From the BuzzFlash Archives

As many folks have already heard, there was an uncomfortable series of moments on Meet the Press yesterday:

Secretary of State Colin Powell was abruptly cut off during an interview on the "Meet the Press" television program after one of his aides decided the interview had gone on long enough.

When Tim Russert, the program's host, began to ask his final question, the camera panned away from Powell, who was being interviewed in Jordan via a satellite link from Washington. Powell could be heard saying, "He's still asking me questions," to which a woman's voice answered, "No, he's not."

Powell, still off camera, said, "Tim, I'm sorry, I lost you," and added, "Emily, get out of the way." Russert, sounding irate, responded: "I think that was one of your staff, Mr. Secretary. I don't think that's appropriate." After a few seconds the camera returned to Powell and he finished the interview. Betsy Fischer, the executive producer of the Sunday program on NBC, identified the staff member as Emily Miller, deputy press secretary to Powell, and said Miller "pulled the plug" without warning. Although the interview was taped in advance, she said such interviews were usually run without being edited. Russert called it a case of "press management gone berserk."

In defense of Powell, he did seem pretty ticked off that his deputy press secretary would do such a thing, especially on what was, we must admit, a sensitive issue for Powell. The actual question asked, which seems to be absent from most of the news stories, was as follows (and the exchange that followed as the camera hung on an image of palm trees):

Russert: Finally, Mr. Secretary, in February of 2003, you placed your enormous personal credibility before the United Nations and laid out a case against Saddam Hussein citing...

Emily: You're off.

Powell: I am not off.

Emily: No. They can't use it. They're editing it. They (unintelligible).

Powell: He's still asking me questions.

Emily: He was not...

Powell: Tim, I'm sorry, I lost you.

Russert: I'm right here, Mr. Secretary. I would hope they would put you back on camera. I don't know who did that.

Powell: We've really scre...

Russert: I think that was one of your staff, Mr. Secretary. I don't think that's appropriate.

Powell: Emily, get out of the way.

Emily: OK.

Powell: Bring the camera back, please. I think we're back on, Tim. Go ahead with your last question.

Given that it was during his UN appearance, hawking bogus intelligence as though it were indisputable fact, that he destroyed his once stellar reputation made this a particularly awkward occurrence. He squandered the respect and trust of the nation, and the wider world, in towing the neocon party line he did not, in fact, agree with. To pull the camera when he was asked a question pertaining to that very issue made Powell look very bad indeed. Hmmm.....

Then there was this gem posted on BuzzFlash this morning. It's an old piece from Arianna Huffington, back during the theft of the 2000 presidential election in Florida. If you'll recall, there were spontaneous demonstrations by idealistic Republicans, citizens demanding the count be shut down. Only it didn't turn out that way. Turns out it was an official media-yanking-snowjob, paid for by the RNC. But here's the real goody from Arianna's piece way back then:

It's as if the casts of two competing TV shows were messengered each other's scripts. Imagine tuning in to see "Touched By An Angel" and finding Della Reese hopping in and out of the sack like Samantha on "Sex In The City."

That's how I felt watching Majority Whip Tom DeLay suddenly morph into a champion of protest marches and civil disobedience. "This was not a threatening band of armed thugs," said DeLay spokesperson Emily Miller, referring to the raucous demonstrators who stormed the Miami-Dade elections department. "They were idealistic, enthusiastic, young Republicans who felt they were being shut out."

Well, not exactly. Turns out a good portion of those idealists were Republican Party operatives -- including DeLay staffer Thomas Pyle, and Elizabeth Ross, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott -- many of whom had been flown in by the Bush campaign. I wonder if it was a package deal: "Spend fall break in Florida. Sun, sand, surf. Shut down the Miami recount and the third night's free."

So this Ms. Miller rose from the ranks...from DeLay's staff to Powell's. Given the stark differences between the two men, I can't help but wonder if Colin knew from whence this Emily came....or why.