After 23 Years And Thousands Of Debates, The ‘Crossfire’ Concludes On CNN

“That’s it for Crossfire.”

ANNOUNCER: Today, after more than two decades, the left and the right go one last round in the final Crossfire. CARVILLE: There are some things in life you never thought would happen, like knowing the identity of Deep Throat, the Red Sox winning the World Series and Crossfire coming to an end. NOVAK: This is sad but true. It’s our very last show. It all started 23 years ago this month with Pat Buchanan and Tom Braden slugging it out. Today we are here to celebrate our years here at the George Washington University and share some of our favorite memories.

“This may be the end of Crossfire as you know it, but we’re not going anywhere,” James Carville concluded. They’ll be appearing everyday on Inside Politics, “and later this summer, join us for a brand new political program anchored by Wolf Blitzer. We’ll all be part of it. It’s going to be a great show. But for now, it’s just time to say goodbye.”

Robert Novak turned off the lights: “That’s it for Crossfire,” he said.

Here’s the transcript…

> Jan. 6: “Klein’s CNN Will Choose “Roll-Up-Your-Sleeves Storytelling” Over “Head-Butting Debate Shows”

> January 5: “Nail In The Coffin For Crossfire”

> Update: 11:32am: The GWU student newspaper reports: “Friendly handshakes and hearty laughter pervaded the studio in a performance that lacked its famous partisanship.” “You do a damn good job,” Carville said with a smile to Novak before the show began…