"I'm not Tim"

The Chuck:keeper of the scorecard

Hey, when Brokaw labels you twice in one day with colloquial titles - you take'em and like it.

With that said, The Chuck brought his A-game to Meet The Press this morning. Like we're shocked.

The New York Times on Meet The Press post-election and the influence of Brokaw

"...but it is leaning toward an ensemble of hosts that would be led by Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, and include David Gregory, a correspondent and MSNBC anchor, according to a person who had been briefed on the proposal but was not authorized to comment, partly because the plans were not set. Like the turnover of anchors at all three network newscasts, the process of choosing a successor for Mr. Russert has been closely watched in media and political circles."

Meet The Press 08/24/08: The Chuck's game is solid for the week ahead

Although it will be hard for you to believe, we're going to be serious for a moment.

This morning's round table discussion on Meet The Press was one of Chuck Todd's finest moments. Not exceptional in what was discussed, but exceptional in how it was discussed and by whom. The Chuck sat down with three of the most respected journalists in the area of politics. Tom Brokaw, the lion sage with a trusted timbre and historically sentimental publishing cred that has gained him respect beyond his newscaster days. Gwen Ifill, host of PBS's Washington Week and Senior Washington Correspondent for the News Hour with Jim Lehrer was herself a front-runner seriously speculated on to inherit the Meet The Press chair in the days after Tim Russert's passing. Her strength and intelligence were never more apparent as in the 2004 Vice Presidential debates which she moderated. It was there she reined in a pugnacious Dick Cheney like a calm assertive school marm (gender be damned). And lastly but not least, John Meacham, Editor of Newsweek magazine and eloquent author of one of the more gifted theses on the influence of religion on the founding fathers. These three are not from your usual chattering class and The Chuck was holding his own right there with them.

In fact, each member of the panel at one time or another agreed or referenced a point The Chuck made prior. The Chuck was succinct, yet conversational and possessing the radiance of someone who still can't believe their good fortune.

The Chuck spoke of how the Democrats are beginning to bristle at the the McCain POW defense for all things sensitive to the GOP candidate. He also put into context what Biden is truly going to be from now till November 4th: "Obama hired himself a defense lawyer" Adding to that pithy summation that he was also going to be his working-class ambassador where in "one speech, he can sell the [Obama] biography better than Obama himself can do." Agreeing that The Chuck was right on the points mentioned, Meacham gave the Democrats some steel by imagining that a "Democratic Fight Club" has been established in light of their prospects and McCain's aggressiveness.

After discussing the tired but vexing question of Hillary voters and what they'll do, The Chuck complimented the McCain buzz machine for keeping in the news and probably pushing the Biden announcement to the last minute with headline jockeying stories such as Lieberman's consideration and the like. Brokaw brought up Colin Powell being floated as a potential McCain VP shortlist occupant. Everyone agreed this was dangerous and The Chuck offered up some great points to the group. One being that Powell is over 70 and that would be an immediate detriment and he also gave fantastic insight on how Powell should be pleased about the Biden pick considering the productive and friendly working relationship they shared back in the day. Meacham called it a "nightmare scenario" for McCain if Powell announces, after the convention dust settles, that he's endorsing Obama.

Brokaw closed the segment by half-joking but also making sure everybody knew that The Chuck would be on from midnight to midnight for the remainder of the week. The Chuck warmly shot back at Brokaw reminding him that he would be right there with him burning the midnight oil.

The Chuck on Meet The PressSomebody get Judy Woodruff a Mimosa STAT!

This morning's Meet The Press was pretty standard fare for all of us political junkies who are adrift in these Horse Latitudes of the election season; no Veep pick, conventions are off in the distance, the candidates are about a hair's breadth from T.P.-ing each other's house, etc.

So you try to pull together a group to talk about something until the Olympics get here. The Chuck worked with what he had. Mike Murphy let loose the most unfortunate of Freudian slips replacing Chappaquiddick for Chappaqua. The Chuck hit him with a rock while he swung in the wind by saying, "You Republicans are programmed (unitelligible)." We believe we heard The Chuck say, "You Republicans are programmed with that story as children to make you fear getting in cars with Senators and/or strangers."

But somewhere in all this snooziness Judy Woodruff was not buying what The Chuck was selling. We here at the Viva Chuck Todd offices challenge anyone out there to review the broadcast and let us know if Woodruff looked at The Chuck more than two times. We believe that lady doesn't like The Chuck. She tried to undermine The Chuck's historical argument of citing the 1988 general election where Lloyd Bentsen outclassed Dukakis and Dan Quayle kept asking Bush Sr. if he could go pee-pee. Illustrating that a VP choice can seriously affect perception if gravitas or experience levels are seriously out-of-whack. Woodruff debated that point by saying even though Bentsen "cleaned Dan Quayle's clock" it made no difference. She also referenced Spiro Agnew as another bad choice that didn't effect the general election. She almost had us until she torpedoed her own argument by referencing LBJ bringing in Texas for JFK. The Chuck piled on by referencing Al Gore bringing Tennessee for Clinton.

We believe The Chuck was making the argument in the context of 2008, where the Vice Presidency has been elevated to a much more powerful and high profile office where the candidates are now more than appendages and funeral goers. Obama is, well, Obama so that needs a whole new vetting matrix and McCain needs to cast for understudies like a Broadway producer in 1996 who has a show with George Burns headlining.

With that said, the Viva Judy Woodruff domain is now for sale if anyone wants it.

The Chuck and David Gregory on Meet The PressTwo men enter-One man leaves

The Chuck had a blisteringly great performance on Meet the Press this past Sunday where David Gregory made a fine Goose to The Chuck's Maverick. The Chuck pretty much laid out a chronological formula as to when Obama is going to make his VP announcement, spoke authentically about average voter perception regarding Iraq withdrawal and named the first logical bipartisan congressional agenda item in a McCain presidency. Oh Chuck...you make it look so damn easy. Gregory followed up each point The Chuck raised citing his White House sources.

But the best moment came at the closing (47:18) when Tom Brokaw threw Gregory a bone basted in irony and Chuck Todd fans a big brightly wrapped Christmas present with the following remarks:

Thank you very much David Gregory, our NBC White House correspondent, and of course star of MSNBC, "The Road to the White House." Chuck Todd, our political director, we'll be seeing a lot more of you here on MEET THE PRESS and, of course, on all the platforms of NBC News and MSNBC in the weeks to come.We have to leave it there. We'll be right back.

"Star". "Star"? Who calls the anchor of a fancy webcam show, that when viewed through the prism of ratings is doing slightly better than Tucker which it replaced, a "star"? The New York Observer did a whole piece on Gregory's Sunday MTP appearance and the pentimento-like subtext surrounding the sign-off. The article especially savored the part where Brokaw got Gregory's show's name wrong - it's "Race for the White House" not "Road to the White House" - ouch.

And then there was The Chuck who essentially got handed the proverbial keys to the executive washroom by Brokaw. "We'll be seeing a lot more of you here on Meet The Press and, of course, on all the platforms of NBC News and MSNBC in the weeks to come" - ouch, again.

In the world of metaphors, it pretty much shakes out like this: the president of the math club who plays a mean french horn just beat the smarmy quarterback for homecoming king.

Viva Chuck Todd Caption Contest

One of our fantastic readers suggested that we here at the Viva Chuck Todd offices should take a crack at slapping a caption on this chestnut of a photo from yesterday's Meet The Press. But being the good folk that we are, we could hardly deprive our readers the fun of taking a whack at a picture of The Chuck standing above Brokaw and jamming a finger in his face. Give us your best caption by midnight - Wednesday, July 2nd and you have a chance to win a free Chuck'08 mug (no limit to entries).

We have to recuse ourselves obviously now that we're judges, but anything that starts with, "Listen here Brokaw..." gets pushed to the top of the stack. Send your entries here.

photo credit David J. Swift, via Getty Images

Brokaw and The Chuck square off :The Chuck wins

The only place with more tension than Jackson Hole, Wyoming this morning was in Oprah's Spanx - pow zing!

The Chuck made his first post-Russert appearance on Meet the Press this morning mano y mano with Mr. Tom Brokaw. One had to keep a large dish towel under the television to sop up the excess testosterone oozing from the screen as these two conversed. The Chuck sat there relaxed with the Grand Tetons providing a breathtaking backdrop and Brokaw leaned forward in his chair, shoulders hunched looking like he was about to spring up to wag his finger in The Chuck's face for driving the family station wagon without his permission.

With that said, we're happy to say we've never seen The Chuck more at ease. He was authoritative and exuded a cool confidence that contrasted heavily with Brokaw's staccato delivery. About two minutes into the segment we asked each other, "Is Brokaw giving off some weird passive-aggressive vibe?" Then the most uncomfortable dead air occurred around two and a half minutes in when The Chuck finished up telling Tom about the battered Republican brand and then...crickets for the longest three seconds of your Sunday morning.



Then at about four and a half minutes in, The Chuck did what he's paid to do: prognosticate based on careful examination of current trends and data. Specifically, Obama not winning Montana and North Dakota. This set Tom off to quickly chide The Chuck in one might say, a condescending way: "Now be careful what you say at this stage about what he's going to win and what he's not going to win." The Chuck politely deferred to grandpa Tom's scolding and got back in the flow.



Now be careful? Be careful?! This is The Chuck we're talking about here. This ain't no Chris Matthews betting the house on Rudy Giuliani becoming the likely Republican nominee. This is The Chuck laying it out there based on he and his staff doing their homework. You say "Now be careful..." to a nine-year old when they're about to cross a street. You don't say it on-air to The Chuck!

Okay, we're calm now.

Montana Can Wait:Tom Brokaw gets the MTP chair through 2008 election

A decision like this makes the past week's speculation seem juvenile and vulgar. Of course Brokaw was going to moderate Meet The Press; what were we thinking? The voice, the Beltway gravitas and the friendship between him and Russert almost vaults this into something of a Greek tragedy: The other warrior king emerges from retirement to carry on the fight with the eventual denouement being a proper laying down of his comrade's shield who fell in the midst of battle.

Our best wishes to Mr. Brokaw and the MTP team - Go get'em.

TOM BROKAW TO SERVE AS MODERATOR OF “MEET THE PRESS” THROUGH 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

(New York) – June 22, 2008 – Beginning on Sunday, June 29, NBC News’ Tom Brokaw will serve as moderator of “Meet the Press” through the 2008 presidential election. The broadcast will continue to originate from the NBC News Bureau in Washington D.C. The announcement was made today by NBC News President Steve Capus.

http://thepage.time.com/nbc-release-on-brokaw-and-meet-the-press/