Matt Lauer was given his marching orders...

[rfranklin]

The way he grilled Kitty Kelley seems more confrontational than I've ever seen on that show.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5989684 /

[Catherine Vincent]

1. Matt Lauer acted like a total jerk.

He was no way being objective. It was all one sided. I'm surprised Ms. Kelley didn't punch his lights out.

[Warpy]

5. ha! She did something far worse

She just sat there, smiling sweetly, oozing feminine charm and vulnerability. Gawd, she's good. She neatly deflected everything he tried, and he came off looking like a mean bully picking on a girl.

Ordinarily, that tactic chaps my butt, but it is wonderful to see it used to such an effect on a Rethuglican punk like Lauer.

Lauer's style and politics are just like those of the man he replaced, whom I refer to as Grunt Mumble. However, he lacks Grunt's charm. He's that show's right wing point man, there to prove they're not part of the librulmendia.

[hlthe2b]

7. Yes, she deflected perfectly without giving an inch...

She surely knows how to handle combative men in an interview. I wonder how she will do with an aggressively combative female interviewer...

BTW, is her book out today? Just curious. I'll wait for the excerpt, I suppose as I'm not buying books right now.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

2. i sent an e-mail instantly; the whole interview was disgusting

[barb162]

3. I saw that and I have been seeing that same kind

of confrontational nonsense on just about every station. It is really amazing when you compare the swifties interviews with interviews for someone who writes about anti-Bush stuff. On CNN yesterday I was watching two bozos talk about "oh this is all so tiring to be going on this 30 year old stuff already" (because it was the anti-Bush stuff).

Matt was really going after her.

[otohara]

4. What Do You Mean, Marching Orders

n/t

[RobertSeattle]

9. Hmmm

Memo To: Corporate Media
From: K. Rove, White House
Re: Kitty Kelly

If you expect to be allowed continued special access to the Bush Administration, we recommend giving Kitty Kelly a "Fair and Balanced" treatment during all interviews. A talking points fact sheet is being sent at the same time as this memo.

Yours,

Karl

[hlthe2b]

6. I just watched the videos posted on MSNBC

I think Kitty Kelley handled him perfectly. On the otherhand, anyone with half a brain had to have put 2 and 2 together with the Sharon Bush interview. She almost spilled the beans about Bush* drug use until Lauer carefully cut her off and restricted the question to Camp David. Notice, too that Lauer did NOT let her discuss her financial resolution-- nor did he ask her about whether she had had alcohol at the lunch in question--which I think most of us know, does "loosen the lips."

Yes, a very direct and biased interview, but IMO not nearly as blatantly nasty as Lauer's interview with Michael Moore. That was THE worst, I have EVER seen. Lauer's body language was overtly aggressive and combative. He could not quite project that with Kelley, as his tone was already so aggressive and she remained so firm, yet politely in control.

[stellanoir]

8. having never bothered to read any of her books

I thought she responded fairly well to his interrogation. First off, thanking him for doing the interview despite WH house pressure was very smart to say at the get go. With all his attempts to discredit her, she held her own. She repeated how many lawyers had vetted all of her accusations, how a witness to her conversations was often more appropriate and just as good as a tape recording, and how Sharon Bush called her freaked out about Neil's threatening e-mail (you may find yourself in a dark alley. . .) after her lunch with Kelley. Matt tried to cut her off completely at that point. But she still got in her "kill the messenger" remark citing Clarke, O'Neil (fmr Sec of Treas.), and Wilson reference. I think she did amazingly well and seemed fully prepared given the intensity of the scrutiny.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. I agree...

she got all the points across, even if half the people watching didn't catch them.

The threats against NBC and Sharon Bush were worth lots of points.

I would have liked to see her dig back a bit more about just how many followup interviews and factchecking the great journalist Lauer did without a recorder, but you can't have everything. As Lauer should know, a tape recorder at lunch does tend to intimidate people who are under the impression that they may not be on the record.

Something tells me that Kelly got a hell of a lot more scary missives and warnings about the Sinatra book, and if she could survive that, she can survive anything.

[devinsgram]

14. Let's hope she doesn't end up

like the guy that wrote "Favorite Son", in a motel room with a suicide note. Wink, Wink.

[zoeb]

10. watching Sharon Bush...

She's seems to be lying. She's nervous and she said her publicist made a "weak" statement. What kind of complaint is that? Bush family tried to buy her off with giving her a house. Right now, Kitty has more credibility than her or Matt.

[PittLib]

12. That interview was atrocious. Katie behaved the same way ...

when she interviewed Michael Moore during the RNC. She sat there all smug and pinched, barely letting him respond. Her body language and tone spoke volumes about how she felt, but every time Michael asked her personal opinion, she acted although she was trying to be objective. The whole thing is appalling.

[Booster]

13. It was subtle and smart that she lead off the interview

with "I know you've had pressure from the White House not to have me on" HA Matt didn't respond to that whatsoever, which speaks millions of the truth what she said. She handled him just the way she should have.

[2bfree]

15. Lauer is such a turd..........

That was a terrible interview. I only watched this morning because I knew Kelley was going to on otherwise I don't watch The Today Show at all anymore.

[Nickster]

16. Unbelievable

I sent an email off to the Today Show. Not my normal thing. Tell me what you think:


Today Show,

I'm very very disappointed, no in fact outraged, at the obvious way that your show continues to attack ANYONE who says ANYTHING against the current White House administration. My jaw was on the floor watching the way that Matt Lauer saw fit to completely attack someone who was gracious enough to be interviewed on your show. Does Karl Rove personally write your interview questions? Could Matt have come off as being any more viscious and rude to her? For a moment there he seemed to be determined to shout her down. Was he going to tell her to shut up?? Who did she vote for in 2000? What relevance does that have to anything? Did the Today Show spend this much time attacking the author of Unfit for Command? Not likely.

This is exactly like Couric's attack on Michael Moore on this very same show. I try to be as fair minded as possible when listening to the stories from both sides politically, but the fact that you continually attack people that speak up, as if you receive your marching orders from the White House is just disgraceful.

I hadn't planned on buying Ms Kelley's book, but after seeing the beating she took on your show, the least I can do is support her by purchasing a copy. The visciousness she endured makes me think there is something to the story, since no one has seen fit to try and discredit any of the story, just discredit the messenger, but that is the game plan these days. I sincerely hope that your show somehow finds its journalistic integrity again. But I won't hold my breath.

Disgusted,

[PittLib]

17. That is excellent. I'm inspired to go start my own ...

[Ishoutandscream]

18. Next to his interview with Michael Moore, this was the worst

and I agree after watching that Kitty handled herself very well and did not let Matt intimidate her. I especially liked her references to Dick Clarke, et al, at the end.

[AmerDem]

19. I think it's time to organize a BLITZ against NBC!

In particular Lauer and Russert! I personally have called to complain about both but we need the large nubers we used against CNN.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

21. We need a thread to be "kicked" up so that all Duer's can see it.

GENBC needs to be shown who's who!!!

:grr:

[AmerDem]

22. Start it Progressive

You're good with words!:toast:

[VaYallaDawg]

20. Now let's see --

Who owns NBC?

Oh Yeah! GE.

And wonder if GE gets lots of US $$ via sole-bid defense contracts? Couldn't possibly.