March 13, 2007
Hotline After Dark: Perplexing The Pundits
Chuck Hagel announces he will have an announcement; Fred Thompson may be running -- it all leaves pundits trying to pat their head and rub their belly at the same time.
But first, Mitt Romney was on "Hannity & Colmes":
On his standing in the polls: "It's way too early to be looking at polls. This is very, very early in the presidential process. People start concentrating on these elections and making opinions in the fall. And by the fall and December, I'll be building my strength. Actually, there have been a lot of people in the past who have followed the same course. John McCain was one of them, Bill Clinton, of course. So front-runners usually have a difficult time, and I'm expecting that to happen in this election's case, as well."
FNC's Hannity: "[Giuliani]'s pro-choice. He has said he would appoint originalist justices like Scalia, and Thomas, and Alito. On that issue of judges, is that the type of justice you'd be looking for?"
Romney: "Well, of course, we're all going to talk about appointing judges that will follow the law and not legislate from the bench. But being pro-life is, of course, broader than just the kind of judges you appoint. There's legislation, which month to month and year to year comes forward, that can either protect the sanctity of time of can take it away. As governor, I had several measures that came to my desk, which affected life. And they were not court decisions; they were legislative decisions which I faced as governor. And if you're pro-life, then you're going to come down on the side of life. And if you're pro-choice, you'll take the other direction. And it's something where my record is clear. When my legislature tried redefine when life began, I said no. When they said they were going to clone human embryos for research purposes, I said no. When they said that they were going to block the education of our kids on abstinence in school, I said no. So we're going to be able to define ourselves based upon our positions on issues, and people can decide where they line up" (FNC, 3/12).
WHAT WAS THAT?
Pundits try to find meaning in Hagel's words:
Hagel brother Tom Hagel: "You know as much about it as I do" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/12).
FNC's Hume: "It takes a courageous man to decide he's undecided" ("Special Report," 3/12).
MSNBC's Carlson: "Hagel looks like he just went bankrupt and just woke up at the same time" ("Tucker," 3/12).
Washington Post's Milbank: "This is the political equivalent of Geraldo opening Al Capone's vault" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 3/12).
CNN's Bash: "It was the political version of kicking the can" ("Situation Room," 3/12).
IS HE A POLITICIAN OR JUST PLAYING ONE ON TV?
Was Thompson serious or not?
WashingtonPost.com's Cillizza: "I'm skeptical about him running. I think he likes his name out there. There is a lot of money in Tennessee that went away when Bill Frist decided not to run. So, he would have something of a funding base, and he is a well-known personality" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/12).
FNC's Cameron: "Odds are against it. A lot of signals from the closest aides and friends to Thompson lead us to probably going to decide not to, but the pressure is growing. A lot of enthusiasm. Conservatives think he might be the guy, because he has had a consistently conservative record" ("Special Report," 3/12).
CNN's J. King: "He hides his toughness behind the affable sense of humor. He's a polished attorney. He doesn't just play one on TV" ("Situation Room," 3/12). [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 08:53 AM
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