ABC had so hyped its special program on Gabby Giffords in advance of last night that I was pretty much done with it by the time it aired. But I watched it online this morning, and it really is a remarkable story. One measure of how remarkable is that it stands on its own without all of the tricks TV often uses to milk a story for drama and emotion. Watch.
Bob Costas’ phone interview last night with former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the man accused of the serial sexual abuse of boys, is riveting television, a fine example of the good journalism that sportscasters should be doing more of, and, most importantly, is an appalling glimpse at the man at the center of what is perhaps the biggest scandal in American sports history.
What his attorney was thinking when he signed off on this interview is beyond me, and he sits right there with Costas listening without betraying any hint of regret for the terrible decision to let his client speak publicly.
After high-profile meeting and apology to American Muslims, Cain goes back to Muslim bashing.
TPM Reader HW chimes in on the Newt question …
Your analysis of Gingrich v. Romney really folds down to one line: if the Republican power brokers can prevent a candidate who can’t beat Obama from getting nominated, then Romney will be nominated. Full stop, no need for further analysis.
There’s been a running debate in our reader emails today over whether Newt Gingrich is more than just your latest also-ran presidential candidate making their high-octane suborbital flight on the polling charts. TPM Reader EA made the point earlier that Newt is quite a different thing from Michele Bachmann or Herman Cain, who by any measure other than the 2012 presidential cycle are basically jokes. So too with Rick Perry. Yes, he’s run a state for a decade. But he’s never been all that popular even in Texas. And as we’ve seen, he wasn’t ready for the national spotlight. Whatever you think of him, Newt Gingrich has been on the national political stage for almost 35 years. And he held, albeit briefly, one of the highest offices in the land. Read More
Does Newt Gingrich have one of those congressional ‘insider trading’ problems?
Cain campaign explains Libya ‘oops’ moment: “He was on about four hours of sleep.”
Heading into a tough reelection fight against Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is endorsing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau nominee Richard Cordray and bucking his party to call for an up or down vote.
Remember too that the CFPB is the agency that is the brainchild of his probable Democratic opponent, Warren.
Oh this ain’t pretty. Herman Cain sat down with the editors of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this afternoon. And it just didn’t go well at all. Particularly on Libya: I “Got All This Stuff Twirling Around In My Head.” More than the ‘full Perry’ it’s right up there with Sarah Palin’s tour du force interview with Charlie Gibson. Watch.