A Running Commentary

Last week I bemoaned MSNBC’s decision to cancel Tucker Carlson’s political affairs show (Losing Tucker: TV, Political Discourse, & Lou Dobb’s Mock Journalism, March 12, 2008). “Tucker” was the only show I could consistently stomach; an aberration from the pandering, mock-journalism of many shows currently on-air (Lou Dobbs and Keith Olbermann top my hit-list).

For many reasons, some founded but most not, Carlson has always drawn more detractors than fans. As a supporter I frequently get shouted down. However, Lanny Davis, one of Carlson’s guests on his final show last week, summed up perfectly why “Tucker” was a show of preeminent quality. A Democratic operative and Hillary Clinton campaign supporter, Davis had this to say last Friday:

I may question Davis’ political loyalties but I wholly support his thinking here. Compare Tucker’s approach to that of Keith Olbermann on Countdown, a show MSNBC has decided to keep on the air. Olbermann was recently granted an interview with Barack Obama and had the chance to directly probe the candidate’s relationship with firebrand pastor Jeremiah Wright. As Richard Cohen op-ed notes in today’s Washington Post, Olbermann asked only fawning questions and failed to push for an answers on the real issue.

I’m reminded of the infamous Jon Stewart appearance on Crossfire with Paul Begala and Carlson, on which Carlson chided Stewart for getting John Kerry on his show only to ask him “if he was hanging in there”. Stewart’s responded that his show on Comedy Central should hardly be journalism’s standard-bearer. True. But Olbermann doesn’t get the same pass.

If the same interview had occurred on Tucker, I have to believe Carlson would have responded with “yeah, but come on, are you telling you had no idea your pastor of 20 years was saying this stuff?” He wouldn’t have cut Obama off or treated him unfairly, but he would have pushed him to address the real question. Tucker, I miss you already.