Newt Gingrich has been forced to backtrack a bit on some of the comments he made yesterday on Meet the Press. If you need any explanation as to why, the reaction of one Rush Limbaugh says pretty much all you need to know. Presumably speaking for a number of conservatives who have watched the interview, Limbaugh said it was “inexplicable” and that he wasn’t even going to begin to try and explain what Gingrich was talking about.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich released a video on YouTube this morning entitled “I oppose the Obamacare mandate. Period.” As the title suggests, he makes it plain and simple that he completely opposes a “mandate on individuals.” However, some people are pointing out that this seems to go against a stance he held in the past, both in previous years and, well, yesterday on Meet the Press.

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, making the rounds of the Sunday shows, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss the large amount of data recovered in the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. While Americans have been treated to video of bin Laden the (non)couch potato channel-surfing from his creepy uncle den, Donilon told David Gregory that there’s a lot more where that came from, and summed it up colorfully, saying of the find, “”It’s about the size, the CIA tells us, of a small college library.”

The star of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Saturday Night Live comedian Seth Meyers, taped an appearance on Meet the Press where he explained to David Gregory what his preparation for the big comedic speech entailed. Myers joked that sometimes it might be hard to find comedic material, but when Donald Trump is in the news, he “brings it with a bow on it and leaves it at the front door.”

The topic of much conversation today on the Sunday morning shows seemed to be getting the opinion of what conservative leaning guests think of a potential Donald Trump campaign for President. Reverend Franklin Graham seemed to like the idea, while New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t agree with Trump’s tactics. Somewhere in the middle is Republican Senator John McCain who when asked about the topic was eager to “stay out of it” completely.

About five years ago if you asked any regular Today Show watcher who would take over as co-host if Matt Lauer ever left, the answer would have been an easy one: David Gregory. The natural and smooth (and tall!) Gregory had been the fill in for Lauer just about every time Lauer took any time off. He even boogied live at the 30 Rock plaza to show off his “lighter side.” But these days an 8-11AM Today Show watcher who doesn’t follow politics closely (Gregory appears to be on pretty regularly in the first half hour talking politics) might very well say David who?

There once was a time not so long ago that former Fed Chairman, Alan Greenspan was so revered by both Democrats and Republicans that satirical newspaper The Onion often treated him as though he were a true life rockstar. And while the financial crisis of 2008 might have tarnished his legacy some, his comments still are taken very seriously. So people noticed when he said this weekend during an appearance on Meet the Press that the debt crisis was so significant that we should return to Clinton-era tax rates.

White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe appeared on Meet the Press this morning and even though one budget fight might over, Plouffe made clear that President Obama is readying to tackle the longer-term budget issues. Later this week Obama will speak about a deficit-reduction strategy, but until then Plouffe defended the cost-cutting actions already taken by the President.

There is still no consensus amongst liberals or conservatives whether President Obama should have used military action in Libya. Lining up on the side of those critical of Obama is the BBC‘s Ted Koppel who wonders of all the countries worldwide that face a potential humanitarian crisis, why do the citizens of Libya deserve America’s focus and protection more than the citizens of any other country?

There’s been a consistent theme emerging from nattering nabobs of negativity over the Libyan air strikes: the U.S. military mission seems at best to be a confused one. There are many good reasons to either support or oppose the U.S. intervention in Libya, but its not unreasonable to expect our military forces to have a clear definition of the task at hand before going in. So one might expect something more cogent from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen during his weekend appearance on Meet the Press with David Gregory. Turns out? Not so much. Enter Stephen Colbert for what seems appropriate derision.

Admiral Mike Mullen appeared on several news shows this morning and faced some tough questioning from David Gregory on Meet the Press. Mullen revealed just how narrow the mission is and attempted to justify that international intervention in Libya was vital to America’s interest.

On Meet The Press, Chuck Todd, sitting in for David Gregory, asked Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer about his recent support of nuclear energy and whether in light of the horrific ongoing events in Japan his opinion has changed. Schumer however was not ready to back off from his past statements until we all see how the situation in Japan develops.

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann appeared on Meet the Press and gave host David Gregory a somewhat difficult time by frequently speaking about whatever she wanted regardless of whether it was responsive to the questions he posed to her. However, on point she was clear, Bachmann did not back down from previous comments alleging President Obama’s administration is a “gangster government.”

Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner appeared on Meet the Press with David Gregory and dismissed the idea that it was somehow his responsibility to stand up to the “ignorance” of some Americans still believing President Obama is a Muslim. Gregory questioned why as Speaker he doesn’t attempt to eliminate such misinformation, yet Boehner did not see that as his role.

In attempting to praise Ronald Reagan and his legacy, NBC‘s Andrea Mitchell ruffled the feathers of conservative columnist Peggy Noonan on Meet the Press when Mitchell claimed Republicans are “trying to appropriate Ronald Reagan for their own political purposes now.” Noonan, the former Reagan speechwriter, immediately called Mitchell out and got her to clarify exactly what she meant.

On Sunday, I reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor refused to reject Birther “crazy talk” on Meet the Press. At Monday’s White house briefing, I asked Press Secretary Robert Gibbs if he thought that Republican leaders had a duty to put the kibosh on Birther talk, and whether the President would do the same were the positions reversed. Gibbs responded that “rational people” don’t question the President’s citizenship, and pointed to Obama’s own record regarding his opponent’s status.

With Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s (D-HI) now-open-ended resurrection of the Birther issue, expect to see more of the embarrassing scene that played out on Sunday morning’s Meet the Press: Republican leaders trying to distance themselves from the conspiracy theorists, without alienating them. Rep. Eric Cantor danced around host David Gregory‘s challenge to reject Birthers like an amateur snake-charmer with a bladder full of Mountain Dew. Deliberately or not, Abercrombie just might be some kind of political genius.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor appeared on Meet the Press and was grilled by David Gregory regarding his plans for cutting the federal budget. Cantor stressed that every area of the government will be analyzed for potential spending reductions and repeatedly said “every dollar is on the table.” However, Gregory was less than thrilled with Cantor’s lack of specifics.

Senator Chuck Schumer appeared on Meet the Press to discuss the potential renewed interest in passing stricter gun control regulations in the wake of the Arizona shooting. When host David Gregory noticed Schumer was not overly optimistic about any real progress, Schumer honestly expressed why.

On Meet the Press, host David Gregory was curious whether Senator Tom Coburn agreed with some that political discourse describing disagreement over issues in “apocalyptic” terms was worrisome? However, Coburn was quick to dimiss the question as a media-generated “false premise.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid– who almost lost his job in a tight race against Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle– seems much more confident in the challenge the Democrats face from that faction now than ever before. In a preview for an exclusive interview with Meet the Press‘s David Gregory airing tomorrow, Reid contends that the Tea Party will be a thing of the past as soon as his Congress can fix the economy– a goal not so far off the horizon.

Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Meet the Press and shared with host David Gregory his enthusiasm for welcoming new Tea Party influenced candidates to Washington. Graham also discussed his eagerness for tackling entitlement reform before dealing with the issue of raising the debt ceiling, a position Austan Goolsbee would probably consider “insanity.”

Top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and host David Gregory tried his best to get Jarrett to comment on potential Republican opponent in 2012 Sarah Palin. However, Jarrett stayed on message, which she suggested was the same advice she gives the President: stay focused on helping the American people.

During an interview on Meet The Press today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg discussed American innovation and leadership. In particular, he made an interesting suggestion that we should “make sure anybody who gets a graduate degree in America, from overseas, gets a green card attached to their diploma.”

If that sentence sounds familiar, that’s because you’ve heard it already. From the New York Times‘ Thomas Friedman, in a 2007 column.

This morning on Meet The Press, host David Gregory interviewed New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Among the many things discussed was Bloomberg’s potential presidential aspirations — but Bloomberg denied having any. When asked if he would run in 2012, Bloomberg responded with a resounding “No way, no how.”