On Tuesday evening, during a commercial break on the Hugh Hewitt program, I was scanning the TV dials (between CSPAN convention coverage and Seinfeld reruns on TBS) and came across a Peter Jennings ABC World News Tonight interview with Karl Rove.
In my quest for information NOW, I typically only give the network news programs about 2 seconds before zipping on by with the remote for more fertile ground. But the sight of Rove, a remarkably articulate and folksy presence (who would make a hell of a candidate in his own right), caused me to linger ever so briefly. Which gave me the opportunity to hear this question from Jennings, which stopped me in my digital TV tracks entirely:
JENNINGS: Okay. I know you like the president. Is it too strong a phrase to say that you love him?
ABC News devotes all of 22 minutes for it's prime time news presentation (WORLD news, mind you), and its star anchorman gets the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States on for an interview, and he uses up this precious time asking him THAT?
Absurd, buffoon level journalism. The average reporter for a high school newspaper would know better than to ask this question, of any government official, let alone a man of Karl Rove's stature. Because as any junior high journalist already knows, the correct way to broach this topic is to say:
JENNINGS: Okay. I know you like the president. But do you "like" like him?
For a split second, Rove's face revealed he was flummoxed by the ridiculous nature of the question. But since about half of the interview consisted of snide, bizarre, leading questions by Jennings, Rove was prepared and made a quick recovery. (Read the whole interview to get the gist of Jennings approach, and note, they put the questions out of order, the interview ended with the love talk.)
I was impressed with Rove's answer. It's a lesson for any politician or operative. When asked an unexpected question, just tell the truth.
ROVE: No, I love him. I mean, he is one of the most remarkable people I've ever met, and that's not too strong a word.
It's a great answer. He doesn't come off as a creepy metrosexual type, which is the impression you'd probably be left with if John Kerry were asked if he loves John Edwards, or vice versa. (Something tells me Jennings will never ask either of them such a question). Nor does he come off as an obsessed W. worshipper, which I'm sure was Jennings intent in asking the question in the first place. Or he wanted Rove to clumsily deny it, spawning headlines the next day "ROVE HATES BUSH".
Jennings motive in this interview was to validate the demonization of Rove that the Democrats and their willing accomplices in the press have engaged in for years. And I must say, Rove smoked 'em on this one.
For an example of the opposite, a political operative getting smoked by a real journalist, read Hugh Hewitt's interview with DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe. Excerpt:
HEWITT: John Edwards yesterday said that he should sell the Iranians nuclear fuel. Do you agree with that, Terry McAuliffe?
MCAULIFFE: What did John Edwards say?
HEWITT: That we ought to do a deal with the Iranians that if they don't get to produce their own nuclear fuel but that we will sell it to them in exchange for strict controls. Do you think that's an answer to the situation on terror?
MCAULIFFE: If John Edwards said that's what John Edwards feels and I'm sure that he talked to John Kerry about it.
It's an amazingly revealing look into the essence of McAuliffe. But, no, there's nothing in this interview about who McAuliffe's loves. For that, we'll have to wait for Peter Jennings to chime in. Or someone else of his journalistic caliber. Perhaps Chuck Woolery is guest hosting tonight on Nightline.
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