Three cheers . . .
for Charles Gibson of ABC News. It has been ages since I have seen a member of the mainstream media ask tough questions of candidates from both sides of the aisle. I thought he handled himself brilliantly on Saturday night. He went very tough on the Repubs on the issue of health care. He was equally tough on the Democratic candidates when it came to the “Iraqi Surge” and its impact thus far on the situation in Iraq. When responding to Gibson’s questions, all four Democratic candidates noted that the government/parliament in Iraq had not moved quickly enough since the surge to make things happen. In what I thought was a classic line, Gibson responded by saying, “Three of you are or have been Senators, you know how long it can take to push legislation through.” None of the Dem’s had a response to that. When Obama tried to tout his role in creating lobbying reform legislation, Gibson pointed out that legislation had made it illegal for lobbyists to by members of congress meals while seated. Buying a meal from a line in a restaurant or while standing up at the table is still perfectly legal.
I’m sure that Limbaugh and Hannity found holes in Gibson’s performance, but, in my estimation, it was a stellar display of journalism at its finest. And we can always find holes (somtimes gaping) in Limbaugh and Hannity’s takes on journalism. I hope ABCNews, with Gibson largely at the helm, continues to move in this direction.
He did a great job.