"Feckless and Misdirected": Today of All Days, Why Did Katie Cuff Congress?

If ever Congress might have thought it was in for some Perky-One praise, it was this morning. After all, the kids on the Hill had just dealt President Bush a humiliating defeat on the ports deal, while safeguarding our terminals from those fanatical furriners.

But - surprise! - Katie came not to praise Congress, but to bury it.

Interviewing Tim Russert, Couric quickly turned the talk to the fact that "only 5% of the cargo coming into this country is checked. It might be one of the biggest national security threats we face as a nation in terms of terrorist attacks."

Katie then unloaded her shot in the guise of a question about Congress:

"Do they look feckless and misdirected by obsessing so much on this [UAE] issue and not perhaps looking at the big picture?"

Russert was happy to agree, noting that "the commission on September 11th said exactly that." When he went on to point out that "we are still at a point where in the District of Columbia, the police and first responders are on a different frequency than in Virginia," Katie responded, with a long, drawn-out, exclamation-point-in-her-voice:

"That's cra-a-a-a-z-z-y!"

To be sure, Katie got the President's defeat on the record, calling it "a big blow," while Russert obligingly upped the ante, labelling it "an enormous blow." But why, might you ask, on today of all days, did Couric go out of her way to diss Congress?

Could it be that Katie realizes that, after all, President Bush isn't running again, whereas there's a Republican congressional majority to deal with in less than eight months?

Finkelstein lives in Ithaca, NY. 'Right Angle', the TV show he hosts, was recently named 'Best of the Best' among public-access shows in his area. Contact him at: mark@gunhill.net