Countdown Thursday: No Way Out
Posted: Thursday, September 27, 2007 8:59 PM by Countdown
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Blogging the Countdown
No Way Out: As if it were not bad enough that the next president of the United States will inherit the disastrous aftermath of the invasion of Iraq...It is ever more likely tonight that the president after that one could also be left with a U-S presence on the ground there, more than five years from now. Our fifth story on the Countdown: At last night's debate in New Hampshire... The three leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination all refusing to promise that they would withdraw all American troops from Iraq by the end of their first term.
Uncle Sam is Watching You: If you need evidence of how fragile American freedoms can be... you need only look at constitutional wounds that are still raw. The administration's use of secret surveillance programs... legalized by a compliant congress only after they were disclosed in the media. Or the recently departed attorney general's threat to prosecute reporters for disclosing information he deemed a security breach. Our fourth story tonight.. yet another lesson in subverting the constitution... by killing the news media with kindness.
ODDBALL: A two headed turtle and guy chased by the cops takes a nap in the middle of the road.
The Clinton Interview: Our third story on the Countdown...Wait'll you hear his story about how giving people loans to sell reading glasses could change the economy -- and the literacy rate -- of the world's poorest and most illiterate countries. First, in our third story on the Countdown, the politics of the moment...With our special guest, the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Clinton on Giving: Our number two story on the Countdown, more of my interview with the 42nd President of the United States. And his remarkable charity juggernaut the Clinton Global Initiative. Now in it's third year, drawing funds to help people from all around the world, even in the smallest ways, and drawing people, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Dana Perino, John Gibson and Rupert's mothership vie for tonight's top honors.
The Falafel Guy Fatwa: In the past couple of days, Bill O'Reilly has devoted large sections of his show to defending himself against critics who pointed out the racism in his surprise that people in a black restaurant know how to order iced tea without cursing about somebody's mother. Mr. O'reilly has again questioned why no one is addressing the context of his remarks. Which is confusing, given that he has refused to play the recording of those remarks -- with or without context -- on his own show. For people other than O'Reilly, the primary question has been whether he knew it was racist. But in our number-one story tonight, it is time to consider another question... is Bill ill? Not to equate racism with mental defect, although the argument can be made.
