Blago: Don’t Count Me Out Yet!
Rod Blagojevich went on Fox News Sunday to celebrate his hard-won freedom. Among the many topics he rambled on (and on and on) about was his belief that he’s due for a political comeback once he’s vindicated. He also took a moment to say that he can run faster than Winston Churchill. Good to know!
Daisy Khan on the “Ground Zero Mosque”
Daisy Khan, wife of “ground zero mosque” Imam Feisal Adbul Rauf, appeared on This Week along with Rabbi Joy Levitt, where the two women compared the Islamophobia surrounding the proposed mosque to the prejudices the Jewish people have faced in the past: “This is like a metastasized anti-Semitism,” Khan said. “That's what we feel right now. It's not even Islamophobia, it's beyond Islamophobia. It's hate of Muslims. And we are deeply concerned.”
Mitch McConnell Will Take Obama “at His Word” That He’s Not Muslim
It was the side-step of the year, if not the decade, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to skirt around Meet the Press host David Gregory’s inquiry into whether or not McConnell thinks President Obama is a Muslim. After much hedging, McConnell finally said he’ll take the president “at his word” when he says he’s a Christian.
Hamid Karzai Defends End of the Year Deadline
On ABC's This Week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai stood by his recent decision to disband the private security contractor business in his country. When asked by host Christiane Amanpour about the quickly approaching deadline, Karzai defended the end of the year goal, despite the U.S.’ position that the Afghan army and police force are nowhere near ready to take over these duties. Karzai says their presence in Afghanistan is preventing the security forces from growing and developing. “Why would an Afghan young man come to the police if he can get a job in a security firm, have a lot of leeway and without any discipline,” Karzai said. “So naturally, our security forces will find it difficult to grow. In order for security forces to grow, these groups must be disbanded.” Karzai also offered an appeal to the American taxpayer to "not allow their hard-earned money to be wasted on groups that are not only providing lots of inconveniences to the Afghan people, but actually are, God knows, in contact with Mafia-like groups."
Blago Bet and Lost in "Political Horse Trading"
Breaking news: Rod Blagojevich says he did nothing wrong. In fact, he says he believes his "political horse trading" for the then-vacant Illinois Senate seat is similar to the bargaining and bartering the White House has been doing. When prompted for an example, Blago cited the case of a recent federal judge appointment, which he claimed was made because the Obama administration gained a health-care vote from the appointment. Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace quickly knocked down the comparison. Blagojevich stated he had spoken to Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel about his "political deal." Wallace made an attempt to clarify Blago's claim of innocence, "I want to make clear. You're saying you're guilty of nothing more than Harry Reid, Senator Menendez, and Rahm Emanuel?" Wallace asked. "That's exactly right, absolutely right," the governor confirmed. "And they did nothing wrong either." Blagojevich said that if everyone tells the truth—Emanuel, Reid, and even the president, he will be proven innocent.
Greg Mortenson Talks Building Afghan Schools
Author and philanthropist Greg Mortenson stopped by Face the Nation to talk about his work building schools in Afghanistan—even in Taliban-controlled areas. “You can ask any woman in Afghanistan or Pakistan what do you want, they’ll say, ‘We don’t want our babies to die, and we want our children to go to school,’” he said.
Jezebel Editor Talks Leaked Aniston Pictures
Jezebel recently came under fire for posting unretouched photos of Jennifer Aniston, when the photo agency behind the pictures sent them a cease and desist order. Editor Jessica Coen went on Reliable Sources to defend the site’s decision to post the pictures, saying, “The fact that those photos exist, that’s news in and of itself.” She went on to say that she thinks it’s important that sites like Jezebel show readers that “not only are images being manipulated, but there’s a great effort to control those images being released.”