Melissa Harris-Lacewell, usually a contributor for Countdown with Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow Show, pops up on Morning Joe. Apparently she ran into Morning Joe folks on the plane down and that is how she ended up as a guest. She is an excellent advocate for African American and Urban issues. She does point out that the Obama Administration has sent many department heads (Department of Education, HUD, Homeland Security) to New Orleans. Even though President Obama only made one visit, he has competent and diligent cabinet members who are actually qualified to do their jobs.

Good move is apologizing.

Ratigan is loud, but his show isn’t useless. He constantly harps on the government’s inability to effectively regulate the financial sector and investigate wrong doing in the securities market, and that’s good. I am not sure if it will prove to be dated, most people never knew cared about a CDS until the dollar was going to break last September. Executive producers always feel they have to have some kind of cute or funny segment, and too often they are stale bits that detract from the time a political/analytical show host has to actually debate and discuss important topics.

Tancredo is a classic “its OK when I do it, but un-American when you do it” chicken hawk. When Moulitsas reminds everyone he is actually a veteran and calls Tancredo on his deferment from Vietnam, he actually is so offended he walks off the set. He couldn’t take the “real talk”.

As a Republican student activist, Tancredo spoke out in favor of the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in June 1969, he became eligible to serve in Vietnam. Tancredo said he went for his physical, telling doctors he’d been treated for depression, and eventually got a “1-Y” deferment.

via Firebrand Tancredo puts policy over party line – The Denver Post.

Tancredo is one of these people who are just hypocrites and David Schuster points out a key issue after Tancredo charges of the set: if you feel the Federal government doesn’t work, than why is your entire purpose to be in a position of power in the Federal government in some way shape or form?