Dan Froomkin offered a helpful update the other day of one of my favorite TV interviews of recent memory — Irish TV’s Carole Coleman sit-down with George W. Bush.
Long-time readers may recall that Coleman gave Bush fits, interrupting his filibusters and pushing him to acknowledge reality. The president, who had grown accustomed to a certain deference from the American media, was visibly displeased. In fact, the White House was so irritated by Coleman’s rebelliousness, it retaliated against the reporter by filing a complaint with her superiors and against the network by canceling a scheduled interview with Laura Bush. (Retaliation is one of the few things the Bush gang does with real efficiency.)
This past weekend, Coleman reflected on her testy ten minutes with Bush in an entertaining column. The insight into the production of a White House interview — at least, with regards to this White House — spoke volumes.
For example, Irish TV wasn’t allowed to film the interview; White House cameras would record it and loan the tape to the network. Moreover, Coleman had to submit a list of questions and topics in advance, so that Bush could be appropriately “briefed” before the discussion.
There was also coaching and prodding.
[A younger male sidekick named Colby] suggested that I ask the president about the yellow suit the taoiseach had worn the previous week at the G8 Summit on Sea Island in Georgia. I laughed loudly and then stopped to study his face for signs that he was joking — but he didn’t appear to be. “The president has a good comment on that,” he said.
The taoiseach’s suit had been a shade of cream, according to the Irish embassy. But alongside the other more conservatively dressed leaders, it had appeared as a bright yellow, leaving our Bertie looking more like the lead singer in a band than the official representative of the European Union. It was amusing at the time, but I was not about to raise a yellow suit with the president. “Really?” I asked politely. But a little red flag went up inside my head.
Then [another aide] announced that she had some news for me. “There may be another interview in the pipeline for you,” she said. […] “We’re not supposed to tell you this yet, but we are trying to set up an interview with the first lady.”
The Bubble Boy policies never quit.
In this instance, the stagecraft was necessary for one 10-minute interview with an Irish reporter. It included question-screening, suggested (trivial) topics, and a bribe in exchange for cooperation.
To her credit, Coleman was aggressive, self-assured, and unyielding. The White House was livid.
“We just want to say how disappointed we are in the way you conducted the interview,” she said.
“How is that?” I asked.
“You talked over the president, not letting him finish his answers.”
“Oh, I was just moving him on,” I said, explaining that I wanted some new insight from him, not two-year-old answers.
“He did give you plenty of new stuff.”
She estimated that I had interrupted the president eight times and added that I had upset him. […] “You were given an opportunity to interview the leader of the free world and you blew it.”
Actually, she hadn’t. It was one of the better interviews of Bush’s presidency. If we were really lucky, they’d all be like this one.