Wolf Blitzer

The winds of change blowing through Washington, D.C., government buildings are also blowing through newsrooms. A major change is occurring at CNN. Wolf Blitzer, 44, who became a familiar nightly face during the Gulf War as the cable channel's man at the Pentagon, is replacing long-time White House correspondent Charles Bierbauer. Since his days as a correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, Washington has been Blitzer's beat.

Don't deny it: This presidential race, for all its minor dust-ups, has mostly been a snore, a bloodless standoff between two men who, despite their differences, are both essentially uptight squares whose wives are forever trumpeting how poor they used to be. Thank goodness, then, for the blast of fresh air that is Jesse "the Body" Ventura. Well, maybe it's not that fresh. Ventura isn't a new face on the political stage. In 1990, the Navy SEAL turned professional wrestler ran for governor of Minnesota as a third-party candidate and, despite spending a mere $300,000 on his campaign, managed to win. Lacking a party base in the Legislature, he didn't accomplish a whole lot during his term, though he did push for land-use reform, and he changed his moniker from "the Body" to "the Governing Body," which is almost funny enough to make it all worthwhile.

The French Revolution had Marie Antoinette reportedly urging the masses starved for bread to eat cake instead. Now progressive circles are jeering over an exchange involving Rep. Ron Paul that they say shows that conservatives are unwilling to use society's power to treat sick Americans and would rather let them die instead. The confrontation took place Monday night at the CNN/Tea Party debate among the Republican contenders for the nomination to face President Obama in 2012. At the center was Paul, a Texas congressman and libertarian icon.

The Supreme Court's opinion had always promised to be confusing and complex. Unfortunately, seasoned journalists let their anxiety/enthusiasm/thirst-to-be-first overwhelm their better judgment Thursday morning. Many who should have waited for clarity rushed to report that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the individual mandate portion of President Obama's healthcare reform law, declaring that the heart of the bill had been gutted. That was exactly wrong -- the law was upheld on a 5-4 vote.

Naming Names: Elizabeth Taylor will supply the voice of baby Maggie when Maggie finally speaks on the Dec. 3 episode of "The Simpsons" on Fox. . . . CNN is shifting Wolf Blitzer from covering military affairs to senior White House correspondent. Blitzer, a familiar face during the network's coverage of the Gulf War, will replace Charles Bierbauer, who has been promoted to the newly created position of senior Washington correspondent.

CNN announced Monday that Wolf Blitzer, its lead political anchor, has extended his contract with the network through the next presidential campaign. Blitzer will continue anchoring the three-hour news block "The Situation Room" each weekday afternoon but is paring his weekend duties, handing off Sunday mornings to chief national correspondent John King. King, who drew attention during this year's campaign for his facility using CNN's "Magic Wall" to break down electoral returns, will anchor a political news block each Sunday from 6 to 10 a.m., beginning in January.

I don't think it's his expressionless eyes or the tightly manicured beard; nor does it have to do with his knowledge of specific world events, with which he displays a certain ease. I think it starts with that voice -- unmodulated and yet overblown, a singsong that seems always to be posing a big question that never gets answered. The sound of it alone, tinny and incessant, perfectly captures the urgency and nothingness of the 24-hour cable news cycle.

CNN plans to launch a three-hour daily news program Aug. 8, in which anchor Wolf Blitzer would pull together news from around the globe in front of two walls of video screens simultaneously showing several breaking news stories as they are unfolding. The program, called "The Situation Room," would gather teams of CNN correspondents, analysts, contributors and guests to discuss the top news stories of the day and give viewers minute-to-minute coverage with streaming video.

TODAY The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer New runway rules: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; detainees to Illinois: Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. 3 p.m. CNN Larry King Live 6 and 9 p.m. CNN McLaughlin Group 6:30 p.m. KCET SUNDAY Today (N) 6 a.m. KNBC Pacesetters 6 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America (N) 6 a.m. KABC State of the Union With John King Year in review, looking ahead to 2010: Former Bush White House chief of staff Andrew Card, political analyst David Gergen, former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta; year in review, looking ahead to 2010, how decisions in Washington D.C. affect states: Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.

It was early Wednesday morning when Edith Pfeffer and Carolyn Tallet became late-night TV stars, charming CNN hosts, producers and viewers alike with their earnest attempt to make sense of a mathematical snafu that had left the outcome of the Iowa caucuses hanging in the balance. Pfeffer, who is chairwoman of the Clinton County Republican Central Committee, and Tallet, president of the Clinton County Republican Women's Club, talked by phone with CNN hosts Wolf Blitzer and John King as the network tried to locate the final 3% of precinct tallies that would decide the winner of Iowa's GOP presidential nominating contest.

Was Newt finally neutered? Newt Gingrich's attacks on debate moderators have been a staple of his run for the Republican nomination, and may very well have won him the South Carolina primary. But one week after the former House speaker savaged correspondent John King for an opening question about the allegations of his ex-wife, his attempt to deflect another about attacks on Mitt Romney was turned against him by a different CNN anchor. Wolf Blitzer asked Gingrich whether he was satisfied with the level of disclosure Romney had provided about his personal finances.

It was early Wednesday morning when Edith Pfeffer and Carolyn Tallet became late-night TV stars, charming CNN hosts, producers and viewers alike with their earnest attempt to make sense of a mathematical snafu that had left the outcome of the Iowa caucuses hanging in the balance. Pfeffer, who is chairwoman of the Clinton County Republican Central Committee, and Tallet, president of the Clinton County Republican Women's Club, talked by phone with CNN hosts Wolf Blitzer and John King as the network tried to locate the final 3% of precinct tallies that would decide the winner of Iowa's GOP presidential nominating contest.

The French Revolution had Marie Antoinette reportedly urging the masses starved for bread to eat cake instead. Now progressive circles are jeering over an exchange involving Rep. Ron Paul that they say shows that conservatives are unwilling to use society's power to treat sick Americans and would rather let them die instead. The confrontation took place Monday night at the CNN/Tea Party debate among the Republican contenders for the nomination to face President Obama in 2012. At the center was Paul, a Texas congressman and libertarian icon.

TODAY The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer New runway rules: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; detainees to Illinois: Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. 3 p.m. CNN Larry King Live 6 and 9 p.m. CNN McLaughlin Group 6:30 p.m. KCET SUNDAY Today (N) 6 a.m. KNBC Pacesetters 6 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America (N) 6 a.m. KABC State of the Union With John King Year in review, looking ahead to 2010: Former Bush White House chief of staff Andrew Card, political analyst David Gergen, former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta; year in review, looking ahead to 2010, how decisions in Washington D.C. affect states: Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.

CNN announced Monday that Wolf Blitzer, its lead political anchor, has extended his contract with the network through the next presidential campaign. Blitzer will continue anchoring the three-hour news block "The Situation Room" each weekday afternoon but is paring his weekend duties, handing off Sunday mornings to chief national correspondent John King. King, who drew attention during this year's campaign for his facility using CNN's "Magic Wall" to break down electoral returns, will anchor a political news block each Sunday from 6 to 10 a.m., beginning in January.

CNN "NewsNight" anchor Aaron Brown is leaving the network after executives decided to give his flagship 10 p.m. broadcast to Anderson Cooper and create an expanded role for Wolf Blitzer in prime time, CNN announced Wednesday. With the programming changes, Brown -- who had anchored the 10 p.m. EST hour for the last four years -- was in effect elbowed out. "There weren't that many options left that made sense for someone of Aaron's stature," CNN/U.S.

Was Newt finally neutered? Newt Gingrich's attacks on debate moderators have been a staple of his run for the Republican nomination, and may very well have won him the South Carolina primary. But one week after the former House speaker savaged correspondent John King for an opening question about the allegations of his ex-wife, his attempt to deflect another about attacks on Mitt Romney was turned against him by a different CNN anchor. Wolf Blitzer asked Gingrich whether he was satisfied with the level of disclosure Romney had provided about his personal finances.

Don't deny it: This presidential race, for all its minor dust-ups, has mostly been a snore, a bloodless standoff between two men who, despite their differences, are both essentially uptight squares whose wives are forever trumpeting how poor they used to be. Thank goodness, then, for the blast of fresh air that is Jesse "the Body" Ventura. Well, maybe it's not that fresh. Ventura isn't a new face on the political stage. In 1990, the Navy SEAL turned professional wrestler ran for governor of Minnesota as a third-party candidate and, despite spending a mere $300,000 on his campaign, managed to win. Lacking a party base in the Legislature, he didn't accomplish a whole lot during his term, though he did push for land-use reform, and he changed his moniker from "the Body" to "the Governing Body," which is almost funny enough to make it all worthwhile.

CNN plans to launch a three-hour daily news program Aug. 8, in which anchor Wolf Blitzer would pull together news from around the globe in front of two walls of video screens simultaneously showing several breaking news stories as they are unfolding. The program, called "The Situation Room," would gather teams of CNN correspondents, analysts, contributors and guests to discuss the top news stories of the day and give viewers minute-to-minute coverage with streaming video.

I don't think it's his expressionless eyes or the tightly manicured beard; nor does it have to do with his knowledge of specific world events, with which he displays a certain ease. I think it starts with that voice -- unmodulated and yet overblown, a singsong that seems always to be posing a big question that never gets answered. The sound of it alone, tinny and incessant, perfectly captures the urgency and nothingness of the 24-hour cable news cycle.