Hotline After Dark -- Lieb Still Dominates

When not talking about the JonBenet Ramsey case, TV was still in post-Pres. Bush presser mode, debating the role of Iraq in the '06 election.

MSNBC's Shuster: "Credibility problems or not, President Bush is on the offense when he argues Iraq could be even worse. The question is does that approach really help the president's congressional supporters or does it hurt them badly?" ("Hardball," 8/22).

CNN's Schneider: "The midterm campaign is just beginning, but so far it's the Iraq issue that's framing the election. But still, most Americans do not believe that either party has a decisive advantage in handling the issue" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 8/22).

Washington Post's Milbank: "The administration will continue to link Iraq and al Qaeda. ... And if the president continue to link this, he does pretty well. ... If he can continue to fuse the two together, that's his best shot for Republican victories in November" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 8/22).

EYEING '06

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was in the "Situation Room":

Asked about John Kerry's statement that he's taken the GOP cause: "John's is entitled to his opinion. I think he's dead wrong in what he had to say. And it's up to the people of Connecticut to say in November where they are on the war. But the fact is here John Kerry is seeking higher office. He wants to run for the White House again. I take that to be a politically motivated statement by an old friend."

Asked if he's hurt by Dem criticism of him: "When I decided to run as an independent -- and I decided more than a month ago, because I began the petition circulation to get the signatures to be on the ballot -- I did it expecting that most Democrats would follow the old political, partisan rules and go with the nominee, the person who got more votes in the primary. I would be less than human ... if I didn't say that when I saw some of these folks saying the things that they do, it hurts. But you know what? The primary's over. If endorsements mattered and determined elections, I would have won the primary by a lot because I had most of the endorsements" (CNN, 8/22).

CT SEN candidate Alan Schlesinger (R) was on "Hardball."

Schlesinger: "I'm a hawk but I'm a reasonable, rational hawk."

More: "The Washington folks aren't talking to me. They basically are taking their orders from the White House."

More on the GOP: "They're not trying to screw me. That's the whole point. They've designed a scenario that they think will work to help Bush and to help the Republicans nationwide by saying, listen, the liberal wing of the Democratic party has gone nuts. They've gone with this guy Lamont" (MSNBC, 8/22).

And FNC's Cameron examined the AK GOV race. Cameron: "Barring last-minute come-from-behind surprises from Mr. Murkowski, he could become the first nationally recognized Republican to go down in the 2006 election campaign" ("Special Report," 8/22). [EMILY GOODIN]