MTP RECAP….David Adesnik puts his finger on the real problem with Tim Russert’s questioning of President Bush on Meet the Press yesterday: it was too predictable.
This is something that continually surprises me. A “tough” interview is not simply an imitation of a barking district attorney hounding a witness in court, it’s asking unexpected questions so that you can get some unrehearsed answers. Questions that find out whether your subject actually has any depth of knowledge or principle beyond the standard talking points.
That’s what Russert missed. He didn’t need to ambush him with silly questions about whether he could name the prime minister of India, but he should have asked a few question that drilled more deeply into Bush’s policy beliefs and his personal vision, questions that forced him away from the comfortable climes of the briefing book. It was a missed opportunity.
