American Morning
Frum: Cheney should not be criticizing Obama
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/12/intv.frum.gop.art.jpg caption= "David Frum says the GOP's strength lies with actual governance and achievement at the state level."]
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is now standing up for former Vice President Dick Cheney after Cheney took aim at the White House, Democrats and even Colin Powell. Powell suggested that Republicans need to move toward the political center to survive and Cheney took a shot questioning whether Powell was even a Republican anymore.
Limbaugh commented on the matter, saying “What motivates Dick Cheney? Love of country. National interest. He doesn't need this abuse. He's the lone voice. But if we're going to moderate and try to make ourselves look like we're on the same page as Obama, well, he is going to get all the credit for all the good and we’re going to all the blame for all the bad and there is going to be no reason to ever vote for Republicans.”
David Frum is a conservative columnist and editor of newmajority.com and was a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush. He spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday.
Kiran Chetry: How troubling is it when you have two very polarizing figures like Rush Limbaugh and former Vice President Dick Cheney taking up a lot of air time for the Republican Party? As a Republican, does that concern you?
David Frum: Look, Dick Cheney is a great man and one of the most effective and knowledgeable people in the Bush administration and all of Washington. The country owes him a great deal. But this kind of dispute reminds me of those t-shirts you sometimes see at boot camps and things like that... the beatings will continue until morale improves. The firings from the Republican Party will continue until the party gets bigger. I don't think what we need is a fight between Dick Cheney and Colin Powell.
A Republican Party that’s not big enough to include Colin Powell – well that’s not a very big party… Many people inside Washington think of Colin Powell as a figure who’s about domestic politics. But in the eyes of America he is the general who won the only unequivocal victory this country has seen in any war since World War II. So if you want to say we don't have room for him, well we have room for all the generals for the losing wars we don’t have room for the generals from the winning wars and I don't think that's a very appealing message.
Farrah Fawcett fights back
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/12/cho.fawcett.art.jpg caption= "Acress Farrah Fawcett speaks out against tabloids in an interview with the Los Angeles Times."]
Farrah Fawcett has fallen under the microscope as she seeks treatment for cancer. Headlines are all but announcing her death. Now Fawcett is speaking out.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she alleges the hospital where she sought cancer treatment pressured her to donate money. And worse, they sold her medical records to the National Enquirer. Explosive allegations that Fawcett says have taken a big toll on her health.
"I knew immediately that the information was coming from UCLA to the National Enquirer. So when my cancer came back, that's when I set it up with the doctor, I said, ‘Okay, you know and I know,' so I knew if it came out it was coming from UCLA."
The "Charlie's Angels" star says UCLA Medical Center initially did nothing to stop it. UCLA eventually did investigate the matter and found one of its employees had been looking at patients' records, but the hospital would not reveal the name to Fawcett's lawyers.
“She said, 'We have a responsibility to protect our employees.' And I said, 'More than your patients?'" says Fawcett.
The interview with the Los Angeles Times was recorded last August but held until now, timed to the release of her new documentary. In the interview Fawcett says cancer "becomes your life…it's all consuming... Then, your quality of life is never the same."
What’s on Tap – Tuesday May 12, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan fired, as thousands more American troops roll into that country. Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal will replace General David McKiernan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he wants a new leader to carry out the president's new strategy. General McChrystal is a former Green Beret who Gates says will bring a fresh approach to the conflict:
An American soldier in custody in Iraq, after he allegedly gunned down five fellow soldiers at a counseling center for U.S. troops coping with stress. The Pentagon is promising a thorough investigation. We're taking a closer look at the military’s effort to deal with the mental health of its soldiers.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney criticized democrats, the White House and Colin Powell. Now Rush Limbaugh and you, our viewers are sounding off on all of it. You'll hear what everyone's saying. And we want you to join the debate. Call our show hotline at 877-MYAMFIX.
A hearing begins today to find out why a flight from Newark to Buffalo just "fell from the sky,” killing all 49 passengers on board and one inside a house. The NTSB has already hinted that the pilot wasn't ready to prevent the crash. CNN’s Allan Chernoff takes a look at why he may not have been able to save the doomed flight.
We Listen!
On Monday, American Morning viewers responded strongly against former Vice President Cheney’s continued appearances on talk shows, calling him “irrelevant.” Both Democrats and Republicans believed him to be disingenuous on multiple fronts.
- Sheri: Stop asking Dick Cheney his opinion about ANYTHING!!!! He was almost invisible for 8 years and his negativity is not needed – then or now! I'm tired of turning my TV on in the morning and seeing him complaining about what the Obama administration is doing and how it should be run his way. We voted them out of office – stop parading them around spouting their lame opinions. It only causes turmoil.
- Jim G: For those interviewing Cheney-who is flaunting the miserably failed past 8 years-what his take is on the Iraqi journalist (an obviously real journalist)-who threw his shoe at Bush? That is, does Cheney think he owes an enormous apology to the American people-and why is he not being confronted on this? Throwing Cheney soft balls so he can attack Obama is ludicrous, particularly given the enormous challenges Obama faces-because of Cheney/Bush!
- Jay: I have never believed what Mr. Cheney says on its face value. His intentions are never reflected in his words. I suspect his attacks Powell is because he cannot control Powell. Are all Republicans supposed to blindly agree with Cheney and Rush? Can there be no second opinion?
- Paula: Were I Mr. Colin Powell, I'd deem it a supreme compliment to be "backhanded" by the likes of Cheney! He didn't have 3 words to say, over the past 8 years, and now is as difficult to neutralize as the AIDS virus, now! He is a dark, divisive, and pathetic creature...irrelevant, boring, and lacking in any constructive elements. As in the old vaudeville "stinkers"...someone should "hook" him, around the neck, and drag him off the "national stage"! He is negative message is counter-productive, and his snide "asides" are enervating to the pathetic condition of this severely-crippled nation...
- Jim M: Typical CNN... only put out partial information, just want you want people to hear. The bigger story was how Dick Cheney is sounding the alarm of Obama making us less safe by removing safeguards that have kept us from being hit for the last eight years. This is why anyone who wants honest, fair information must go to FOX NEWS.
What do you think about former Vice President Cheney’s public appearances recently? Is he, as one viewer states, “irrelevant,” or are we only getting “partial information”? Do you believe he is representative of the Republican Party or has the party moved in a new direction?
Romans’ Numeral: 59 and 16
Starting today, “American Morning” is bringing you a clever look at a number driving the day’s news about your money. We’re calling it Romans’ Numerals and we’re hoping you will play along and email, tweet and message us on Facebook about the numbers that matter to your money.
Our inaugural numeral – 16. It has to do with just how weak the jobs market is and just how many people are out of work. The unemployment rate is 8.9 percent, but almost 16 percent of the labor market is UNDEREMPLOYED, estimates economist Peter Morici of the University of Maryland. That includes people out of work, discouraged workers who have stopped looking and people who are working part-time because they cannot find full-time work.
You’ll hear a lot this week about credit card reforms and new rules to stop credit card issuers from jacking up your rates and other unpopular measures. At the same time, the banks are bracing for credit card defaults to skyrocket as the unemployment rate worsens. Millions of Americans are late on their cards, or not paying. Which brings me to our second Romans’ Numeral of the day – 59. 59% of people pay the credit card bill dead last when times are tight, according to creditcards.com.
Got a number that gives an offbeat angle to a money story? Send it our way.
A lot of you are asking about rising gas prices, perhaps still stung by those $4 a gallon gas prices that bled so many commuters dry last year. Yes, they are rising again - up 16 cents in a week, according to AAA. Don’t worry. Most analysts say this recent run-up is no stepping stone to $3 and $4 a gallon gasoline. The Energy Department expects a peak this summer around $2.30. Why are they up? Oil is obviously the starting point for gasoline, and oil prices are up 30% this year. But that’s because of money, not supply and demand. Investors are betting the economy will improve eventually. Gasoline demand has not gone up. For gasoline, demand fell off a cliff late last year as the economy cratered, and is now flat. Could it be that commuters – with $4 gallon prices still in the rear-view mirror – are conserving? Not likely. It’s because the economy is so dreadfully weak. "Demand is down because unemployment is at post-war highs and many people are driving on a 'must go' basis, with a minimum of discretionary use," says the Oil Price Information Service’s Tom Kloza. He says this “mini-bubble” is almost over.
But this weak economy won’t last forever. It’s one reason why gas prices are creeping up. Economist Conrad DeQuadros of RDQ Economics, says “it is probably reasonable to assume that vehicle miles traveled will begin to pick up again as the intensity of the recession diminishes.”
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