War Funding Bill Passes, Not Enough Soldiers, Raw Politics, Live From Greenland, And "60 Minutes" Story On Hospital Dumping (Thursday's First Hour)
Hi guys. Apparently I was wrong when I joked the other day that Anderson Cooper doesn't do cold because after I said that he jetted off to Greenland. Brrr! We've got John King holding down the fort while Anderson gets himself situated and we begin tonight with the BREAKING NEWS that both the House and Senate have passed that war funding bill sans timetables. So the democrats rolled over. Thanks for nothing, guys. Dana Bash then joins us with all the apparent drama that went down and she takes forever to inform us that both Obama and Clinton voted no. Wow. I actually wouldn't have guessed that of Clinton. I guess she's getting scared of the anti-war base. Of course if she thinks this will change everyone's mind she's got another thing coming. Anyway, Dana had to do some waiting herself because both Obama and Clinton waited until literally the very last moment to cast their votes and they didn't say which way they were voting beforehand. Doesn't really make you feel like they were sure of their votes, does it?
Next up we have a John King piece in which we learn Bush is painting this as a victory. However, he better hurry and party it up now because there's a September report from his top general looming. Also, some are already calling the surge a failure and even Bush himself is talking about restructuring what they're doing. In the piece Jon tells us "By that, Mr. Bush means less direct U.S. involvement in the sectarian violence in and around Baghdad, something the Iraq Study Group and other outside experts have long recommended." Oh, so now he wants to listen to the ISG. How long ago was that? No, here's a better question: how many of our troops have died since he ignored that report? Bush is apparently still all about Iraq though and in recent appearances he "mentioned Osama bin Laden 14 times, and al Qaeda at least 60 times." Hm, in any of those 14 times did he happen to mention where he is and when we'd be getting him? Bush also says that the US will pack up and leave as soon as the Iraqi government asks us to and I'm guessing they'll do that...right after we tell them they can.
Moving on to some discussion with democratic strategist Paul Begala and republican strategist Ed Rollins. John says it looks like Bush's celebrating won't last long and Ed agrees, but he's pleased with the bill. Paul thinks Bush looks tired. Wants him take a Vitamin or something apparently. Oh, and also he things he's not grounded in reality. Okay, perhaps wants him to take something a little stronger than a Vitamin. John then wants to know if the democrats blinked and for a republican strategist, Ed actually doesn't seem to play by the Rovian tactic of crushing your opponents into little pieces. He thinks the democrats made a statement and that's what they said they'd do. Lastly, John brings up how long it took Clinton and Obama to vote and he wonders if that was a very presidential move. Paul says no and thinks it might anger the anti-war crowd, which I'm guessing are the people they're trying to court with their no vote. What can I say, guys? Politics is hard. Get a helmet.
Transitioning now to a Jason Carroll "Keeping Them Honest" piece about how we don't have enough freaking troops! Okay, we all know about the recent missing soldiers, but you might not remember that last year there was also a search for soldiers that disappeared after an attack in the same area. The charge is that lessons are not being learned and if there were more troops in Iraq, especially in areas like the Triangle of Death, these kinds of things wouldn't happen. Recently audio depositions have been released that reveal soldiers complaining about the lack of people. They say they constantly asked for reinforcements, but got nothing. But, you know, they must be lying because Bush listens to the guys on the ground, remember? Okay, to be fair to Bush (and man do I hate doing that) it's possible this is the fault of the commanders and if that's the case, they need to be fired immediately because they don't have the integrity or courage to lead people who are giving their lives. All of this is so unbelieveably inexcusable there isn't even any more to say.
Next up we have some "Raw Politics" with Tom Foreman, but oh noes, he's frozen! Frozen in a hilarious pose I might add. Bwah! Sometimes technical difficulties are quite amusing. Luckily we've got Erica to the rescue and she brings us the latest installment of "What Were They Thinking?" Tonight's subject is the owner of a liquor store in Atlanta that just got busted for sellng cups of ice to go in his liquor store drive-thru. And if you think that's messed up, check out his quote: "When they come to the liquor store, buy a cup of ice, get a cup, most people -- I'm not saying all of them -- and, before they -- before they get home, they're going to drink and drive. They're going to do it the American way." The American way? What the hell? John then gives us a spelling lesson, calling the situation, "S-T-U-P-I-D." I'm pretty sure CNN is okay with that word, John.
Okay, now we're really on to "Raw Politics" with the recently unfrozen Tom Foreman. First up we learn a leaked memo says that Clinton is doing poorly in Iowa and should bail out. Yikes. And I bet she's also wondering who leaked that memo. Hey, remember in the republican debates when Giuliani called out Ron Paul for trying to explain the complexities of why the terrorists hate us? Well apparently Paul thinks Giuliani needs to do some learning on the subject and has recommended a book list. Yeah, Giuliani is going to get right on that...never. Tom also tells us that the recovering Jon Corzine has filmed a PSA about buckling up. I actually saw the whole thing and it's pretty powerful. Seriously people, if you're not wearing your seatbelt you're just being stupid. Or as John King would say, S-T-U-P-I-D. I know my seatbelt coupled with an airbag and my big puffy coat may very well have saved my life. Finally, Tom brings us more talk about a possible Fred Thompson run. And you know, this is serious stuff, so we're going to the magic Raw Politics eight-ball to see if the Law & Order star will go for it . All signs point to..."to be continued." Oh noes! It's a cliff hanger. Duh-duh!
Moving on now to Jeff Corwin live from Greenland, Swiss Camp specifically. He's standing on ice that's 3,000 feet thick, but that doesn't make what he's learning any less alarming. Because that ice is melting, people. At a dramatic rate. After Jeff we then flip to the eastern coast of Greenland, where Anderson is on the phone at Constable Point. It is unclear if this was the plan or if there were technical difficulites with a live shot. Anderson pretty much goes through a lot of the same stuff that Jeff did and notes that the maps of Greenland keep having to be redrawn because of the loss of ice. In fact, two years ago a whole island popped up, which they ironically now refer to as Warming Island. Anderson plans to go there next and hopefully we will actually be able to see him. Because otherwise he could totally be filing this stuff from his house and we'd never be the wiser.
Next up we have Anderson's "60 Minutes" piece on hospital dumping on Skid Row. The piece centers on a woman that was dumped by Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Hospital after being treated for a fall. She was left on Skid Row in just her hospital gown and then wandered around confused because according to hospital records, she was suffering from dementia. I wonder how they can just show us her records like that. Doesn't that violate HIPAA? Anyway, Skid Row is not a nice place and it's a no no for a hospital to just abandon a patient anywhere. In the piece Anderson takes a little trip to Skid Row and while there he tells us the police officer had to leave because "there was a stabbing a short time ago on this block. And he believes that the suspect in the stabbing is standing about 100 or 200 feet away from where I am right now." Well dude, maybe you should walk a little further down. We then learn that shelters in the area have installed "dumping cams" to catch the crimes on tape and Kaiser apologized for dumping the woman. Pshaw, whatever. Because you know what? A few months later it happened again, this time to paraplegic. The hospital claimed to be "shocked and outraged," and then blames poor communication of the staff. The hospital points out that their job is not to cure homelessness. How that gives them a pass for dumping people in the street, I do not know.
The Shot tonight is a toddler getting away from his mother and destroying beautiful sand art that Tibetan monks spend two days making at Kansas City's Union Station. Oh, bummer. But the monks are okay about it and say they'll just have to fix it. Aw, Tibetan monks are so cool. Another good show! Hmm, I don't know quite what to do with myself. I feel like I'm holding my breath just waiting for that next stupid celebrity/sensational story to break and take all the newsy goodness away. But for now...A-
Next up we have a John King piece in which we learn Bush is painting this as a victory. However, he better hurry and party it up now because there's a September report from his top general looming. Also, some are already calling the surge a failure and even Bush himself is talking about restructuring what they're doing. In the piece Jon tells us "By that, Mr. Bush means less direct U.S. involvement in the sectarian violence in and around Baghdad, something the Iraq Study Group and other outside experts have long recommended." Oh, so now he wants to listen to the ISG. How long ago was that? No, here's a better question: how many of our troops have died since he ignored that report? Bush is apparently still all about Iraq though and in recent appearances he "mentioned Osama bin Laden 14 times, and al Qaeda at least 60 times." Hm, in any of those 14 times did he happen to mention where he is and when we'd be getting him? Bush also says that the US will pack up and leave as soon as the Iraqi government asks us to and I'm guessing they'll do that...right after we tell them they can.
Moving on to some discussion with democratic strategist Paul Begala and republican strategist Ed Rollins. John says it looks like Bush's celebrating won't last long and Ed agrees, but he's pleased with the bill. Paul thinks Bush looks tired. Wants him take a Vitamin or something apparently. Oh, and also he things he's not grounded in reality. Okay, perhaps wants him to take something a little stronger than a Vitamin. John then wants to know if the democrats blinked and for a republican strategist, Ed actually doesn't seem to play by the Rovian tactic of crushing your opponents into little pieces. He thinks the democrats made a statement and that's what they said they'd do. Lastly, John brings up how long it took Clinton and Obama to vote and he wonders if that was a very presidential move. Paul says no and thinks it might anger the anti-war crowd, which I'm guessing are the people they're trying to court with their no vote. What can I say, guys? Politics is hard. Get a helmet.
Transitioning now to a Jason Carroll "Keeping Them Honest" piece about how we don't have enough freaking troops! Okay, we all know about the recent missing soldiers, but you might not remember that last year there was also a search for soldiers that disappeared after an attack in the same area. The charge is that lessons are not being learned and if there were more troops in Iraq, especially in areas like the Triangle of Death, these kinds of things wouldn't happen. Recently audio depositions have been released that reveal soldiers complaining about the lack of people. They say they constantly asked for reinforcements, but got nothing. But, you know, they must be lying because Bush listens to the guys on the ground, remember? Okay, to be fair to Bush (and man do I hate doing that) it's possible this is the fault of the commanders and if that's the case, they need to be fired immediately because they don't have the integrity or courage to lead people who are giving their lives. All of this is so unbelieveably inexcusable there isn't even any more to say.
Next up we have some "Raw Politics" with Tom Foreman, but oh noes, he's frozen! Frozen in a hilarious pose I might add. Bwah! Sometimes technical difficulties are quite amusing. Luckily we've got Erica to the rescue and she brings us the latest installment of "What Were They Thinking?" Tonight's subject is the owner of a liquor store in Atlanta that just got busted for sellng cups of ice to go in his liquor store drive-thru. And if you think that's messed up, check out his quote: "When they come to the liquor store, buy a cup of ice, get a cup, most people -- I'm not saying all of them -- and, before they -- before they get home, they're going to drink and drive. They're going to do it the American way." The American way? What the hell? John then gives us a spelling lesson, calling the situation, "S-T-U-P-I-D." I'm pretty sure CNN is okay with that word, John.
Okay, now we're really on to "Raw Politics" with the recently unfrozen Tom Foreman. First up we learn a leaked memo says that Clinton is doing poorly in Iowa and should bail out. Yikes. And I bet she's also wondering who leaked that memo. Hey, remember in the republican debates when Giuliani called out Ron Paul for trying to explain the complexities of why the terrorists hate us? Well apparently Paul thinks Giuliani needs to do some learning on the subject and has recommended a book list. Yeah, Giuliani is going to get right on that...never. Tom also tells us that the recovering Jon Corzine has filmed a PSA about buckling up. I actually saw the whole thing and it's pretty powerful. Seriously people, if you're not wearing your seatbelt you're just being stupid. Or as John King would say, S-T-U-P-I-D. I know my seatbelt coupled with an airbag and my big puffy coat may very well have saved my life. Finally, Tom brings us more talk about a possible Fred Thompson run. And you know, this is serious stuff, so we're going to the magic Raw Politics eight-ball to see if the Law & Order star will go for it . All signs point to..."to be continued." Oh noes! It's a cliff hanger. Duh-duh!
Moving on now to Jeff Corwin live from Greenland, Swiss Camp specifically. He's standing on ice that's 3,000 feet thick, but that doesn't make what he's learning any less alarming. Because that ice is melting, people. At a dramatic rate. After Jeff we then flip to the eastern coast of Greenland, where Anderson is on the phone at Constable Point. It is unclear if this was the plan or if there were technical difficulites with a live shot. Anderson pretty much goes through a lot of the same stuff that Jeff did and notes that the maps of Greenland keep having to be redrawn because of the loss of ice. In fact, two years ago a whole island popped up, which they ironically now refer to as Warming Island. Anderson plans to go there next and hopefully we will actually be able to see him. Because otherwise he could totally be filing this stuff from his house and we'd never be the wiser.
Next up we have Anderson's "60 Minutes" piece on hospital dumping on Skid Row. The piece centers on a woman that was dumped by Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Hospital after being treated for a fall. She was left on Skid Row in just her hospital gown and then wandered around confused because according to hospital records, she was suffering from dementia. I wonder how they can just show us her records like that. Doesn't that violate HIPAA? Anyway, Skid Row is not a nice place and it's a no no for a hospital to just abandon a patient anywhere. In the piece Anderson takes a little trip to Skid Row and while there he tells us the police officer had to leave because "there was a stabbing a short time ago on this block. And he believes that the suspect in the stabbing is standing about 100 or 200 feet away from where I am right now." Well dude, maybe you should walk a little further down. We then learn that shelters in the area have installed "dumping cams" to catch the crimes on tape and Kaiser apologized for dumping the woman. Pshaw, whatever. Because you know what? A few months later it happened again, this time to paraplegic. The hospital claimed to be "shocked and outraged," and then blames poor communication of the staff. The hospital points out that their job is not to cure homelessness. How that gives them a pass for dumping people in the street, I do not know.
The Shot tonight is a toddler getting away from his mother and destroying beautiful sand art that Tibetan monks spend two days making at Kansas City's Union Station. Oh, bummer. But the monks are okay about it and say they'll just have to fix it. Aw, Tibetan monks are so cool. Another good show! Hmm, I don't know quite what to do with myself. I feel like I'm holding my breath just waiting for that next stupid celebrity/sensational story to break and take all the newsy goodness away. But for now...A-
posted by eliza at 1:20 AM
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