The topic du jour is Trump’s strike on Assad, which means the White House is deploying its heaviest foreign-policy hitters for the Sunday shows. In another administration you might expect the Secretary of State to be point man in carrying the administration’s message on TV, but Rex Tillerson isn’t America’s most prominent diplomat at the moment. That would be Nikki Haley, who’s used her UN platform for some shrewd profile-raising stagecraft. They’ll share the spotlight this morning: Tillerson is the lead guest on “This Week” and “Face the Nation” while Haley is the lead on “Meet the Press” and “State of the Union.” The most interesting interview, though, involves someone you don’t usually see on TV. That would be national security advisor H.R. McMaster, who gets the spotlight on “Fox News Sunday.” He’ll be asked about Syria, of course, but also about the behind-the-scenes dramatics involving Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Susan Rice’s role in surveillance of Trump personnel, and Steve Bannon’s splashy removal from the National Security Council’s Principals Committee. That segment may end up being newsier than either of Tillerson’s or Haley’s.
The Syria beat continues elsewhere with the three biggest hawks in the Senate. McCain will be on “Face the Nation” to make the case for war, Lindsey Graham will appear on “Meet the Press” to make the case for war, and Marco Rubio will sit down with “This Week” to, er, make the case for war. There’s no Rand Paul scheduled to balance them out as I write this on Saturday, but Assad apologist Tulsi Gabbard is booked to follow Haley on “State of the Union.” She was last seen Friday saying she’s skeptical that Assad was behind the gassing in Idlib, so today’s interview with Tapper should be … lively. The full line-up is at the AP.
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