Punditwatch

2005-04-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

Special to Bacon's Rebellion, "Report from Potts Country" by J. Chadwick WorthingtonMiddleburg is the hardscrabble area of Northern Virginia. Over the lush rolling hills, punctuated only by an occasional fence, horse barn or mansion, farmers struggle mightily to make a living off the land. It is futile. Most must take work in the teeming DC suburbs as technology CEOs, attorneys, lobbyists, or

2003-03-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

Stand DownOur nation is at war and the conditions on the battlefield are constantly in flux. It is difficult to gather and process the information needed for a meaningful situation analysis. Therefore, it is almost impossible to provide informed opinions and assessments at his early stage of the conflict. Punditwatch is not going to grasp at the ether of pundit speculation and opinion on this

2003-03-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

Pundits Grapple With Breaking War NewsThe Sunday pundits normally look back at events of the past week, providing interpretation and analysis with the benefit of days or hours to prepare before going on camera. With war in Iraq raging, this weekend’s pundit shows became almost indistinguishable from 24/7 coverage as they moved to “expanded” editions. Events that broke as the shows aired were

2003-03-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

“Cheney Rations” Issued on Sunday ShowsAs President Bush flew off for a final round of diplomacy in the Azores, Vice-President Dick Cheney reprised his rare, but critical role as the Administration’s ultimate “go to guy.” Cheney sat for the full hour on Meet the Press and for a shorter stint on Face the Nation. It was his first Sunday appearance since September 8, 2002. His profile has been

2003-03-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Administration Heavyweights Complete President’s Press ConferenceSecretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice hit the talk shows to amplify President Bush’s terse answers at his Thursday night press conference. When all was said and done, little was added to the President’s words. Secretary Powell, although non-committal, said he thought the US had “a strong

2003-03-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

Anti-War Side Wins 'Most Improved' AwardLast week’s Sunday shows featured anti-war Hollywood activists and a marginal presidential candidate. The reviews were decidedly mixed, so this week’s anti-war guests were a more serious lot and the debates proved more illuminating. Gone were actress Susan Sarandon, comedienne Janeane Garafolo, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In their place were Win

2003-02-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

Anti-War Leaders Make Their CaseThe conventional wisdom among most pundits is that Bush hasn’t made “the case” for a war against Iraq. The Sunday shows demonstrated that the anti-war forces don’t make a particularly compelling case, either. When the questioning gets tough, “peace” advocates change the subject. Someone else in the world is as bad as Saddam, a war will cost too much, or a war

2003-02-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

Sunday Guests Battle Snow, QuestionsNeither snow, nor sleet nor freezing rain could stop Administration officials from their appointed rounds on the Sunday pundit shows. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge braved the elements to answer anti-war marches, UN recalcitrance, and runs on duct tape. After last week’s bravura performance by Secretary of

2003-02-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

Powell's Good Week, Saddam's Bad“Two people had terrible weeks this week: Michael Jackson with his interview and Saddam Hussein,” was NPR’s Juan Williams summary on Fox News Sunday. Thankfully, weekend pundits did not explore Michael Jackson’s difficulties. Instead, they concentrated on Saddam Hussein’s bad week, the result Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the UN. Mara Liasson

2003-02-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

Columbia Freezes Partisan DebatesA national tragedy freezes public debate on contentious issues. This phenomenon is due in large part to respect for the victims, but also an uncertainty about how a wounded public might react to early comments on sensitive subjects. The Sunday shows largely jettisoned their planned political guests in favor of those who could try to help Americans understand the

2003-01-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Pundits Pass on PreviewPresident Bush gives his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, but pundits largely passed on a preview of his remarks. It was hard to blame them. Only Chief of Staff Andrew Card was trotted out to produce a well-spun peek at the President’s proposals. Super Bowl weekend spinning cannot be a popular assignment. Meet the Press host Tim Russert roughed Card up on

2003-01-19T14:21:00.000-05:00

Michigan Debate Leads Peace MarchesPresident Bush’s position on the University of Michigan affirmative action case and weekend demonstrations against war in Iraq topped the pundit agenda. Discussions about Iraq and the peace marches with Secretary of State Colin Powell on Face the Nation and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice on Meet the Press were almost routine preliminaries before

2003-01-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

Frist Debuts as Sunday StarNewly elected Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, split his debut as top-drawer Sunday guest with Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday. The two shows dueled over whether their interview with Frist was an “exclusive” or the “first,” but feisty Fox News Sunday host Tony Snow showed side-by-side stills of Frist appearing on each show. Frist wore a red tie on one show

2003-01-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

Partisan Politics Delights PunditsIf the first weekend of 2003 is any indication, this will be a banner year for partisan punditry. Partisan political divisions were front and center on economic and foreign policy issues, helped along by the mounting number of candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. President Bush, always vulnerable on domestic issues is no longer immune to

2002-12-29T14:07:00.000-05:00

Peripatetic Powell Pacifies PunditsSecretary of State Colin Powell appeared on every major Sunday talk show to address the gathering storm over North Korea. On Meet the Press and Face the Nation, the issue seemed to be semantic—is this a crisis? Powell preferred to call it a “matter of great concern” on Meet the Press. Senators Joe Biden (D, DE) and Richard Lugar (R, IN), also on Meet the

2002-12-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

A Lott to Let Go Before FristingDemocrats and Democrat-leaning pundits enjoyed the Trent Lott scandal and had difficulty letting go after Lott’s resignation as Majority Leader on Friday. Syndicated columnist Mark Shields started the pundit weekend by raising the Confederate flag issue on The News Hour. The Weekly Standard’s David Brooks called Shields’ charge that the issue was used in Georgia

2002-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

Pundit Shows: Lott Jury and Flogging PostA Bob Schieffer question on Face the Nation said everything anyone needed to know about the weekend talk shows. Senator Joe Biden, D-Del, just back from a tour of the explosive Gulf States region, was greeted this way by host Schieffer: “Obviously, the first thing we have to ask about is Trent Lott.” The shows were almost wall-to-wall jury verdicts on

2002-12-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

Issues Overwhelm PunditsSo many issues, so little time. The weekend pundit shows covered a wide range of issues that normally might individually consume an entire program. Iraq’s declaration to the UN, which Senator Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn, called a “12,000 page, 100 pound lie” on Fox News Sunday. The Friday resignation/firing of Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill and Economic Advisor Larry

2002-12-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Real News and Pundit NewsSome shows see news as it is and ask, “Why?” Other shows see news they’d rather cover and say, “Why not?” Fox News Sunday and This Week covered the big news of the week—inspections in Iraq, new terror attacks, and the naming of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as Chairman and former Senator George Mitchell as Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission. Meet the

2002-11-24T14:13:00.000-05:00

In a Muddle, Saudis Rise to the TopThe weekend pundit shows were a muddle of issues, but breaking news about another potential financial connection between the Saudi Arabian government and terrorists was the most compelling story. Smooth Saudi spinner and foreign policy advisor Adel Al-Jubeir was the star of this story, appearing on Face the Nation and This Week. Usually clad in a western style

2002-11-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ladies Lead Pundit HighlightsAn “All Ladies” Meet the Press was the highlight of the pundit weekend. Competition was weak: Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge appeared on both Fox News Sunday and This Week to calm fears about conflicting terror warnings and worries that an intrusive domestic spy operation is being contemplated. Three Senators appeared on Face the Nation to meander around

2002-11-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

Iraq Is Back, Introspection Isn’tThe return of Iraq as an issue for the weekend talk shows limited the time available for discussion of Tuesday’s voting. With few exceptions, pundits didn’t waste any of that limited time reviewing their failure to accurately predict the Republican tide. Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and White House Chief of Staff

2002-11-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

Pundits Pick, PuntThe weekend talk shows were exclusively about Tuesday’s elections. Neither snipers, weapons of mass destruction (unless we’re talking negative ads), nor Israeli politics impinged on wall to wall discussion and prognostication. Capital Gang had the most disciplined approach, requiring each gang member to make predictions on every tight race. Other shows allowed pundits to “

2002-10-23T18:29:00.000-04:00

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2002-10-05T09:58:00.000-04:00

October Surprise: Punditwatch is pursuing other opportunities during October. This feature will return on November 3d. Thanks for your support.

2002-09-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

Pundits Ponder PartisanshipPartisan bickering over Iraq was at fever pitch last week and the Sunday pundits reacted in varied ways. Punditwatch’s NBC affiliate reacted by pre-empting Meet the Press for Ryder Cup Coverage, perhaps sending a subliminal message about multi-lateralism. ABC’s This Week had the most controversial coverage. Host George Stephanopolous interviewed Congressmen Jim

2002-09-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

Iraq and Making Way for PoliticsWith 45 days until the mid-term elections but Iraq still dominating the headlines, pundits were in a box for the Sunday shows. Ever resourceful, the pundits used Iraq and the proposed congressional resolution authorizing force to transition into a discussion of the fall political landscape. Most pundits and their guests agreed that the president would get

2002-09-16T13:30:00.000-04:00

Punditwatch Follow-Up: Howard Kurtz and TNROnce again, Punditwatch submitted questions to Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post and CNN when he was live on Media Backtalk: Midlothian, Va.: Howard, what's your quick review of George Stephanopolous' debut as sole host of "This Week?" I thought it was pretty pedestrian and he seemed less sure-footed than when he was working with Sam and Cokie.

2002-09-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

Scowcroft's New Tune“I think the president is pursuing a brilliant bit of diplomacy.” With those words on Meet the Press, Brent Scowcroft, who arguably ignited the debate over Iraq back in August, made the essential pundit point of the weekend. President Bush’s speech to the United Nations totally changed the political landscape. Internationally, the focus is now on the United Nations, not the

2002-09-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

Pundits Look Forward, Look BackSurprisingly, the weekend pundit shows did not overindulge in sentimentality over the upcoming anniversary of 9/11. They essentially combined the major issue of the day—Iraq—with a state of the nation look at America one year after the terrorist attack. The big administration guns were out in force: Vice-President Dick Cheney for the full hour on Meet the Press;

2002-09-01T14:19:00.000-04:00

Two Debates for the Labor Day Kick-OffLabor Day is traditionally the start of the fall election campaign and the pundits honored that hoary convention, but they also took the debate on Iraq to a new level. The trickle of current and ex-officials jumping into the Iraq fray turned into a flood last week, as Vice President Cheney gave speeches, Secretary of State Colin Powell gave an interview to

2002-08-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

Sharpton Enters the Russert PrimaryThe Rev. Al Sharpton finally got his Meet the Press interview Sunday, a part of the “Tim Russert Primary” phenomena. Russert had, in previous weeks, interviewed a host of potential contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, introducing them to viewers and gently probing their strengths and weaknesses. In a burst of honesty, Russert introduced his

2002-08-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

Bush v. Bush“Family Feud” came back to television on the weekend pundit shows. The battle for President George W. Bush’s soul on foreign policy became personal as his father’s closest advisors—and perhaps President Bush the Elder himself—debated the wisdom of invading Iraq. Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor in the first Bush Administration, started the debate with an

2002-08-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

War, Economic Upheaval, and PestilenceWeekend pundits tackled the usual apocalyptic topics: potential war with Iraq and the lingering economic upheaval caused by corporate scandals. Face the Nation added pestilence to the mix, doing a segment on the West Nile virus outbreak. Politics reared its ugly head, too, as pundits feasted on Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe’s fiery speech

2002-08-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

Democrats Appear as Statesmen, Minus The TorchIt was a Democratic Senators weekend on the Sunday talk shows. Senator Joseph Biden (D, DE), was lead guest on Meet the Press; Joe Lieberman (D, CT) led Fox News Sunday; Carl Levin appeared with Chuck Hagel (R, NE) on Face the Nation; and Tom Daschle (D, SD) appeared before Trent Lott (R, MI) on This Week. Most of the conversations were about

2002-07-28T14:08:00.000-04:00

AWOL O’Neill Surrenders to PunditsThere was something surreal about Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill’s three appearances (Meet the Press, Fox News Sunday, and Face the Nation) on the Sunday talk shows. O’Neill, long ago written off by the pundits as an Administration non-entity, was brought in to respond to criticism that he has been, well, a non-entity during the recent corporate scandals and

2002-07-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

Kurtz Endorses Punditwatch and Other MattersHoward Kurtz of the Washington Post was answering questions online again, offering Punditwatch a chance to check his work against one of the big time media critics. Here are the questions I submitted that he took and answered, along with a note or two: Shockoe Slip, Va.: The New Republic online has a weekly feature on the Sunday talk shows, as does

2002-07-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

Dow Falls, Politics Rises The politics of a falling Dow dominated the weekend pundit shows. There were no new corporate scandals reported this past week, removing SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt and CEOs as punching bags for the pundits. Pundits turned instead to the political blame game for the Dow’s slide and speculation on its effect on the November elections. Homeland security was a distant

2002-07-14T14:48:00.000-04:00

Pundits Become Better Business BureauDoes a bear market take business to the woodshed? The Sunday talk shows were all business scandal, almost all of the time. It was 48 minutes into Meet the Press before Tim Russert briefly mentioned another issue that might be important—war with Iraq. It was 33 minutes into This Week before George Stephanopolous did. Pundit of the Week was Nightline

2002-07-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

Bush’s Birthday Weekend CelebratedIt was President Bush’s birthday weekend, but his staff got the gift. No member of the administration appeared on the Sunday talk shows. Pundits gingerly explored Democratic efforts to get traction against the President on business scandals, unrest in Afghanistan, and a possible pre-emptive strike against Iraq. There were two notable firework displays. On NBC

2002-06-30T13:51:00.000-04:00

Pundits Rip Arafat and Big Business, But Are We Stuck With Them?Yasser Arafat’s cloudy future and the political impact of corporate scandals led the weekend talk shows. Vouchers and the Pledge of Allegiance flap were distant also-rans. Soccer and an infomercial pre-empted This Week in my area, so no report on Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate, who was a guest on their rotating roundtable.

2002-06-13T20:25:00.000-04:00

Punditwatch Is On VacationHe'll return, tanned, ready and rested, on June 30th.

2002-06-09T16:25:00.000-04:00

Bush Plan Is Pundit PaydayWill VehrsPresident Bush’s call for a cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security was a weekend pundit bonanza. Add juicy quotes in an Esquire interview from plan architect and defender Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff, and the pundits were flush with the tools of their trade: angles, plots, and sub-texts. Was Bush’s announcement merely an effort to divert

2002-06-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

Mueller Takes the Stand, Ashcroft is Character WitnessWill VehrsFBI Director Robert Mueller, battered all week by embarassing revelations and calls for his resignation, took the stand for the first time on Sunday talk shows to defend himself. Mueller appeared on Meet the Press and Face the Nation. Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared on Fox News Sunday and This Week to vouch for Mueller, not

2002-05-26T13:03:00.000-04:00

Daschle, Russert Duel to a DrawWill VehrsTim Russert asked tough questions and Tom Daschle changed the subject. That was the highlight of the Sunday talk shows. The major issue was the potential for an independent commission to investigate intelligence failures prior to September 11, along with the sub-text of since withdrawn Democratic criticism of what the President knew. The other top issue

2002-05-19T13:23:00.000-04:00

When the Going Gets Tough, Cheney Gets Going to the Talk ShowsWill VehrsThe surest sign that the Bush Administration senses political trouble is when Vice-President Cheney is making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows. After a week of explosive charges and countercharges—Mara Liasson said “It was so ferocious they got Laura Bush from Europe issuing a statement about politics”—a stern and

2002-05-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day Trumps PunditwatchWill VehrsAny notion that I could write Punditwatch and participate in Mother's Day festivities gave way to harsh reality early today. There'll be no Punditwatch today. Look for it tomorrow on Fox around noon, assuming I get to the two hours I have on videotape .... Had I been able to write today, I would have noted Tim Russert's shameless plugging of Caroline

2002-05-05T14:27:00.000-04:00

TV Punditwatch: Meet the Press, Presidential Whistle-StopWill VehrsForget the Middle East, forget the farm bill, and forget cloning. This weekend’s pundit highlight was Tim Russert’s declaration on Meet the Press that he was going to play media kingpin for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. Russert, after opening with Secretary of State Colin Powell, gave a half-hour of prime talking

2002-04-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

TV Punditwatch: Cardinals ClobberedWill VehrsFor the first time in over a month, the Middle East was not the absolute top issue for the weekend pundits. Criticizing the US Cardinals after their meeting in Rome topped the pundit agenda, while viewpoints and approaches varied on the latest Middle East developments. Pundits paid homage to the departing Karen Hughes. The closest a pundit came to

2002-04-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

TV Punditwatch: Powell Makes the RoundsWill VehrsColin Powell made the rounds of all the Sunday talks shows, hoping to salvage something postive from his recent trip and reduce the pounding the administration has taken in recent weeks. Interviewed from the State Department, Powell did not take extended questioning on any show. Russert, Hume, Scheiffer, and Cokie Roberts were all respectful,

2002-04-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

TV Punditwatch: Good Fences Make Good NeighborsWill VehrsThe beleagured Punditwatch is putting up a fence this weekend, so I won't be posting here today. Please check out Punditwatch tomorrow on foxnews.com . It should be up by noon in Views. Speaking of fences, I thought David Brooks made maybe the best point on the Mideast. Appearing on The News Hour, he said: But I would say there's

2002-04-07T14:25:00.000-04:00

TV Punditwatch: The Administration Fights BackWill VehrsLast weekend, a passive Bush Administration was shelled by pundits for its Mideast policy. This weekend, the Administration fought back. Either Secretary of State Colin Powell or National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice appeared on every Sunday show to defend the President's Thursday policy speech and action plan. Powell and Rice

2002-03-31T13:53:00.000-05:00

TV Punditwatch: A Somber WeekendWill VehrsIt was a somber Easter/Passover weekend for the pundits. The troubling events in the Middle East squeezed out most of the usual banter and humor. Instead, the pundits alternately blasted Arafat, Sharon, and the Bush Administration. Peace prospects have never seemed so dim. The News Hour, which almost always concentrates on domestic affairs, devoted

2002-03-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

TV Punditwatch: Cheney's Not-So Excellent AdventureWill VehrsVice-President Dick Cheney, just back from a whirlwind trip to the Mideast, appeared on three Sunday talk shows. His report could have been written before he left: there is a "sense of opportunity and danger" but the problems are "intractable." On Meet the Press, NBC's Tim Russert spent an equal amount of time interviewing the

2002-03-17T14:34:00.000-05:00

TV Punditwatch: Pickering Prompts Pundit PassionWill VehrsThe most pressing world issue--peace in the Middle East--got short shrift from the pundits this weekend. Without any apparent change in the situation and the potential of a breakthough murky at best, the pundits went through the motions of discussing the situation, concentrating on its relationship to possible action against Iraq. Only

2002-03-11T08:35:00.000-05:00

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2002-03-11T08:33:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Monday: Defending Ari, Going NuclearWill VehrsTwo conservative columnists have tough pieces this morning. William Safire defends Ari Fleischer's retracted comments about the cause of the Middle East violence: The unspeakable is still printable here, however. Then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, desperate for a deal that would get him re-elected, made egregious concessions of land

2002-03-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

TV Punditwatch: What War Criticism?Will VehrsLast week’s big issue—the tentative first signs of Democratic criticism of the President’s War on Terror—disappeared faster than the cocktail shrimp at a political reception. Except for a Mark Shields’ Capital Gang “Outrage of the Week” directed at Representative Tom Davis (R, VA) and a Senator Trent Lott (R, MS) appearance on Fox, there was

2002-03-10T07:45:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Sunday: Politics As UsualWill VehrsColumns on politics are the Sunday special for the pundits. Bob Novak does one of his juicy tidbits columns, covering Rudy for VP, Rich Lazio's possible comeback, a Hastert shouting match, and a redeemed political consultant. David Broder, continuing his harsh judgment on Bush Administration policies, compares the steel tariff decision to

2002-03-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Saturday: No Dispassionate Analysis HereWill VehrsSaturday is the black hole of syndicated columnists, so Punditwatch will take a few liberties. Colbert King looks at the return of Marion Barry to Washington, DC politics through the eyes of his opponent, DC Councilman Phil Mendelson. One might think that any breathing decent citizen would swamp Barry, but they would be wrong:

2002-03-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Friday: Dissing Ayn Rand and Chicks With Guns Will VehrsTwo sacred cows of the Blogosphere came under pundit attack today. Michael Kinsley, in a column about the philosophy of separate but unequal lines at airports, insulted a blog icon: Except for nutty Ayn Randists with dollar-sign necklaces, we all have our limits. Nicholas Kristof took on an even more explosive

2002-03-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Thursday: It's All GoodWill VehrsThis is the kind of day Punditwatch lives for. All the major syndicated columnists are opinionated but evenhanded. All tackle provocative subjects in a fresh way. Pundits at Home: On the domestic front, Mary McGrory looks at the California Republican primary results as a repudiation of Bush advisor Karl Rove. Rove will have President Bush

2002-03-06T17:57:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Wednesday: Two Views on Foreign PolicyWill VehrsToday's pundits demonstrate the two strains of foreign policy punditry--Krauthammer and Kelly versus Tom Friedman. Charles Krauthammer, the "Vicar of Bellicosity," reprises his Meet the Press "smoke and mirrors" analysis of the Saudi Peace Plan: Apart from the fact that the plan is an obvious Saudi ploy to blunt American anger

2002-03-05T07:58:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Tuesday: Reading and PatriotismWill VehrsComparing the debate to the divisive politics of the Nixon years and noting a role for the tabloids, E. J. Dionne, Jr. looks behind last week's exchange between Daschle and Lott. "So after months in which the American flag was a unifying symbol again, patriotism was back in play as a political issue," he writes. Richard Cohen avoids

2002-03-04T07:28:00.000-05:00

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2002-03-04T07:25:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Monday: Colombia, Iraq, New YorkWill VehrsTwo foreign policy columns lead today. Bob Novak looks at the situation in Colombia and finds it unchanged from the Clinton years: As the most imperiled Western Hemisphere country, Colombia might seem a particularly appropriate battleground for President Bush's war against terrorism. It is not. Non-combative policies of the previous

2002-03-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

TV PUNDITWATCH SUNDAY:DEBATE WITHIN A DEBATE ENERGIZES PUNDITSWill VehrsThere's nothing better than a partisan debate in Washington, but it's even sweeter when there's a debate about whether there should even be a debate. The pundits, their opinions long circumscribed by unity on the war on terror, were unleashed this week when Senate Democrats began to criticize aspects of Bush Administration

2002-03-03T08:02:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Sunday: Exploring the ShadowsWill VehrsThe "shadow government" becomes a metaphor for larger sins with two pundits this morning. Maureen Dowd and Mary McGrory appear to have either compared notes or decided to compete for the most damning spin. Here's Dowd on what the shadow government means: Without Democrats or journalists, the underground executive branch can operate the

2002-03-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Daily: Back to the BarbershopWill VehrsTwo weeks ago, Colbert King wrote a hilarious send-up of the Senator Byrd -Treasury Secretary O'Neill exchange about humble roots as seen through the eyes of the patrons at Darrell's Barbershop. Today, King goes back to the well once too often, this time laying out Senator Byrd's connection to the KKK: "He was what?" asked Fishbone

2002-03-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

Print Punditwatch Daily: Do the MathWill VehrsDid you take the test to determine if you're obese that George Will suggested yesterday? If not, Michael Kinsley might suggest you share in "our national innumeracy -- ignorance about math." In the wake of those faulty teen alcohol statistics, he notes: Americans are twice as likely to swallow a phony statistic about a social issue, and almost 2.7

2002-02-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

Update 8:00 PM ThursdayPUNDIT TALKPredictable PunditsJoseph BrittTony, what exactly does need to be done in the Philippines? If the Abu Sayyaf terror gang is strongly tied in with al Qaeda and is training terrorists for future attack elsewhere in the islands or in neighboring Malaysia, then we ought to go get them. However, this is more than the Bush administration has said so far, and I don't

2002-02-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

Update 9:00 PMPUNDIT TALKA Punditwatch ConversationJoseph BrittThanks for the invitation, Will. I was sorry to see the major pundits ignore my favorite news story of the week, the Barclay's Capital $62,700 Wine Blowout, though I saw some comment elsewhere suggesting it was a kind of last gasp of 1990's-style capitalist self-indulgent etc. etc. I fully expect the Wall Street Journal to do an

2002-02-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

PEARL GEMS AND THE NEXT ROUND OF REFORMSPrint PunditwatchWill VehrsSeveral print pundits joined their TV colleagues in discussing the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, but each sought a different angle. Richard Cohen was the most outraged: It could be that Daniel Pearl would have been killed no matter what. It could be that it was enough that he was American. But it was not

2002-02-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

UNITED ON PEARL, ALL OVER THE MAPTV PunditwatchWill VehrsThere was only one unifying theme of the TV pundits this weekend--outrage at the murder of Daniel Pearl and an outpouring of respect for him. Paul Gigot and Al Hunt, colleagues of Pearl at the Wall Street Journal, praised him, with Hunt saying "He was really an exceptionally good reporter. [He showed] great courage in Pakistan. And

2002-02-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

THREE SPECIALS FROM THE PUNDIT MENUPrint PunditwatchWill VehrsThree columns stood out this past week. One was a timely look at a Supeme Court case to be argued today; the two others were fresh looks at Enron. George Will sees the Cleveland school voucher case that will be argued before the court today in stark terms: "greater implications for equality of opportunity than any it has heard in the

2002-02-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

THE PUNDIT WHO WASN'T THERETV PunditwatchWill VehrsThe issue of the week was campaign finance reform and the "Pundit of the Week" was David Broder. He didn't even appear on any of the talk shows, but his Friday Washington Post column defined much of the weekend debate. Every program except This Week mentioned Broder and his thesis that campaign finance reform would help President Bush in 2004,

2002-02-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

A PUNDIT SAMPLERPrint PunditwatchWill Vehrs Highlights of the week in syndicated punditry, categorized for your convenience: FOREIGN POLICY The "axis of evil" is the top issue, with Nicholas Kristof reporting critically from the Phillipines and Charles Krauthammer continuing to hammer the PLO. Stick to Iraq Jim Hoagland begs to differ from our allies: The immediate post-Afghanistan focus

2002-02-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

MILLIONS AND MILLIONS SERVED TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs Apparently, there were a lot of Punditwatchers out there last week: Meanwhile, with an average of 4.85 million viewers, NBC News' "Meet the Press With Tim Russert" led the pack in the Sunday morning public affairs derby by a large margin. Boosted by an exclusive interview with Defense Scretary Donald Rumsfeld, ABC's "This Week" averaged

2002-02-06T10:42:00.000-05:00

ADD ENRON TO THE AXIS OF EVIL, AND YOU’VE GOT A DEAL Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs President Bush’s State of the Union address was the overwhelming Topic A for the print pundits. Initial reaction was largely positive, but as the week wore on, second thoughts began to emerge. Some praise was effusive: George W. Bush delivered such a stunning State of the Union speech, during which he dazzled

2002-02-03T12:54:00.000-05:00

STATE OF THE PUNDIT TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs President Bush's Tuesday State of the Union address was a convenient frame for every weekend talk show. Foreign policy was the leading issue, but Homeland Security, Enron, the budget, and domestic politics also figured into the pundit mix. The Super Bowl fit neatly into the Homeland Security discussions or just as a diversion. Meet The Press

2002-01-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

HYPERBOLE SWEEPSTAKES: WE HAVE A WINNER! Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs Punditwatch was okay with Al Hunt saying the Enron scandal had “more legs than a centipede,” after earlier calling it “humungous.” In that spirit, he had to agree with Cokie Roberts that the Enron story was “huge.” When Mark Shields said that Enron was setting the national agenda, though, Punditwatch began to blanch.

2002-01-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

CHENEY COMES OUT SWINGING, PAT ROBERTSON OBSTRUCTS VIEW TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs Today was going to be a Sunday talk show Punditwatch feast. The elusive Vice-President, caught flush in the Enron vortex, was appearing not once, but twice. Short of video showing Ken Lay with his head under a light bulb in a dark room being interrogated by faceless rogue cops, this was the “get” of the year.

2002-01-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

THE PUNDITS HAVE SPOKEN Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs The thunderous pronouncements on Enron from the major syndicated columnists are slowing to a trickle now. Of those columnists who do not specialize in foreign policy, Punditwatch notes that only Charles Krauthammer has not commented on the scandal. That may only be because declaring war and invading Enron is not feasible. This past week

2002-01-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

PUNDITS SEEK DIVERSIFICATION TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs After last week's nearly 100% investment in Enron, pundits recognized the value of diversifying their portfolio and attempted to pull back from "all Enron, all the time," if only ever so slightly. Shields and Brooks and the Capital Gang led with Enron, but Meet the Press's lead topic was Donald Rumsfeld on the war and Face the Nation led

2002-01-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

HARMONIC CONVERGENCE ON ENRON Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs As the Punditwatch Week wore on, the pundits slowly were drawn into the unfolding Enron scandal, including, of course, now vindicated Paul Krugman, the Enron prophet whose five columns in a row on the subject stand as a monument to results-oriented hectoring. He denounced “cronyism,” saying “while Enron has imploded, other energy

2002-01-13T13:14:00.000-05:00

CIRCUS MAXIMUS: WAIST DEEP IN THE BIG ENRON TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs Jim Lehrer of The News Hour opened the weekend Punditfest with this question: "The Enron collapse, David, do you feel a major storm coming on?" It was the ultimate understatement from the always understated news reporter. David Brooks, to whom the question was directed, picked the perfect metaphor: "It feels like the

2002-01-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

ISSUES, WE'VE GOT ISSUES Print Punditwatch, 1/3/02 - 1/9/02 Will Vehrs Sometimes the pundits coalesce around one or two major issues of the day; other times they strike out in a score of different directions, calling attention to problems, opportunities, outrages, and gossip below the radar screen. The past week of punditry followed the latter model. For those interested in the hottest of

2002-01-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

BUSH V. DASCHLE PUSHES TO THE HEAD OF THE PUNDIT PARADE TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs On the first Sunday of the Pundit Year, the War on Terror was gleefully shoved aside as the top story. Pundits were audibly relieved to be debating on the comfortable, familiar partisan turf of tax cuts and stimulus. Dueling film clips of President Bush’s West Coast speeches and Senator Tom Daschle’s Washington

2002-01-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

YEAR IN REVIEW AND FIRST SALVOS OF 'O2 Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs There are three kinds of columnists. One reviews his/her own work at the end of the year. Another reviews the state of the world or the nation. The third kind just keeps plugging away, oblivious to traditional summary points. Ellen Goodman has one of the best explanations for the self-critical school: As a certified

2001-12-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

No TV Punditwatch Sunday, Dec 30 Will Vehrs Sorry, but I won't be able to watch the pundits this weekend ... no Sunday afternoon Punditwatch. I'll try to write it the old-fashioned way--with transcripts--on Monday. Back to the regular schedule on Wednesday. Happy New Year to all! Thanks for reading.

2001-12-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

KRUGMAN ENDS STREAK; PUNDITS AVOID THEMES Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs With blog boss Tony Adragna (Mr. Christmas) grabbing all the pundit Christmas columns for his holiday round-up, Punditwatch was left with ... well, a little bit of everything. The pundits defied categorization this past week, their topics ranging from Ali to zoology. Ok, it wasn't quite zoology, but William Safire did

2001-12-23T13:13:00.000-05:00

DECONSTRUCTING DASCHLE DOMINATES TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs Pundits, consistently proven wrong or incompetent in discussing the War on Terrorism, welcomed back the familiar, comfortable turf of partisan battles in Congress this weekend. The failure of a stimulus package is issue one, with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s role the central theme. While the bill is almost universally derided

2001-12-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Instapundit Punditwatch is now ad-free thanks to the generosity of Glenn Reynolds, the incomparable Instapundit. I want to thank Glenn not just for this financial contribution, but also for his long-standing support and encouragement of my venture. Glenn's restless intellect is a continuous inspiration to me. --Will

2001-12-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

PUNDITS STRUGGLE FOR UNIFYING THEMES Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs It’s still too early for “Year in Review” columns, so the pundits were largely waxing philosophical this past week. They attempted to sketch broad foreign and domestic themes tied to the events of September 11th, or if they were Paul Krugman, tried to tie anything and everything to Enron. Krugman, seeking to become the

2001-12-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

PUNDIT ARMEY, BIN AGREEING TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs There is near-universal agreement among the pundits on the two top subjects of the week, the Bin Laden tape and the retirement of House GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey. David Brooks spoke early for all pundits when he quoted Leon Weiseltier of The New Republic, himself speaking for all pundits: the Bin Laden tape was the “mother of all

2001-12-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

PUNDITS PAUSE BETWEEN ARAFAT AND ASHCROFT Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs As the Punditwatch week ended this morning, our print heroes, having tired of Ashcroft and Arafat bashing, were all over the map. Maureen Dowd was linking Harry Potter to the possible revival of Latin. George Will saw in bombing suspect Sarah Olson the seeds that produced the Reagan Revolution. Michael Kelly took on

2001-12-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

RUSSERT RULES ROOST WITH TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs Tim Russert celebrated his ten year anniversary of hosting Meet the Press by grabbing two of the more elusive guests for Sunday talk: Vice President Dick Cheney and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. His two interviews demonstrated why he is the “King.” With Cheney, Russert sacrificed probing follow-up questions

2001-12-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

PUNDITS OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS--AGAIN! Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs The pundits delight in setting the agenda. At this time last week, they had settled on two hawk v. dove battles: on to Iraq? and John Ashcroft, Saint or Sinner? Bombings in the Middle East over the weekend temporarily crushed the "juice" out of those two set pieces as pundits rushed to the latest in conventional wisdom--Arafat

2001-12-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

JERUSALEM BOMBINGS UPSET PUNDIT PLANS TV Punditwatch Will Vehrs The weekend pundits had it all planned: "Ok, the war is going well, but what about civil liberties? What about the economy? There's big trouble on the horizon, right?" With not much controversy about the war in Afghanistan, pundits needed to smoke some out. The bombings in Jerusalem--and there were new ones to report after

2001-11-28T09:09:00.000-05:00

CONSERVATIVE DONNYBROOK AND ASHCROFT-BASHING WEEKEND EXTRAVAGANZA Print Punditwatch Will Vehrs There's nothing quite like an intramural fracas among conservatives. Chosen as "Pundit of the Week" last Wednesday for his broadside against Military Tribunals, William Safire took some harassing fire from fellow conservative George Will. Speaking of tribunals, Will wrote: In these, evidentiary