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By Mark Kilmer Posted in Elections — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Everyone is sure what happened Friday, but only one side agrees with Fitzgerald's characterization of the events he directed.

On MTP, former chief of staff to President Reagan said of President Bush: "Every second term President deserves a mulligan."

On FNS, Senator Chris Dodd labeled as "terribly naïve" those of us, including Fitzgerald, who think Friday's indictment had nothing to do with Iraq. He said Rove will be indicted, but Robert Ray on the same show later disagreed. Appearing with Ray, defense attorney Bill Taylor said that investigating attorneys don't like to do things piecemeal.

FTN Host Bob Schieffer ran his show as a commercial for this evening's 60 Minutes, in which Ed Bradley interviews Joe Wilson. Schieffer insisted that Friday's indictment was all about the war in Iraq, as Wilson insists, and Cheney's concerted effort to out Plame.

Lindsey Graham countered that Cheney was reacting to Wilson's bogus assertion that the veep had recruited him for the trip to Niger.

Chuck Schumer on FTN demanded a nominee "in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor." Graham said he wasn't going to get one simply by demanding.

On LE, Arlen Specter spoke of a "woman's right to choooose," and Al Haig laughed at Wolf Blitzer. Sam Brownback appeared presidential opposite a bitter Madelyn Albright.

On TW, George Stephanopoulos allowed Harry Reid to say whatever he wished, unchallenged.

Read the show-by-show reviews beneath the fold…

CHIEFS OF STAFF ON MTP. Scooter Libby was indicted, in part, because his recollection differed from that of several reporters. One of those reporters is NBC's Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, who decided to ask former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein, former Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta, and former Carter chief of staff Hamilton Jordan about this. Oh, and Presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

Russert played clips of President Bush and Vice President Cheney promising to restore honesty and integrity to the Oval Office, suggesting that this indictment proves that they did not.

Duberstein said that President Bush has three months before the State of the Union to "go on the offensive." He stated that the President needs to select a "consensus candidate" for the Supreme Court, one capable of receiving 65-70 votes in the Senate. The President needs to focus on foreign policy, Duberstein argued, and on federal spending. No Hail Mary, he said; the President must use "the old Vince Lombardi strategy" of "three yards and a cloud of dust."

SHAKE IT UP. Duberstein later said that the President "needs to bring in two or three people," new to his staff, who "can talk reality with him." Bring in fresh people, remove the hubris and arrogance of the second term: "Every second term President deserves a mulligan."

Duberstein: "Ronald Reagan understood that the far right doesn't always want to be satisfied. They want to raise money on their discontent." (That is a shallow phrasing, good for a sound bite, but there is a kernel which is true.)

Jimmy Carter's Hamilton Jordan tossed out an overdone sentiment when he said that there is a far right and a far left, but everyone seems to "forget about the people in the middle."

Beschloss suggested that the President now find something dear to him and concentrate on it. Reagan decided, he said, "Now I'm going to concentrate on my legacy." The last two years were spent ending the cold war, and that's how Beschloss argues that history remembers the President.

Russert asked Beschloss if Bush can "come back." Beschloss answered: "Absolutely." He then posited that Clinton came back, which is patently false. Deservedly or not, Clinton lived the dying days of his second term with and is remembered for one main thing, and he left the White House in a cloud of pardons, illegal gifts, and White House sabotage by staff.

DODD AND LOTT ON FNS. Host Chris Wallace's first guests on FOX News Sunday were Senators Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) and Trent Lott (R-Mississippi). Dodd arguef that the indictments were not the end of the scandal: "If our standard is just criminality, we'll never get to the bottom of this." He argued, in essence, that the Bush Administration is corrupt.

Wallace played a clip of Patrick Fitzgerald stating clearly that the indictments said nothing about the war in Iraq and/or the way we got there. Dodd answered that they did so, and that the prosecutor had to deal only in "legalities." The veep, he insisted, was the leader of the "effort to get us into war with Iraq." For one to think this is not about Iraq, Dodd proclaimed, one must be "terribly naïve."

Senator Lott said that people (Democrats) will try to drag Dick Cheney into this, but "they will fail miserably."

Of Harriet Miers, Lott said that there were "concerns" about her qualifications for the Supreme Court, but he promised that a strong nominee this time would change the focus to the new nominee. (Duberstein's "mulligan.") The President "must show action now."

Dodd seemed to find the recent problems to be amusing. "It was Republicans, extreme Right, that did her in," he said. Gone is the old line that every candidate deserves an up-or-down vote. Gone is the assertion of executive privilege. "All bets are off about the old standards," Lott Dodd insisted, referring to the failed nominee as "Harriet Wood." (He might have been thinking of Clinton's second choice – after Zoe Baird -- to be his attorney general, Kimba Wood. Both Clinton candidates had hired illegal aliens as household staff. Miers has not.)

Dodd thinks Fitzgerald will indict Karl Rove.

Dodd thinks the President should shakeup his staff, but he concedes that it is the President's call. To get back on track, the President needs to do something about Medicare, etc., and "change course in Iraq." (I'm not certain if he wants the President to start preventing the Iraqis from holding elections, working on their constitution, providing security, and governing themselves. Maybe set up a police state in Iraq under the thumb of Dodd's foreign policy guru, Joe Biden.)

Dodd thinks the President should nominate someone to the Court whom everyone will like. Lott thinks the President should nominate a "highly qualified" conservative – which modifier we assume excludes Harriet – who "will [then] be confirmed overwhelmingly."

Lott did not call for a shakeup of staff, but he said that they should always look for new and qualified people to serve in an Administration.

TAYLOR AND RAY ON FNS. Host Wallace next spoke with former independent counsel Robert Ray and defense attorney Bill Taylor about Fitzmas. When asked about a plea bargain, Ray said that "this is going to go on for months," and that Patrick Fitzgerald will always be looking for any additional info Libby might want to give him on Rove. He suggested, though, that Libby might want to exercise his right to keep quiet and simply fight the charges.

Taylor explained that investigating attorneys "don't like to do things piecemeal," that if there were to be a an indictment of Karl Rove, it probably would have been done simultaneously with that of Scooter Libby.

Ray disagreed with Dodd's conviction that Rove will be indicted, talking of Fitzgerald's "body language." Said Ray: "I don't think Mr. Rove is in serious jeopardy any longer."

GRAHAM AND SCHUMER ON FTN. Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer seemed confused about what happened Friday. He opened his show by announcing "a secret war" between the White House and the CIA over pre-war Iraq intelligence which caused the cover of an undercover CIA agent to be blown in an act of revenge. He played a clip of Ed Bradley's interview with former State Department employee Joe Wilson, wherein Wilson complains that his wife lost her livelihood because the White House wanted to punish him.

Schieffer introduced Senators Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Lindsey Graham (R-New York), the latter of whom he indicated "argued the case for impeachment at President Clinton's trial." (Clinton was impeached before the trial, but we won't split journalistic hairs.)

Schieffer wanted to know from Graham if Scooter Libby had damaged our national security by leaking Valerie Plame's identity as a covert CIA agent. Graham answered that Libby had not been charged with that.

Schumer said that while the evidence didn't meet the standards for the leak indictment, it was still "wrong to put her at risk." He argued that with all these things happening, the White House "has run out of steam." He said that Bush could be like either Nixon or Reagan. Nixon, he said, "hunkered down," admitted no wrong doing, and surrounded himself with true believers. Reagan, Schumer argued, admitted his mistakes and opened the White House to refreshing new people.

Graham said that he believes that if Fitzgerald were going to indict Rove, he would have done so Friday. He added that this was not about the war in Iraq.

Schieffer snapped: "Well let me ask Senator Schumer." He pointed out that Chuckie is a lawyer, too.

Schumer said that it was an "ongoing investigation," and that Cheney had set up an operation with its "ongoing mission" being to discredit Joe Wilson. He called on the President to appoint a "non-political person" to investigate Cheney independently and punish Cheney accordingly.

Graham explained that Joe Wilson had written an Op/Ed piece claiming that Vice President Cheney had sent him to Niger. The Veep simply "wanted to set the record straight."

Schieffer indicated that the two front runners for the Supreme Court nomination were Judges Sam Alito and Mike Luttig. Jan Greenburg, the Chicago Tribune's Court reporter, asked Schumer if he would filibuster either. "It's too soon to tell," said Chuck, and he went into his bit about "mainstream conservatives" and the "hardcore right wing" which wants to take away people's rights. He said the President could choose someone refreshing, "in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor," or he could "hunker down with the right wing."

Greenburg sought something solid, that Schumer would not rule out a filibuster. Schumer said that a filibuster was possible, as the President could nominate someone out of the "conservative mainstream."

Graham countered that as much as he likes Chuck, he's not going to let him define the "conservative mainstream." He reminded that the President had said that he liked justices like Scalia and Thomas: "He's not going to pick someone in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor just because they say he has to."

Graham said that he joined the Gang of 14 because he abhors the judicial filibuster. He said that its use "overturns an election." As he understood it, he said, an "extraordinary circumstance" allowing for a filibuster under the Gang of 14 agreement was something to do with a nominee's character or background, not ideology.

ARLEN SPECTER ON LE. Wolf Blitzer, host of CNN's Late Edition, chatted with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania). Wolf first wanted to talk Fitzmas. Specter agreed that Karl Rove is free and clear "at this moment." He also argued that we're forgetting the presumption of innocence.

Wolf cited Harry Reid's demand earlier today that Karl Rove be fired for merely mentioning Plame. Specter said that "talk against Karl Rove is political only."

He argued on letting the case be tried: "This is only one phase of the process, and there's going to be a trial."

Wolf played Howard Dean talking about a "deeper issue" and BUSH LIED™. Specter laughed that Dean was being "outrageously political," and that Fitzgerald erased that line better than he could. It has "nothing to do with this indictment," Specter averred.

Specter believes Harriet Miers's troubles were "an avalanche" of negativity. She was tried, he said, in press conferences and on talk radio, not at her hearing.

Specter wouldn't comment on the possibility of an announcement tomorrow, but said it appeared "imminent." He said that the President had not taken him up on his recommendation, which is "to let Justice O'Conner serve her term." Part of his reasoning for the suggestion, he said, is that we're not sure how Chief Justice Roberts will vote.

He talked of "a woman's right to choooose," and the "anti-Roe" people "wanting a guarantee," and "the other side wanting assurances that a woman's right to choose will be protected."

He would not come down either way on Judge Alito.

ALEXANDER HAIG ON LE. Former Reagan Secretary of State Alexander Haig was Blitzer's next guest on CNN's Late Edition. General Haig was also Nixon's Chief of Staff, and Blitzer asked him if this were a White House in crisis. Haig sees "manifestations of paranoia," battling failed State Department employees (Wilson) and trying to set the record straight.

The charge, Haig emphasized, was outing Plame: "But that was never proven." He said that perjury would be a crime "if there is an intention for it to be a crime," which is why he is confident Libby will be acquitted. He praised Fitzgerald, but noted that "he didn't lay a finger on anyone" with regards to the war or outing Plame, "who was really a bureaucrat" and not a 007 double supersecret covert op.

"During this period, she was a member of the administrative staff."

Blitzer tried to argue this. Haig said that she did not fit the criteria for an Op, and he blamed part of her outing on Joe Wilson, who had loose lips. Blitzer wanted an accusation, but Haig explained that he "has as much evidence that he [Wilson] called her a CIA girl" as they have that this had anything to do with the war. Blitzer demanded to know particulars about Wilson outing Plame, and Haig explained that they've both read it. Blitzer wanted it specifically before Novak's column. He wanted to believe that Haig was making a charge of some sort.

Haig referred to the matter as "highly political," and he called a staff shakeup something "up to the President."

As this ended, Haig was laughing at the host.

ALBRIGHT AND BROWNBACK ON LE. Wolf next spoke with former Clinton State Sec Madeline Albright and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), who will be working together for human rights. Madeline is "troubled" by the way the President is projecting this country internationally. She said that it is very different than Clinton's scandals, in that this time, it has international implications. Clinton's, she argued, never affected our foreign policy. (But it sure did!)

Brownback said that it's a serious matter, the legal process will do its thing, but we have "to continue to maintain a robust domestic and foreign policy." Blitzer suggested that Libby's trial will ultimately be about the Iraq war. Brownback said he didn't know, we haven't found WMD, but it's important for Iraq to be free. "We did find terrorist working on that [Iraqi] soil." He pointed out that 2,000 soldiers have given their lives on this "very important war on terror."

Albright said that "this was a war of choice, not necessity." Blitzer tried to goad her into proclaiming that BUSH LIED™, but she said only that the greater indictment than Libby's was the indictment of the President's handling of the war.

Brownback wants a "very aggressive stance towards Syria," condemning them for their role in terrorism. He called Assad junior's regime "very weakened."

Brownback, sounding presidential, said that "we must be successful in that region" or we will spawn more terrorism.

Blitzer pointed out that some Democrats believe we should "cut and run" (his words) in Iraq, Albright said that she's not one of those Dems, but she wants to take a tactical approach and a "broader humanitarian approach," alleviating the causes of terrorism.

STEPH AND JOHN CORNYN. ABC's This Week host George Stephanopoulos talked to Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of Harriet Miers's most fervent supporters. In describing him at the beginning of the show, Steph referred to Cornyn as "the President's Senator."

Steph played a clip of the President promising high standards for his White. With Bush's low poll results (39% approval in an ABC News poll this morning), Steph asked, is he failing to meet this standard? Cornyn pointed out that Fitzgerald's investigation had not found anything regarding the alleged leak. Steph cited Representative Tom Davis as saying that Libby was a criminal. Cornyn said this was premature. Steph wanted to know if the President should promise not to pardon Libby. Cornyn again said that this was premature.

Steph went after Rove. Steph asked Cornyn if Rove can be "disciplined" for misleading White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and thus the country. Cornyn said that he wasn't privy to their conversations.

Steph read from, he said, Time Magazine, with an Administration official telling Newsweek that they believe Karl Rove "behaved unethically." Steph indicated that now the Administration itself was turning on Rove.

Senator Cornyn said that when elections are won by a few percentage points, "you have to have your base behind your pitch." He said that it wasn't there for Miers. The Senator lamented that unfortunately, it seems now that one has to have a judicial record to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Cornyn said that he would "take the call" if the White House wanted to nominate him, but that hasn't happen and he does not expect it to happen.

Steph asked him about the conservatism of Judge Samuel Alito of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, and Cornyn said that from what he's read about the judge, he seems to be "from that mold." Cornyn suggested selecting a female "should be a consideration," after the quality of the nominee.

HARRY REID ON TW. Steph next talked to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), who declared that he and Steph have to look at this "not as we look at it, but as the American people." He described himself as "disenchanted" and "dejected" by all the GOP scandals – listing DeLay, Frist, Rove, Libby, etc. – the "intractable war" costing $2-billion/ week, high gas prices. It's "cumulative," he said.

His disappointment, he said, "is manifold." He attacked the President and the Vice President for praising Libby. Reid demanded an apology from the President, and he further demanded that Karl Rove should resign.

Steph repeated the "NO PARDONS PLEDGE" called for by Pennsylvania's Democrat Senate candidate Bob Casey, junior. Reid agreed and indicated that "this shows what kind of great Senator" junior will be. (He's running against Rick Santorum.)

Harry Reid accused the Administration of declaring WMD and al Qaeda ties for Iraq. Anybody who disagreed was "taken to the cleaners." Joe Wilson and his wife, Reid insisted, were "taken to the cleaners."

Reid said that "integrity and honest mean nothing to this White House." We have debt "as far as the eye can see," he said, when the President "inherited a surplus."

He said that Harriet Miers deserved a "fair hearings," and that she was driven out by the far right.

Steph asked him about Judge Mike Luttig of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Reid said that Luttig "wouldn't be at the top of my list, he wouldn't be at the middle of my list." He held up John Roberts as evidence that the Dems can give a fair hearing.

Steph asked if 22 Dems wouldn't vote against any Republican nominee, and Reid said that the "American people should see these nominees… on C-SPAN." Reid cited former Republican Senator Jack Danforth of Missouri as declaring that "these nominees do not reflect the Republican Party."

Reid said that "the President should come forward with some middle-of-the-road candidate," but he complained that Karl Rove still runs the White House and is looking for a fight to distract from the White House's many problems.

Steph did not challenge Reid once during this interview.

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Have at it!