I've been watching CNN for the past few days. Although I usually watch MSNBC, when it comes to something like this CNN is a much better source. CNN International, that is. Today they're back to CNN domestic. It's the same correspondents, and some of the anchors are great. But then Wolf Blitzer comes on in The Situation Room...and it's probably time to turn away from CNN.
While a lot of people were saying al Qaeda early on, by today it's pretty clear that the experts believe that talking about an al Qaeda link isn't terribly useful. On comes Wolf Blitzer and his first question is "link to al Qaeda?" Each correspondent he speaks to says "probably not, this appears to be linked more to Pakistan and Kashmir". And Blitzer then asks the next one "al Qaeda?" And they answer "probably not". (Actually they give an intelligent, nuanced answer.)
It's really remarkable. For two days we had solid coverage from CNN International. Then we had decent, if not stellar coverage from CNN domestic. New we get to one of their big-name shows...and the bottom falls out. Has he been watching CNN? Does he pay attention to what the correspondents say on his own show? Or is it that he simply thinks that his audience is too stupid to understand that "terrorism" is a complicated, multi-dimensional question?