September 15, 2004
DOWN TO ONE DEBATE AND COUNTING (via Kevin Whited):
All the CBS Men: Bob Schieffer is unfit for presidential debates. (NRO Editors, 9/14/04)
Until CBS cleans its own house, it cannot be considered just another news organization, in good journalistic standing. Which brings us to the presidential debates. The Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled a debate on foreign policy for October 13 at Arizona State University. The moderator the commission has seen fit to anoint for this encounter is Bob Schieffer of CBS News.In other words, one of the greatest gifts in terms of exposure and responsibility in the fall campaign is being handed to a representative of the CBS News division.
In a related story, Mr. Schieffer, who seems to be a very decent man, is demanding that CBS prove the accuracy of the forged documents. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 15, 2004 2:15 PM
Bob Schieffer's reporting from downtown D.C. on 9/11 was excellent.
I remember thinking then that the magnitude of the attack would likely change some of the leftist bias in the media; it hasn't proved to be that way, although it certainly affected Hitchens and a number of other 'independent' types now prominent in the blogosphere.
I still wonder what Walter Cronkite thinks about all this. For all we know, he is Rather's source (now there's a real pajama rumor!).
Posted by: jim hamlen at September 15, 2004 2:49 PMjim:
He worked at a station in TX with George Carlin (I think doing weather) at some point early in their careers, For that alone I like him.
Posted by: oj at September 15, 2004 2:56 PMAnd of course, his brother Tom was formerly employed by George W. Bush as general manager of the Texas Rangers.
Posted by: John at September 15, 2004 3:04 PMSchieffer does seem to be a decent man but he can sling the lefty partisan media angles when he wants to.
There is no way the WH should allow CBS to have a moderator. CBS must pay a price for its actions and awarding them a prime TV spot (as NRO notes) would send a bad message.
Besides, if I remember the list correctly they are all lefties. Surely there is room for a Brit Hume or Tony Snow as moderator?
oj:
I think Carlin used that weather gig to develop the Hippy Dippy Weatherman. Don't know whether Schieffer was at that station.
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at September 15, 2004 3:47 PMSpeaking of the forged documents, did anyone catch that Chinese fire drill CBS pulled today with its delayed-over-and-over-and-over again announcement that ended up amounting to a boilerplate recitation of "we stand by our story but we're going to double-check it anyway"? Dumbfounded just about everyone who was monitoring; whatever they were expecting - and there were some wild theories going around - that wasn't it.
Posted by: Joe at September 15, 2004 6:30 PM