Super Pre-Potomac Monday …

Today’s Buzz ...
from Monday night’s Anderson Cooper 360°:

A political hour, to say the least. Which was fine with me – this campaign has been THE most fascinating that I’ve ever experienced – on so many levels. And it’s so exciting that no matter what – it will be a historical election.

Unfortunately (perhaps), I don’t have time today to write very much – but there are a few items I’d like to highlight, both from the program, and a couple of “OT” items!
The political panel last night was first rate (as usual) and included Candy Crowley, John King, Bay Buchanan and Roland Martin. I say “first rate” partly because (IMO) even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything said, at this level, I want to hear what these individuals have to say – that’s what “first rate” communicators they are. Their discussions included the Clinton campaign manager change, caucuses vs. primaries, the value of electability, McCain wooing conservatives and what role superdelegates may play in the race.



Tom “Super Map Man” Foreman had two reports last night – first, a look at the upcoming state contest in the oh-so-close Democratic candidate race and second, a more in-depth look at the superdelegate “phenomenon” and why their existence is becoming more important by the day (or the hour, perhaps).




John King was able to briefly interview Mike Huckabee at an airport in Weyers Cove, VA, as the candidate was about to board a plane for another campaign stop. I think he should be allowed to stay in the race – until it’s mathematically over – or unless he decides to leave early. But he certainly seems determined, and you have to have some admiration for that level of tenacity. And when he says “Who knows what may happen?” – he’s right. Particularly this year ...



I’m glad that Anderson showed a clip from the Larry King Live interview with Michelle Obama ... what a well-spoken, thoughtful, focused, intelligent, grounded woman she appears to be ... undoubtedly, a significant asset to the campaign, regardless of the outcome.



Gary Tuchman had “360° News Bulletin” duty last night (hooray!) and I couldn’t help but think that Anderson was at least momentarily nostalgic during the “WWTT” segment. I’m sure that the names of Harry & Charlie could have easily been substituted with the names of Carter & Anderson, at least in one news anchor’s memory. It’s very tempting to post a screen cap of the very young Cooper brothers at about the same age as Harry & Charlie, but for some unexplainable reason, I’ve always felt that’s one of the lines I draw as far as respecting privacy is concerned. Odd, I’m sure, for this day and age, but there you have it. However, with that said, I certainly have no problem “showing off” AC & Gary, as well as the completely adorable Harry & Charlie!!




“Extreme Challenges - The Next 4 Years”: I also wanted to make a few more comments about the repeat of this special during the second hour last night. I had already posted last Friday about how by simply reading the transcript, I could tell that this was a valuable, relevant and necessary discussion. And now having seen it, I am thoroughly convinced that this hour is so important and so powerful that it truly should be viewed by all of the remaining Presidential candidates – so there is no further ‘miscalculation’ of what they – and we as a country and a member of the global community – will be facing during their term in office. Not a hundred years from now, not fifty years from now or even ten years from now. The time is NOW – for leadership, for vision, for courage, for integrity, for diplomacy – and for the kind of collective, collaborative action that will focus on accomplishing beneficial progress through inclusion rather than exclusion - and transform this country once again into a position of global influence through example, not through force and intimidation.




Other News and Notes:

Six Degrees: I wanted to mention a very important special airing on the National Geographic channel this Thursday at 8:00 PM EST. It’s called “Six Degrees Could Change the World”. A partial summary from the NGC website states: ” Six Degrees Could Change the World visualizes in spectacular high definition the devastating ecological impact that each single degree increase in temperature could have on our planet over the next century.” Although the promos aren’t specifically stating it, I believe that this special is based on the new book “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet” by Mark Lynas. I say that mainly because National Geographic published this book – but the promos look fascinating (albeit a little scary) – and the book is based on the 2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predicted that global surface temperatures could rise up to 10 degrees by the end of this century.

And in a brief related note, I saw a very quick entry on the Political Ticker blog entry from Jessica Yellin – about Al Gore not endorsing either Democratic candidate. Interesting ... here’s the entry:

"He's the most prominent Democrat yet to take a side in the presidential election, but two sources close to Al Gore tell us not to expect the former vice president to endorse either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama any time during the primary season.

The sources say Gore talks with both Clinton and Obama, and is on good terms with both. But with Sen. John Kerry and Bill Clinton both aligned to a candidate, Gore has a role to serve as the neutral elder statesman in the party.

If an agreement needs to be struck between Clinton and Obama down the road, Gore is in position to be the likely facilitator of that discussion.

Gore also will want to work closely with whoever wins the nomination to promote an environmental agenda.

As for two other major Democrats yet to endorse a candidate: sources close to both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say neither individuals have endorsement plans."

Thanks for visiting - I'm going to go watch the coverage of the Potomac primary results!!

Weekend Wrap-Up ….

As I look through the entries for this past week, you’d think I didn’t watch a single minute of 360°, which couldn’t be further from the truth!! But since it is Sunday at this point, I’ll just get in some brief comments about what I thought were the highlights from each day:

Monday:

Lott the Lobbyist: Yes, I know that it was just a ‘mention’ in the second news bulletin, and should come as no surprise. But Senator Trent Lott is resigning before the end of his elected term, to become a lobbyist, but he’s resigning now - solely so that he won’t have wait as long to become a lobbyist. This is the same Trent Lott that appeared on 360 shortly after Katrina and wanted us all to believe that he felt the pain of those who had lost everything in the hurricane and its aftermath, since his home had been damaged as well. I think it’s a safe bet to say that he didn’t have any ‘problems’ with the insurance settlement. As for Senator Lott becoming a lobbyist instead of, perhaps, becoming a professor at one of lesser known universities in his home state of Mississippi that could genuinely benefit from his presence, well – money talks, loud and clear ...

Republican in-fighting: How strange. How rude. How Democratic of them. In retrospect, especially after what we saw happen on Wednesday evening. Candy Crowley had a terrific segment about the growth of 'sniping' within both parties, but the subsequent panel of David Gergen, Ed Rollins and Katrina Vanden Heuvel spent most of their time focusing their discussion on Republicans. The latest Zogby poll numbers are also very interesting, as seen below:




Doctors as Ministers: When I go see an MD, I expect medical care. When I go see a priest (minister, pastor, etc.), I expect spiritual care. I doubt that many people would allow a member of their clergy to remove an appendix. As long as the AMA supports a doctor’s right to co-mingle the two roles, there certainly won’t be any decrease in this situation of doctors imposing their moral beliefs on patients.



Justice for Megan Meier: It doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon. The cyber-harassment law just passed in the town where the Meiers live isn’t retroactive. But when Anderson talked with Gary Tuchman after the re-airing of his piece from last week, he confirmed that the county prosecutor’s office is still investigating the case. Hopefully, there will be a way to enforce moral accountability, if nothing else.



Tuesday:

The main story for comment is the Middle East Peace Conference held in Annapolis. I have just one question at this point – why did it take seven years for this to happen? I know it’s a rhetorical question – I’m just throwing it out there ... the answer is self-explanatory.

Tom Foreman had one of the most succinct observations that I’ve heard in quite a long time – “And the best raw read I can get on all of this is, while many good, decent people in the Middle East say they want peace, what too many of them want is to win. And then they think it will be peaceful when they do.” There aren’t enough people, in positions of power, who know how true this statement is, and are chasing around in circles to get to a place that may not exist.



Mosh Pits: Ah yes – again from the second news bulletin – the best line of the night – from AC – “We want you to send us your "Shot" ideas. If you see Wolf (Blitzer) or Lou (Dobbs) in a mosh pit, take a photograph. Tell us about it: CNN.com/360.” I still laugh at the absurdity of that thought!!

Thursday:

Strategic Vision (or lack thereof): The political panel discussion focused on how it’s becoming increasingly apparent that in this time of almost mandatory unity – if this country is to move forward while continuing its leadership position on the world stage – voters are finding it difficult to identify one who will be successful in bringing both parties back onto common ground.

Once again, the memorable sound byte of the night goes to Tom Foreman when he used a phrase I certainly haven’t heard before – the “militant middle”. The independent voters who are truly sick and tired of the empty rhetoric and empty promises made by both of the current parties. If there was ever a time when a third party candidate would have a legitimate chance to make a difference, it would be now. It’s moments like this when I’m so frustrated that someone like Chuck Hagel chose not to run in this election cycle.



Michael Ware from Baghdad: Another on-the-ground, genuine "keeping them honest" report about the long-term obstacles that the US will face in Iraq if political reconciliation isn't achieved during this very small "window of opportunity" created by the temporary "surge success". You can't build trust at the end of a gun barrel; whether the gun is carried by the US military or Iraq military - it has to be a lasting initiative from within the population of the country. And I, for one, don't see that happening, as much as I would absolutely like to.





Ayaan Hirsi Ali: What a truly brave woman. Her life has been threatened for a very long time now. And yet she continues to speak out on behalf of peace in the Muslim world and supports the moderate view of the religion as the standard that should be followed, rather than the extremist viewpoint. She has drawn the difference in reactions to ‘violations’ of the faith for a long time – about the massive protests over the drawing of a cartoon or the naming of a teddy bear – compared to the lack of protests over the deaths caused by suicide bombings, or in that night’s topic, the sentence of 200 lashes to a woman who had been gang-raped.

I first heard her speak during an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher last February – she was a panelist along with Steven Weber and Rep. Darrell Issa. It’s unusual for Bill to ‘give the floor’ to any of those appearing on the panel, but under the circumstances, he specifically asked Ayaan to talk about her background and the challenges she faces, even though she’s ‘escaped’ and is now living outside of the Middle East. Here is part of what she had to say about Islam:

“What we should do is we should make a clear distinction between Islam as a set of beliefs, as we have done in the past in the west. Christianity was seen to be a set of beliefs. Communism was seen to be a set of beliefs. But then Muslims are adherents. And we can appeal to them. We can appeal to their common sense and we can tell them, listen, as a Muslim, these are some of the fundamentals of your religion that are compatible with democracy and with liberalism, and we have no issue with that... And so it is legitimate to tell Muslims, whether you view your religion as peace or not, this is how your religion is being used. And it's much better to get worked up about beheading people in the name of Islam than about drawing the Prophet Muhammad in a cartoon.”



Friday:

Or – so much for trying to get a day ‘off’ – or at least off-the-air ...

Well, the ‘original’ plan was for Anderson to spend the day traveling around New Hampshire with the Huckabee campaign, when – wouldn’t you know it – major breaking news happened about 50 miles from AC’s location – so it was immediately off to Rochester, NH – and on-the-scene reporting from near the Clinton campaign office – which was now the scene of a hostage crisis.

Fortunately, Leeland Eisenberg surrendered without incident at about 6:00 PM local time, after having reportedly holding up to 5 hostages by claiming to have a bomb strapped to his clothing. He demanded to speak to Senator Clinton, because he wanted ‘help’ with his mental health troubles that he couldn’t otherwise get. I really do hate stating the obvious, but when you have an obviously mentally disturbed person, who at least claims that he knows that he’s in that condition, taking this kind of action to get attention and/or help – it’s time to re-vamp the health care policy of this country. Those campaign volunteers were very lucky – the next time something like this happens, and there may very well be a next time – those involved might not end up being so fortunate.





Sean Taylor murder arrests: I was glad to see that arrests were made in the Sean Taylor murder case. Under the circumstances, I would imagine that enough DNA evidence was left behind to lead the police to at least one or more suspects right away, who were probably put under surveillance, so investigators could be led to others involved. As the family stated, it won’t bring back Sean, but at least those suspected and those who have already confessed are in prison and awaiting trial.



Evel Knievel dead at age 69: I was surprised to hear about this, even though I’d heard he’d been ill for awhile. But I wasn’t surprised in the least to hear that Anderson had so much admiration for Evel’s feats of daring and the entertainment he brought to so many. I doubt many young boys didn’t at least try to simulate ‘jumps’ that Evel performed with such ease – it’s just natural, right? Ah well – he’ll be remembered for being the best at what he did!!



So that catches me up for a week – in addition to what’s already been posted!! Thanks (as always) for visiting – hope the weekend was terrific and that the coming week brings more holiday good cheer!

Ode to Janet Jackson …

Today’s Buzz ...
“Mr. Cooper, if you’re nasty ...”
(more on that later ...)

Oh my, my, my ... he’s baaaack ...

• from last night’s program:

Pakistan: The protests and clashes over President Musharraf’s decision to suspend the constitution and invalidate the judicial system are continuing. Zain Verjee reported from Islamabad, until her transmission went out! She reported that lawyers, judges and other activists are fighting with police over Musharraf’s imposing emergency rule several days ago.

The report from Joe Johns about how the $10.5 billion dollars in aid to Pakistan since 2001 has been spent did nothing to point to a reasonable “ROI”, because there isn’t one. The Taliban is getting stronger, and al Qaeda is reestablishing its strongholds in the country. Add to this that the border with Afghanistan hasn’t been secured, and is, in fact, one of the most dangerous places on the planet, particularly Warziristan.



The entire situation and the potential outcomes are anything but promising. When Anderson spoke with Peter Bergen and Fareed Zakaria, they both offered additional insight. Peter spoke about how Musharraf has a "messiah complex" and truly believes he is the only person who can “save” Pakistan. Fareed added that part of the reason that Pakistan doesn’t act more aggressively towards defeat of the Taliban and al Qaeda is because both groups are also gaining strength in Afghanistan, keeping that country in a weakened state, and a ‘weak’ Afghanistan is advantageous to Pakistan.

BTW – Fareed Zakaria will be joining CNN and hosting a weekly international affairs program; you can read more about it here.



Minuteman Civil Defense Corps: You know, when you get together a bunch of ‘rebels’ (I’m attempting to be polite in the use of that word) who support ‘cowboy diplomacy’, and then you hand them an undisclosed amount of money (hundreds of thousands, at best estimate), what did anyone expect the outcome would be? Honestly? And I ask that as a (generally) liberal-minded person who genuinely believes that we are woefully negligent about border security. Both north AND south. And the western and eastern ports, thrown in for good measure. Abbie Boudreau did an in-depth report about this group and never did end up with anything resembling a reasonable accounting of funds already donated to build an Israeli-style fence along the Mexican border. She did find a small section of a five-strand barbed wire fence on a ranch. I sense there’ll be more to this story as time passes.




Candy and the Hill: Sounds like a children’s story, huh? Two things jump out at me – first, regardless of the spin (and it’s in overdrive), Hillary Clinton does want it both ways. No matter how many times or how many ways she deflects the question – she wants us to believe that she’s tough enough to play with the ‘boys’ on all levels, but at the first (real) shove encountered , she retreats into “they’re picking on me cuz I’m a girl” mode. Doesn’t work that way, Hill.

I won’t make a big issue out of point # 2, but it goes along with the above – last night, to me, was another example of the ‘milktoast’ media. Candy Crowley is an excellent reporter, but (possibly) because she wants to have access to President Clinton v. 2.0 in the future, she didn’t press the Senator about so many deflections that were made about legitimate questions being asked. Disappointing, to say the least.




Raw Politics: Mitt Romney ‘buying’ votes? No way!!! (That’s from ‘Sarcasm 101’) And Ron Paul supporters raking in $4.2 million dollars – online, no less - in one day?? A little difficult to believe, but I’m with all those who are saying stay tuned for some surprises coming out of both Iowa and New Hampshire. AND – doesn’t Tom Foreman always “bring it home” for us in “Raw Politics”?? :-)



Empowering Hands: Even as much of the world becomes stronger economically, socially, politically – I still feel that Africa is a “lost” continent. We keep hearing story after story after story about war and violence and destruction ... and to what end?

At least there is always hope, and Soledad O’Brien’s segment about the group “Empowering Hands” reminds us of that. The group was founded in 2004 by former child soldiers that had escaped after being kidnapped and forced to serve in Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army. The group provides counseling and small loans to assist other escapees, and the founders were honored this past Monday night by Glamour Magazine as one of their “Women of the Year” recipients. With this award, Empowering Hands will be able to buy vans and bicycles to help expand its reach into Uganda and provide assistance for other survivors. You can read more about the group in online articles from Glamour and at the UNICEF web site.





Other quick notes:

Democratic Debate News: A press release is available from CNN about programming from Las Vegas on November 15th – here is the AC360º section: "10 p.m.-11 p.m. - Special Anderson Cooper 360º post-debate program, anchored by Anderson Cooper and featuring Wolf Blitzer, John Roberts and Campbell Brown live on location in Las Vegas."

Planet in Peril to air on Animal Planet: The special will be aired on December 2nd and 3rd – you can get more info here.

Vacations not taken: Do you think reverse psychology might work? What if Anderson was told that he would no longer be allowed to take off any time to relax and take a “real” vacation?? This is from last night’s transcript: "I've spent the past ten days in central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- I just got back today -- working on a story involving rebel armies, many of whom use kids as solders. We're going to be airing some of my reports in the weeks ahead."

Channeling Janet Jackson: So last night – during the second news break – Anderson & Erica were bantering about her cat – and infamous "cat-titude" – and when Erica referred to her as “Miss Lulu” – well, that prompted this classic response from Mr. Cooper: "Miss Lulu if you're nasty?"

I’m ending on that note – cuz there isn’t much more to say ... except “Hey, Lorne Michaels – are you ready yet for your second news-anchored-hosted edition of SNL??”

Update # 1: The Planet in Peril DVD release has been pushed back to next Tuesday, November 13th! You can still pre-order it from Amazon.com!



Update # 2: Many thanks to Bon Jour at the AC360 Yahoo group for the heads up on this "find" - you can download a PDF copy of the full-size version of the Planet in Peril calendar - just be aware that it is 8 MB (in case you don't have a lightning-fast internet connection) and that the finished document comes out to be 16 pages long - one page for each month - it started with October 2007, so you can use it NOW!! :-)



Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!!

John (Kling) filling in tonight???

Today's Buzz ...
Poor Larry (King) – another ‘flubbed’ name tonight – actually, it was his own (the one he shares with John King) - he mispronounced “King” when he was referring to the LKL website - right before the hand-off to JK – but he got John’s intro right – thankfully!

BTW – I’m actually pretty neutral about both Larry King and Jerry Seinfeld – but I thought that Jerry was a bit harsh during Friday’s LKL interview. If you missed it, Larry was attempting to clarify with Jerry that his show ended by his own decision as opposed to being cancelled. Jerry took offense to the fact that there might be anyone who didn’t already know the entire “Seinfeld” saga (in detail) and suggested that Larry should review a JS “bio”. It all got resolved (or at least they moved on), but as one of the six people in America who didn’t watch every single Seinfeld episode, I understood the context in which the question was being asked. For example, since LKL is broadcast on CNN International, and perhaps there might a few people in, say, London - who also might not have known that specific “Seinfeld” factoid. Larry has enough gaffes in the course of any given show – the questionable ones perhaps shouldn’t be elevated out of proportion ...

Anyway – moving on ...

• from last night’s program:

Pakistan “state of emergency”: Doesn’t that phrase just send chills down your spine? And why? Two words – ‘nuclear weapons’. And this brilliant Administration has been obsessing about whether or not Iran has nuclear “knowledge”. Another instance of misplaced priority. The whole situation with the Pakistan Supreme Court being suspended and the ‘round-up’ of lawyers and journalists in the country is troubling – particularly when you consider the timing of this action. Right on the eve of an anticipated SC decision that the result of the prior election was ‘influenced’ in President Musharraf’s favor. And no – as tempting as it is – no ‘lawyer jokes’. Right now – it seems unlikely that the planned January elections will go forward – regardless of today’s ‘spin’ trying to keep that hope alive.

I must admit that hearing both Peter Bergen and Reza Aslan both stating that an actual nuclear attack from Pakistan (partly for reasons outlined by Tom Foreman and his map collection) isn’t as likely as one might initially assume. However, this is both the Taliban and al Qaeda that we’re dealing with when it comes to potential ‘acquirers’ of the components, and they only need one. An arsenal isn’t necessary for their purposes. :-(




Joel Osteen interview: John King interviewed Joel Osteen – there are a lot of pros & cons to his religious interpretations. I’ve watched a number of his television broadcasts, and the part that people seem to have trouble with involve his discussions about “prosperity”. Some think that what he focuses on is ‘asking God to make them rich”. I guess that’s up to each person who knows enough about what he preaches to decide for themselves. As you could probably tell from the interview, Joel is very skilled at deflecting questions and avoiding a lot of direct, concrete answers – partly because he does try to “spin positive” whenever possible – for better or worse. I will say that his sermons are inspirational, regardless of whether or not one thinks that he’s a Bible-based pastor.


Oprah: I still have a problem hearing Oprah talk about how devastating the abuse allegations have been for her. Whenever anything happens, it happens – first – to her. It was the same story when the school first opened. Her dream was being fulfilled. That just doesn’t seem appropriate to me. For someone who has made serious money portraying care & concern for others, when it really counts, I haven’t found that Oprah portrays complete sincerity. And yes – that’s IMO – and maybe that’s part of the reason why I’ve rarely watched her show, read her magazine, etc.


Tom Foreman (live) in Iowa: how did he draw the short straw for that assignment?




Curiosity question: is the attitude of White House Press Secretary Dana Perino more annoying or less annoying than fingernails running across a blackboard? Gosh, I’ll be diplomatic and call it a “tie” ...



At last - a reason to cheer for the Dodgers again: Welcome back, Joe!! New Dodger Manager Joe Torre was part of the TV broadcast team for the Angels for 5 years – prior to that low profile Yankee management stint!!



John, John, John: You seem like a very congenial guy, but please leave the comedy for Anderson – it’s not your forte. At least not the way you were attempting humor last night. Recreating Steve Martin’s “King Tut” rap is difficult at best. And you should never surprise your “banter” partner (i.e. – Erica) by soliciting for a compliment that doesn’t really go along with the “shot” (or story) at hand.



Other quick news and notes:

Writers’ Strike: Please pay these people what should be fairly and equitably shared. And get everyone back to work. Even though I really don’t watch much TV. But 22 weeks without The Daily Show or The Colbert Report is something I just can’t face ... :-(

Brian Williams on SNL: it was great to be able to see a news anchor display a ‘human’ side of himself this past Saturday. The reviews and feedback I’ve seen are generally positive – the “Bond Theme” skit was definitely the best!!

Ivory War: hope you caught the Scott Pelley report this past Sunday on 60 Minutes about the resumption of illegal ivory trade – ivory primarily sold to China. Hundreds of elephants in the country of Chad are being killed simply for their tusks, and the photos they showed of the mutilated elephant remains was enough to make anyone ill. Efforts to quell the increase of this activity have proved to be an uphill battle.

China: Speaking of the ultimate Red State, not only are they the primary market for purchasing illegal ivory, but they also aided Pakistan in their quest to manufacture nuclear weapons. Anyone who thinks that China won’t surpass the US as the global leader sometime in this century – isn’t paying close enough attention to the proper indicators and signs.

DWTS: Good on Len Goodman (one of the judges) for exercising his right to free speech. He bagged on Bush last night, and a few jaws dropped ... I, of course, cheered ... :-)

And yes – because I bagged on John King earlier in this post – I’ll make up for it now:



tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:

Thursday on Anderson Cooper 360°:

Send in your v-mail questions for the panel here!

Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!

Can we sanction South Carolina? Or at least SC Democrats??

Today’s Buzz ...

• from last night’s program:

Bush as a "bully": Another unsuccessful presidential venture ... I hope that whatever remains of Bush’s base enjoys these irrelevant and annoying attempts to attack those that – heaven forbid – dare to question whatever it is that he may happen to want. As Tom Foreman very methodically reviewed, Bush’s “talking points” in his speech at The Heritage Foundation yesterday lacked, well, foundation ...

Congress has the right, duty and obligation to question a nominee for Attorney General about his interpretations of what is constitutional and what isn’t – including an activity like waterboarding. Suzanne Malveaux reported that the Administration is attempting the same strategy as in the past – framing the debate about Michael Mukasey’s nomination and specifically, his views on torture, as a debate over national security. David Gergen added that the argument lacks merit and the issue boils down to how much unfettered power a President has in a time of war. As so many other similar policy debates have ...

Personally, I didn’t vote for a king or a dictator in 2000 or 2004, but the self-anointed monarch currently living in the White House isn’t making the road any easier for a like-party candidate to follow him into occupancy of that section of DC real estate, at the very least.


Embryo battle: There’s a very fundamental question here that I’m not sure I understand, nor was it answered amidst the significant amount of time spent on this topic. Why – oh why – would Augusta Roman WANT to bear a child by an ex-spouse that she no longer has anything other than a completely antagonistic relationship with?? If she’s concerned about her biological clock, for all the time she’s spent pursuing this ‘case’, couldn’t she have had more eggs harvested and impregnated by anonymous donor sperm at this point?


Jonathan Turley (Constitutional attorney) opined that Ms. Roman has very little chance of convincing the US Supreme Court to hear this case, as the Texas Supreme Court has ruled against her. He cited both the right-to-life/right-to-choose questions this case raises, as well as the contractual issues, namely that both parties (Randy & Augusta Roman) signed one agreeing that any embryos would not be used unless both parties agreed. That’s fairly clear cut to me ...


Chicago Police torture allegations: How outrageous is it that Anthony Holmes and Darrell Cannon spent decades in jail for crimes they didn’t commit, but confessed to after being severely tortured at the hands of former commander John Burge. If you watched “24” this past season, you probably saw what a torture victim looks like when a plastic bag is placed over his head – the ability to breathe is somewhat hampered!! And playing Russian Roulette with a loaded gun is automatically far beyond the torture (or terror) scale. And even though Burge has been found guilty of torture in a civil suit and fired by the Chicago Police Dept., the City must continue to defend him and pay out any judgments in five additional pending civil suits, because he was a City employee at the time of these incidents. Your tax dollars (once again) hard at work ...



Identity Theft: I’m going to admit this upfront – although I feel very bad for the family of Lisa Henson – especially with having to re-live the trauma of her disappearance because Esther Reed stole her identity (among other offenses) – I didn’t really pay all that close attention to this segment. This kind of story just isn’t that compelling (to me). But I wanted to mention it because (and here’s where my guilt kicks in) it gives me the opportunity to post this wonderful picture of Gary Tuchman with beautiful Montana mountains in the background!!!!


Raw Politics: Oh my – well, it’s official – and highly disappointing – but there will be no “Stephen Colbert” on the South Carolina Democratic Primary ballot. What’s interesting, though, is how much “buzz” this little grassroots venture has garnered in such a short time – the story was picked up yesterday on major news services (MSNBC, CNN, CBS, Yahoo, etc.) mere moments after the news broke. And it was the lead item this morning at AOL.com. Not bad for a “failed actor”, as Mr. Colbert has been described by Jon Friedman at MarketWatch. I did enjoy when Tom Foreman made sure to note that Mike Gravel was still on the Primary ballot – certainly a ‘shot’ at the SC Democratic Executive Committee!!


I’m looking forward to Soledad’s interview with Ron Paul tonight. He’s not your typical Republican, by any means. And it’s no fluke that he’s raised over $8 million dollars. Yes, a paltry sum in comparison to “chionophobic” Mitt Romney – much of which has come from his own coffers. What’s “chionophobia”, you ask? Fear of snow. ;-)



tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:

Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!