Charlie blew it
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:16 am
Don't want to trick anyone...so read on if you think Teresa Heinze Kerry is fair game to rag on. 
From: http://www.ralphbristol.com
Sorry Charlie. You blew it. ABC's Charles Gibson sat down with Teresa Heinz Kerry for an interview that played on Good Morning America today and failed to ask the only two questions that would have made the interview interesting for the audience and a great promo for ABC.
Just before the Gibson/Kerry interview, ABC aired a story about some other explosive Teresa quotes, these from the past and aimed at Senator Ted Kennedy and the Democratic Party. In a book published in 1975, when she was married to Republican Congressman John Heinz of Pennsylvania, the outspoken political wife said of Kennedy, "I know some couples who stay together only for politics. If Ted Kennedy holds on to that marriage just for the Catholic vote, as some people say he does, then I think he's a perfect bastard." Heinz said she "didn't trust" President Richard M. Nixon but added, "Ted Kennedy I don't trust either.'' She also said, "The Democratic machine in this country is putrid."
Charlie failed to ask Teresa about those comments at all, and he missed the only pertinent question regarding her "shove it" comment that she made just two days ago.
· Charlie: Mrs. Kerry, that I know of, I have never been told to shove it. Do you regret it?
· Teresa: No
· Charlie: Are we too polite in politics?
What!!! That's not the right question. The right question is, "Now that you have had a chance to review the tape and you know that you did in fact use the word 'un-American' to describe some of the 'political traits' in this country, would you now elaborate on what you meant, or do you want me to 'shove it' too?"
Having suffered that disappointment I eagerly awaited the Kennedy question, which also never came. The reason I monitored ABC was because Drudge told me that Charlie was going to ask the question. I thought he was getting to it during this exchange:
· Charlie: "You were married to a very prominent Republican at one point. Has your thinking changed significantly given the different circumstances you're in now?"
· Teresa: "No, not at all, not at all."
What an opening! I could almost hear Charlie jump in with, "Does that mean you still think Ted Kennedy is a 'perfect bastard' and that the Democratic machine is 'putrid?'" But, alas, the question never came. Instead, Charlie came back with, "What do you think of George W. Bush?" Huh?
Katie Couric of NBC also conducted an interview with Mrs. Kerry that aired this morning. To her credit, Katie did repeat Mrs. Kerry's quote that contained the phrase "un-American traits." Mrs. Kerry answered "And that's a lot different than un-American activities." That's not much of an answer, but at least Katie did ask her the question. I have no idea whether Katie was aware of the other story at the time she interviewed Mrs. Kerry.
I'm not actually sure if Charlie knew of the other story at the time he conducted his interview with Mrs. Kerry, but if not, he should have told us so, to excuse himself for missing such an obvious question. We know he was aware of it when he introduced his interview on Good Morning America.
Because of the question he did ask:
"You were married to a very prominent Republican at one point. Has your thinking changed significantly given the different circumstances you're in now?"
And Mrs. Kerry's answer.
"No, not at all, not at all."
We are left to assume that Teresa Heinz Kerry still believes that Ted Kennedy is a "perfect bastard" and the Democratic machine is "putrid." One would think Mrs. Kerry would like to clear that up.
From: http://www.ralphbristol.com
Sorry Charlie. You blew it. ABC's Charles Gibson sat down with Teresa Heinz Kerry for an interview that played on Good Morning America today and failed to ask the only two questions that would have made the interview interesting for the audience and a great promo for ABC.
Just before the Gibson/Kerry interview, ABC aired a story about some other explosive Teresa quotes, these from the past and aimed at Senator Ted Kennedy and the Democratic Party. In a book published in 1975, when she was married to Republican Congressman John Heinz of Pennsylvania, the outspoken political wife said of Kennedy, "I know some couples who stay together only for politics. If Ted Kennedy holds on to that marriage just for the Catholic vote, as some people say he does, then I think he's a perfect bastard." Heinz said she "didn't trust" President Richard M. Nixon but added, "Ted Kennedy I don't trust either.'' She also said, "The Democratic machine in this country is putrid."
Charlie failed to ask Teresa about those comments at all, and he missed the only pertinent question regarding her "shove it" comment that she made just two days ago.
· Charlie: Mrs. Kerry, that I know of, I have never been told to shove it. Do you regret it?
· Teresa: No
· Charlie: Are we too polite in politics?
What!!! That's not the right question. The right question is, "Now that you have had a chance to review the tape and you know that you did in fact use the word 'un-American' to describe some of the 'political traits' in this country, would you now elaborate on what you meant, or do you want me to 'shove it' too?"
Having suffered that disappointment I eagerly awaited the Kennedy question, which also never came. The reason I monitored ABC was because Drudge told me that Charlie was going to ask the question. I thought he was getting to it during this exchange:
· Charlie: "You were married to a very prominent Republican at one point. Has your thinking changed significantly given the different circumstances you're in now?"
· Teresa: "No, not at all, not at all."
What an opening! I could almost hear Charlie jump in with, "Does that mean you still think Ted Kennedy is a 'perfect bastard' and that the Democratic machine is 'putrid?'" But, alas, the question never came. Instead, Charlie came back with, "What do you think of George W. Bush?" Huh?
Katie Couric of NBC also conducted an interview with Mrs. Kerry that aired this morning. To her credit, Katie did repeat Mrs. Kerry's quote that contained the phrase "un-American traits." Mrs. Kerry answered "And that's a lot different than un-American activities." That's not much of an answer, but at least Katie did ask her the question. I have no idea whether Katie was aware of the other story at the time she interviewed Mrs. Kerry.
I'm not actually sure if Charlie knew of the other story at the time he conducted his interview with Mrs. Kerry, but if not, he should have told us so, to excuse himself for missing such an obvious question. We know he was aware of it when he introduced his interview on Good Morning America.
Because of the question he did ask:
"You were married to a very prominent Republican at one point. Has your thinking changed significantly given the different circumstances you're in now?"
And Mrs. Kerry's answer.
"No, not at all, not at all."
We are left to assume that Teresa Heinz Kerry still believes that Ted Kennedy is a "perfect bastard" and the Democratic machine is "putrid." One would think Mrs. Kerry would like to clear that up.
