There are days where trying to find a silver lining is quite simply a chore. But one of the ways I've been able to find my way through these dark days has been to focus on the little things. That another little girl in Boston lives thanks to a final act of goodness by Christina Taylor Green's parents. That Gabby Giffords can respond to doctors, perform movements on both sides of her body and breathe on her own, exceeding doctors' expectations by leaps and bounds. And this is gonna sound a little ridiculous, but I'm also exceptionally grateful for our site monitors. No, I mean it. I go all over the internets, looking to confirm information, see how stories are being covered, look for larger narratives being created by the media, etc. And I always sneak a peek at the comments to see how the readership responds. Let me tell you, most sites' comment forums are an absolute cesspool. One need only look through the comments at Politico or Mediaite to question how we could ever appeal to our better angels and raise the level of discourse to something approaching civility.
But on this site, the site monitors really do work so hard to keep the comments focused and civil. And they get so much abuse heaped on them for doing it. It's not perfect, but it is pretty amazing, given the 1000s of daily comments they have to sort through. So on this Sunday, I am grateful for that hot cup of coffee on the desk next to me, the super-soft socks keeping my feet warm in the chilly morning and the site monitors, for enabling me to go through the comments on this site without the bile rising in my stomach day after day. Which is more than I can say for the Sunday show lineup.
ABC's "This Week" - Town hall discussion from Tucson, Ariz.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Al Sharpton.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Andrew Sullivan, Norah O'Donnell, Gloria Borger, Reihan Salam. Topics: Obama at Two Years: Can He Calm the Haters? How Will GOP Presidential Candidates Handle Sarah Palin Now? Meter Questions: Can Tim Pawlenty Harness Tea Party Energy To Establishment Cred? YES: 4 NO: 8; If Sarah Palin Runs, Will Mitt Romney Still Be A Frontrunner A Year From Now? YES: 4 No: 8.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - Gillibrand; Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa.; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
CNN's "State of the Union" - Reps. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., and Grace Napolitano, D-Calif.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - Former director of the National Economics Council Lawrence Summers. Then, the Brits went ballistic over something President Obama said about France this week. Does America have a new BFF? Next, America has more guns per capita than any other country on earth. An GPS panel - including French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy -- looks at America's unique gun culture, and what separates us from the rest of the world.
"Fox News Sunday" - Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.; former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn.
So what's catching your eye this morning?
