I listened twice to Schieffer try to make amends with the GOP this morning. First, I watched, next on local radio. It is not that I like pain, I just wanted to be sure that my initial emotional response was correct.
Schieffer made a lot of enemas during his debate, mainly within the GO Pee. It bothered some conservatives that he tried to ask semi-hard questions of Mitt. For myself, I thought he was too reticent and not aggressive enough, but then, if politics is a blood sport, one should see it throughout the process.
My initial reaction was that he allowed McCain to blather on and on, making shit up, lying, and attacking Obama and Rice without limitation.
McCain even threatened to hold up EVERY FUTURE OBAMA NOMINATION until Rice some craawling on her hands and knees, licks his shoes to a shiny gleam, and offers to commit suicide as compensation.
So much for bipartisanshit.
Two things stood out - Schieffer's absolute refusal to correct McCain's lies, and McCain's willingness to repeat the same idea, simply using other words, as though they were gospel. McCain eventually went so far to claim that the entire Muddle East is dissolving into a borderless riot, a mire of quag so extensive that world war will break out.
To be fair, Schieffer tried to raise the issue of Condi Rice's WMD lies, but McCain would have none of that.
I don't know who was worse, Schieffer's refusal to call McCain on his lies, or McCain's refusal to acknowledge some obvious truths. But when you compare Schieffer's treatment of McCain, with his gloves off, far more pointed questioning of Dick Durbin, I think that I will pick Schieffer. After all, he who controls the mike, controls the story.