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What Was Andy Thinking...In 1996?

(CBS)
Here's the latest installment in our continuing series, "What Was Andy Thinking?," in which we bring you a year's worth of Andy Rooney commentary topics. This time around the year is 1996, which gave us Bill Clinton's reelection, Dolly the cloned sheep, The Centennial Olympic Park bombing, the murders of Tupac Shakur and JonBenét Ramsey, and the opening of the musical "Rent." Andy took on some topics that made headlines, and some that didn't. In the latter category are commentaries on women who cut grass, in-line skating, the length of movie credits, and how much his personal possessions would go for at auction. The full list of commentary topics is below. (OAD means original air date.)

01/07/96: "Holidays" - there are too many holidays

01/14/96: "Politicians And Their Props" - items politicians use to illustrate a point

01/21/96: "First Lady" - Hillary Rodham Clinton

01/28/96: "A Night on the Town" - eating in restaurants

02/04/96: "Junior" - having Jr. attached to a man's name

02/11/96: "Tall" - what it's like to be very tall

02/18/96: "The Candidates" - the Republican candidates

02/25/96: "The Issues" - seeing both sides of a question

03/03/96: "The Meaning of Flat Tax" - the word `flat'

03/10/96: "Charities" - groups soliciting funds for charities

03/17/96: "Credits" - movie credits are too long

03/24/96: "Andy Reviews 60 MINUTES" - Andy talks about last Sunday's program

03/31/96: "News Worthy" - news stories about the Catholic Church, Colin Powell and Andy Rooney's age

04/07/96: "Time" - promotions in the mail and on Television

04/14/96: "Truth" - determining when people are lying

04/21/96: "The Clintons Take A Trip" - how much the Clintons' trip to the Far East would have cost the average couple

04/28/96: "Ivins & Co" - people including Billy Graham, Art Buchwald, James Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander who gave commentaries on past 60 MINUTES programs

05/05/96: "Auction" - Andy talks about the prices he would ask if he held an auction of his personal possessions

05/12/96: "Montana" - FBI confrontation with the Freemen

05/26/96: the Internet

06/02/96: "Our Government" - the U.S. Government should be downsized

06/09/96: "Packaging" - misleading size of packages

06/16/96: "Time-of-Year" - what spring means on Andy's calendar

06/23/96: "Where's Dole?" - questions for Bob Dole

06/30/96: "Coffee" - making coffee

08/04/96: "Speech" - Andy's speech at the National Press Club (05/21/95)

08/11/96: Andy at the Republican National Convention

08/18/96: "Women Mowers" - women cutting the grass

08/25/96: "In-Line Skating" - Andy looks at a new fad

09/01/96: "Type A and Type B" - the differences between Type A and Type B personalities (OAD: 12/03/95)

09/08/96: "Conventions" - Andy reports on the Republican and Democratic conventions

09/15/96: "Magazines" - Andy critiques magazines

09/22/96: "The Presidential Campaign" - what's wrong with the way we elect a president/Andy offers to interview Ross Perot

09/29/96: "Foreign News" - less foreign news on the networks

10/06/96: "The Great Debates" - what Andy thinks of presidential debates

10/13/96: "How's My Sodium?" - Andy goes on a diet

10/20/96: "Andy Critiques the Debate" - Andy looks at the second Presidential debate

10/27/96: "Immigration" - a citizenship test"Immigration"- a citizenship test

11/03/96: "Bob Dole" - why Andy thinks Bob Dole will lose the election

11/10/96: "Concession Speeches" - what losing candidates say

11/17/96: "Liquor Advertising" - Andy doesn't approve of commercials for liquor on television

11/24/96: "Andy's Eyebrows" - people criticize Andy's appearance

12/01/96: "The Blimp" - Andy takes a ride in a blimp

12/08/96: "Books" - books sent to Andy by publishers and authors

12/15/96: Saks catalogue

12/22/96: "Christmas Tree Decorations" - how people decorate their homes

12/29/96: "Important Questions" - unresolved issues as 1996 ends

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