So if campaign staffers for a prominent presidential candidate make hateful and bigoted remarks about Christians that's big news right? Not according to NBC's Meredith Vieira. The Today show co-anchor failed to question John Edwards about his former bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan calling Christianity a "mythology" and depicting Bush supporters as his "wingnut Christofascist base." Instead Vieira focused her questions from the left on Iraq, as first noted here, and his opinion of the dust-up between rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The following are all of Vieira's questions to John Edwards on the February 22, Today show:
Meredith Vieira: "Former Senator John Edwards is campaigning in Texas today. Senator Edwards good morning to you, thanks for joining us here."
[John Edwards]
Vieira: "In addition to the comments that we just heard from you criticizing Senator Clinton for not taking responsibility for her vote, authorizing the war, you also said yesterday, quote, 'We need a leader who is honest, open and decent.' Are you suggesting at all that Senator Clinton is not honest, open or decent?"
[Edwards]
Vieira: "But if Senator Clinton does not say that she made a mistake as you did with the vote would that mean to you that the people cannot trust her as a leader?"
[Edwards]
Vieira: "Let me talk to you a little bit about Congressman Dennis Kucinich and what he said yesterday at that same forum. He voted against the war resolution and he said, quote, 'We had an audition for President in October 2002, and that the President must have,' again his words, 'the clarity of vision, the judgment to make the right decisions on life and death matters.' The implication being that those who voted for the war, war, failed the audition. People like you, failed the audition. Do you, do you agree with that sir?"
[Edwards]
Vieira: "What do you think, sir, of the dust-up between your two chief rivals, Senators Clinton and Obama?"
[Edwards]
Vieira: "Very quickly to Iraq, sir, yesterday Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he will begin to draw down his country's forces in Iraq and this administration called it a sign of success, what would you call it?"
[Edwards]
Vieira: "Senator John Edwards thank you so much for joining us this morning."