Doped Up On The Diamond

PLUS: The Army’s serious suicide problem...Things break down in Bali...Why are those soldiers playing with Wikipedia?..How the immigration debate hurts Americans...Check those charities...Who’s gunning for a golden globe...And why better batteries could save the world. It’s December 14th and this is MicCheck. Yup, we’re on.

Celebration Excuse

Party party party...

1789

King George III charters Dartmouth College...tosses ping-pong ball in first ever game of Beirut.

1799

George Washington, big papa to the United States, dies.

1819

Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state, still first in alphabetical order.

1959

Berry Gordy founds the Motown record label in Detroit, Michigan. Let the hits roll in!

1972

Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century. Hey, NASA, what gives? Aren’t we supposed to have cities up there by now?

1979

Punk rock group The Clash release London Calling. It immediately begins rocking casbahs the world over.

Writer birthdays: spooky and prescient...

1503: Nostradamus, the self-proclaimed prophet and favorite of conspiracy theorists

1916: Shirley Jackson, horror writer

1941: Ellen Willis, opinion journalist

1976: Leland Chapman, bounty hunter, son of Duane “Dog” Chapman

Daybook

STUMPIN

Michelle Obama campaigns for her husband in Florida
John Edwards continues his Main Street Express tour through Iowa
Mitt Romney fundraises in California
John McCain fundraises in New York City then heads to South Carolina

CONGRESS

HOUSE
Starting the weekend early.
SENATE
Not in session either.

TV

TIVO…

Oprah: Oprah and Rachael Ray Throw a Holiday Party (Rerun)
The View: Trumpeter and composer Chris Botti
Regis and Kelly: Actor Nicolas Cage, musician and pop culture icon Michael Bolton, with guest co-host Anderson Cooper
Ellen: Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover Home Edition star Ty Pennington, with musical guest David Gray

STAY UP FOR…
Letterman: Tennis star Maria Sharapova, Martha Stewart, and musical guest Justin Timberlake (Rerun)
Leno: Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, actor Fred Willard, and musical guest Tony Bennett (Rerun)
Late Late Show: Actor Parker Posey, and musical guest Ian Hunter (Rerun)
Conan: Actor and comedian Chris Tucker, actress and reality star Tori Spelling, and musical guest Shiny Toy Guns (Rerun)
Last Call: Big Shots star and Alias alum Michael Vartan, with musical guest Pat Monahan (Rerun)
Kimmel: TBA

 

Eavesdrop

STEAL THIS AUDIO

Iran: What Now?

Who: Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Joe Cirincione talks to Barbara Slavin, author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S., and the Twisted Path to Confrontation, and Trita Parsi, President of the National IranianAmerican Council and author ofTreacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States. [American Progress]

What: They discuss the state of U.S. — Iranian relations in the wake of a National Intelligence Estimate revealing that Iran abandoned their nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Why you should care: The War in Iraq has strengthened Iran’s power in the region, but Bush has seemed more intent on reckless aggravation than constructive diplomacy. The time for diplomacy is now.

The Audio

Barbara Slevin

  • The NIE was a “pre-emptive surgical strike” against “against those few people still left in the Bush administration who want yet another war before they leave office.”
    Barbara Slevin, on No Slam Dunk This Time — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.
  • Surprise surprise, Iranian leaders actually aren’t “a bunch of crazies, the ‘mad mullahs,’ running around saying ‘death to America, death to Israel’ and willing to commit suicide to make that happen.”
    Barbara Slevin, on Cost Benefit Analysis — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.
  • We’ve got to recognize the government of Iran.
    Barbara Slevin, on Recognize The Government — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

Joe Cirincione

  • “You could deter, contain, influence this state using traditional great state levers of pressure and inducements.”
    Joe Cirincione, on Traditional Power — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

Trita Parsi

  • “We can not create a stable Middle East while excluding the most powerful states in the region. It’s just an impossibility.”
    Trita Parsi, on Biggest States — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.
  • “Iran is rational. Iran can be deterred. Israel can even handle a nuclear Iran because Israel has a second strike capability.”
    Trita Parsi, on Iran Is Rational — You do not have sufficient permissions to view this object.

Popularity Contest

Headlines: They pair well with coffee. And whiskey.

NYT: Who Invited the Dog?

WP: All-Star Roster Shows Up on Mitchell Report

USAT: Clemens among baseball stars named in Mitchell report

LAT: Baseball steroid probe names big names

CBS: Hillary Clinton Gets The Jitters

NBC: Senate Judiciary votes Bolten, Rove in contempt

ABC: Mitchell: ‘For More Than a Decade There Has Been Widespread Anabolic Steroid Use’

CNN: Baseball stars named in steroid report

FOX: Private Detective Says He Knows Location of Madeleine McCann

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Grant Ginder and Ben Furnas, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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