a typical Friday (in review) ...

• from Friday’s program:

Was it just me, or did it seem like a typical “slow” Friday night – news-wise? Not to detract from the seriousness of Hurricane Noel (which hadn't come ashore in the US yet) or the Mexico flooding (which had been going on for a couple of days). No offense to any of the 360 staff – or Soledad – but I think I could have identified Friday as a “Friday” without any hints!

With regard to the Mexico flooding, I do hope that the NGO's provide all the assistance available. Why am I singling out NGO's? Do you really think that I'd ever suggest that FEMA provide assistance during a flood?? I wouldn't do that to an enemy country, let alone an ally ...

And since we haven't had an OJ update recently - what IS new with our favorite (alleged) armed robber?? I was actually a little surprised to hear the latest OJ “news” – that the FBI knew about the plan that OJ had to take his possessions back from the memorabilia dealers he believed had stolen them. Three weeks ahead of time, no less. Perhaps the fact that the information was divulged by someone with a lack of credibility, namely Thomas Riccio, contributed to their lack of interest. Soledad spoke with Jeff Toobin and AP reporter Linda Deutsch about the latest developments. Jeff stated that this disclosure might be good for OJ because if the FBI didn’t think it was important enough to investigate, then perhaps it doesn’t warrant prosecution. Besides – do you tell the FBI that you’re about to commit a robbery and that you want it televised – if it’s something that you don’t want witnesses to see? Yet, the key issue boils down to whether or not OJ knew that guns would be used, or even worse, instructed his ‘colleagues’ to bring guns to use during the confrontation. Be prepared for more wall-to-wall coverage this week – on Thursday – when the preliminary hearing takes place.


I enjoyed the Ron Paul interview. Not because I would consider supporting him, but because he’s such a contrarian when it comes to the values and policies of the current Administration and current version of the Republican Party. And he is making an impact – as is evidenced by the continuing momentum in his fundraising and support at appearances. It’s odd that he’s identified as a “flake” – maybe that’s influenced by “covert” Republican Party officials? I also enjoyed that Rep. Paul took Rudy Giuliani to “task” for his beliefs about the underlying causes of the 9/11 attacks. Just because you were physically located in NYC on that day doesn’t automatically make you an expert on the myriad of angles about the attack. More about Rudy (and his knowledge base) in a moment ...


I did enjoy the Planet in Peril V-mail question that was shown – and I’m going to spell her name phonetically – “Avewa” from Japan – her question was about what impact individuals can have if they become “eco-friendly”, as she stated. She also has excellent literary taste ... ;-)


Back to Rudy Guiliani for just a moment ... you know, the more I hear his statements, the more I fear that his grasp of fundamental facts is on a par with George W. Bush – meaning that it’s pathetically poor. He stated in a radio interview this past week that Senator Joe Biden lacks foreign policy experience. WHAT?? Apparently, ex-Mayor Guiliani needs some Cliff Notes about his fellow candidates. Senator Biden is the CHAIRMAN of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...


I just wanted to make a brief comment - I know that some people don't particularly care for Soledad filling in, but I was struck this week in particular about how gracious she was with in-studio guests (Michael Ware, Gary Tuchman, Randi Kaye, Jeff Toobin, etc.) and how they all responded so warmly to her. And her "banter" with Erica is like watching two "pals" taking special delight in laughing at the same things. I also noticed that she handled the "AM" previews (even with Kiran) without the slightest hesitation. So all that to say ... I know it's tough for a bunch of people to "stay tuned" during an "Ander-absence", but you could end up being surprised! :-)



Enough from me for one posting – so as pleasant a week as it could be with a substitute anchor, here’s hoping for an AC “return” on Monday evening. And that he was able to salvage a few days of “vacation” for some authentic R&R!!!