Brian Williams "sits in" for Russert on June 22

"Meet the Press" on 22 June 08 opened with a logo "Meet the Press with Tim Russert" and an announcement "sitting in for Tim Russert" is Brian Williams. An inadvertent tribute to Russert was the manifest incompetence of Brian Williams in handling the show. Perhaps the lowest point, in a show filled was lows, was when Williams asked Joe Biden if he would be vice-president, and Biden said "no," and then Williams, a la Russert, put up a clip from a previous time, at which Biden also said he would NOT be vice president. Duh! That's a real gotcha.

Unlike Russert, who used his own knowledge to set up issues, Williams was about as forceful as Captain Kangaroo talking to Mr. Greenjeans. The guests, initially (admitted plagiarist) Joe Biden and Lindsey Graham, were carrying Williams.

They walked through Obama's change on accepting public financing. Somehow 1,400,000 contributors to Obama, yielding $265 million was considered to be an average of $88 per contributor. Now that's voodoo math. Andrea Mitchell later pointed out that 55% of Obama contributors did donate significant money. Biden and Graham didn't get to any common understanding of off-shore drilling.

Williams announced at the end of the show that Tom Brokaw would handle "Meet the Press" through the election season.
Someone should bring David Brinkley out of retirement, or the various Captain Kangaroos will run Sunday morning tv into the ground.

See also
http://ipbiz.blogspot.com/2008/06/tim-russert.html