bush, always vulnerable on domestic issues is no longer immune Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-866658192002-12-29T14:07:00.000-05:002002-12-29T14:31:16.000-05:00Peripatetic Powell Pacifies PunditsSecretary of State Colin Powell appeared on every major Sunday talk show to address the gathering storm over North Korea.
On Meet the Press and Face the Nation, the issue seemed to be semantic—is this a crisis? Powell preferred to call it a “matter of great concern” on Meet the Press. Senators Joe Biden (D, DE) and Richard Lugar (R, IN), also on Meet the Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-864025322002-12-22T13:37:00.000-05:002002-12-22T13:37:16.650-05:00A Lott to Let Go Before FristingDemocrats and Democrat-leaning pundits enjoyed the Trent Lott scandal and had difficulty letting go after Lott’s resignation as Majority Leader on Friday.
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields started the pundit weekend by raising the Confederate flag issue on The News Hour. The Weekly Standard’s David Brooks called Shields’ charge that the issue was used in Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-860370562002-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:002002-12-15T17:23:40.000-05:00Pundit Shows: Lott Jury and Flogging PostA Bob Schieffer question on Face the Nation said everything anyone needed to know about the weekend talk shows.
Senator Joe Biden, D-Del, just back from a tour of the explosive Gulf States region, was greeted this way by host Schieffer: “Obviously, the first thing we have to ask about is Trent Lott.”
The shows were almost wall-to-wall jury Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-856880692002-12-08T14:17:00.000-05:002002-12-08T14:27:59.000-05:00Issues Overwhelm PunditsSo many issues, so little time.
The weekend pundit shows covered a wide range of issues that normally might individually consume an entire program.
Iraq’s declaration to the UN, which Senator Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn, called a “12,000 page, 100 pound lie” on Fox News Sunday.
The Friday resignation/firing of Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill and Economic Advisor Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-853384072002-12-01T13:47:00.000-05:002002-12-01T13:47:51.143-05:00Real News and Pundit NewsSome shows see news as it is and ask, “Why?”
Other shows see news they’d rather cover and say, “Why not?”
Fox News Sunday and This Week covered the big news of the week—inspections in Iraq, new terror attacks, and the naming of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as Chairman and former Senator George Mitchell as Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission.
MeetWill Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-850161132002-11-24T14:13:00.000-05:002002-11-24T14:13:09.336-05:00In a Muddle, Saudis Rise to the TopThe weekend pundit shows were a muddle of issues, but breaking news about another potential financial connection between the Saudi Arabian government and terrorists was the most compelling story.
Smooth Saudi spinner and foreign policy advisor Adel Al-Jubeir was the star of this story, appearing on Face the Nation and This Week. Usually clad in a western Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-846674192002-11-17T13:31:00.000-05:002002-11-24T15:42:27.000-05:00Ladies Lead Pundit HighlightsAn “All Ladies” Meet the Press was the highlight of the pundit weekend. Competition was weak: Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge appeared on both Fox News Sunday and This Week to calm fears about conflicting terror warnings and worries that an intrusive domestic spy operation is being contemplated. Three Senators appeared on Face the Nation to meander around Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-843239842002-11-10T14:04:00.000-05:002002-11-10T14:05:56.000-05:00Iraq Is Back, Introspection Isn’tThe return of Iraq as an issue for the weekend talk shows limited the time available for discussion of Tuesday’s voting. With few exceptions, pundits didn’t waste any of that limited time reviewing their failure to accurately predict the Republican tide.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and White House Chief of Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-839680722002-11-03T15:00:00.000-05:002002-11-03T15:02:09.000-05:00Pundits Pick, PuntThe weekend talk shows were exclusively about Tuesday’s elections. Neither snipers, weapons of mass destruction (unless we’re talking negative ads), nor Israeli politics impinged on wall to wall discussion and prognostication.
Capital Gang had the most disciplined approach, requiring each gang member to make predictions on every tight race. Other shows allowed pundits to “Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-834278122002-10-23T18:29:00.000-04:002002-10-23T18:29:46.153-04:00testAnthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13574350458725372201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3197739.post-825565742002-10-05T09:58:00.000-04:002002-10-05T09:58:00.016-04:00October Surprise: Punditwatch is pursuing other opportunities during October. This feature will return on November 3d. Thanks for your support.Will Vehrsnoreply@blogger.com