Bob Schieffer Wrongly Imagines His Brainy Guest Ben Affleck Went to Harvard

CBS Face the Nation anchor Bob Schieffer may be thrilled that he landed actor Ben Affleck for his Sunday show, but he didn't have to mangle his resume for effect. On Thursday's CBS This Morning, Schieffer gushed, "He's a very committed – a very serious person. You know, he went to Harvard and majored in Middle Eastern studies."

Wrong! The average CBS watcher might have thought the actor had a Harvard degree in Middle Eastern studies. Affleck not only didn't go to Harvard, he barely went to college.

Affleck's mother went to Harvard. Affleck's actor buddy Matt Damon went to Harvard. But Affleck briefly attended the University of Vermont in Burlington, and then dabbled at Occidental College in Los Angeles (like Barack Obama) while he pursued acting. His first movie came in 1992, at age 20.

My older brother studied Russian in college, but that wouldn't cause network anchors to designate him a "very serious person" in discussing U.S.-Russia relations. But that's how easy it is for liberal actors to assume a mantle of gravitas.

How many senators, governors, and congressmen will never get a seat on Face the Nation, but Ben Affleck will discuss the Congo? Here's an easy question: Would CBS discuss the Congo on that Sunday salon with the actual Members of Congress and State Department people who watch it? He could have brought on Johnnie Carson...the assistant secretary of state for African affairs.