Tonight’s coverage on PBS was about as liberal as expected. There was a nice note of skepticism after Bill Clinton suggested the world would rather see the power of our example than the example of our power: “I’m not sure Vladimir Putin will be impressed by the power of our example, or Ahmadinejad, but it’s a nice formulation.” That’s awfully polite. A less generous conservative soul would mock the idea that Bill Clinton can preach to other people about setting a moral example.
Historian Michael Beschloss made a minor wave by suggesting history had passed by Bill Clinton’s legacy, that he was just a caretaker putting the brakes on a Republican era. The strangest sentence: “He also tried to make the Democrats as strong as the Republicans on military things.” He did?
PBS brought on three Veterans for Obama for a chat: James Arden Barnett, Maura Sullivan, and Westley Moore. All three extensively touted Obama’s superior strategic foresight and vision. Sullivan even claimed “Democrats are for success in Iraq.” Moore concluded by saying Obama represents the “holistic idea of national service and national security” against not just enemies foreign, but enemies domestic, like poverty.
After the speeches were over, Judy Woodruff stood on the convention floor and crowed about how the Democrats had finally found their energy and enthusiasm. Just like last night, the official PBS historians again offered rave reviews of the convention. “A great big night for the Democrats,” said Michael Beschloss. Richard Norton Smith called Biden “a great communicator” and felt the spirit of Hubert Humphrey in the room, a blend of classic populism and “the politics of joy.” Peniel Joseph called Clinton’s speech “extraordinary” and said it healed the racial rift he opened after the South Carolina primary.
David Brooks sounded panicked, suggesting the night made it clear that John McCain needed to take Joe Lieberman as a running mate: “Now I think it’s the clear answer.” Once again, the PBS house “conservative” is causing most conservatives to roll their eyes . . . if they suffer through PBS coverage. Maybe I’m the only one. Bring back Paul Gigot!