Friday, July 01, 2005

Sunday Chat & Chews -- where are the women?

The Sunday Chat and Chews, is life so slow and pointless that you're truly considering partaking of them this weekend?

All shows air on Sunday, check your local listings for time.

We'll start with NBC's Meet the Press and since some members care about it (and since it will be discussing the O'Connor resignation) and since it will be providing Nina Totenberg (NPR) as a guest, we'll be nice enough to even note the air times for this week:

** PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO WIMBLEDON COVERAGE, MEET THE PRESS WILL AIR AT A SPECIAL EARLY TIME THIS SUNDAY.
Baltimore, MD 8:00 AM
Oklahoma City, OK 7:00 AM
Chicago, IL 7:00 AM
Omaha, NE 7:00 AM
Cincinnati, OH 8:00 AM
Palm Beach, FL 8:00 AM
Dallas, TX 7:00 AM
Philadelphia, PA 8:00 AM
Denver, CO 11:00 PM
Phoenix, AZ 5:00 AM
Des Moines, IA 7:00 AM
Salt Lake City, UT 6:00 AM
Hartford, CT 8:00 AM
San Diego, CA 5:00 AM
Kansas City, MO 7:00 AM
San Francisco, CA 5:00 AM
Las Vegas, NV 5:00 AM
Seattle, WA 5:00 AM
Los Angeles, CA 5:00 AM
St. Louis, MO 7:00 AM
Memphis, TN 7:00 AM
Tampa, FL 3:30 PM
Miami, FL 8:00 AM
Washington, DC 8:00 AM
Milwaukee, WI 7:00 AM
New York, NY 8:00 AM

PLEASE CONSULT OUR WEBSITE (www.mtp.msnbc.com) OR LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THE AIR TIME IN MORE MARKETS

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R - PA) Chairman, Judiciary Committee
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D - VT) Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D - CT)Foreign Relations Committee
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R - NE) Foreign Relations CommitteeSelect Committee on Intelligence
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R - CA)Chairman, House Armed Services Committee
PETE WILLIAMS NBC News Justice Correspondent
NINA TOTENBERG National Public Radio Legal Affairs Correspondent
JOHN HARWOOD Wall Street Journal National Political Editor

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, announced her retirement this morning, paving the way for an intense confirmation battle over the president's nominee to fill her seat on the Court. The two men that will lead that confirmation process will also lead off "Meet the Press" this Sunday: the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

Then, as the United States prepares to celebrate its Independence Day, the war in Iraq still dominates the hearts and minds of the American public. Did President Bush's address to the nation buoy support for the war? And how will American and Iraqi forces counter the strength of the insurgency? We will ask three key members of Congress this Sunday in an exclusive joint interview: Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) of the Foreign Relations Committee, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).

And a special "Meet the Press Roundtable" will share insights and analysis into Justice O'Connor's legacy, potential nominees for the Court and the politics of the confirmation process. We will be joined by two experts on the Court, NBC's Justice Correspondent Pete Williams and NPR's Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg as well as John Harwood of the Wall Street Journal who is following the behind the scenes battle as liberal and conservative interest groups try to shape the future direction of the Court.

Nina Totenberg's a strong legal analyst. I might be tempted to watch. But anyone else notice that of eight guests, Totenberg's the only woman?

Host a roundtable on choice and make Gloria Steinem one of the guests and Meet the Press can make up a very obvious omission that they should have caught themselves. For those wanting to get in touch with their inner masochists vicariously, check out the segment with Duncan Hunter since there's a good chance he'll wimp out again and Russert will eat him alive.

Over at CBS, Face the Nation this Sunday offers:

Host:
CBS Evening News Anchor Bob Schieffer
*CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts Substituting*
Topic:
The Supreme Court
Guests:
Sen. Joseph Biden
Democrat - Delaware
Judiciary Committee
Sen. Orrin Hatch
Republican - Utah
Judiciary Committee
Ralph Neas
President & CEO, People For The American Way
Jay Alan Sekulow
Chief Counsel, American Center For Law And Justice
Jan Crawford Greenburg
The Chicago Tribune


I don't know about you, but when I think about the issue of choice and the Court & women, I think Joe Biden. Don't you? I mean wasn't he just amazing in the Hill-Thomas hearings? Oh wait, he wasn't. You're right. So what the hell's he doing on? Apparently Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and others are press shy? Who knew!

Isn't it so 1992? The issue does effect us all, I'll grant you that, but where are the women? Token's on a topic they should be front in center on.

I'd hoped ABC's This Week would give viewers something to be excited about. Perhaps it still might. But apparently, ratings be damned, it's not all that interesting in attracting viewers.
Which would explain why, as it's after midnight in New York, no e-mail from This Week has been sent out. And on their web site they advise you to check back on Friday to find out who the guests will be.

With This Week not weighing in, if I watched one show this Sunday, it would be Meet the Press to hear Totenberg. And note, she's not there to offer opinion. She's their as a reporter who's covered the Court for some time. Point, there's not one woman who's brought on to offer an opinion. Booking only male reps will lead to that.

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