FOX NEWS SUNDAY, 9 a.m.: Former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton; Sen.Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, deputy director of the U.S. Southern Command and head of the Haiti task force; and Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

STATE OF THE UNION (CNN), 9 a.m.: Bush; Clinton;Keen; Shah; and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

THIS WEEK (ABC), 10 a.m.: Bush; Clinton;Keen; and Shah.

NEWSMAKERS (C-SPAN), 10 a.m.: Rep. Ike Skelton(D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

FACE THE NATION (CBS), 10:30 a.m.: Bush;Clinton; Keen; and Shah.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC), 10:30 a.m.: Bush; Clinton; Keen; and Shah.

WASHINGTON WATCH, 11 a.m.: House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.); and National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer.

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

cbsnews.com – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for President Obama’s health care plan today, making him one of the latest politicians to express displeasure with the deals and concessions Democrats have made in order to secure enough votes for the legislation.

“While I enthusiastically support health care reform, it is not reform to push more costs onto states that are already struggling while other states get sweetheart deals,” Schwarzenegger said today in his State of the State address. “Health care reform, which started as noble and needed legislation, has become a trough of bribes, deals and loopholes.”

The White House hailed the Republican governor’s earlier support of the health care bill as an example of bipartisan support for the Democratic package. Indeed, in October, Schwarzenegger said his state’s interests aligned with President Obama’s plans.

“Our principal goals, slowing the growth in costs, enhancing the quality of care delivered, improving the lives of individuals, and helping to ensure a strong economic recovery, are the same goals that [President Obama] is trying to achieve,” he said. “I appreciate his partnership with the states and encourage our colleagues on both sides of the political aisle at the national level to move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people.”

Now the governor, whose state faces an out-of-control budget crisis, says the plan will simply “pile billions more [in expenses] onto California.”

“California’s congressional delegation should either vote against this bill that is a disaster for California or get in there and fight for the same sweetheart deal Senator [Ben] Nelson of Nebraska got for the Cornhusker State,” he said. “He got the corn; we got the husk.”

Before Nelson promised to vote for the bill, which passed in the Senate on Christmas Eve, he secured a deal in which the federal government would completely pay for any expansion of Medicaid in Nebraska, leaving the state government off the hook.

Schwarzenegger isn’t the only one who disapproves of Nelson’s deal: A Rasmussen poll last month showed only17 percent of Nebraska voters approved of it, while Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas said Tuesdaythat the deal should be removed from the bill.

I am going to ignore the fact that the only reason Arnold is now opposing this is because he doesn’t like the fact that a state like Nebraska is getting a gazillion dollars for Medicaid while Kahleefonyah is not or he is looking for his congressional delegation to get the same sweetheart deal.  I am just happy he’s come around and taking no prisoners voicing his displeasure.

P.S. – I know one republican governor who will be sleeping on the couch tonight.

P.S.S. – Wouldn’t it be funny if the gubenator came out to support fellow republican Scott Brown to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of his wife’s uncle, Ted Kennedy?

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

yahoo.com - With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor — all Democrats — ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama’s party.

Taken together, the decisions by Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut andByron Dorgan of North Dakota as well as Colorado Gov. Bill Rittercaused another bout of heartburn for Democrats as they struggle to defend themselves in a sour political environment for incumbents, particularly the party in charge.

As 2009 ended, Democrats watched a string of their House members announce retirements and one congressman defect to the GOP.

Now, with Dodd, Dorgan and Ritter out, Republicans have even more to crow about, if not better opportunities to pick up Democratic-held seats.

Within a year Dodd will become a lobbyist or an employee in the financial services industry.  If Country Wide was still around I would say it’s a mortal lock he would be employed by them.  Write it down….you heard it here first.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

wbz.com – The race for Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat may be closer than some political pundits expected.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Massachusetts finds there’s just a 9-percent difference between the two major party candidates.

Martha Coakley is favored by 50-percent while Republican Scott Brown is favored by 41-percent. Only 1-percent favor another candidate.

Joe Kennedy, no relation to Ted Kennedy’s family, is running as an independent.

Seven-percent say they are undecided and Rasmussen says more undecideds are likely to be democrats than republicans

President of the Rasmussen Report is Scott Rassmussen tells WBZ NewsRadio 1030 voter turnout will be especially critical and small turnout will benefit Brown.

Rasmussen says healthcare reform is the big issue of the campaign and this survey shows 53-percent favor the plan in Washington while 45-percent are opposed to it.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

latimes.com – How low will the new American president go for the world’s royalty?

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior.

To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. RememberMichelle Obama casually patting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America’s royalty tends to make movies and get bad reviews and lots of money as a sign of respect.

Obama could receive some frowns back home as he did for his not-quite-this-low-or-maybe-about-the-same-bow to the Saudi king not so long ago.

It’s pretty clear with this soon to circle the globe photo,  he was asking Emperor Akihito, “Is that dog mess on my show?”, because he definitely stepped in it with this bow.  President Obama definitely needs some better PR people to keep from getting his photo snapped while in compromising positions like this.  Better yet, maybe they should just stop him from bowing to royalty in the first place.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com