5 p.m. ET
Dick Durbin's comments are still getting play on the blogs this afternoon, and Al Jazeera has reported it, as well. I'll be sure to share more comments in the 5 p.m. ET show. There's also a lot on the Patriot Act provisions that were stopped by the House of Representatives.
Jim VandeHei of The Washington Post is reporting that next week the President will begin a PR offensive on the Iraq war amid polls that indicate Americans are not feeling his vibe anymore. We'll discuss what his strategy should be at this point.
And later, as we continue to following the story of the missing teen in Aruba, do MSM organizations tend to only cover these tragedies when they involve pretty, young white girls? Some critics think so. We'll debate it.
Email us. Maciulis@MSNBC.com
12 p.m. ET
Yesterday Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois read aloud from an FBI report about treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, and prefaced with this comment:
"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said.
Needless to say, when you drop the "N" word, that being Nazi, you can get quite a reaction. He is now the official target of conservative ire, from the radio talk shows to the late night TV talkers to, of course, the blogosphere. Howard Dean must be breathing easy today.
At noon we'll take on Durbin's comments. While that dreaded "Nazi" comparison is always a sure fire way to get attention, was there more to what Durbin was saying that is being drowned out by the shouting over what was perhaps a poor choice of words? Both sides will be represented when we "Connect" you to the story.
And later, the story of 13-year-old Katie Wernecke is sad and frustrating for everyone involved. She was taken from her parents and put into state custody because her folks were refusing chemo treatment for her cancer. Today we'll ask Dr. Bernadine Healy and ethicist Arthur Caplan to assess the medical and ethical issues at the heart of the case.
Web links
Conservatives
Liberals
Middle Ground
Rep. J.D. Hayworth on Imus referred to this
Should be a great show. Join us, and drop us an email.
Maciulis@MSNBC.com