Healthcare reform, Afghanistan to top Sunday shows

After switching positions as the lead topics on previous weeks’ Sunday morning shows, healthcare reform and the war in Afghanistan will share near equal footing this weekend.

A unique guest will do double duty this weekend. Former Afghan former minister Abdullah Abdullah – who is challenging Afghan President Hamid Karzai in that country's presidential runoff Nov. 7 -- will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union” and “Fox News Sunday” in simultaneously airing, pre-taped interviews.

The Afghan elections have become an essential element of President Barack Obama’s strategic review of the conflict there. August elections there were wracked with allegations of fraud and suffered from low voter turnout. As a result, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Kabul and Washington, and Karzai this week agreed to a runoff.

The White House has indicated it will wait until after the elections to draft a new strategy and decide whether or not to send additional troops per commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendation.

Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the president’s decision to wait, saying a decision needs to be made to protect existing units and achieve victory. Former Vice President Dick Cheney even accused Obama of “dithering” and “waffling” on his decision.

Democratic lawmakers and the White House pushed back, accusing Republicans of neglecting the conflict during the Bush administration. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs also said this week that the length of the process indicated that Obama has taken the decision seriously.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) will likely debate Afghanistan on “Fox News Sunday.” The Armed Services Committee’s ranking Republican Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will also tackle the issue on CBS’ “Face the Nation."

Healthcare will also receive prime billing this Sunday. The merger process is under way in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is grappling with the decision to include the controversial public health insurance option in the final bill.

The Senate Finance Committee’s bill does not include a public plan but the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ committee bill does include one.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is involved in the closed-door negotiations, has said that the public plan cannot attract the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture. But some Democratic senators, such as Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), have said it can garner the support of 60 senators.

After hosting Abdullah Abdullah, “State of the Union” will take a sharp turn to healthcare. The show will feature a key centrist senator who leaders are courting his vote should a public option be included, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). Senate Finance Committee member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will join Nelson on CNN.

Nelson has been openly critical of a number of proposals that seek to include a public option in the bill.

Bloomberg will air an interview with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) this weekend. The centrist Snowe voted the Finance panel’s bill out of committee, but has indicated staunch opposition to the public option. But if Democrats cannot marshal 60 votes on their side of the aisle, they may need to reach out to moderate Republicans to bring the bill to an up-or-down vote. 

In an already released transcript of the interview, Snowe expresses opposition to the public option. But she says she could support an option with a “trigger,” which would put a public plan in place should insurance companies fail to meet certain guidelines.

ABC’s “This Week” will feature Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who served on the Special Committee on Aging. McCaskill is another key centrist vote on healthcare reform who has expressed concern that the proposals do not do enough to rein in costs.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Senate Democratic Caucus chairman Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will debate Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) over the healthcare issue. Schumer is a strong proponent of the public option while Cornyn objects to current forms of legislation.

“Face the Nation” may also feature a bipartisan streak on Sunday. Sens. McCain and Feingold teamed up to draft campaign finance reform during the Bush administration and both are opponents of deficit spending. In light of last week’s budget numbers that showed a record $1.4 trillion budget deficit last fiscal year, the senators may find room for agreement.

Feingold recently introduced legislation that would impose strict limits on deficit spending. The Democratic senator also held hearings two weeks ago regarding the propriety of White House policy “czars.” It is likely the senators will face questions about the advisers who have become controversial in recent months. Some “czars” do not require Senate approval and some have made statements that have raised the ire of conservatives.