Last night, all three broadcast networks found the revelations heard in congressional hearings surrounding the September 11 anniversary attack in Libya (criminally lax security and an obvious White House cover up) unworthy of leading their nightly newscasts. All three hit the story, but all three are killing themselves to downplay an explosive scandal they know could damage Obama’s reelection chances.
Yep, we’re seeing all kinds of dutiful coverage, but as hard as some individual reporters are working, those who control The Narrative will never allow Libya to become one — not with Their Precious One serving them up the distraction-material they crave, like Big Bird and abortion.
Having landed the first post-debate television interview with President Obama, it made sense for ABC’s World News Tonight to lead with the interview — except it wasn’t an interview. For nearly six-minutes (what amounts to a full-quarter of the entire newscast) it got mighty uncomfortable watching ABC News’ anchor Diane Sawyer give the president of the United States a full-body tongue bath.
You can watch the video here (do so on an empty stomach). But the most effective way to see just how hard Sawyer worked to rehabilitate Obama and to give him a full six minutes of free network television time to spew anti-Romney, pro-woman talking points without a SINGLE challenge or follow-up question — is to read her end of the “interview.”
Here are Sawyers idea of interview questions. I’ve summarized Obama’s responses:
Sawyer: Let’s get right to it. That debate; what happened?
Obama answers that he had a bad night.
Sawyer: How bad?
Obama attacks Romney’s honesty, repeats his lie about Romney’s $5 trillion tax-cut skewed towards the wealthy and says Romney will rollback regulations.
Sawyer: Your supporters have been saying this wasn’t a bad night, he didn’t show up.
Obama says he’ll do better.
Sawyer: Again, why did it happen? Al Gore said it was the altitude?
Obama laughs.
Sawyer: No lesson learned from it?
Obama says Romney made a good sales pitch but the product isn’t going to work. Romney has no new ideas.
Sawyer: What did Mrs. Obama say to you when you got home that night?
Obama gushes over Michelle.
Sawyer: Is it possible you handed him the election that night?
Obama says, no.
Sawyer: You’re going to win?
Obama says, yes.
Sawyer: You want it more than the first time?
Obama talks about taking Michelle to dinner and a waiter thanking him for saving his mom’s life with ObamaCare.
Sawyer: What’s your message to Joe Biden?
Obama trashes Ryan’s “ideas.”
Sawyer: Message to Romney about Tuesday night?
Obama says he has none.
Diane Sawyer then runs a clip that attacks Romney for a supposed flip-flop on abortion.
Sawyer: Your campaign has called [what Romney said about abortion] a “lie.”
Obama accuses Romney of hiding his positions.
Sawyer: Did he lie?
Obama launches into minute-long rant against Romney, challenges Romney’s honesty and consistency.
Not a single question about the Libya cover up and not a single challenge to anything Obama said, including Obama’s attacks on Romney and the fact that Obama is offering absolutely no vision for a second term.
This wasn’t an interview; it was an infomercial meant to reassure the media that Obama understands he blew the first debate and will do better next time. And then, across public airwaves you and I own, Sawyer leaves the floor completely open for Obama to go unchallenged in his attack on Romney and to shift the ground of the campaign into the comfortable arena of abortion.
Obviously, Sawyer’s seen the same internals Team Obama has, and she knows exactly what he needs to wedge the closing gender gap.
The segment that followed was a Jake Tapper report on Libya, and to be perfectly fair to Sawyer, it was here that we learned she actually did ask Obama about Libya. But once again Obama’s not challenged, he’s simply allowed to get away with saying he told us what he knew when he knew it.
Which is a bald-faced lie.
But because Obama’s the Sun God, he’s allowed to look into The Face of ABC News and lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.
What is especially ironic about Sawyer’s rehab job yesterday, is that it’s interviews like this that helped to create the Obama debate debacle. Obama’s media pals are so desperate to protect Obama and to have him like them, that they never ever challenge their Sun God. Which is why he was a deer in the headlights when faced with a Mitt Romney who challenged, pushed, and pressured like the media’s supposed to.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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