When Bob Woodward publishes the definitive history of Barack Obama's second term (maybe sooner rather than later), this will be presented as the week that Politico pwned the news cycle—and the president lost the village.
I mean that both literally and literarily.
A reliable source of mine deep inside the industry (codename: Imaginary Friend) leaked me the outline of a book proposal that Woodward is shopping around.
Below are Bob's unedited notes (talking points, if you will) covering this week:
First They Came for the "Patriots"
Utilizing research conducted by Harvard Ph.D. candidates, in this chapter I will compare the IRS' scrutiny of "non-profit" Tea Party groups (among others) to the Nazis' persecution of Jews and homosexuals. SPOILER: This doesn't end well, but it isn't Watergate.
Then They Came for Me
This chapter will focus on the DOJ's decision to secretly subpoena the AP's phone records. For context, I will again recount the harrowing details of the time that White House economic adviser Gene Sperling threatened to kill me. SPOILER: I'm still alive; just like Watergate.
Watergate 2: Electric Benghaziloo
These chapters (plural) will consist of nothing but the redacted transcript of a conversation between myself, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Alberto Gonzales. The four of us will meet at an undisclosed location for a freewheeling discussion about the numerous crimes that President Obama committed in Benghazi, and where in the world he should be tried for them. I will be played by Matthew McConaughey, or a Matthew McConaughey type. SPOILER: ██████ █████████, █████'█ ███████ ██ ███ ████.
Watergate 3: Watergate Harder
In what is certain to be the final chapter of Barack Obama's presidency, I will reveal the sinister connection between "Umbrella-gate" and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. SPOILER: The rain in Spain falls mainly on the brain.
Developing...
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI); Roundtable: Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal) and Bob Woodward (Washington Post).
Face the Nation: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX); Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT); President/CEO of the Associated Press Gary Pruitt; Roundtable: David Sanger (New York Times), Lois Romano (Politico), Dan Balz (Washington Post) and John Dickerson (CBS News).
This Week: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH); Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ); Rep. Tom Price (R-GA); Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY); Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Ron Fournier (National Journal), April Ryan (American Urban Radio Networks), Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation) and Jeff Zeleny (ABC News).
Fox News Sunday: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI); Roundtable: Brit Hume (Fox News), Kirsten Powers (Daily Beast), GOP Strategist Karl Rove and Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).
State of the Union: White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY); Susan Page (USA Today); Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile; GOP Strategist Ana Navarro; Jessica Yellin (CNN); Reliable Sources: Jennifer Loven (Associated Press); Joe Concha (Mediaite); American University Prof. Jane Hall; Jennifer Rubin (Washington Post); David Shuster (Current TV); Michelle Cottle (Daily Beast).
The Chris Matthews Show: Kasie Hunt (NBC News); David Ignatius (Washington Post); Gloria Borger (CNN); Howard Finman (Huffington Post).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on the use of computer facial recognition technology in public places, which is making it harder to remain anonymous (preview); an interview with North Korean defector Shin Dong Hyuk (preview); and, a look at some of the personal effects of Michael Jackson, whose brand is making more money in death than he was earning later in life (preview)
On Comedy Central...
Jon Stewart clocked Dick Cheney's and Donald's Rumsfeld victory lap.
The Daily Show
Monday: Actress Ellen Page
Tuesday: Former NBA Coach Phil Jackson
Wednesday: Bill O'Reilly (Fox News)
Thursday: Actor Morgan Freeman
And Stephen Colbert counted on Obamacare being repealed.
The Colbert Report
Monday: David Sassoon (InsideClimateNews.org)
Tuesday: Author Noah Feldman
Wednesday: Band The National
Thursday: Christopher Chivers (New York Times)
Elsewhere...
Taking a cue from Apple's famous "Think Different" ad campaign, the organizer of a planned "gun rights" march reimagined Gandhi.
On July 4, Adam Kokesh hopes to lead 1,000 protesters armed with guns into Washington, D.C. to advocate for open carry. In Kokesh’s eyes, a crowd armed with guns compares to the nonviolent civil disobedience practiced by Mahatma Gandhi.
Kokesh answered the Washington Post through a series of text messages:
Suppose the D.C. police, as they have promised, block the marchers from crossing into Washington? How should they respond?
"With Satyagraha," Kokesh, 31, texted The Washington Post. That is a term used by Mahatma Gandhi to describe his strategy of nonviolent resistance to British rule in India. [...]
Did his response of "satyagraha" mean violence is unacceptable?
"Only if absolutely necessary in defense of life or limb," he wrote.
Meanwhile...
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) argued that Roe v. Wade is ultimately responsible for the rash of school shootings.
"Just in the last several days, a Bismarck news anchor mistakenly uttered vulgarity on live television. He's been heralded by celebrities from New York to California as some sort of pop icon. His bosses have been called goons because they fired him. We learned this week that the Pentagon is vetting its guide on religious tolerance with a group that compared Christian evangelism to rape, and advocated that military personnel and colluding chaplains who proselytize should be court-marshalled.
Forty years ago, the United States Supreme Court sanctioned abortion on demand. And we wonder why our culture sees school shootings so often."
And, in news about a different type of shooting...
A Tennessee state legislator is seeking vengeance against a traffic camera that did him wrong.
Rep. Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) was cited for driving 60 miles an hour in a 45 mile-per-hour zone while driving in Bluff City in 2010, just weeks before voters elected him to a third election. The photo-enforced traffic cameras did not show images of the driver, and Lundberg said an employee of his public relations firm was driving the company vehicle at the time.
The traffic camera speeding ticket "has absolutely zero effect" on his decision to sponsor the bill, Lundberg told The City Paper. "In fact, until you said that, I completely forgot about that." [...]
In other legislation during the session, Lundberg notably got a resolution passed honoring his own PR firm.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
- Trix