Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart had nothing but effusive praise for President Joe Biden on Friday’s PBS News Hour as he marveled at the prisoner swap with Russia being, “not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity.”
Host Geoff Bennett set the table, “Well, as we end our conversation, I want to talk about the fact that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those two dozen detainees released as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Lasting takeaways. President Biden said it was a feat of diplomacy.”
Capehart oozed, “Yeah, not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity. When you read what… happened in the Wall Street Journal, that man was all over it.”
He added, “This was a huge diplomatic feat, but this was also a huge victory for the United States and for the American people. To bring those Americans home is something that should be universally celebrated.”
Bennett also sought to get in on the praise, “And the detail that he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart basically coordinating this deal just an hour before he announced that he wouldn't seek reelection, I mean, how does that strike you?”
Capehart wasn’t done gushing, “Well, that example is something that, you know, when, I have interviewed the president twice, and in both interviews, I came away with one really distinct impression. He loves that job. And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done.”
Johnson then turned to David Brooks fill-in, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief, Eliana Johnson. Johnson was more subdued, “It's wonderful that they're home. However, we need to stop doing deals where we trade terrorists and assassins for reporters and dissidents.”
She added, “And what dictator wouldn't take more hostages to make that deal? And in order to do that, we need to impose serious consequences on the hostage-taking nations. And that is not something I have seen from the Biden administration. If we continue to do deals like this, we will find more Americans behind bars, unjustly detained in despotic nations.”
Earlier, Johnson also confused Capehart by arguing that if it wasn’t for Sarah Palin, John McCain would’ve done even worse in 2008. Perhaps, she could replace Brooks full time.
Here is a transcript for the August 2 show:
PBS News Hour
8/2/2024
7:35 PM ET
GEOFF BENNETT: Well, as we end our conversation, I want to talk about the fact that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those two dozen detainees released as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Lasting takeaways. President Biden said it was a feat of diplomacy.
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yeah, not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity. When you read what was that — the ticktock of what happened in the Wall Street Journal, that man was all over it.
This was a huge diplomatic feat, but this was also a huge victory for the United States and for the American people. To bring those Americans home is something that should be universally celebrated.
BENNETT: And the detail that he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart basically coordinating this deal just an hour before he announced that he wouldn't seek reelection, I mean, how does that strike you?
CAPEHART: Well, that example is something that, you know, when, I have interviewed the president twice, and in both interviews, I came away with one really distinct impression. He loves that job. And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done.
And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done.
BENNETT: Eliana?
ELIANA JOHNSON: It's wonderful that they're home. However, we need to stop doing deals where we trade terrorists and assassins for reporters and dissidents.
And what dictator wouldn't take more hostages to make that deal? And in order to do that, we need to impose serious consequences on the hostage-taking nations. And that is not something I have seen from the Biden administration. If we continue to do deals like this, we will find more Americans behind bars, unjustly detained in despotic nations.
