July 19, 2006
Hotline After Dark -- Beirut As New Orleans?
Cable TV continues to focus on the Middle East, with correspondents reporting from various points around the region.
CNN's Roberts: "It doesn't look like anything substantial is going to happen on the diplomatic front this week. The United States is not about to ask the Israelis to stop, and Condoleezza Rice has no firm plans yet to travel to the region" ("Situation Room," 7/18).
Ex-Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME): "My guess is that sometime in the next few days you'll begin to see a more comprehensive and concerted effort in which the United States is involved to try to bring it to a conclusion" ("On the Record," FNC, 7/18).
There was a lot of talk on the U.S. policy requiring Americans in Lebanon to pay an evacuation fee. And the images of Americans waiting to be evacuated brought comparisons to Hurricane Katrina.
CNN's Koppel: "As the day progressed here on Capitol Hill, Democrats ramped up the rhetoric. They seized upon this issue, went on the offensive" ("Situation Room," 7/18).
MSNBC's Shuster had the WH response: "[WH spokesperson Tony] Snow blamed Congress and said lawmakers three years ago were the ones who tightened the law" ("Hardball," 7/17).
NBC's Mitchell: "The U.S. government will now pay for people to travel to Cyprus. Evacuees, though, will still have to pay for the rest of their trips back to the United States. The State Department does say though that it has negotiated cut-rate fares with the major airlines. This is only, of course, the latest controversy over what some critics say have been a slow and halting response on the part of the U.S. government to thousands of Americans trying to get out of Beirut" ("Scarbrough Country," MSNBC, 7/18).
More Shuster: "The image of Americans, terrified and having to wait for days to be rescued, is an image that has burned the Bush administration before, namely a year ago following Hurricane Katrina. This time around, amidst the violence in Lebanon, no Americans have died waiting for help. And with U.S. Navy ships streaming towards Beirut and Israel pledging safe passage for all evacuees, Bush administration officials are convinced the greatest political danger they are facing in all of this here at home will be over within days" ("Hardball," 7/18).
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI): "In Lebanon we have 25,000 people from America. Over 5,000 family members from Michigan who are literally trapped. ... This reminds me of watching the pictures of people sitting on rooftops in New Orleans that should have been evacuated much more quickly than they were. Six days is way too long. People are afraid and have every right to be. People at home are worried about their families. And it's been at least six days, and it may be much, much longer before people are able to get home" ("LKL," CNN, 7/18).
Posted at 07:25 AM
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