8:05 a.m. ET To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld – and there’s a phrase you don’t hear very often today outside of Donald Rumsfeld’s house – there are three main kinds of news events covered by the cable news networks.

There are the known knowns. These are the news stories that can be covered in real time as they happen, in full view of the cameras. We’re talking about events that are guaranteed to be news, such as the release of a critical government report or Joe Biden opening his mouth.

Then there are the unknown unknowns – the events where TV news doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. Larry King spends most of his life in this blissful state.

What we’ll be experiencing today is a case study in the known unknown. Everyone knows that news will be happening today on Parliament Hill, but no one will have any idea what that news is. There will be infinite coverage of finite information – leaving hours upon hours of airtime to be devoted to speculation, colour, pale panelists and the staple of coverage of the known unknown: stalling. Hope Don Newman had a big breakfast.

Join me around 10 a.m. ET or so Continue…