Countdown Tuesday: Plame, Flames & Carlin
Posted: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 8:59 PM by Countdown
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Blogging the Countdown
Southern California is Burning:
Residents of the burnt-out neighborhoods of Southern California where the ravages of the fires are exhausted...Are still only being permitted to return for five minutes at a stretch -- and only if they can prove they left pets or vital medication behind as they fled. Yet, at the White House -- President Bush is already passing the buck of responsibility (if not yet the blame) onto state officials. Our fifth story on the Countdown: the emerging politics of the ultra-disastrous Santa Ana Wildfires of 2007, in a moment. First, the continuing crisis at the fire lines.
You Say Dubai:
A California Congressman forced to apologize, forced to apologize by an Ohio Congressman who said 3700 American lives was a quote "small price to pay" for stopping al-Qaeda. ODDBALL: A huge football player takes over London, a Maserati goes boom, and the fountain of Rush is found in Italy.
The Plame Interview:
On July 13th of 2003, Valerie Plame Wilson was the chief of operations for the joint Iraq task force of the CIA's counterproliferation division. Only a handful of people outside the CIA knew this. For 15-plus years, she had used various cover stories to conceal her identity as a C-I-A operative... and to cultivate a network of contacts and sources... as part of America's effort to prevent the spread of nuclear and other non-conventional weaponry. She was, in short, a rare and valuable commodity in the battle against Weapons of Mass Destruction -- and terrorism. And on July 14th, 2003, an American blew her cover to the media... 
I'm A Little Bit Woozy: This is not like President Bush fainting over his sushi in Japan...Although it bares some disturbing similarities to Fidel Castro losing it and going head-first into some chairs in 2004. Leading our number two story tonight, Keeping Tabs. Marie Osmond -- and even in an environment as amateurish as "Dancing With The Stars" -- you could tell. That was not something the choreographer taught her.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: The terrorist buster, Roger Ailes and comedian Rush Limbaugh vie for tonight's top honors.
George Carlin: A TV comedian is running for President. A Republican Senator is doing stand-up. And the far right is screaming about the outing of a prominent educator. A fictional prominent educator. Our number one story on the Countdown: For 40 years, in such times of need, I have frequently relied on one man to make some sense of this crap. In a moment, that man, George Carlin, will join us.
