I'm sorry, he did sit down with Tyra Banks awhile ago, I guess that was 'hard hitting'.
And he did give Lara Logan exclusive access while in Afghanistan, but let's breakdown that interview by just looking at everything Lara Logan herself said:
Logan: "Why does it have to be the central focus? What is so critical to U.S. interests here?"
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Logan: "And how do you compel Pakistan to act?"
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Logan: "Under what circumstances would you authorize unilateral U.S. action against targets inside tribal areas?"
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Logan: "Isn't that the case now? I mean, do you really think that if U.S. forces had Osama bin Laden in their sights and the Pakistanis said 'No,' that they wouldn't fire or wouldn't go after him?"
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Logan: "But [not going after him] is the current policy."
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Logan: "So there's no change, then?"
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Logan: "Would you take out all those training camps?"
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Logan: "And if they won't?"
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Logan: "Would you consider unilateral U.S. action?"
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Logan: "You do have a situation seven years on into this war where Osama bin Laden and all his lieutenants and all the leaders of the Taliban, they're still there. They're inside Pakistan."
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Logan: "Token efforts at best."
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Logan: "What would be a 'mission accomplished' for you in Afghanistan?
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Logan "Losing is not an option?"
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Logan: "Do you believe the war on terror can't be won if Osama bin Laden is still alive and if he's still out there?"
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Logan: "Okay, last question: There is a perception that you lack experience in world affairs."
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Logan: "Is this trip partly aimed at overcoming that concern, that, you know, there are doubts among some Americans that you could lead the country at war as commander in chief from day one?"
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Logan: "Do you have any doubts?"
First of all, clearly the only way CBS was granted access to The Anointed One (too many people have stolen my "Presumptuous One" moniker for Obama, so I'm going to switch it up) was to agree to only ask about Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is great for Obama, but bad for the rest of us. Second of all, you can't prove to me that those questions Logan asked would have been demonstrably different had they been lobbed to Obama by his own Press Secretary. He might as well have been in the room by himself, and basically he was, since all she did was give him set-ups for what he was going to already say, sort of like what Jay Leno does while he sleepwalks through yet another lousy celebrity interview.
Obama won't do the Town Halls that McCain challenged him to doing, he won't do a real interview where the interviewer can ask whatever the hell they want on whatever subject, and he has never done anything that resembles a press conference where, horror of horrors, he might get asked multiple questions from multiple reporters, some possibly not friendly towards his point of view.
And then they have the "audacity" to complain when he's viewed as more of a celebrity than a serious political candidate. If you want to the celebrity tag to fade, then quit acting like a celeb on a press junket to promote their latest film.
Take real questions, from all comers, agree to those Town Halls, and set up BloggingHeads style showdowns between your main policy surrogates and McCain's policy surrogates on specific narrow wonky issues.
It's entirely up to The Adored One (see there, I changed it again) if this will be a campaign of ideas, or image. McCain will fight you with whatever you give him, right now all you are giving him is the celeb angle cause you won't come out and do the real rough and tumble of engaging in an ideological struggle.
Quit whining about a pointed ad regarding your celebrity status, and quit acting like a celebrity, if The One (really, he is so full of 'oneness' that no qualifier is even necessary, he's that special) is ready to be President of the United States, then he must be ready to hold a press conference or two (he's held one or two, but, they've been very short, and the last real press conference he gave back in March didn't go so well for him), and field unvetted questions from real citizens in an open Town Hall, and not some time in September, or once on July 4th (which was the ridiculous stipulation that the Obama campaign tried to get away with), but once a week, in person or via satellite, all the way up till the conventions, and then afterwards.
McCain has put himself out there, he still does blogger conference calls, he'll still answer random questions thrown at him on the plane, he still may occasionally sound like a cranky old man when he snaps at a stupid question, but at least the media is allowed to approach him, can't say that's the case for the other major party candidate.
UPDATE: Obama Dammit!!!
In Obama's name I curse the McCain campaign. After reducing The Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama, to first The Presumptive Candidate, then to the Presumptive One, then to The Presumptuous One, then to The Adored One, then to The Anointed One, then finally just to The One, all in attempt to stay ahead of all the various media outlets in their attempts to parody the cult of personality that would seem to be evolving around Sen. Obama, the McCain campaign (via Drudge) goes and releases an ad calling him "The One" today.
Really, I thought of it first, even if they must have been working on this ad for a little while, so I guess they beat me to it. But it's not about being first, anyway, so in that I take solace. But by the Almighty BO, the McCain campaign better be prepared to endure some serious smiting, cause if The One didn't like the previous ad, just wait till he and his acolytes (also known as "the media") respond to this one.
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