Meet the Press with Brian Williams

By GottaLaff

UPDATE:

Veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw will moderate NBC's "Meet the Press" through the November election in the place of the late Tim Russert, the network announced Sunday.

He starts June 29th. The opening is tough to watch. It feels like Tim will be back, and like Brian Williams is just subbing. But that's not the case. There's a void.

Lindsey Graham is calling Obama names: "He's a calculating politician." He's targeting his rejection of public finances.

Joe Biden hits back: "John McCain is flip-flopping." Then he points out that Obama wants to reduce the influence of Big Money. And defends him in general by bringing up John Kerry and the Swiftboaters, and how Obama won't put up with that. But he thinks there will be Swiftboaters on both sides this time around. Barack is a politician, an honorable one. He keeps major influences out of his campaign and his presidency. Contributions of $100 eliminates the influence of special interests. He'll know how to govern. They call him naive, but they also say he's hard-nosed. The truth is, he's a realist.

Brian: He's keeping his promise.

Lindsey: The idea that we're gonna change... he broke his promise. He reinforced every bad thing wrong with politics. He'll do anything going in. John McCain puts the country ahead of himself.

Joe: He's a flip flopper.

Brian: NAFTA

Lindsey: Attack, attack, attack Obama on unions.... blahblah.

Joe: NAFTA has nothing to do with unions, it has to do with middle class jobs. He didn't say he's pulling out, he says he wants to renegotiate NAFTA.

Lindsey: He has so much talent... He's everywhere. He went to AIPAC to support Israel, the next day, the opposite. He'll do anything to win.

Brian: John McCain on oil, a reversal from his 2000 campaign. More than that, the environmentalists view this energy crisis as a gift to the U.S. to change the way we do business. McCain's statement was seen as something counter to that.

Lindsey: Energy requires more domestic exploration... in an environmentally sensitive way. There will be immediate relief. The Democratic solution is tax at home, get Saudi Arabia to drill more.

Joe: Let's get it straight here, we're trying to get them to pump more of what they're already drilling. This is a gift to the oil companies from John McCain. 79% of offshore oil lies within the acres they now have. Why aren't they pumping? 54 billion barrels now at their disposal. Why do they want to go beyond that? Because they want to get it in before Bush leaves. McCain says they need more?

Lindsey: If South Carolina consented, I'm for exploration off of my own state's shores. McCain will allow American companies, with state consent, drill off our coasts.

Joe: They can do that already. That's where the 40 million acres are... they want the other 600 million acres that aren't part of that.

Brian: Quotes Lindsey saying offshore drilling would be a detriment to our economy. What changed?

Lindsey: $4 a gallon gas. You have a supply/demand problem. But McCain wants to get away from fossil fuels by using nuclear power. 50 miles off the coast of S. Carolina, state gets half the revenue, and extract oil off our coast to be more energy independent.

Joe: You're entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts. They're already available. They already have that.

Brian: Quotes Lindsey AGAIN, coming out against offshore drilling. You made the argument.

Lindsey: At $4 a gallon, time is not on our side. This has changed my view of this. I have changed my position.

Joe: Invest in windmills, alternative energy.

Brian: Iraq v.Afghanistan.

Joe: Having 140,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely costs money, lives. Afghanistan doesn't have the forces it needs. McCain views this as if he's the commander in chief of IRAQ. There are other needs.

Lindsey: The central battle on the war on terror per Petraeus is Iraq. For 4 years, McCain argued for more troops. He suggested something new: Send more troops in.

Brian: The question was about Afghanistan.

Lindsey: Al Qaeda, The Surge worked, Iraq, Iraq... it's not appreciated because we have growing problems in Afghanistan. We're winning in Iraq. NATO needs to help more in Afghanistan.

Joe: [ He beats Lindsey's arguments down.] I asked Petraeus, if you could eliminate Al Qaeda in one place where would you choose? He said, Afghanistan. The Al Qaeda argument is bizarre...Old Think. That's why we're in this trouble to begin with. .... I'm not interested in the Vice Presidency. If he asked, I'd have to say yes, but he's not gonna ask me. I do not want to be asked.

[Laffy Note: I miss Tim's warmth and style.]