Williams Pushes McCain & Palin on Ayers, Avoid Wright, Define 'Elite'

In the second excerpt of his interview with John McCain and Sarah Palin, NBC's Brian Williams continued, for the second night, to challenge the premises of the McCain-Palin campaign as he pushed back at describing William Ayers as a “domestic terrorist” since “it give it a vaguely post-9/11 hint” by associating terrorist with “domestic crimes,” so “is an abortion clinic bomber a terrorist?” Instead of prodding McCain about why he hasn't cited Jeremiah Wright when Obama had a long-time close relationship with the fount of anti-American and racial rants, Williams sought assurance Wright will remain off the table: “Are you going to keep your promise not to involve Reverend Wright in the campaign?”

Williams next snidely demanded to learn from Palin “what is an elite? Who is a member of the elite?” before pressing her: “Governor, are you a feminist?” (Last month, CBS's Katie Couric posed the same question: “Do you consider yourself a feminist?”)

Setting up the interview excerpt on Thursday's NBC Nightly News, Williams highlighted how “Sarah Palin's day today was spent prepping for tomorrow when Sarah and Todd Palin will be deposed under oath in that so-called Trooper-gate case” and: “The deposition, along with yesterday's revelation of that new $150,000 wardrobe and her struggle earlier this week to define the job of Vice President, have all brought a lot of unwelcome attention to the Palin side of the campaign.”

(On Thursday's Today show, as Geoffrey Dickens blogged earlier, Williams whined repeatedly about how he had to wait 55 days to get an interview with Palin, long after Palin sat down with his competitors Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. One of his complaints: “Well let's be very blunt. We have waited patiently, 55 days since Sarah Palin was named to this ticket to get this interview, since her naming as vice presidential nominee.”)

Thursday afternoon on the “Daily Nightly” blog, Williams similarly bemoaned:

As I've pointed out on the air over the past two days, after a 55-day wait to interview the GOP Vice Presidential nominee, we were then told that the bulk of the interview with Sarah Palin had to be conducted while she was at Senator McCain's side. When it was time to interview Palin herself, time was called after something like 8-10 minutes. We'll air part two tonight -- part three, and a summation, tomorrow evening.

My NewsBusters item on the first interview excerpt aired, “Williams Hits McCain & Palin with Powell's Charge She's Unqualified,” recounted:

Brian Williams, who was enamored with Barack Obama in two interviews this year in which he celebrated the liberal Democrat's achievements, in a Wednesday interview with the Republican ticket challenged the premises of their campaign. Recalling the woman in an audience who claimed Obama is Arab, Williams channeled left-wing efforts to discredit McCain: “Did this campaign get out of your control?”

When McCain raised Joe Biden's warning that Obama's election will precipitate “an international crisis,” Williams countered with how “Joe Lieberman said on Face the Nation quote, 'our enemies will test the new President early. And it has happened throughout modern history.'” Unsatisfied by McCain's explanation, Williams followed up: “When he says the new President will be tested, though, I'm missing how that's different from Senator Lieberman saying quote 'our enemies will test the new President early.'”

In the last question in the interview excerpt aired on Wednesday's NBC Nightly News, Williams forced them to respond to Colin Powell as Williams cited his assessment Palin is unqualified:

Let me ask you both about what must have been a hurtful Sunday for you especially, you Senator McCain, Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama and Governor, respectfully, the heart of his quote, about Governor Palin, Senator McCain, "I don't believe she's ready to be President of the United States which is the job of Vice President. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made." When you heard those words from a man you've known for a long time, what was your reaction, saying basically we have little to judge these future leaders on except for the big decision of picking a running mate?

Compare Williams with McCain-Palin to the tone of his interview sessions with Barack Obama, as recounted in “Williams Tosses Softballs to Obama, Empathizes Over Elitist Image,” my May 8 NewsBusters item:

Brian Williams, who slobbered over Barack Obama in their last interview in early January, did so again in a Thursday session conducted at Washington, DC's Newseum and excerpted on the NBC Nightly News. Back on January 7, Williams handed Obama a Newsweek with "Inside Obama's Dream Machine" as the cover story and wondered: "How does this feel, of all the honors that have come your way, all the publicity? Who does it make you think of? Is there, is there a loved one?" On Thursday, Williams didn't pose a single challenging question nor mention Jeremiah Wright in any of the ten questions aired, but pulled the same magazine stunt, this time holding up the new Time with a smiling Obama on the cover by the words, "And the Winner* Is..." Williams fondly recalled: "Last time we were together, I handed you a copy of Newsweek, it was the first time you'd held it in your hands with you on the cover. Have you yet held this in your hands?"

Obama said he had not, prompting Williams to remind him: "Last time you looked at it and you thought instantly of your mom." Obama effused: "She'd like that picture. She always encouraged me to smile more." Proceeding to cue up Obama for a long recitation on how he's not an elitist, Williams empathized: "You end up with people talking about your bowling score, gutter balls, wearing a tie, wearing a tie with farmers. And how have you dealt with that? Is there an operating theory that guides your life these days?"

Now, what aired on the Thursday, October 23 NBC Nightly News in the second part (third to air Friday evening) from the interview Williams conducted Wednesday at a high school in Ohio:

BRIAN WILLIAMS TEASED THE NEWSCAST: NBC News exclusive, part two of our campaign trail conversation with John McCain and Sarah Palin. And why she will be placed under oath tomorrow.

....

WILLIAMS: Now to politics. There are just 12 days to go til we elect a new President and Vice President and part of Sarah Palin's day today was spent prepping for tomorrow when Sarah and Todd Palin will be deposed under oath in that so-called troopergate case currently under investigation in Alaska. Our own Savannah Guthrie reports, Palin's lawyer is traveling with her.

The deposition, along with yesterday's revelation of that new $150,000 wardrobe and her struggle earlier this week to define the job of Vice President, have all brought a lot of unwelcome attention to the Palin side of the campaign when McCain, who was in Florida today, is the one trying to get traction with 12 days to go until this election. Today in an interview he struck out hard against the Bush administration. Tonight we continue to air excerpts of our interview from yesterday on the campaign trail in Ohio. Tonight we talk about terrorism, elitism, and feminism.

- Back to the notion of terrorists and terrorism. This word has come up in relation to Mr. Ayers, hanging out with terrorists, domestic terrorists. Are we changing -- it's been said it gives it a vaguely post- 9/11 hint, using that word, that we don't normally associate with domestic crimes. Are we changing the definition? Are the people who set fire to American cities during the '60s terrorists under this definition? Is an abortion clinic bomber a terrorist under this definition, Governor?

- I'm just asking what other categories you would put in there, abortion clinic bombers? Protesters in cities where fires were started, Molotov cocktails were thrown, people died?

- Are you going to keep your promise not to involve Reverend Wright in the campaign?

- WILLIAMS: Governor, what is an elite? Who is a member of the elite?

PALIN: ....So anyone who thinks that they are, I guess, better than anyone else. That's my definition of elitism.

WILLIAMS: So it's not education, it's not income based? It's-

PALIN: Anyone who thinks that they're better than someone else.

WILLIAMS: A state of mind. It's not geography?

PALIN: Of course, not.

WILLIAMS: Senator?

McCAIN: I know where a lot of them live.

WILLIAMS: Where is that?

McCAIN: Well, in our nation's capital and New York City. I've seen it. I lived there. I know the town. I know what a lot of these elitists are. The ones she never went to a cocktail party with in Georgetown, I'll be very frank with you, who think they can dictate what they believe to America rather than let Americans decide for themselves....

- Senator, you recently talked about the liberal feminist agenda in America, vis-a-vis the attacks on Governor Palin. Governor, are you a feminist?

of what aired on Thursday's NBC Nightly News.