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We heard about this whole "blogosphere" business from Tom DeLay, and came to the immediate realization that we too, "needed to become involved" in it.

So here it is. Covering the big news, the small news, medium-sized and irregular, The News Hole strives to bring everything you love or hate about Countdown to the internets.

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Countdown Tuesday: Breaking McCain Lobbyist News

Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 8:59 PM by Countdown
Filed Under:

General Dissent:  His presidential campaign already defined, in part, by his admissions that the economy is hardly his area of expertise... And by the acknowledgment that the four dozen lobbyists still in his campaign might be a glaring hypocrisy for a man who purports to be a maverick... John McCain saw the two stories merge today when federal disclosure forms proved that John McCain was being advised on the mortgage crisis by a lobbyist still being paid by the investment banks to help them in the mortgage crisis... a man identified by some economists as the principal enabler of the mortgage crisis. Our fifth story -- a Countdown exclusive -- John McCain's Phil Gramm scandal... in a moment. First, as preface, the Obama-McCain battle.

Scotty Books:  The second of President Bush's four Press Secretaries has now thrown his old boss, under the bus. Breaking news tonight in our fourth story: Politico.Com has this evening revealed excerpts from Scott McClellan's new book...  In which Mr. McClellan accuses Mr. Bush of not being "open and forthright on Iraq"... of using "propaganda" to sell the war... In which he insists while he was defending Karl Rove and Scooter Libby against reports that they had a hand in the outing of Valerie Plame, they were holding a secret West Wing meeting to get their Plame stories right, and that they "had at best mis-led" McClellan about their roles.

ODDBALL: The Rollover Competition and the Annual Cheese CHase.

Fission Expidition:  In the course of exercising unchallenged macho-ness to keep us safe... The Bush Administration has failed to stop at least one rogue nation from acquiring nuclear  weapons... Has failed to stop whatever Iran is actually doing... And now -- we learn in our third story tonight -- failed to get Iran, through carrot or stick, to comply with the U-N inspectors trying to determine the extent of Irahn's nuclear ambitions.

Sydney Pollack, 1934-2008.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Malkin, Trotta and Lieberman vie for tonight's top honors.

S$&^# in Space:   In our number one story on the Countdown, the new frontier! The latest leap in determining whether there has ever been life on Mars. And... the age-old frustration: A clogged toilet on the International Space Station. Such is the uneven zig-zag of progress in space... as NASA's 'Phoenix Mars Lander' is a hit... While the Russian-built toilet on the Space Station is a piece of... (Well, let's just say, spare parts may be required.)

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Dynamite show tonight! McCain's lobbyist advisors, Scott McClellan's book, Richard Clarke's book, mmmBushed! (appeasementgate), and my favorite space expert. Thank you for starting the week and ending the month with a bang.

ek, mpls, mn (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:17 PM)

Glad Keith finally revealed the truth about Gramm!
Now, I am waiting for him to mention the fact that Carly Fioroni, the HP "destroyer" is another of Cain's financial advisors.

Pat Hare, Rocklin, Ca. (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:56 PM)

Your page says, in the left-hand column, "Your feedback and hate mail is encouraged." If feedback and hate mail were one thing, "is" would be appropriate here, but for most of your viewers "feedback and hate mail" is a plural phrase, and it wants an "are" instead of an "is".

This feedback is not hate mail.

Dan Mack (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:20 PM)

Keith,
The champion of truth in reporting and politics.
Why didn't you mention that the Stanley Cup Trophy was
a copy and a plastic fake, in your May 27th segment.

Adam Szwarc, Nevada City CA (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:53 PM)

About your Oddball segment from Tuesday, May 27.  The hockey game that you referenced was between the Spokane (WA) Chiefs of the WHL and the Kitchener (ON) Rangers of the OHL.  So that would be Ontario, Canada, and not Oregon.  And the Memorial Cup is not the sole provenance of the WHL, but instead is the championship cup of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).  I found this information on the Wikipedia page for the Memorial Cup.

James Holzhauer, Urbana, IL (Sent Tuesday, May 27, 2008 11:17 PM)

For anyone who hasn't seen the video of Liz Trotta, tonight's 3rd Worst Person in the World, laughing about Obama being killed, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYpkvcmog0

Gerald Cruz, Atlanta, GA (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:01 AM)

Hi Keith! Thanks for hammering on McCain hypocrisy today. I love watching you and Rachel Maddow everyday. Keep up the excellent work. Tell your NBC bosses we don't care what the White House or Bill O says.

Marie, Costa Mesa, CA (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 2:58 AM)

This housing thing with former Senator Phil Gramm is earth shattering but Gramm also sponsered the "Enron Loophole" that has allowed oil speculators to rip-off the American public. This needs to be told as well.
http://www.countercurrents.org/leopold20058.htm

albert jackson (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 7:31 AM)

The Phil Gramm story is big. If you go back and look at what McCain has said in the past on reform,he has totally changed by accepting money from the very people whose policies and schemes are hurting so many Americans directly and has our ecomony in chaos and on the brink of disaster. I'm going back and look at a couple of " Meet the Press" interviews McCain had before he announced.
One thing I somewhat remember was that the system was corrupt and that THE People getting involved was the only way to change the corruption.
The BANKING INDUSTRY has has created this Big Mess.

ITs time,Like McCain said for the people to stand up and tell Congress to PUT AMERICANS FIRST, NOT PROFITS.

Lloyd Brown (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 7:55 AM)

Great show as always, Keith.

I was half expecting to see Wendy Portillo mentioned in your WPOTW segment.

Try Searching/Googling - "Kindergartener Voted Out By Students" to see why she may deserve a mention.

Mike A. (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 9:57 AM)

My guess is that even those who go to hell would have something to say for their defense but honestly I dont think Sen. Mccain should really try to speak much in any regard for this country at this particular moment. There are thing that happen because of nature trajectory and this election is in so many ways one of them. I would love to see what he was saying in 2000 when he tried to run.

Thomas T (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:52 PM)

Just wanted to send a note letting you know how much I appreciate your enthusiastic reporting...gotta love it!!!
Also, please let MSNBC know that your often guest and sometimes fill-in, Rachel Maddow, is also very much appreciated!
Keep telling it like it is, PLEASE!!!

KJ, GULFPORT, FL (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 2:54 PM)

I am wondering if it is true that President Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Blilly bill that Keith was discussing last night on his show.

I read somewhere that Pres. Clinton signed the bill and this bill was a a door-opener for the mortgage crisis devastating the lives of many people righ tnow.  It should probably be point out on someone's show that Pres. Clinton signed this bill.

mary ohio (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 3:25 PM)

I see the White House is sending its attack chihauhau after McClellan.

"Perino said the reports on the book had been described to Bush, and that she did not expect him to comment. 'He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers,' she said."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/28/white-house-responds-to-s_n_103918.html


Funny, I would have thought giving up golf would have opened up some time in Bush's day.

Maybe he should give up dancing too.

bas bleu (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 4:07 PM)

No comments?

Countdown is the flagship of MSNBC, surely they could spring for an intern or somebody to post the comments.

MaryS, Poway, Calif. (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 4:26 PM)

Liz Trotta only an also ran in the WPITW sweepstakes?
Joe Lieberman IS stiff competition.

Scot McClellan, another Bushie with too little too late. Should we call his book Belaboring The Obvious?
When is John Cleese going to be on as promised last Friday?

Bill, Rochester,NY (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 4:44 PM)

If our feedback and hate mail are encouraged, why don't you have the ____ to print it?

Full Moon (Sent Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:22 PM)



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