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Posted on 02/19/2006 2:13:36 AM PST by STARWISE
Brit Hume was in his morning staff meeting at Fox News yesterday when his cell phone rang. It was Dick Cheney.
The network's Washington managing editor had been pressing for the interview that every news organization was hotly pursuing, and now the vice president was saying that he would talk to Hume -- and only Hume -- about the hunting accident that has put him at the center of a fierce Beltway storm.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Vice President Cheney discusses his accidental shooting of friend Harry Whittington for the first time.
"I felt the need to ask the questions my colleagues would want to ask," said Hume, who taped the 25-minute sitdown yesterday afternoon for his 6 p.m. show "Special Report."
"There are certain situations where there's a news story and the first objective of anyone covering it is to ask, 'What happened and why did you handle the information the way you did?'" While "I'd like to think the interview was compelling because I was skillful in my questions," Hume said, "the style of the questions was beside the point."
He said Cheney seemed "really shaken" by the incident but was "utterly unapologetic" about his refusal to make the news public through his office or to volunteer information until yesterday.
Mary Matalin, a former Cheney aide and informal adviser who accompanied him to the interview in the vice president's ceremonial office, said the vice president likes Hume but that "our objective was to get the whole story out in a consecutive way. He wanted a long form. We had no had no desire for anything other than comprehensive and hard questions."
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ding
There is no more credible and extraordinarily professional and savvy political journalist today than Brit Hume. I dread the thought of his retirement, when it's time. The only suitable replacement I can think of who may come close to Brit's skillset is Bill Sammon.
I agree with both comments.
Hume is one of a handful of TV journalists that actually lets the person finish their answer to a question without interrupting them. Cavuto is a good "interviewer" also. There is no "hostility" in their interviews (whether they're interviewing Republicans or Democrats)...unlike most other TV newspersons, including the other Fox nighttime stars.
Brit Hume got started in the 1970's working for mudslinging investigative columnist Jack Anderson who went after Nixon.
He then worked for ABC News. Hume realized like others before him (Howard K. Smith) that there was a liberal bias in the media. He got a chance to do something about it by joining up with the Fox News Channel for fair and balanced reporting. Good for him. That doesn't make him a biased conservative but the liberals have probably driven him in that direction with their attitude.
What makes this whole deal so odd is that MM has been on his "staff" for years. She is a media savy women. Did she not figure out what to do and share it? No tin foil hats need apply, but I am curious how people with big checks can be less smart than the average poster at Free Republic?
I still have lots of questions that have not been answered. For example, I don't know what Cheney had for breakfast that morning. This coverup has to end.
Mary Matlin has been working as a friend and volunteer since the accident. So, the decisions were made by Cheney, who also overruled Dan Bartlett and Scott McClellan.
Hope this clalrifies things for you.
Scott McClellan does not impress me and I'm wondering how others view him as a presidential press spokesman.
I agree , they need a hard hitter that won't put up with David Gregory and that old wench, Helen Thomas's crap. McClellan comes off as being easily dominated by these Liberal media fools.
Thats the way I see him too. When Dee Dee Myers was press secretary to Bill Clinton he was in constant trouble. When Mike McCurry replaced her I immediately began to worry. Like him or not, he was great for the Clintons. McCurry's replacement, Joe whats his name Lockhart was the most unlikable Press Secretary of the many I have observed since Pierre Salanger held the job for JFK.
I don't know if Major Garrett has Hume-style aspirations. In time, he could develop into a very good anchor.
Hume has a side to him that gets delighted over funny things and quirks / ridiculous things that is very helpful at the right moment; Garrett would do well to develop that in his TV face time, but he does an excellent job in all important aspects of reporting, and is bright enough to do the anchor job justice.
I agree, GM .. if Major was able to shade down the reporter seriousness and be imbued with some cordial hosting demeanor, he'd do very well. He's also a quality journalist .. with great credibility.
thanks - I saw her walking with Chaney during a News clip and did not know she was not still on the team.
Brit Hume is easily the most honest, straightforward newsman among the leading networks. He's a straight shooter, or at least as straight a shooter as anybody can be in the news industry.
Brit understands the word respect and is very respectful almost always (unless of course he is slapping down Juan, then his disrespect really shows, thankfully). :-)
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