July 12: 7 Best Moments from Sunday Talk

Feinstein Chides Cheney's 'Big Problem'

A number of Democrats came out swinging on Sunday, following a New York Times article claiming that former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the CIA to withhold information from Congress. One of the loudest voices in the pack was Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, who, appearing on Fox News Sunday, says she is not very happy about being left in the dark. But to be fair she WAS briefed on the CIA’s operations… two weeks ago.

McCain: Palin Quit, But She's No Quitter. Got That?

On Meet the Press, Sen. John McCain says that Sarah Palin’s decision to quit as a leader in Alaska was a surprise but not a shock, and is consistent with his own qualities of leadership. The only difference is McCain, who has faced his own fair share of media criticism in addition to physical torture, never quit his office. Confused? So is David Gregory.

Howie Explores the Stimulus Package

Howard Kurtz is the first to criticize news organizations for paying too much attention to the frivolous. But he couldn’t resist giving a moment of Reliable Sources to whether Matt Drudge correctly nailed President Obama for sneaking a peek at a young Brazilian woman’s, uh, posterior region. But credit to Kurtz: He reviews the videotape several times and, upon considering the evidence, decides Obama got an unfair rap. Unlike Sarkozy.

Sotomayor Leaves Sen. Sessions 'Flabbergasted'

Give him an A for effort: Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, despite Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s almost-certain confirmation to the Supreme Court, is doubling down on criticism of the nominee’s judicial philosophy. There’s not much that’s new about Sessions’ argument—Sotomayor isn’t committed to impartiality and supports the citation of international law—but it’s interesting that he’s using a national platform to oppose her despite the odds against her defeat. Source: Face the Nation.

Durbin Demands CIA Probe

Another Democrat not hesitating in a call for action on the Cheney-CIA concealment allegations is former Intelligence Committee member Sen. Dick Durbin. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on This Week, Durbin says that there “absolutely” must be an investigation into the matter, which is not only “inappropriate,” but could very well be “illegal.” Fundraisers for Cheney’s legal bills may be soon to follow.

Uncomfortable Metaphor Of The Week: Brazile and Donaldson on Viagra

Do we need a second stimulus package? We’ll let the economists decide that one, but there certainly doesn’t need to be any more debates like this one between Donna Brazile and Sam Donaldson. Warren Buffett used a Viagra analogy this week to explain why we might need to pump some more money into he economy, but the pundits on This Week take it to another level with much more information than we wanted to know about Donaldson.

Buchanan: Russia Agreement Makes Us Less Safe?

Perhaps it was the hangover from the death of Michael Jackson, perhaps it was the excitement around Obama’s visits to Italy and Ghana, but the arms agreement the president made with Russia last week received too little coverage, especially when you consider the stakes (the possible extermination of much of the world’s population, for those of you who don’t recall the Cold War). The agreement requires Russia and the U.S. to limit nuclear warheads, but as Pat Buchanan points out on The McLaughlin Group, that gains very little for safety and may play into Russian objectives more than to those of the Unites States. Source: McLaughlin Group.

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