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Sunday, Nov 11, 2012 5:16 PM UTC

Sunday show roundup

The pundits addressed pot and Petraeus

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Topics: sunday morning shows, Fiscal cliff, Peter King, David Petraeus, Immigration Reform, 2012 Elections, ,

Sunday show roundupU.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, speaks at a news conference in front of police headquarters in New York, Monday, March 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

On this week’s Sunday shows, politicians and pundits addressed the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, as well as the looming showdown over the federal budget. Here are the highlights:

On Petraeus:

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., was confused as to why the the FBI didn’t alert President Obama to the affair until just last week. “The FBI should have had an obligation to tell the president,” King said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It just doesn’t add up.”

But Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., also on CNN, said everything about the FBI’s handling of the revelations appears proper: “I don’t see a conspiracy behind every curtain as some of my colleagues do.”

On the budget negotiations in Congress:

Bill Kristol argued that the GOP should not “fall on its sword” defending lower taxes for millionaires. “Don’t scream and yell when one person says, ‘you know what, it won’t kill the country if we raise taxes a little bit on millionaires.’ It really won’t, I don’t think,” he said on Fox News Sunday.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., explained what will happen if the GOP does refuse a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans: “[T]o solve this problem, the wealthiest Americans have to pay their fair share too,” she said on ABC’s “This Week.” “If the Republicans will not agree with that, we will reach a point at the end of this year where all the tax cuts expire and we’ll start over next year, and whatever we do will be a tax cut for whatever package we put together. That may be the way to get past this.”

But Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn, seemed confident on Fox News Sunday that it won’t come to that: ”I think there is a deal. Look, the ying and the yang of this is that we know there has to be revenues. And I think, look, I haven’t met a wealthy Republican or Democrat in Tennessee that’s not willing to contribute more as long as they know we solve the problem.”

On immigration reform:

On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., argued that when it comes to Republicans’ support from Hispanics, ”it’s one thing to shoot yourself in the foot, just don’t reload the gun.

“So I intend not to reload this gun when it comes to Hispanics,” Graham said. “I intend to tear this wall down and pass an immigration reform bill that’s an American solution to an American problem. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves when it comes to losing Hispanics. And we can get them back with some effort on our part.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that immigration reform could come soon. ”Senator Graham and I have talked, and we are resuming the talks that were broken off two years ago,” he said. “We had put together a comprehensive detailed blueprint on immigration reform. It had the real potential for bipartisan support.”

On pot:

“It’s time for the Justice Department to recognize the sovereignty of the states,” Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., said on “State of the Union,” adding: “I believe the president and the Department of Justice ought to respect the will of the separate states.”

“I think the federal law can maintain, but it shouldn’t try to nullify reasonable state measures,” Brown said:

And on the election night losses for Republicans:

“I don’t think it’s about the Republican Party needing to become more moderate. I really believe it’s the Republican Party becoming more modern,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., also on “State of the Union.” “And whether it’s Hispanics, whether it’s women, whether it’s young people, the Republican Party has to make it a priority to take our values, to take our vision to every corner of this country.”

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Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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