With a quick cut away from Senator Jim Webb, it was immediately apparent that Jim Lehrer was starstruck. His doe eyes appeared somewhat misty. His expression was one of true admiration. As the consummate professional, he turned to the inimitable Mark Shields and asked, "Your thoughts?" Shields, shocked himself, uttered, "A star is born."
Forceful, passionate, confrontational... these are the many words Jim Lehrer used to describe the rebuttal to President Bush's SOTU address.
Upon leaving Shields, Lehrer turned to a twitchy, visibly upset David Brooks and asked the same. In his own inimitable way Brooks replied with his first words, "This is the same man who couldn't have a civil conversation with Bush at the White House." Knowing full well that this school-boyish response fell very flat, almost Friedman flat, Brooks quickly recovered and sang praise about its forcefulness. Brooks then added, (paraphrase)- the comity we saw with Democrats applauding some of Bush's proposals during the SOTU was no where to be found in Webb's rebuttal.
Soon Webb's rebuttal will be available for all to see. Jim Lehrer was transformed. Truly, a star was born tonight. We might have seen the next Vice President of the United States at his very best.