Sportscaster Bob Costas Shows Up Political Colleagues In Bush Interview

It's not for nothing that Matt Yglesias seems to be nominating NBC Sports eminence grise Bob Costas for the Meet The Press chair. Last night's interview with President George W. Bush demonstrated that there's a world of difference between a reporter with chops, knowledge, and genuine curiosity and those who work for the empty calories of a "gotcha" moment. The ten-minute sit down included sufficient Olympics content to suit the occasion, but centered mainly on probing foreign policy questions from a superbly prepared Costas. The result was an interview that was neither softball nor pointlessly antagonistic.

I don't want to harp too much on Bush's responses, because he's fared a lot worse in interviews. Certainly, many a blogger has concentrated on Bush's "I don't see America having problems" remark. On the one hand, it's another instance of the President's trademark myopic optimism, but on the other hand, consider the setting: national optimism at the Olympics is akin to telling the students of Wellesley that their education has prepared them to compete in a male-dominated world. However, it was hard to miss Bush protesting that he could not "read [Hu Jintao's] mind" on a day where his inability to properly divine Vladimir Putin's soul was negatively impacting America's security abroad.

Also, there's this:

Q China is a nation that warmly received Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, who has since been indicted by the International Court on charges of genocide.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Then this past week they revoked the visa of Joey Cheek, an exemplary Olympian who had planned to come here not to directly protest China's government, but to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q What's your reaction?

THE PRESIDENT: My reaction is I'm sorry Joey Cheek didn't come, he's a good man. Joey Cheek has just got to know that I took the Sudanese message for him. My attitude is, is if you got relations with Mr. Bashir, think about helping to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. That was my message to the Chinese government.

I'm not sure how effective Bush was at carrying Cheek's "message" when he's under the impression that Cheek "didn't come" of his own accord.

[WATCH.]

[Full transcript available via the White House.]

Comments

[danod]

Costas is definitely one of the top qualifiers in broadcast journalism for a spot such as Meet The Press. And he's not just a sportcaster. He's got an incredible collection of very insightful interviews with hundreds of influential leaders and innovators. Thorough an even and insightful. I almost forgot about Bob...he's great!

[chiefeditor]

Audio from the interview is up: http://entertonement.com/collections/1950/George-W-Bush-Olympics-Interview

[08politicaljunkie]

George WB's humanitarian concerns about Darfur: Mo' oil, mo' oil, mo' oil!

[mrmemory]

I think that was just about the best Bush interview I've seen--on both sides. Great questions, not Brian Williams pansy stuff. And did Bush get smarter? His answers were much more fluent than I'm used to.

[rachel88]

Yeah, I agree. Bush seemed well prepared.

[Donnat]

He was sober.

[rachel88]

By well prepared of course I mean being able to speak in complete sentences.

[LateeLady]

When Bush is prepared, he handles himself well. Even in speeches - when prepared, he can deliver. It's thinking off the cuff without preparation where he bombs

[kellygrrrl]

anyone who is willing to ask the real questions and expose Truth is fine with me.
I don't care what their background is.

[saami]

I totally disagree. I was humiliated and embarrassed with Costas’, wearing a cheap looking rug, interview. When you are a guest in some one's country you don't disrespect them. If you want someone to change their behavior you don't embarrass them; you discuss and encourage them to change in private. I have been to China and spent close to a month traveling there. They do not want to loose face; we are actually the same but don’t admit it. This was the Olympics not a political discussion. There really was no reason to give Bush face time anyway; he couldn’t even hold up our flag properly. Costas had no business trashing the Chinese and making it even harder to have a good relationship with them. I do care about Tibet and other issues in China, but the US has declared itself the world’s police, invaded a sovereign nation (Iraq), illegally imprisons people at Gitmo and god knows where else, tortures prisoners, the list goes on and on…..”We are the pot calling the kettle black.” (old saying, not a racial thing.) We have become the very thing we have fought against in the past.

[TommyMcCarthy]

"saami"...­.
With respect

What is the Chineese "face" compared to hundreds of thousands of innocent human lives in Darfur (and elswhere)!?

Bothered by Embarassme­nt??......­......Try Genocide!

Got priorities??
tm

[saami]

TommyMcCarthy, how many have we killed in Afghanistan and Iraq or Vietnam...­.?? We do not have the moral high ground. We have killed indiscriminantly and we, like the Chinese, do not like it when someone holds a mirror up to our faces and asks us about it. I believe you get more flies with honey than vinegar and you are more likely to get what you want by private talks. Also in case you haven't been watching, we owe China a ton of money, they own our debt. We borrowed money from them to give tax payers the stimulus package so they could buy junk made in China at WalMart.

[watcher269]

Q But given China’s growing strength and America’s own problems, realistically how much leverage and influence does the U.S. have here?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I don’t see America having problems. I see America as a nation that is a world leader, that has got great values.

[watcher269]

I find this funny - a sportscaster has more balls to ask the REAL Questions of our president then Fox, ABC, NBC,CBS,CN­N,TWP,KKK/­NRA - That is sooo funny - In your faces Journalists and Commentators - move over for Costas

[kellygrrrl]

some people still call Olbermann "a sports caster."

[dsifso]

Costas...o­ne of the hardest working guys in the business. Always well prepared for an interview. It was really entertaini­ng/informa­tive to watch Later. That was when he was also doing NFL broadcasts and a radio show everyday for NBC...he still managed to be very well prepared.
I know that sometimes with the commentary he sometimes gets to be a little verbose...­but interviews are different.­...prepara­tion really matters and I don't think there are any journalists out there that prepare as well as he does.

[BoydReed]

Not any more, that is. R.I.P., Tim Russert.

[ohiomark]

Bob Costas has always been a great interviewer, but he gets diarrhea of the mouth when he does play by play. He has way too much information in his brain and feels the need to share it all with us.

[instagladiator]

I knew it - I knew it - I knew it!! I should never have watched that video clip. Costas made an attempt at tossing the hard questions at ole empty-haid, but he missed on asking "the really tough" questions, one like, "How can you condemn Russia over the Georgia crisis when YOU have done worse things in Iraq?"
Put that S O B "on the spot", make him fess up on camera. But then, it would only have been censored and Costas would be packing his bags, heading for home.

[kellygrrrl]

there is only a handful of people who would have the cajones to ask that question.
personally, I would like to see Bill Moyers be the one to do it

[Querent]

"cojones"

[TommyMcCarthy]

Hellaright!

Moyers wouldn't hesitate,.­....and he wouldnt blink.....­.......

"kellygrrrl's got THAT right"

I'm sure Bush's secret service detail has explicit instructions to treat any approach of Bill Moyers and a camera....
as they would the approach of the "shoe bomber" in a pair of Nike Airs
tm

[OrganOfThought]

well said!

[StaggerLee]

Loved the shot where the poster of Mao was looking over Bushes left shoulder. They must have staged that, too perfect.

[athomascr]

Oh come on! Bush was too prepared, too at ease. We know from past experience that only happens with scripted questions. And Bush's claims to have been tough with foreign leaders sounded more like Walter Mitty than a president.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

The Xanax & DeWars helped too.

[Tages72]

I give Costas points for trying, but in the end it's a hopeless cause. Why attempt to ask Bush about China's dirty laundry at a time when his attention span is at zero? The man held up the American flag backwards for cripe's sake. Bush is enjoying every minute of his Lame Duck status and the last thing we need is to give him more chances to flaunt his bravado.

[Collielady]

Excellent point. Why even recognize him as someone whose opinion is valued. He has no moral authority and zero credibility.

[lincat]

I agree.

[instagladiator]

You're ever so right about that.

[sendmejackson]

From Bush's perspective, the flag was oriented correctly. Which makes it an even more appropriate metaphor for his entire Presidency. He just couldn't see it any other way.

[NYCMami]

Ding*Ding*Ding

We have a winner!

This is one of the most awesome observations I've seen on HP.

[AceInTheHole]

Costas is and has always been, one of the top talents in the business. But you notice that for the last eight years or so , he has been relegated to being almost a non existent factor in broadcasting. I don't know if this is self imposed or deemed by the powers that be. But in any case, his absence and the integrity that he once brought to the table, is a great lost to the public discourse and to broadcasting in general. But possibly to his credit, I think that he just didn't want to compromise himself, by continuing to try to fight and slush through the sewage that mainstream broadcasting has become.