Monday, February 09, 2004

Howie's Spin Cycle

Konflict of Interest Kurtz puts words in the mouths of unnamed "liberals":

Bush is getting bashed from both sides of the spectrum, but liberals are more likely to skewer Russert as well, saying he wasn't aggressive enough in the Oval Office setting. Although I wonder whether they would have been satisfied with any interview that didn't end with Bush admitting error and begging forgiveness.

Bullshit. First, I haven't seen any liberal saying Russert "wasn't aggressive enough in the Oval Office setting." The setting is irrelevant. Kurtz is the only one with the delusion that tough questioning inside the Oval Office is "rude." If a journo can't ask tough questions in the Oval Office, she or he shouldn't set foot inside it. All the liberal/left critiques of Russert I've read have given specific examples where Russert left a false statement unchallenged. Surely one can expect Russert to conduct a competent interview without expecting Bush to admit his incompetency.

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