Hardball Briefing for Friday, December 3

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Coming up on Hardball

Tonight on Hardball: As the sun set on a Don't Ask, Don't Tell debate and Wikileaks frenzy in Washington yesterday, President Obama departed on a surprise overnight flight to Afghanistan and gave a pep-talk to the troops at Bagram Air Base today. In just a month, he'll receive a report on whether his troop surge has worked. We'll talk with Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), who recently returned from a Congressional trip to Afghanistan, and to Former Pentagon Official Frank Gaffney about the President's war strategy, and when we can expect to see troop withdrawal.

Then: The tax debate rages on in Washington, and now some Democrats are worried that the President's willingness to compromise with Republicans is yielding too little in return. Preparing to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the rich—is President Obama getting taken advantage of by Republicans? We'll ask Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and the Huffington Post's Howard Fineman.

Plus: The House voted to censure Charlie Rangel last night, a severe, humiliating sentence for the embattled Democratic Congressman from Harlem. Then the conservative media splashed it all over the front pages. So does the Right wing play Hardball better than Democrats, or are they just more up for getting down and dirty? We'll ask former radio talk show host and political commentator Ron Reagan and Politico's Roger Simon. And then: Legendary talk show host Dick Cavett had a front-row seat to history in the making. As the author of his new book, appropriately titled Talk Show, he remembers moments with the greats: Nixon, Lennon, Kerry. He's here tonight for a discussion with Chris—don't miss it.

Erin Delmore wrote the "Hardball Briefing�? from Washington, D.C.

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	Video: Rangel admits to 'serious mistakes'

	Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Penn., and Rep. James Clyburn, D-SC., join Hardball's Chris Matthews to discuss Rep. Charlie Rangel's punishment. (Hardball)