Sunday Talk Shows

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SUNDAY TALK SHOWS

Here is a list of who was on and what was said on the Sunday Talk
Shows

State of the Union and This Week

WHO WAS ON State of the Union: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Edward Walker, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, and John Negroponte, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Also former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), who helped lead the White House Commission on Fiscal Responsibility

WHO WAS ON This Week (ABC): Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman

Egyptian leader claims transition progress

Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman said on “This Week” that he had met with leaders from opposition parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and agreed to lift the state of emergency, release political prisoners and no longer harass protesters.

He urged protesters to go home, get back to work and “save the economy of the country,” which has suffered while widespread protests brought work to a standstill.
Suleiman also said he believed the protesters throughout the Middle East were being pushed by an “Islamic current,” not a youth movement aided by social media as the media has depicted it.

“We don’t want chaos,” Suleiman said. “[Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak] can’t leave until these is someone to take over.” But Suleiman made it clear he is not the one, citing his old age as a reason.

On CNN’s State of the Union, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the “chaos scenario” is coming from Mubarak himself and that other leaders will arise.

“I think there is never an indispensable leader, but [the Egyptian government] needs to make a decision,” Albright said. “My opinion is Mubarak’s time is over.”
Albright said fraudulent parliamentary elections triggered the protests.

Edward Walker, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, and John Negroponte, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said they were optimistic about the meetings between Suleiman and opposition leaders.

Meet The Press

WHO WAS ON: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) and former Secretary of State James Baker, Egyptian Ambassador to the United States Sameh Shourky and Egyptian opposition activist Mohamed ElBaradei

ElBaradei rules out role in new regime

Mohamed ElBaradei, a former International Atomic Energy Agency chairman who many consider to be a possible future leader of Egypt, said he was not part of the talks between Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman and would not be interested in leading the government.

“The mission of my life is to see my country where everyone has the right to live in peace, freedom and dignity,” he said.

“[The United States is] not going to determine the events in the streets of Egypt,” ElBaradei said.  “I think what people expect here is not that the U.S. is going to effect change in Egypt but the U.S. has to be very clear that they are on the side of the people.”

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) agreed. “It is not up to us; it is up to the Egyptian people,” he said.

Face the Nation

WHO WAS ON: Face the Nation (CBS): 
Prince El-Hassan bin Talal of Jordan

Hassan urges chance for Muslim Brotherhood

Jordanian Prince El-Hassan bin Talal said Sunday that the Muslim Brotherhood should be included in Egypt’s new government as a “test” of the group’s democratic viability.
His remarks came immediately following meetings between the previously outlawed Brotherhood and other opposition groups, and Omar Suleiman, the new Egyptian vice president.
“It is better to test people on the democratic template than to not test them at all,” Hassan said.

The Muslim Brotherhood is “not homogenous,” he said, implying that how it would function as part of a legitimate government is an open question. He also called the price of oil and the Arab-Israeli conflict the “two elephants in the room,” but did not comment on how those dynamics would shape Egypt’s future.

Fareed Zakaria GPS

Who WAS ON: Fareed Zakaria GPS (CNN): Egyptian opposition activist Mohamed ElBaradei and British Prime Minister David Cameron

U.S. envoy’s comments caused some confusion

Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei said statements from President Obama’s special envoy to Egypt caused “a lot of confusion” among Egyptians.

Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt deployed there this past week to urge President Hosni Mubarak to hand over the reins of power, said Saturday that the transition “is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward.”

“We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes,” he said.
ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said it was an example of the “different voices” being heard on the future of Egypt and Mubarak.

“I mean, the U.S. was very clear that he should go,” he said.

Fox News Sunday

WHO WAS ON: Fox News Sunday: 
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann and former Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer

NFL chief working 
to avoid lockout

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Sunday offered no assurances that the league will avoid a lockout, but emphasized that time remains to get a new contract.

“My focus is on the next three or four weeks,” he said. “We have to use that period of time to reach an agreement that’s fair for the players, fair for the club, and allows our great game to grow for our fans.”

The NFL Players Association argues that the owners’ last offer requires them to accept less money in the future, but Goodell said changes are needed for the league to continue to prosper.

“The economics are changing,” Goodell said. “The way you continue to be a successful business is you don’t wait for the car to go off the cliff.”

Goodell said the health of players is paramount. His attempts to stop hits to the head has drawn the ire of some players who argue it undermines the nature of the game.