A couple of Sundays ago, on the heels of Obama's overseas trip, I caught the trifecta of his "Big 3" interviews overseas, which were rounded up on C-Span. I had it on in the background as I did stuff around the house, half listening, but my ears perked up during the Charlie Gibson one on ABC. I thought Jeremy Paxman of the BBC had taken over his chair!
What made me stop and listen was that, like Paxman, Gibson was tough and persistent in his questioning of Obama on the ME, most notably on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, without shortchanging the Palestinians. (This is all too RARE here.) His snide demeanor was also Paxmanesque, although Paxman exudes his trademark high-perched attitude when questioning pols of ALL stripes, across the pond - very "You may be Mr or Ms BigStuff, but I dont shrink."
What is made clear, from this interview (and other comments), is that Obama, as President, diplomat and broker in chief, does not intend to distinguish himself from the inglorious pack of US politicians in his handling of this disastrously handled conflict.
So, sorry to say, in the instance of this interview, I welcomed Gibson's arrogant demeanor.
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