Perky Katie lobs softballs at the "scary smart, girly, fun" Condi Rice

[Human Torch]

Couric fails to challenge "scary smart," "'girly' and fun" Rice on a host of issues





http://mediamatters.org/items/200609260015

Summary: During a profile of "scary smart," " 'girly' and fun" Condoleezza Rice, broadcast on 60 Minutes, Katie Couric let Rice make, without challenge, a series of false and misleading statements about the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq and its use of prewar intelligence, as well as the war's effect on global instability. Couric tossed Rice softball questions, such as, "Is it hard for you to have a social life?" "How does one go about asking the secretary of state out on a date?"

In a profile of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, broadcast during the September 24 edition of CBS' 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric offered Rice a platform to make a series of false and misleading statements about the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq and its use of prewar intelligence, as well as the war's effect on global instability. During the interview, Rice asserted that the "world is safer because we're finally confronting these terrorists," and claimed that "the administration was using the best available intelligence , and so, everybody thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," despite abundant evidence contradicting those claims. During the rest of the interview, Couric repeatedly lauded "true believer" Rice, tossing her softball questions, such as, "Do you ever doubt yourself or your ideology?" "Is it hard for you to have a social life?" "How does one go about asking the secretary of state out on a date?" and "Would you like to get married one day?"

Moreover, in a September 22 post on the CBS News weblog Couric & Co., Couric previewed her profile of Rice, describing her as "scary smart" and "much warmer, more 'girly' and fun than the disciplined, controlled stateswoman you see on the world stage." Couric concluded the post by asserting that Rice "doesn't like to muck anything up."

As if validating that assertion, during her interview on 60 Minutes, Couric failed to challenge Rice's misleading answers on a variety of issues and did not press Rice on others.

[MADem]

1. Katie, Katie, Katie...singlehandedly setting back the women's rights

movement a good forty years.

Heckuvajob, Couric!

[LeFleur1]

2. Couric

How the hell do people the calibur of Katie Couric get such plum jobs in 'news broadcast'?
She's a disaster.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Ah, but she's a cute disaster

How many news anchors on local TV stations seem to have better credentials as fashion models than journalists?



Image from Kill Your Television

[Supersedeas]

3. Don't press the misleading statements--might muck up the Couric created

image of the ravishing, scary-smart, girl Dr. of Soviet studies.

[rodeodance]

4. sorry to see women participating in the dumbing down of America.

[tularetom]

5. I'm back now I had to go and vomit

How can any sentient being absorb this drivel without going fucking loony? Condomsleezy Rice "girly" and "fun"?

[samsingh]

6. C looks angry. how come she's having a meltdown?

[Uncle Joe]

18. Probably because she had to read one of those dull and boring

Presidential Daily Briefings and stuff like that for her home work assignment and she did not turn her work in on time. The teacher has called her to the front of the class to write 1000 times on the chalkboard, as national security adviser, I will read the Presidential Daily Briefing every day, because after all, that's why they call it a Presidential Daily Briefing.

Of course now as Secretary of State, she has to read about other nations and stuff, this has pissed her off.

[zulchzulu]

7. Couric is a Pentagon-approved shill

She should be ashamed of herself and resign immediately after that puff piece with Condi.

[nini]

9. I refuse to watch

I made a deal with myself to not waste time of fake bullshit anymore. I'll still to it.

Couric is a joke and most people know it. She won't last long.

[depakid]

11. She won't last long.

I wouldn't count on it.

She's exactly what the corporate media wants....

[nini]

13. ultimately ratings drive the business

her's are in the toilet... they won't put up with it too long. She'll end up being on 60 minutes or some bullshit 'news' show in the evening. But host of the evening news? I don't see them being able to keep her there.

[gulliver]

15. Same here. Bush interview softballs, Rush Limbaugh ...

... commentary, Rice softballs and intelligence-insulting cutesie-pie BS... That's it for me. Couric is a non-entity.

[NeedleCast]

10. I'm curious

to see if this is a move to "humanize" Condie in an attempt to set her up for a White House run in 08. These kind of questions give Condie a "face," and make people think they can either sympathize or relate to her, usually a smart play if you're trying to add some likeability to a person who doesn't have much charisma.

[lpbk2713]

12. Couric belongs on daytime talk shows or show biz gossip shows.

She doesn't have a clue what the *real* news business is all about.

[MrCoffee]

14. Katie thinks that rutabegas are "scary smart"

all those tricksy vowels.

[zbdent]

16. I wonder ... did Katie Whoric make a stink about Hillary Clinton

not being able to produce a "chocolate chip cookie" recipe in 1992? When the "gramma" image of Barbara Bush went up against the "ignore my child's upbringing working mom" image of Hillary Clinton?

Or, maybe when the "chocolate chip cookie" bake-off was re-ignited in 1996, Liddy "I'm a working girl who hasn't had kids, I don't make cookies" Dole got off easy?

Or, maybe when the "chocolate chip cookie" bake-off was re-ignited in 2000, when Tipper Gore produced hers, but Laura "Georgie doesn't like chocolate chip cookies" Bush produced a "ginger-snap" recipe instead?

Doubt it ... see, the Repukes were even then breaking or rewriting the rules that they put in place ... and I bet Katie Whoric wasn't bothering to question it then ...

And I bet that unmarried Condascending Lies, er, Condaleeza Rice doesn't have a "chocolate chip cookie" recipe either, but she's going to get a free ride in 08 on her "piano skills" ... I bet the "cookie bake-off" will suddenly be replaced by a "dueling pianos" recital ...

[Imagevision]

17. I use to like Katie Couric, now I doubt if she'll last out the year?

Katie, too bad you can't speak your OWN mind...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. to speak one's own mind one must first own one.

that, in a nut shell, describes Katie-poo.

[anitar1]

19. No more 60 Mintues for me.

When I saw that Couric was going to be on, that was it. I will not watch that little cutie pie. Have NEVER liked her. why would I want to watch a PUG ? Wow, my choices are becoming very slim. No more ABC, no news watching on CBS, now goodbye 60 Minutes. Haven't even missed the first 2.

[young_at_heart]

20. After 45 years with CBS News we have abandoned them

Les Moonves is stupid in my opinion. CBS has so many talented reporters who could have done the job better....Russ Mitchell for one. We are now rethinking our regular viewing of "60 Minutes" after this disgusting interview.....surely Katie knows all of Condi's lies!

[w4rma]

21. That's it. Couric is done. I was giving her a chance, but this drivel is

too much.