Sunday Talk Show Tip Sheet

By KATHRYN MCGARR

Updated 2:00 AM EDT, Sun, Aug 9, 2009

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Sen. Carl Levin discuss heads to CBS’s “Face the Nation” to discuss President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan strategy.

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From the unemployment rate dip and Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court to Bill Clinton’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and a deadly U.S. missile strike in Pakistan, the varied headlines this week bring an eclectic group of lawmakers and advisers to the Sunday morning shows.

Party politics and health care still lead the conversation on ABC’s “This Week,” with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and former Democratic National Chairman Chairman Howard Dean.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) are likely to discuss President Barack Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Also joining host Bob Schieffer is Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), another member of the Armed Services Committee and the only Republican on the Judiciary Committee to vote for Sotomayor’s confirmation.

Jones also makes his way to NBC’s “Meet the Press” for more on North Korea, national security and the Obama administration. Then, host David Gregory goes local with Newark, N.J., mayor Cory Booker and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

On “Fox News Sunday,” Jones makes yet another, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who’ll discuss health care legislation.

The health care debate continues on Bloomberg TV’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers,” where Republican Conference Chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee will also discuss unemployment, Sotomayor and his party’s prospects.

Finally, Durbin appears on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to talk about health care and the economy. And the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, covers Afghanistan, North Korea and Obama’s upcoming trip to Mexico.