Thanks to the miracle of TiVo, for some time now I've enjoyed regularly checking in on MSNBC's show, Morning Joe, and one of the highlights has been watching the stellar work of host Joe Scarborough's sidekick Willie Geist. But Geist is not your father's sidekick, for unlike Ed McMahon, it's abundantly clear that this current gig is just a stop on the way to a much larger role that Geist gets closer to with each broadcast.
Geist is calm and measured and has that rare quality of projecting gravitas while never forgetting that he's there to serve the two co-hosts and not take over the show. Perhaps most importantly, while Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's politics are easily identifiable and always on display, as a longtime viewer I can honestly say that I have no idea what Geist's politics are and that's the way it should be for anyone who would seek to be what Walter Cronkite pretended to be during his tenure: a trusted messenger who delivers the news without slanting it either by commission or omission.
By now it's clear to most that Brian Williams' days as anchor at NBC Nightly News are numbered. But Comcast executives who are looking to the past (Tom Brokaw) or the bench (Lester Holt, Matt Lauer) may want to take a look deep inside their organization at an incredibly talented yet humble young talent who has been quietly putting in his time and may just be ready for The Show.