Posted on 09/24/2006 1:37:33 PM PDT by rface
Following today's buzz generating conversation with Bill Clinton, Chris Wallace shared some of his post-interview thoughts with FishbowlDC:
I was delighted to get the chance to interview former President Clinton. This was the first one-on-one sitdown he's ever given "Fox News Sunday" during our 10 years on the air.
The groundrules were simple--15 minutes--to be divided evenly between questions about the Clinton Global Initiative and anything else I wanted to ask.
I intended to keep to the groundrules. In fact--I prepared 10 questions--5 on the CGI and 5 on other issues.
I began the interview with 2 questions about Mr. Clinton's commitment to humanitarian causes. His answers were cogent and good-humored.
Then--I asked him about his Administration's record in fighting terror--fully intending to come back to CGI later (as indeed I did).
I asked what I thought was a non-confrontational question about whether he could have done more to "connect the dots and really go after al Qaeda."
I was utterly surprised by the tidal wave of details--emotion--and political attacks that followed.
The President was clearly stung by any suggestion that he had not done everything he could to get bin Laden. He attacked right-wingers--accused me of a "conservative hit job"--and even spun a theory I still don't understand that somehow Fox was trying to cover up the fact that NewsCorp. chief Rupert Murdoch was supporting his Global Initiative. I still have no idea what set him off. Former President Clinton is a very big man. As he leaned forward--wagging his finger in my face--and then poking the notes I was holding--I felt as if a mountain was coming down in front of me.
The President said I had a smirk. Actually--it was sheer wonder at what I was witnessing.
I tried repeatedly to adhere to the ground rules--to move the President along--and back to the CGI. But he wanted to keep talking about his record fighting terror.
When it became clear he wanted to throw out the ground rules--then I just went with the flow of the interview.
More like a molehill.
Lurkin' and smirkin'
I like it!
Not to mention the IRS.
And are you really THAT naive? Please, anyone who seriously challenges a Clinton has "Hell to Pay." This should be common knowledge.
The wagging the finger in the face seems to be his favorite, or "put some ice on it." The man has violence in his blood for sure, and is a spoiled mama's boy at that.
bump
It would be the pay per view event of the year if Clinton could sit for an interview with Rush Limbaugh.
Nah Just showing the wrong news network. : O
Hah! A revelation -- to Chris Wallace and a few million other people.
Both Clintons are paranoid, but they almost always hide that fact when they think the public can see them.
As a designated member of the vast right-wing conspiracy, Chris Wallace had better watch his back.
I was so mad that I had to miss it but they just announced on Fox that they are rerunning the Clintonista interview at the top of the hour. I am doing the dance of joy and salivating at the thought of seeing Clinton squirming screaming, sweating and frothing ala his pal Al Gore! Gotta love the "dims" and how they keep making us look better every day just by their daily liberal antics.
Nay! The event of the millinimum.
Good point, Bernard. Where's America's media asking to interview Juanita to question the similarities of this encounter with her own?
Remember when Hillary went on Matt Lauer's show shortly after the Monica scandal broke, and muttered about a "vast right-wing conspiracy." People laughed but the media knew it had received its marching orders. From then on the villains of the story were Linda Tripp ("the most hated woman in America"), Lucianne Goldberg, and Ken Starr, and everyone was expected to root for Clinton.
Most people probably didn't watch the interview. Even if they saw a clip of Clinton losing it, they'll forget it after a while, but meanwhile the media will be hammering away at the theme that Bush didn't try to get Bin Laden and that's why 9/11 happened.
Today Wallace reported on Fox that after the interview Clinton berated his staff in front of the FOX employees for "getting him into this". Was this public humiliation of his staff "planned" as well?
I disagree. The sympathy is with Wallace and any attempt by him to "get into it" with Clinton would have served to give ammo to those who claim FOX set Clinton up i this interview. His acting professional throughout was exactly the right thing to do, imo.
And a dozen "talking heads" on several channels commented on how staged this was......
Yes, that includes the "behind the scenes" theatrics.....
Clinton knows very well there are no behind the scenes....
Do you always underestimate your opponent? Clinton is a very bright, cunning man with a tremendous amount of media savvy.....Everything is scripted down to the last finger wag.....
Carolyn
"Smirking liberal liars hate being smirked at!"
Clinton was just using an old, dirty trick that lawyers use when questioning a witness in court or in a deposition. The lawyer will say "I see that you are smiling. Do you think that this is funny?" The purpose is to put the witness on the defensive and make them lose composure. It also makes the audience/jurors believe that the witness was actually smirking or being sarcastic when in fact they were not.
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