Brian Williams and Bush in NoLa - Hindsight.

[Stinky The Clown]

On first viewing, the interview could have seemed much like every other one we've seen. Questions and non-answers. Stuttering and stammering, and searching the cranium for some clue as to an appropriate phrase that pushes the agenda du jour as defined by Rove.

But now that it has been a bit since the initial airing, and now that clips and bites of it have been given surprisingly widespread play, I'm beginning to think that was really pretty remarkable. I still don't see Brian Williams as a heavyweight journalist (I grew up with Crokite) but his questions weere actually VERY well constructed and his folowup was far less shy than we've come to expect from any 'main stream' media.

How do you feel about it? Did Willimas just approach the vicinity of the 'the line that shall not be crossed'? Did he walk right up to the 'the line that shall not be crossed' but stay on the safe side of it? Or did he cross 'the line that shall not be crossed' and cause the real (which is to say disengaged and uninformed) George Bush to be seen as he really is?

What do you think of Williams, overall?

[Oceansaway]

1. .

i cant stand looking at that 'stretch' face....he makes me hurl.....

[goclark]

2. Overall, Brian did the best interview of the Chimp

that I can remember.

[physioex]

4. I agree.....

The part the impressed me most was not what was said, as much as the fact they were both standing and both had a very uncomfortable body language. That says it all to me....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I thought he did a respectable job with that interview.

Of course, I'd have liked to see him take a larger chomp out of Junior's jugular, but he did have the stones to refer to Junior's "patrician" background (which definitely made the little man splutter), and it was certainly fun when he asked him about the "back story" of The Stranger. I think Williams knew very well that Junior wouldn't be able to respond coherently to a question about a French existentialist whose books are on most 11th-grade reading lists...

Williams was better than I expected.

[Atman]

5. He looked at the line that shall not be crossed...and stayed back ten feet

What the fuck is it with these people? Brian Williams has a long, well respected career. If he asked Bush a hard-hitting, in your face, make-him-spit-Hamms-out-his-nose question, and then suddenly disappeared or was fired from NBC the next day, wouldn't that only cement the picture in America's mind that Bush is just a strong-arming goon? A Thug? Of course it would. In fact, he could say it right in his his interview...

"Mr. President, many people told me I'd be fired tomorrow, or you'd find a way to banish me to Siberia for asking you this question, but..."

What the hell would happen? At that point, the horse is out of the barn. The question's been asked. Bush's reaction will be on film. History will be recorded.

WHAT THE BLOODY DAMNED HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE AFRAID OF? This type of pretend-hardball interview only serves to prove to me, and most others I'd think, that Bush has the media in his pocket. William, imho, just gave Bush yet more free air time to try to defend himself. This wasn't "journalism." This interview could have been done by any bimbo on Entertainment Tonight.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

6. Give Up A Cushy High Paying Job????

Why would Mr. Williams want to do a dumb thing like that?

It's far easier to kiss ass, and PRETEND that you're a newsman. It's safe, and he can still collect that big paycheck, which takes away ALL guilt he may be feeling.

It's all about the money and the position. No way Brian is going to give that up just for something stupid like honest journalism.

What era do you think this is?

[AnneD]

7. My thoughts exactly...

what in the hell are these people afraid of. Does he have pictures of DEM Congressmen golfing with Satan? Hell, you can't tell me that Gannon was only in the WH after hours for a scoop du jour. Hell the man was a male prostitute and he was probably conducting business at the highest level. And as sure as I am typing, there is a picture of Bush shaking hands with Abramhoff out there. They don't have enough glad bags in the WH kitchen to haul out all the foul trash that is lieing about. THE MEDIA HAS LACKED THE BALL TO DO THIER JOB. A few crumbs of truth now is not enough. Some of these bastards need to be impeached and turned over to the Hague for good measure-boy talk about improving our standing in the world in one fell swoop.

[mtnester]

8. Sometimes, the BEST way for people to hang themselves

is with their own rope.

I and my hubby thought it was brilliant the way he just let Bush keep stammering and stuttering for as long as he had wind. The asshat in chief is BOUND to trip over his tongue this way, and IMO is too stupid to realize he is being set up through Brian's "periods of silence."

On an end note: "eccelectic"

On another end note "you still don't watch TV?"

[butterfly77]

9. He did the best I have seen so far ..

and he was in his face. There were times when I could see he wanted to follow up and it looked like nutty ass was starting to get angry. I heard some right wing asshole on bill bennett this morning getting angry because he was asked these questions. They are getting angry over questions that would have been asked of any other president five years ago. You Know that he was asking the right questions when scarbourgh and the rest of the right wing assholes question what the questions are.

[bklyncowgirl]

10. Williams did a good job--no doubt his last shot at Bush

First he set the leader of the free world off by referring to his patrician upbringing making it difficult for him to relate to the victims of hurricane Katrina--an MSM no no since no one seems to bring up the fact that Bush's cowboy persona is totally and completely manufactured. This sent Bush into total ignorant cracker mode trying to convince the world that he's just plain folks and not the brightest of just plain folks at that.

What fun!

Then he pushed him further than I think anyone else has who's had a chance to probe him, including sadly, John Kerry, on why he invaded Iraq when Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Bush stammered and smirked and strutted and came off like a total fool.

Advantage Williams

Then came my favorite part. Camus. What was the backstory of Camus' "The Stranger"? Duh. "It was a good book." SHIT, I had a better response to someone asking about a book I hadn't read in sixth grade. Throw in the part about ECALECTIC reading habits and reading three Shakespeares and you have just given Jon Stewart enough material for yet another Emmy.

It was a lovely interview. Sure, I'd like to see someone eat Bush up and spit him out, but let's face it, friends, Kieth Olberman is not getting a shot at George Bush, neither is Randi Rhodes or our beloved Helen Thomas.

I doubt that Brian Williams will ever have an opportunity to interview Resident George W. Bush ever again. That's too bad because he managed to reveal more of the real man than anyone else has.

Kudos Brian.