Destroy 2 continents & threaten USA.
More at 11:00
Now, back to the Michael Jackson extravaganza."
Posted on 07/07/2009 11:09:00 AM PDT by Mount Athos
Despite devoting almost the entire Good Morning America program on Tuesday to Michael Jackson, ABC could only find three minutes for a hard-hitting Jake Tapper interview with Barack Obama. And even though co-host Diane Sawyer promised at the close of the piece, "And we'll have more of the President's interview with Jake Tapper later in the broadcast," the show never returned.
Tapper, who was in Moscow to cover Obama's summit with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, quizzed, "Whether it's this summit with President Medvedev, or anything else, can you point to any reason why you're encouraged that your approach to Iran and North Korea is the right approach?"
Tapper also highlighted Vice President Biden's admission that the administration "misread how bad the economy" was when the stimulus was being crafted. He then skeptically asked, "If the diagnosis was, was wrong, how can you be sure that the prescription, the stimulus package, was right?"
After Tapper followed-up by pointing out that even supporters such as Colin Powell are now voicing concern about spending, Sawyer closed out the segment by promising more of the interview.
It was not to be. Michael Jackson coverage mostly dominated the remaining 90 minutes of the program. Only a news brief in the 8am hour mentioned Obama, Tapper and the trip to Russia.
A transcript of the July 7 segment, which aired at 7:12am, follows:
DIANE SAWYER: And we turn now to the breaking news on the Russian summit. On Monday, President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed a preliminary agreement that would slash the world's largest nuclear stockpiles by one-third. And today, the President has squared off against the man he once said has one foot stuck in the old approach to the world and one in the new. Arguably Russia's most powerful and mysterious politician, Vladimir Putin. Senior Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, had a chance to speak with the President in Moscow.
JAKE TAPPER: Whether it's this summit with President Medvedev, or anything else, can you point to any reason why you're encouraged that your approach to Iran and North Korea is the right approach?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Ultimately, you know, we're going to have to see whether a country like Russia, for example, is willing to work with us to apply pressure on Iran, to take a path towards international respectability, as opposed to the path their on. And, you know, that's not something that we're going to know the results of, probably for several more months, as we continue to do the hard, diplomatic work of putting this coalition together to, to tell Iran make the better choice.
TAPPER: On the economy, despite Vice President Biden's recent acknowledgment that the Obama team misread how bad the economy was when they were crafting the stimulus, the President said the stimulus was the right one. If the diagnosis was, was wrong, how can you be sure that the prescription, the stimulus package, was right?
OBAMA: So, there's nothing that we would have done differently. Now, the question that some have argued is, okay, what next? Maybe you have stopped the free-fall. But you have close to ten percent unemployment. And this is something that we wrestle with constantly. It is at a certain point, certainly counterproductive, if we're spending more money than we're having to borrow.
TAPPER: And supporters like Warren Buffett and Colin Powell are voicing their concerns.
OBAMA: And they have got legitimate concerns in terms of the mid-term and long-term. We're going to have to get control of that. [sic. Appears to be bad editing.] And they have got legitimate concerns in terms of the mid-term and long-term. We're going to have to get control of that.
TAPPER: The President said why he understood why many Americans are more focused on Michael Jackson's funeral today.
OBAMA: This is part of American culture. You know, Michael Jackson, like Elvis, like Sinatra. When somebody who has captivated the imagination of the country for that long passes away, people pay attention. And I assume at some point, people will start focusing again on things like nuclear weapons.
TAPPER: Sasha and Malia-
DIANE SAWYER: And we'll have more of the President's interview with Jake Tapper later in the broadcast.
Looking at how things are going they will be covering Jackson’s death full throttle, 24x7 till the November 2012...
Michael Jackson was unique in the annals of history:
A black man who sang and danced.
This Tapper fellow seems to be fairly tough on Obama. I don’t watch ABC (or any other broadcast network), but his blog at ABCnews.com will frequently have unflattering stories and comments about Obama and his administration.
I think that fixes it.
No, according to the “mourners” - the greatest entertainer...ever.
“Obama: It is at a certain point, certainly counterproductive, if we’re spending more money than we’re having to borrow.”...
Can anyone here interpret what “Mr. Eloquence” said in this statement?
He was the best black singer and dancer ever. He won.
Thanks for posting. At least some of us can choose to read about it. Thanks, Diane and ABC for giving us even more Jacko coverage instead of real news. At first glance I mistakenly thought some Obama TV time had been clouded by the Jacko coverage, but it seems they left it buried, no pun intended, since it was ‘hard hitting’.
“It is at a certain point, certainly counterproductive, if we’re spending more money than we’re having to borrow.”
I cannot understand that sentence.
I thought Obama was the greatest entertainer ever?!?!
I thought it was ironic that someone called his the greatest entertainer ever....and then Stevie Wonder was brought on stage to perform. Hhhmmm....
Every news channel there is has the memorial on it.
As a kid the Jackson 5 were #1 with me.
But COME ON! Already. : )
All his brothers wearing yellow ties/suits/shades and the One Glittery Glove was IMO a bit lame.
At first I thought the NOI showed up.
Exactly. I put Steve Wonder far above MJ as both a musician and (from what little I know about him) a human being.
MJ danced better. I'll definitely give him that.
From the MSM “We regretfully interupt the Obamathon to bring you more mindless hysteria over the death of another irrelevant and pointless human being from Hollywood.”
Well, all I can say is that if this interview by Tapper is considered “hard-hitting” we’re in trouble. 2 questions and then a comment about Michael Jackson? Big deal.
What Obamunism is saying that we're spending money faster then we can borrow, which means that the current spend exceeds tax revenues + inflationary printing of dollars + borrowing. That's an order of magnitude past unsustainable.
I liked Stevie Wonder until he was on American Idol this year and gave a big shout out to Obama when he was on the stage. Pathetic.
When I think of the real all-time great performers and influences in the entertainment world - regardless of race - I always think of Louis Armstrong. Nobody has influenced music as much as he did since he was around.
Louis’ jazz is still around in the motown I’m hearing right this minute on the tube, in the tune Stevie Wonder sang and in the chord progressions of all the classic rock and roll.
Actually as dancing goes, Chris Brown (the one who battered his girlfriend Rhianna,) dances CIRCLES around MJ. Anyone who’s seen him dance knows it. It’s not even close.
I triple dare any English teacher to diagram that "sentence."
The fact you had to explain who Chris Brown is, with a refernce to Rohanna (sic)- whoever she is - means nobody cares.
Media shapes culture. If we had a media interested in doing its job, we'd be much more focused on the numerous failures of the Zero Maladministration.
Hey and that’s fine, but the current pop culture crowd is very well aware of Chris Brown and his dancing (and singing) talents.
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