This morning, she took on the hitherto untouchable Barack Obama. And while her tone and line of questioning were not disrespectful, neither was there any hint of the kind of MSM cheerleading that the junior senator from IL has no doubt come to expect.
Before we get to Vieira's questions, take a good look at the screencap. By his super-serious mien and the marble-pillared setting he chose for the interview, Obama was clearly trying to project the image of a ready-for-prime-time Commander-in-Chief. Call him "Stone Cold Barack Obama."
View video here.
When Obama then claimed that the president had failed to answer his question as to the consequences for Iraqi failure to meet benchmarks, Meredith abruptly turned the tables on him: "What should they be, Senator?"
And a bit later: "But senator, what if the President is right and if we were to remove the troops, redeploy them, the country, Iraq, would fall into total chaos? We would lose total control of that country. Are you willing to face that possibility?"
Later still, Vieira effectively questioned whether Obama had the courage of his convictions: "The surge is starting. What can you do as a senator, what are you willing to do to stop the troops from going there if indeed you feel they should not go there?" Getting specific, she asked: "Would you support Senator Kennedy's resolution, then, that would force the President to go to Congress before authorizing any other troops to be sent there?"
The focus here has been on Vieira's questions rather than Obama's answers. But anyone imagining that Obama is a new, obfuscation-eschewing breed of politician should check his response: "Well, I think there are going to be a range of options that are going to be proposed. I believe the first order of business in the Senate is an up-or-down vote on a non-binding resolution." Dodge City!
NewsBusters' mission is that of exposing and combating liberal media bias. But fairness and enlightened self-interest oblige us to recognize a job well and fairly done by Meredith this morning, the second time in a row she's held a prominent Dem's tootsies to the toaster. Will she keep up the good work as the campaign season heats up?
Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net