from last night’s Anderson Cooper 360°:
McCain apology: John King had a report about the controversy involving conservative radio talk show host Bill Cunningham’s remarks at a John McCain rally yesterday. He characterized Barack Obama as a Chicago political “hack” who received “sweetheart deals” involving Tony Resko, as well as using Obama’s middle name (Hussein) as a slander. Senator McCain issued and immediate and public apology to Senator Obama – although it may not sit well with some conservatives, as Cunningham later appeared on CNN’s Election Center and stated that McCain had “thrown him under the Straight Talk Express bus”.
Betting on Iraq: With John McCain’s future political success closely tied to success (or lack thereof) in Iraq, Tom Foreman took an objective look at the facts on-the-ground and found that some support the GOP position – and some support the Democratic position – and the voters will decide which side to support in November.
Michael Ware returns: Hooray!!! And speaking of “facts-on-the-ground”, no one reports them more succinctly and more honestly than Michael Ware. He always gives both short-term and long-term analysis, as well as current observations of the daily realities of life for the US military in Iraq.
Power outage in Florida: A widespread power outage in Florida once again focused attention on part of our infrastructure that is in desperate need of massive repair and/or overhaul. Anderson interviewed author Stephen Flynn (“The Edge of Disaster”) about both the Florida incident and the longer term problems we face here in the United States in relation to all aspects of our core infrastructure.
Musical diplomacy: Christiane Amanpour reported from North Korea about the New York Philharmonic performance in Pyongyang. I must admit that early Tuesday morning was the perfect time for a bout of insomnia, as I was able to not only enjoy the concert (being simulcast on CNN International) but also got a few screen caps for posterity. It was truly a moving performance and hopefully may serve as a very small step towards reminding North Koreans that we share more similarities than differences – at least on an individual human level.
Remembering family: Alina Cho is also in Korea (both South and North) with her parents, who are Korean War survivors. They visited South Korean sites where her parents escaped to during the war, and Alina met some individuals who helped her parents survive during that time. She also traveled to Pyongyang to try and locate two lost uncles, without much success. A very sad story – for all families separated not only by that war, but others as well.
Debate Wrap-Up: Another (reasonably) civil outing, for the most part. And another “toss-up” as far as a clear ‘winner’ being apparent is concerned. I didn’t care for Hillary Clinton’s whining about always “getting the first question” – good God, I want the person that will sit in the Oval Office to WANT the first question – at every opportunity – to at least be able to set the tone for the response. But I won’t rant about this, because there’s a larger issue to consider. It was bad enough to portray a ‘school-marm’ attitude with the “Shame on you, Barack Obama” calling out over the weekend – but then yesterday, I read on the CNN Political Ticker that she claimed: “I got a little hot”. The initial reaction should be – “Gosh, I hope she wouldn’t ‘get a little hot’ when considering issuing orders for a nuclear strike.” But beyond that, I guess no one else sees how damaging this is for ALL the women who work so very hard to prove that they aren’t ‘emotional creatures’ and are just as capable of making sound, logical, rational decisions as their male colleagues. I think all of the political analysts who said that they weren’t sure which Hillary Clinton would show up at last night’s debate – may have been ‘nibbling’ at that issue in the most roundabout of ways.
Other News and Notes:
Saddle Up, Partner: This is way off-topic, but I’ve got to admit that not only do I admire (and listen to) Ali Velshi’s financial acumen, but I also admire his fashion, well, boldness ... not too many CNN correspondents have the guts to confidently wear part of the “Texas uniform” multiple times on-air:
Campaigns trade barbs: Clinton touts her foreign policy experience; Obama stays with the message that got him this far.
Anderson discussed the ‘fired up’ Democratic race with David Gergen and Gloria Borger. Gloria commented about the inconsistent message coming from the Clinton camp. I’d have to say I agree – this weekend (and Monday) saw anger, sarcasm and movement back into a ‘kitchen-sink’ strategy. I wonder if anyone in the Clinton camp would have the courage to tell the Senator how very ‘Un-Presidential’ she appeared this weekend with her “Shame on you, Barack Obama” admonition, combined with her biting sarcasm about the ‘hope’ message in Monday’s speech?? And yes – I would say the exact same thing if the tables were turned – this is not a gender issue for me, it’s a behavior issue.
David Gergen and Gloria Borger also discussed John McCain’s ‘admission’ that his political success in this race is tied to whatever perceived success is sustained in Iraq. He backtracked from his original statement later on in the day, although (IMHO) there really wasn’t any need to do so.
Dee Dee Myers interview: Ms. Myers has a new book coming out – “Why Women Should Rule The World”. I had read her 360° blog entry prior to the interview, and I know this may aggravate some (or many), but I respectfully and fundamentally disagree with the contention that Hillary Clinton has been treated unfairly by the media. If she had equally demonstrated – at a minimum – the focus, consistency and steadiness that Barack Obama has – there wouldn’t be the kind of ‘gender bias’ excuses that are being floated on what seems to be a daily basis.
Ralph Nader: Once again, he made his Presidential ‘pitch’. I still maintain that this is an ego trip, but I’m going to look at it from a different perspective. No Al Gore, no Florida vote count, etc. I’m going to start with the premise that not everyone can be President, and even if you are, some of your ability to affect significant change is limited. Ralph Nader started out as an important consumer advocate voice. Over the years, what’s happened to that voice? When he ran (again) in 2004, I don’t recall that he was ever asked what he had done – in a non-Presidential role – to advance any of the ‘causes’ from his 2000 campaign platform. And the same question applied now … what has he accomplished in the same vein since 2004? Just because you’re not President - doesn’t mean you can’t be an effective change agent. Unless being President is all your ego will accept.
Gay teen murdered: There simply isn’t enough light being shed on the problem of bullying – leading to violence – in our schools. Dan Simon reported on the murder of 15-year-old Larry King – by 14-year-old classmate Brandon McInerney, who has been charged with first-degree murder and carrying out a hate crime. King had recently disclosed his orientation to friends at school. There are unconfirmed reports that King had admitted to having a crush on McInerney, who handle the accompanying humiliation. In conjunction with Dan’s report, Anderson interviewed Dr. Charles Sophy of the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services about teaching more tolerance in our school systems.
North Korea nukes: Christiane Amanpour has been granted unprecedented access into North Korea’s nuclear facilities and allowed to tour a reactor site – accompanied by government officials, of course. She reported on the country’s ‘slow down’ of neutralizing nuclear fuel rods because the oil and other aid that North Korea had been promised is yet to be delivered.
The Shot: A mini-Beatle in the making ... a 4-year-old has the uncanny ability to sing various Beatles songs and one of the videos his parents have shot is now a YouTube hit!!
Thanks so much for visiting - have a terrific Wednesday!!
