On the eve of the Super Tuesday primaries, CBS anchor Katie Couric displayed remarkably different approaches to Democratic versus Republican presidential candidates, simply asking Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton about their poll standings while demanding that Mitt Romney, and John McCain himself, address whether McCain has the “temperament” to be President. She also pressed McCain to say something negative about Romney and Mike Huckabee: “What do you perceive as the biggest weakness of your opponents?” And: “What about Mike Huckabee? What do you think is his biggest weakness?”
Monday's CBS Evening News uniquely ran brief interviews with five presidential candidates, starting with Democrat Barack Obama. Couric wondered “how concerned” he was about CBS's poll showing him behind Clinton and then: “How critical is it for you to win the state of California?” Turning next to Clinton, Couric cited another aspect of the poll which “shows the two of you dead even. What happened?” With McCain, however, Couric raised former Senator Rick Santorum's charge that “I don't think he has the temperament and leadership ability to move the country in the right direction.” Couric was even more direct with Romney: “Do you believe John McCain has the temperament to be President of the United States?”
The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide this list of the set-ups and questions posed by Couric in the excerpts aired on the February 4 CBS Evening News:
To Obama:
Senator Obama, our new CBS poll shows you and Senator Clinton running neck and neck nationally, but when it comes to the Super Tuesday states, currently, Senator Clinton is ahead of you by 18 points. Knowing that none of these polls has been omniscient, how concerned are you about that last figure?
How critical is it for you to win the state of California? And if so, why?
Do you need to win California tomorrow? And if so, why?
To Clinton:
Just three weeks ago, our CBS News poll showed you 15 points ahead of Barack Obama nationally. Now our latest poll shows the two of you dead even. What happened?
Our poll also shows respondents evenly split about whether your husband, President Clinton, has been helpful or hurtful to your campaign. Was there a point in time, Senator Clinton, where you wanted to tell him, "Back off"?
To McCain:
Let me first start by asking you, Senator McCain, about some news of the day, if you will. Senator Rick Santorum, who has endorsed Mitt Romney, has done an automated call for the Romney campaign telling voters, quote, "As a conservative, I don't agree with McCain on many issues, and I don't think he has the temperament and leadership ability to move the country in the right direction." What do you think about Rick Santorum's use of the word "temperament" in this automated call?Rick Santorum said he had witnessed problems with your temperament, which he declined to detail, and he said, quote, "I don't know anybody in the Senate who hasn't. Everybody has their McCain story." What's your reaction to that?
As we approach Super Tuesday, and people get one final opportunity to make their choice, what do you perceive as the biggest weakness of your opponents?
What about Mike Huckabee? What do you think is his biggest weakness?
Set up, and to Romney:
When I talked to Mitt Romney today, I asked him if he shares Santorum's concerns about Senator McCain.
But, Governor Romney, I'm asking you about temperament. Do you believe John McCain has the temperament to be President of the United States?
Do you think that Mike Huckabee is hurting your campaign by taking conservative voters away from you in some key contests?
Mike Huckabee is a bit of a spoiler for you, though, isn't he, Governor? Particularly in some key races in the South?
Set up, and to Mike Huckabee:
As to the suggestion that Huckabee is somehow siphoning conservative votes away from Mitt Romney, here's what Huckabee had to say about that.What do you need to do tomorrow to keep your candidacy alive?
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
Preview
February 5, 2008 - 09:06 ET by allanfKatie is giving us a quick preview of the MSM attack on McCain should he get the nomination. The Democratic Party op-research people have lots of goodies that be passed out to their aparathiks in the MSM when the time comes.
Look for McCains "anger", "temperment" and "age" to be big factors.
Build him up, knock him down, what great fun.
DUCT TAPE ALERT!!!
February 5, 2008 - 09:14 ET by motherbelt<Insert sound of duct tape being pulled off roll....>
Someone needs to tie Katie Couric in a chair and make her read aloud the transcript of this show...and then ask her, if this were someone else, would she consider this journalist fair and unbiased.
And then ask her, point blank, if she thinks it's balanced to ask the Democrats about poll numbers and then ask the Republicans to attack each other.
To be fair, she did ask Clinton about her husband, but that was all in the past (was there a time?) and gave her a chance to just toss that aside now.
The media is a threat to freedom
February 5, 2008 - 09:15 ET by dronetekJust more proof that the media has become a threat to the freedom in this country. They have more power to influence people than anyone else in this country and they use it to lie and distort in order to push their agenda forward. We need to decide if we are going to continue to allow this to happen, or stand up with American patriots and stop them.
The Bound and Enslaved Press
February 5, 2008 - 09:25 ET by gideonmjamesHere's a few quotes ...
"A lie told often enough becomes the truth." - Vladimir Lenin
"The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses." - Vladimir Lenin
"Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." - Josef Stalin
"There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition." - Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D. Professor of Meteorology, MIT
"Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted." - Vladimir Lenin
If you think it's bad now...
February 5, 2008 - 10:45 ET by krendlerIf you think the media's unabashed bias in favor of the Dems is bad now, wait until the general election campaign gets into full swing.
Gurranteed themes going forward:
Dems are "making history" with a black/woman. How can you, dear viewer, not want to be a part of that? Can't you feel the excitement? Camelot all over again!
Republican candidate: Do we really need more of the same. Does this country need another old white guy? Don't forget: The economy is in shambles and the earth is dying.
Well....What did he answer?
February 5, 2008 - 15:00 ET by CooperI'm more interested in what McCain answered rather than the saucy girl's curve ball!!
Did he go ahead and comment on his opponent's "weaknesses" with a swing and a miss?
I just have the feeling that if he wins it all it will be George Bush Part Deux but minus the kinder and gentler part ugh.
Then there's Rommney trying to "buy" the presidency while the third guy is so far back it's not worth mentionin his name is painted with 12 shades of "evangelist bias" by the media.
Wake me up whent it's 2012.