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Countdown Monday: Penn State

Posted: Monday, April 07, 2008 8:59 PM by Countdown
Filed Under:

War of Words of War:  On Saturday, Mark Penn had the singular experience of being fired... by an entire country: Colombia, to be specific. Yesterday he was fired again... this time by the woman who wants to run an entire country: Senator Hillary Clinton, to be specific. The Senator reportedly furious with Penn for taking her checks as her chief strategist... at the same time he had a 300-thousand-dollar contract with Colombia to push the very same free-trade deal... that she opposes. Today, however, in our fifth story on the Countdown... Mark Penn is back at work. Not for Colombia, but for... Senator Clinton.

Delegate Imbalance:  The emerging myth-buster about all those superdelegates in the Democratic nomination... has to do with possibility versus reality. What they could do... is give Senator Hillary Clinton their support, despite Senator Barack Obama's leed in pledged delegates. But what they have been doing, since February Fifth, Super Tuesday... is throwing their support to Senator Obama. And in our fourth story on the Countdown, add one more to his column.

ODDBALL: A bear playing hockey and the Flugtag in Sydney.

McCainus Interruptus:  If timing is not everything, then juxtaposition certainly is. "There is no doubt about the basic reality in Iraq," the man said today, "We are no longer staring into the abyss of defeat, and we can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success." That's what Senator John McCain hoped to persuade the American People to believe as his address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Missouri, was carried on national television this morning. But in our third story on the Countdown -- the real "basic reality in Iraq" was illustrated far more eloquently by what actually happened barely two minutes after McCain got up to speak.

Fearless Forecast:  The baseball season is now nine days old so if I'm going to put my predictions on record, I damn well better do it now. Our number two story on the Countdown: this will only take a minute and 48 seconds and then we'll get to Worst-Persons.
 
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD:  Former Under Secretary of State Douglas Feith, Glenn Beck and Billo vie for tonight's top honors.

Funny Politics:   When the essence of your Presidential campaign -- when the fact of it -- becomes a punch-line, that campaign may have already "jumped the shark" -- or it may, in fact, have already ended. Remember Mike Huckabee's appearance as the "Guest Who Wouldn't Leave" on Saturday Night Live -- 11 days before he finally called it quits. Our number one story on the Countdown... Governor Huckabee -- meet Senator Clinton. Saturday Night, on Saturday Night Live.

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Comments

Honest to God, what else do we need to know about this Clinton campaign?  Mark Penn, "fired" from the campaign but still in the mix?  Dear God.  Please remove these people from my world.  I have had enough of this Clinton thing.  And I say this as a former fan of the Bill Clinton administration.  

Give me a break!!

Janet, Eugene, OR (Sent Monday, April 07, 2008 10:24 PM)

 The D'backs and the Red Sox?? That doesn't rhyme!  Have you ever had to watch out for rattlesnakes at work?  Literally?  With your back to the nest?  Focus.

S.Bolinger,St.Louis,MO (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 12:56 AM)

Not so much in response to tonight's show but in regard to the nightly "Bushed" segment, I think a more apt name for this segment could be "Bushwacked", because we are definitely being wacked by Bush's decisions on these issues.

marilyn sullivan, pittsburgh, pa (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 4:25 AM)

Keith,

Love the McCain story. but, for goodness sake.  The Red Sox over the Yankees.  What kind of demon are you?

BTW, post the predictions as well on the blog.  It was only one minute and 48 seconds and you talk faster than I can write.

judith, Newark De (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 8:23 AM)

"Get your stinking paws off me you damn dirty apes."
- Charlton Heston

Full Moon (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 8:36 AM)

Congrats to singer/songwriter Bob Dylan for his recent Pulitzer Prize win for "a lifetime of lyrical compositions of extraordinary power."

Full Moon (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 9:59 AM)

McCainus Interruptus - priceless indeed to see a liar exposed.  Hillary should stop her endless anti-Obama kitchen sink strategy so she could focus on McBush.  Why does he always seem to get a free pass from the media despite the obvious lies and ignorance about matters that are important to this country?

Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:30 AM)

I don't see any comments yet, they must be  backlogged...because this was another wonderful show. Keith, you did a great job analyzing nearly all the weird things the Clinton campaign has been up to over the weekend.

Nicole Masika, Brooklyn Center, MN (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:35 AM)

Kudos to MSNBC for breaking into McCains speech with a reality check.

jen,il (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:42 AM)

The hearings today may be a moot point, Keith:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/08/iraq.soldiers/index.html

Al-Sadr's cease-fire is one of the critical reasons for the reduction in violence.

It's not a matter of IF he ends the cease-fire, so much as that WHEN he does, what it will mean to the fragile state of the "surge".

old nick, chicago, il (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:49 AM)

I feel I have died and gone to hell! My punishment is reading the endless non news about the non Democratic race for the White House. Let's just elect a Republican so I can rest in peace.......

When will this Democratic debacle end!!!!!!!

Warren Black , Rollings WY (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 3:21 PM)

Ketih and viewers:

For a possible scenario of the outcome of the Dem primary race, check out the '60s political flick, "The Best Man," starring Henry Fonda.  Substitute Obama for Fonda's character and you have an interesting premise!

Vic in Yardley, PA (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 3:27 PM)

Funny thing yesterday it was Mark Penn and then today I read that Wolfson's agency is now on the payroll from Columbia for $40,000  ----  and this is not a problem in Clinton's mind???   The incompetence of how she runs her campaign looks like a repeat of Bush and if they let Penn go completely she will have to pay him 25 million??  Who would contribute to that mess and she is still because of her name??  or for Dean to pick up all the states and turn them Democrat -- why such gamesmanship -- end it after May 6th.

Paulette, Simsbury, CT (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 6:24 PM)



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