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HTTP://GADFLYER.COM/CAMPAIGN Update: This essay, along with commentaries from David Lublin and dispatches by Amy Sullivan from South Carolina will be posting soon on the Gadflyer. Check us out....)
THROUGHOUT THE DEBATES, Al Sharpton has not hesitated to take subtle, or even not-so-subtle shots at his Democratic opponents.
The moderators tend to enjoy it, and even egg him on. The television folks know Sharpton cannot help but pounce at the slightest opening. And they also know that none of the competitors dare challenge him for fear of appearing insensitive toward the Reverend Beyond Reproach. If he can upstage (literally and metaphorically) one of the Democratic contenders, then, all the more fun!
But apparently the general policy of let-Al-be-Al does not apply to the moderators themselves, or at least bigfoot TV anchors like Tom Brokaw.
In case you missed the most enjoyable exchange from Thursday night's debate, it came late in the debate when Brokaw wanted to find out how Sharpton felt about America's image in the eyes of the Islamic world. But apparently, Brokaw doesn't know the difference between the Nation of Islam and Islamic nations.
As Brokaw began weaving his way toward his question, you could almost see Sharpton's gears turning as Brokaw referred to the Nation of Islam once, and then closed his question by referring to the N.O.I. again as he concluded. Here's the full exchange, with my italics added:
TOM BROKAW: Reverend Sharpton, there is a great war going on in the world between the West and the Nation of Islam. And the United States, at the moment, is losing the war for hearts and minds. Everyone agrees on that, whatever their political position happens to be. Specifically, what should the United States be doing in terms of programs? And how much money should it commit to find common ground between this country and the democratic ideals that we all embrace and the Nation of Islam?
AL SHARPTON: Well, first of all, I assume when you say "the Nation of Islam" you're talking about Islamic nations, because there is a Nation of Islam in the United States that has nothing to do what you're talking about. (Laughter) So I'm just asking for clarity. (Applause)
TB: I'm talking about Islamic nations.
AS: You're talking about Islamic -- first of all, I think...
TB: No, no, I'm talking about the Islamic movement around the world, because it really does transcend nations in many ways.
AS: But, in many ways, I think that we can't allow the distortion, because Mr. Bush and some of his crowd have said they represent a Christian view against the Islamic. And I don't think Christ could join most of their churches. (Laughter) So, I mean, I don't agree with the speech. (Applause)
TB: You said that President Bush said.
AS: I think that they called themselves supporters of the Bush administration.
TB: Not the president himself?
AS: Not the president himself.
TB: We're now one-for-one here.
You could see and feel Brokaw's defensiveness. First there was Brokaw's semantic pirouette about how Islam "does transcend nations," implying that he just had inadvertently transposed the words "Nation" and "Islam."
But even if you neither saw nor heard the debate, the transcript alone - and especially the "one-for-one here" scorekeeping ("I've tied the match, Al!") - demonstrates a clear intent by Brokaw to somehow find anything in Sharpton's comments in order to upbraid him for Brokaw's own error. I was waiting for Brokaw to add that his father could beat up Sharpton's father, but apparently the light went off and Brokaw did not have time to finish his answer, since he had now joined the debate and ceased moderating it.
And, incidentally, what kind of Florida recount scoring system is Brokaw using? He mentioned the N.O.I. twice in his question, and it's not altogether clear what point he "scored" to square the match. But here's the real tiebreaker: Not only did Brokaw refer to the Nation of Islam during this exchange, but he also did it a few minutes earlier during his comments leading to the previous commercial break:
TOM BROKAW: On that note, we'll say that we're going to continue this discussion, talking about the United States, the West for that matter, and its relationship with the Nation of Islam, the war on terror, and especially here in South Carolina, what happened to all the jobs and how can they be replaced?
By my count, that's 3-to-0 for the Good Reverend. What's worse, because Brokaw did have that commercial break in between his first N.O.I. blunder and the next two, Brokaw's staff had time to whisper in his ear to prevent him from saying it again. Yet he did.
Is it possible Brokaw is seriously confused about the Nation of Islam? Perhaps he and the other anchors could be put on the stage and the candidates could grill them for a little while - I'd pay to see that.
The lesson is obvious: Brokaw and others like him are perfectly happy to hold the candidates to exacting standards of precision, and to use Al Sharpton as a blunt instrument (yes, pun intended) to exact a little damage here and there on the other candidates. But don't talk back and mind your manners, Reverend.
Because if you don't, people like Tom Brokaw are keeping score.