After watching "Late Edition" today, I have decided that Wolf Blitzer is either the worst interviewer on TV or has a true medical memory issue. Blitzer is incapable of getting people to answer specific questions, even when his producers give him great tools (video clips to support the question). I'm not sure if this is a result of lack of curiosity or a degrading memory.
Today, Wolf Blitzer goes through the effort of showing the "two" John McCains.
The first clip shows McCain saying that Mayors and Governer are the most qualified for national office because they know the people and their needs.
The second clip shows McCain saying Mitt Romney would need on the job training and that a short stint as Mayor or Govner does not prepare one for the presidency.
More below the fold
Ok, so that is the set-up, clips run now Wolf has a great questions to Gov. Pawlenty.
Paraphrasing..
Wolf: Gov. Pawlenty it would "seem" (Wolf can never make a declarative statement) that Sen. McCain contradicted himself in these two clips, last week he said being a Mayor or Gov. or Mayor was the best way to prepare for being president, last year he said the opposite, how do you explain the change?
Pawlenty: Wolf, Sen. McCain is a Maverick and Sen. Obama has no history of bipartisan accomplishment.(WTF didn't he just ask about the two clips shown where McCain contradicts himself?)
Wolf: Sen. Richardson how do you respond to that charge that Sen. Obama has no history of bipartisan accomplishment. (What, wait, hold on, did Blitzer forget what question he had asked? He never got or asked for a response to the question!!)
Pawlenty led Blitzer around like a puppy on a leash. Blizter would ask a question, Pawlenty would make a statement having nothing to do with the question asked, Blitzer would use that response to frame his next question.
Blitzer is not the worst because of bias or political bent, he is the worst because he has no agenda to find truth or might be showing the early stages of Alzheimer's. Good interviewers have an agenda to get to the truth. Real reporters ask questions to probe, Blizter ask question as part of a production. Wolf's agenda is ask questions with no regard for the response or the truth of that response. He isn't tenacious he's a human echo machine, always looking to the next question, a mile wide and one inch deep.
Quick note, Bill Richardson really stunk it up in this interview. I kept wanting him to go back to the question asked but he too let Pawlenty lead him around by the nose.