Hewitt Blog

Mass burials are being considered by the Home Office as part of contingency plans for a possible avian flu pandemic.

A "prudent worst case" assessment suggested that 320,000 could die in Britain if the H5N1 virus mutated into a form contagious between humans, according to a confidential report.

The paper - said to have been discussed by a Cabinet committee - said that the huge number of deaths would lead to delays of up to 17 weeks in burying or cremating victims. It warned that the prospect of "common burial" would stir up images of the mass pits used to bury victims of the Great Plague in 1665.

"It might involve a large number of coffins buried in the same place at the same time, in such a way that allowed for individual graves to be marked," said the report.

Town halls could deal with what it termed a "base case" of 48,000 deaths in England and Wales during a 15-week pandemic.

The Telegraph's cheery report of planning in the UK.

"There are not a lot of conservative guests who are happy to be on the show," Olbermann admits.

Does Howard Kurtz really buy this? The explanation for why you won't find, say Christopher Hitchens on Mr. Olbermann's set is because the "former sportscaster" is very aware that match-ups determine results, and he doesn't match-up well with anyone.

Larry Kudlow is a terrific television host, full of energy and the love of selling --which is why he's a writer's dream when a book comes out. On today's show he plugged Painting the Map Red from start to finish of two segments, but he did so while calling attention to its controversial recommendations and assuring that the lefty Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter and Chicago Tribune MSMer Jim Warren got some shots in while Townhall's Joel Mowbray got to add some depth to the center-right forces.

In short, a rollicking good two segments of television with smart, sharp panelists spurred on by a humor filled, somewhat edgy host.

Memo to NBC: Take a look at double-breasting LK with a pure politics show on MSNBC.

And here's a quick recap of yesterday's fun slug-fest with Fred Barnes and Bob Beckel, moderated by Mark Tapscott.

And Human Events reports on my appeal to exile Lincoln Chafee from the GOP to which he is attached in name only.

Now, to Larry King's studio...

Landed back on the west coast to discover I'm booked on Larry King Live tonight, along with Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes and Martha Zoller.

This will complete the television and radio decathalon, which since Wednesday has included Sean Hannity's, Laura Ingraham's and my own radio show, as well as Hannity & Colmes, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Situation with Tucker Carlson, and the two Larrys today --King and Kudlow.

I wouldn't push this hard except for the fact that not losing the 2006 election means that much. A Senate with 60 responsible votes --a result which can be achieved-- would mean real support for the war, progress towards energy security, restoring the judicial nomination process to the way it was pre-Bork, permanent tax relief and continued economic growth, a secure border, and yes, even some spending control.

So, buy the book. Buy a few, in fact, and send them to the inert and the overconfident --beginning with Republicans in the House and Senate.

And cast your vote in the semifinal Radioblogger poll for the best photoshop entry among more than 200 submitted.

Time for four hours of sleep before the dash west for the afternoon broadcast. To meet your reading needs in the AM, be sure to read Buck Sargent's latest, T.F.Boggs and of course Mudville Gazette.

And BlueCrabBoulevard has a letter from a soldier in Kuwait that deserves a close read.

My book sprint ended with an interesting conversation with Tucker Carlson tonight. Tucker's not much of a "party man," and I certainly didn't convert him though I seemed to give him pause.

Nothing happens legislatively in this country unless the majority party wants it to.

Sometimes the minority can block things, like drillling in ANWR and judicial nominees.

But nothing happens in Congress if the majority does not want it to occur.

If the GOP fritters away its majorities, kiss the SCOTUS and most other crucial issues goodbye.

Which is why barnstorming for Painting the Map Red is worth the effort.

The prospect of Democrats in control in time of war means a replay of the Vietnam War endgame.

And that ought to concentrate the mind.

HumanEvents provides a write-up of one of Thursday's events, and Townhall and Congressman Jack Kingston chart another.

Do your Congressman/Senator/candidate a favor, and go to Amazon.com and send them a gift of the book.

Regnery has made a chapter of the new book available on line, and after hearing the reactions my analysis prompted today, I am certain you will want to read it all.

Order it here.

On Hannity & Colmes last night, and before a Heritage Foundation audience (filmed for C-SPAN broadcast in April), long time Democratic strategist Bob Beckel repeatedly declared that after having read my excellent book twice, he is hoping the GOP adopts all of my suggestions.

When was the last time a Democratic strategist leveled with an audience over the best interests of the Republican Party? Beckel, a very affable fellow, knows that the book is the blueprint, a conclusion I think almost everyone I had a chance to talk with today agreed upon.

I want to persuade you to persuade other GOP base voters and through all of us the party leadership that this has to be a campaign in support of the president and one that rests on a full throated defense of the war, of the military, of the judicial appointments, of religious faith and of marriage.

If the GOP stays stuck on stupid --spinning away on side issues and running away from W-- we can lose both the House and the Senate.

What do the Super Bowl III Jets, the 1980 Team USA Hockey squad at Lake Placid and the Congressional Democrats of 2006 share in common?

The widespread belief among observors that none of them could win it all.

In a 24 hour period that included interviews with H&C, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson (later tonight), CBN and the consummate professional Wolf Blitzer, as well as sessions with think tank staffers and a half-dozen Members and their staffs it is obvious that the feeling of GOP malaise is widespread, fueled by the bitter debate over immigration law.

But it was also obvious that the moment the focus is put back on the Democrats --as it was by Fred Barnes, Frank Gaffney and me at the Heritage event-- the momentum shifts and dramatically so. Bob B. ended our time together unable to mount a defense of the national security reliability of the Dems other than the "people grow in office" argument.

Which isn't an argument. It is a concession.

If the problem is the war, the solution can't be the Democrats.

If the problem is illegal immigration, the solution can't be the Democrats.

If the problem is religious freedom, the defense of marriage, or any aspect of the economy, the solution can't be the Democrats.

It isn't too late to turn this cycle into one of solid gains for the GOP, but the effort has to be disciplined, and it has to begin now.

Get the book and get one for a friend who is mildly or even greatly dismayed with the GOP.

My first meetings in the AM in DC are with Mark Tapscott's gang, and then with Congressman Jack Kingston --the blogging Congressman's-- band of believers.

The first turf is easiest to claim. Mark and Congressman K prove that every day.

BTW: I learned from Mark T (who learned from Ed Morrissey) that the "anonymous hold" on legislation and nominees is dead.

This is a big deal, and hats off to Leader Frist and the GOP Majority for getting it done.

Now can Brett Kavanaugh and Terrance Boyle get votes?

After a Hannity & Colmes appearance along with Bob Beckel, it is off to DC for more media for the new book. (Part of which will be a Hewitt-Beckel-Fred Barnes panel on the 2006 elections at the Heritage Foundation.) No posting as a result in the morning, but more follow-up on the Ware interview:

MySandman 1
My Sandman 2
My Sandman 3
Ed Driscoll
BlogRevolt
BirdofParadise
Danegerous
Penraker
TheBadRepublicanMan

My book has been to some unusal places. (It takes some time to load.)

CBS News' Public Eye's Brian Montopoli reviews the Ware interview, but neglects to tell us if he thought the Russians were better off under Stalin or Khrushchev.

The Vox Blogoli 2006.1 questions are listed below. Here are the contributors thus far:

Ed Driscoll
MoltenThought
BlogReport
DaneGerous
BirdofParadise
TheRealUglyAmerican
Democracy Project
One Destination
LGF
ImmodestProposals
AlwaysJason
JustaWoman
OurKitchenTable
Cockalorum
The Asylum
View from a Height

If you want your post listed, send me a url via e-mail to hugh@hughhewitt.com, and include Vox Blogoli in the subject line.

UPDATE:

CJRDaily, quite dishonestly, suggests I was comparing myself to a Baghdad correspondent in the interview. Transparent idiocy of this sort usually doesn't get a reply from me, but the point I was making to Mr. Ware bears repeating: The front lines of the war change, from NYC, to Bali, to London, to Beslan, to everywhere the jihadists want to strike. Mr. Ware has special knoweldge of the precincts around Iraq, but not of the jihadist threat, and he cannot trump critics of his coverage by arguing he's in harm's way.

CJR Daily's Paul McCleary manufactures a quote and ignores the very thing I was saying, which tells you all you need to know about his integrity.