advertisement

Nuthin' but 'Net

Hi. Lots of stuff on the 'net and in the papers today about the Bloomberg boomlet of the past 48 hours, plus a blogger unveils her identity and surprises some readers -- and more on videos by, and about, the presidential candidates.

Allahpundit at HotAir had some of the most pungent commentary on a possible Bloomberg bid.

And Salon's Tim Grieve points out that some recent polling among voters who know Bloomberg, Clinton and Giuliani might actually give the Bloomberg folks some pause.

Pollster John Zogby begs to differ.

CONTINUED »

Discuss (1 comments) Email this | Link to this

El Paso diarist

I've said in this space before that I have unending respect for the road warriors I see in airports -- the men and women with the roll-on suitcases and the thousand-yard stare. I fly a lot, but not as much as they do. Today we lived their life and learned their credo, having to do with the tragic state of commercial aviation: you can't get there from here. After a harrowing morning, starting in Newark, N.J., and a macabre series of unfortunate events, a combination of aircraft got us to El Paso, Texas -- where we will originate the broadcast tonight. My thanks to Steven, with Continental Airlines in Houston, for his extraordinary help today. He should run his own airline.

During the course of the half-hour tonight, we will walk from the United States into Mexico, and through our correspondents on the ground, we'll cover the immigration issue as best we can.

CONTINUED »

Discuss (31 comments) Email this | Link to this

Early Nightly, El Paso style

Discuss (8 comments) Email this | Link to this

Medal of honor: George E. 'Bud' Day

Every weekday for 110 straight days we will feature a different living recipient of the Medal of Honor. These are the men who have received their nation's highest military honor. Brian is a board member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. The words and photos are courtesy of Artisan Books, publishers of "Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty by Peter Collier with photographs by Nick Del Calzo.

GEORGE E. “Bud” DAY
Major, U.S. Air Force  Misty Forward Air Controller Squadron
George “Bud” Day was seventeen in late 1942 when he badgered his parents into allowing him to volunteer for the Marine Corps. He spent nearly three years in the South Pacific during World War II, then returned home, went to college, and got a law degree.
In 1950, he joined the Air National Guard. When he was called up for active duty a year later, he applied for pilot training and flew fighter jets during the Korean War. After being promoted to captain in 1955, he decided to become a “lifer” in the Air Force. 

CONTINUED »

Discuss (3 comments) Email this | Link to this

THE BROTHERHOOD

Firefighters all across this country paused today upon hearing that nine firefighters had died in a tragic fire in Charleston, S.C.  It's our lead story tonight.  It is the largest single loss of firefighters since Sept. 11, and should get the attention of every American.  As the local Chief put it today: flames robbed their department of 100 years of firefighting experience.

Jim Maceda will chronicle the good news/bad news of the "surge" in Iraq, Robert Bazell has an excellent follow-up to his own reporting on some of the wounded veterans from this war, and we'll continue our Texas-themed coverage this week with a hugely controversial construction project through that region of the country.

Andrea Mitchell will look at Hillary Clinton's pursuit of the women's vote, and Mark Potter will have our favorite story of the day out of the Vatican.

CONTINUED »

Discuss (12 comments) Email this | Link to this

Girl talk

I had the opportunity last week to travel to a suburb of Philadelphia with correspondent Andrea Mitchell and producer Doug Adams to find out what some women voters really think of Hillary Clinton and her candidacy for president. You'll see the story on tonight's broadcast.

We sat down at a local restaurant -- the West Avenue Grill in Jenkintown, Pa. --  with four women who differed on everything from their politics to their dinner orders. One thing they could all agree on was that the country is ready for a woman president. But whether or not Hillary Clinton is the woman for the job really depends on who you ask.

Stay-at-home mom Carol Shenk is a lifelong Republican who vote for George Bush in the past two elections. Like the majority of the country, she's unhappy with the war in Iraq and would now consider voting Democratic. But she's still holding out for a mystery candidate to come out of the GOP woodwork. "I don’t think the real candidate is out there yet," she told Andrea, laughing. "I think somebody is going to come forward."

CONTINUED »

Discuss (4 comments) Email this | Link to this

Wounds of war revisited

On tonight’s broadcast we continue the series called Wounds of War. We are following some of the troops we first saw treated in combat hospitals in Iraq earlier in the year as they undergo treatment in the United States.  I want to add a personal note here.  The opportunity to cover this story in the detail I’ve been allowed  has been, and I look forward to it continuing to be, one of the greatest privileges of my career.  The bravery and sense of duty of our troops as well as the dedication and compassion of the doctors, nurses and medics who care for them far exceeds anything I could have imagined before I witnessed it all personally.

Of course know there are problems. In today's dispatch of my regular column appearing on MSNBC'com's health page, I detail the twin curses of the enormous numbers of brain injuries and the lack of preparedness for the long-term care of all sorts of wounds that so many veterans will require.  The system is simply overwhelmed.  I also point out why former Senator Bob Dole, who is co-chair of the commission set up to address these problems, should have the motivation to make things right.  We’ll be watching.  I look forward to following these soldier’s and medic’s  stories for the duration of  the war and long afterward

Discuss (2 comments) Email this | Link to this

Medal of Honor: Sammy L. Davis

Every weekday for 110 straight days we will feature a different living recipient of the Medal of Honor. These are the men who have received their nation's highest military honor. Brian is a board member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. The words and photos are courtesy of Artisan Books, publishers of "Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty by Peter Collier with photographs by Nick Del Calzo.

SAMMY L. DAVIS
Private First Class, U.S. Army  Battery C, 2nd
Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division
Sammy Davis took some ribbing in the Army because he shared a name with the famous entertainer. Much later, long after his military days were over, he would again gain some acclaim among his old comrades, this time as the “real” Forrest Gump.

Davis enlisted in the Army directly out of high school in 1966. Volunteering for the artillery because his father had been an artilleryman in World War II, he was assigned to the 4th Artillery. Soon after completing training, he asked to be sent to Vietnam.

CONTINUED »

Discuss (1 comments) Email this | Link to this

Early Nightly is up

Discuss (0 comments) Email this | Link to this

Nuthin' but 'Net

Hi. Today's offerings are all about politics.. the politics of the war in Iraq, the politics of U.S. Iran policy, the politics of politics, and at the end, a little political music.

The Democratic presidential candidates appeared at a forum in Washington this morning and Chris Matthews asked them what is their specific exit strategy for Iraq?
Salon's Tim Grieve rounds up the answers.

CONTINUED »

Discuss (0 comments) Email this | Link to this