Thank You Bob Costas

I happened to catch the post-speech analysis on Larry King Live tonight, which was being guest-hosted by Bob Costas. I was shocked. It was the most refreshing performance I've seen from a mainstream media figure in years. Costas was logical, articulate, and he asked the questions that needed to be asked. He clearly did his homework. His comments were insightful, he cut right through obvious spin, and he did something I haven't seen in years: he actually pressed his guests when they gave non-responsive answers. In short, he looked a lot more like a professional journalist than the clowns who normally handle political coverage on television. I've watched Meet the Press, Hardball, and similar shows regularly for years, and its almost invariably a maddening experience. Russert, Matthews, and company are all too often embarassingly unprepared for their interviews, routinely betraying their lack of basic knowledge about the subjects they cover. They regularly get sidetracked on issues of only tangential importance, and worst of all, they invariably fail to follow up on their own questions, settling instead for unresponsive talking points from their guests. For tonight at least, Costas did what a journalist is supposed to do, and he deserves major praise for that. I only hope he can keep it up.