A toast for David Gergen …

Today’s Buzz ...
from last night’s program:



David Gergen is now an “official” member of the CNN Political Team – instead of just a ‘contributor’ to Anderson Cooper 360° – hooray!! (I always thought he was already ‘official’ simply because of his credentials – but there are contracts and such involved!!)

Rough Politics?: Joe Johns reported on hit-and-run tricks being used by the campaigns to take mild ‘swipes’ at opponents as we close in on the Iowa Caucuses.



Anderson talked with David Gergen, John King and Jennifer Donohue in greater detail, particularly about what is occurring between the Clinton and Obama camps. I have to admit that even I thought that Ms. Donohue was out of line when she accused the Clinton campaign of playing the “race card” when remarks have been made about Obama’s prior drug use. The dust-up was especially strong with David Gergen, and he’s blogged about it today – weigh in with your opinion!



The Romney “tap dance”: I wish there could have been some appropriate music playing in the background when the video was shown on Mitt trying (desperately and foolishly) to backtrack his way out of claiming that he “saw” his father – George Romney – march with Dr. Martin Luther King. While George Romney supported civil rights and Dr. King, he never marched with him. It hearkened back to a moment when Bill Clinton also attempted to tap dance around the meaning of the word “is” ... and you can see Anderson’s reaction below:



I like Mike (NOT): I’m already getting tired of hearing how much people “like” Mike Huckabee. At one time in this country, there were enough people that “liked” Richard Nixon enough to elect him to the Presidency – and then re-elect him. Yes, it’s terrific to “like” the President, and there’s certainly something to be said for the ability to develop sincere interpersonal relationships, but there’s more involved than that and I continue to fear the minimization of all the “other” aspects of this historic decision that our country is getting ready to make.



MySpace death: John White is on trial for the death of Daniel Cicciaro, and the jury has a difficult task ahead of them. Daniel believed that Aaron White, John’s son, had posted threats against a female friend on his MySpace page. Daniel and other friends traveled to the White home, calling Aaron beforehand to tell him they were coming to kill him. John intervened and claims that in the process, his gun accidentally fired and killed Daniel Cicciaro.

This unfortunate story has an additional racial factor, as the White family is African-American and Cicciaro, his friends and the female allegedly threatened are all Caucasian. Jeff Toobin noted that the jury does have a lesser sentencing option to consider – reckless endangerment – and may see it as a ‘compromise’ punishment.



Holy Highway: I would find it very odd to be driving along an interstate and see a large group of people gathered and immersed in an intensive prayer session. While I certainly don’t question their sincerity, I guess this is the pragmatist in me – couldn’t they be spending their time and effort in, say, volunteering at a local food bank or an orphanage or a domestic violence shelter? It’s just a thought ...

But Gary Tuchman’s report was very interesting and it certainly gave insight into evangelical motivation, which continues to baffle me (and many others). Differing Biblical interpretations – and the conflict it leads to many times – will be with us for a very long time to come!



2007 Best Shots: Anderson and Erica reviewed some of AC’s favorite “shot” segments from this past year. I’m not wasting any time to cap Britney, but others included Miss Teen South Carolina (where is that state’s education budget being spent?), Philippine prisoners dancing to “Thriller” and baby bears in a hammock – awww! I do wish they’d stop showing the clip of the tranquilized bear falling out of a tree – it’s painful just to watch! :-(



But MY favorite segment of the night was – Announcer Auditions (Part 2): Kevin, Kevin, Kevin – thank you once again for the totally coincidental “shout-out” to this blog’s companion Yahoo Group, “Gunmetal Grey” (aka – AC360° ) – we are appropriately humbled by the unintended attention!! Although, the Michael Ware accent does need a tiny bit of work, mate!! But keep at it – you’ll wear down “the boss” (or Anderson) eventually!! :-)



BTW – has anyone ever mentioned a resemblance to Captain Jack Sparrow? I’m just wondering ...??




Thanks so much for visiting – have a terrific evening!!