On Thursday, House Republican leaders surrounded themselves with even more tools to unveil their long-awaited “Pledge to America“.Although the “Pledge” drew nearly – universal – praise from across the political spectrum, President Obama denounced it as a carbon copy of Newt Gingrich’s failed “Contract on America”.

Well, whatever…

He’s probably just upset that the GOP’s ideas are so much better than the Democrats’.

Morning TV lineup:

Meet then Press: Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN); Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Roundtable: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Emergency Financial Manager for the Detroit Public Schools Robert Bobb and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten.
Face the Nation Republican Candidate for Florida Senate Marco Rubio; Republican Candidate for Colorado Senate Ken Buck; Chief Strategist for the Tea Party Express Sal Russo.
This Week: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Queen Rania of Jordan; Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile, Republican Strategist Matthew Dowd and Ron Brownstein (National Journal).
Fox News Sunday: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH); Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD); Roundtable: Brit Hume (Fox News), Mara Liasson (NPR/FNC), Bill Kristol (Weekly Standard) and Juan Williams (NPR/FNC).
State of the Union: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA); Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT); Reliable Sources: Former Late Night Talk Show Host Dick Cavett; Lara Logan (CBS News).
The Chris Matthews Show: John Heilemann (New York magazine); Norah O’Donnell (MSNBC); Cynthia Tucker (Atlanta Journal-Constitution); Michael Gerson (Washington Post).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Israeli President Shimon Peres; Turkish President Abdullah Gul; British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Evening TV lineup:

60 Minutes will feature: a report from the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan (preview); a report on the national debate surrounding the construction of an Islamic center near Ground Zero (preview); and, a profile of Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees (preview).

On Comedy Central:Jon Stewart, who appeared on The O’Reilly Factor this week, experienced deja vu all over again when he examined the Republicans’ “Pledge to America”.

The Daily Show

Monday: Talking Head/Author Bill O’Reilly (“Pinheads and Patriots”)
Tuesday: Blog Empress/Author Arianna Huffington (“Third World America”)
Wednesday: Author Linda Polman (“The Crisis Caravan”)
Thursday: Singer/Actor Justin Timberlake (“The Social Network”)

And Stephen Colbert, who testified before Congress this week (much to the dismay of some Republicans/Fox News hosts), weighed the evidence of Christine O’Donnell’s witchiness.

The Colbert Report

Monday: Documentarian Ken Burns (“Baseball: The Tenth Inning”)
Tuesday: Ross Douthat (New York Times)
Wednesday: Former Car Czar/Author Steve Ratner (“Overhaul”)
Thursday: Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”)

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In related news:

Video surfaced of O’Donnell vowing to use her magical powers to rid America of sex.

O’DONNELL: The sad reality is — yes, there is something you can do about it. And the sad reality, to tell them slap on a condom is not –
NIES: You’re going to stop the whole country from having sex?
O’DONNELL: Yeah. Yeah!
NIES: You’re living on a prayer if you think that’s going to happen.
O’DONNELL: That’s not true. I’m a young woman in my thirties and I remain chaste.

With all of these classic clips floating around, is it any wonder that O’Donnell doesn’t feel the need to do any more national media interviews.

Meanwhile:

Fellow “Grizzly Mama” Sharron Angle is taking a different approach to the national media.

ANGLE: It’s going really well. If you’re interested in just the Internet part of that — and of course I’ve been criticized for saying that I like to be friends with the [press] — but here’s the deal: when I get a friendly press outlet — not so much the guy that’s interviewing me — it’s their audience that I’m trying to reach.

So, if I can get on Rush Limbaugh, and I can say, “Harry Reid needs $25 million. I need a million people to send twenty five dollars to SharronAngle.com.” The day I was able to say that [even], he made $236,000 dollars. That’s why it’s so important.
Somebody … I’m going on Bill O’Reilly the 16th. They say, “Bill O’Reilly, you better watch out for that guy, he’s not necessarily a friendly” … Doesn’t matter, his audience is friendly, and if I can get an opportunity to say that at least once on his show — when I said it on Sean Hannity’s television show we made $40,000 before we even got out of the studio in New York.

And, finally:

Despite all of the good that Sarah Palin’s endorsement did for O’Donnell and Angle (not so much for their party), not every teabagging candidate wants her brand of help.

HOST: A lot of tea party people who support you. The de facto leader, if there is one, in the tea party, Sarah Palin, do you want her to campaign for you in the 10th?
PERRY: No I don’t. I don’t want her to come down. She represents — she’s an entertainer, she represents the tea party movement nationally, but the tea party movement in the 10th district, whether it be the group in Quincy, the group in Pembroke, or the group on the Cape, they’re just hard working people [...].
HOST: Can we just for one second talk about that entertainer as you call her for one second. She calls you on the phone and says Jeff Perry, I’d like to come, I’m not asking you for to invite me — I’d like to come. You’re going to say no?
PERRY: I’m going to say no, yes.

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it.
- Trix

A Good Weekend Read: See This week in crazy: Bishop Eddie Long, Salon, September 25, 2010, by Mary Elizabeth Williams: “Another powerful anti-gay pastor becomes ensnared in his own sordid same-sex scandal.”

We Now Have a Google Translation Button at the bottom of every post and page: just choose your language. ~ Paul Evans