ABC's Opinion of Sunday Talk TV

ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe made very clear to George Stephanopoulos that his party is prepared to make George W. Bush's personal and professional military record an issue in the upcoming general election, especially if John Kerry is the nominee. Here's what The Macker said on This Week:

"I don't know if John Kerry will be the nominee. I have to be neutral towards all of them. But if he is the nominee, let me tell you this, George, I look forward to that debate, when John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guard. George Bush never served in our military in our country. He didn't show up when he should have showed up. And there's John Kerry, on the stage with a chest full of medals that he earned by saving lives of American soldiers. So is — John Kerry says, Bring it on. I don't know if he'll be the nominee, but I welcome whoever the nominee's debate is with George Bush."

Chairman McAuliffe also perhaps slightly backed off his earlier statements that to move your candidacy forward you will have had to win at least one contest by February 4. Today McAuliffe said he is aware of Howard Dean's decision not to advertise in any of Tuesday's seven states and that he will be playing in contests later in February. McAuliffe said that is a decision for Howard Dean who has to assess his own candidacy in his own way.

NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert

A surly (el - Surly, WTF?) Howard Dean appeared on "Meet the Press" today. Dean went after Kerry for the contributions that he has received from special interests and was put on the spot by NBC's Tim Russert for special interest ties of his own.

Dean said that he thinks the race isn't going to be decided until March 2 or March 9 but said he would get out of the race sooner if he gets "blown out again" and someone secures enough delegates. When Russert questioned Dean about the past lobbying activities of Roy Neel and Bob Rogan, Dean said: "The question is: are they ethical people? And both of my people are ethical people." He didn't really directly respond to Tim on this.

Dean happily accepted an old Kerry invitation to debate that Dean had dismissed when he was the frontrunner. Dean laughed and expressed his doubts as to whether Kerry would now accept. Russert vowed to ask him.

Dean said the best explanation was a New York Time analysis that said that he lost because the American people never got to know him. Dean suggested that his background as a doctor makes it difficult for him to let people get to know him — because he's always listening to the patient.

We thought Governor Dean should have been more insistent with Tim in demanding he show the Diane Sawyer version of The Scream.

CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer

On Face the Nation, Senator John Edwards stated from Columbia, S.C., that if he were offered the number two spot on the Democratic ticket, "I would say no."

Asked by host Bob Schieffer what he would do if it turned out he didn't have the delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination and were offered the vice presidential slot, Edwards said he would refuse because he's running for president, and "to bring the change I think needs to be brought to this country, I need to be the president of the United States. That's what this is about for me."

Last Wednesday we heard Edwards start down this somewhat Sherman-esque road and today he was even a bit more concise if not stronger. We still think there is a bit of wiggle room here, but it appears to us that he has made a conscious decision that he is either 1.) completely uninterested in being VP or 2.) of the belief that he must appear completely uninterested in being VP.

Asked about the need for a Democratic Southern strategy (no, not THAT Southern strategy) and Senator John Kerry's statement that it's possible for a Democrat to win without Southern states, Edwards said it is mathematically possible, but it's never happened.

Edwards said it's a close race coming in South Carolina on Tuesday: "Clearly there's a showdown going on in South Carolina." As to whether he can win anywhere else on Feb. 3, Edwards said, "I can win delegates everywhere."

The campaign has good support and good ground operations all over, and they can be competitive, Edwards said, stopping far short of saying he could win in any other state.

CNN's Inside Politics Sunday

Former Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi looking as if he had (el - I had to correct their typo here) just been to the spa (or at least gotten a good night's sleep recently) told CNN's Judy Woodruff that he thinks he made the right decision to step aside because he believes "you can't have two captains of the ship."

When pressed about the seeming inconsistency of hiring telecom lobbyist Roy Neel while railing against Washington insiders, Trippi tried to turn the focus of the conversation back to special interest contributions taken by President Bush and Senator John Kerry.

CNN's John Mercurio reported that Dean's media consultants, Trippi, McMahon and Squire, made $5.2 million this past quarter.