Today’s Morning Edition on NPR featured an interview that in its few minutes reminded me exactly what I’m finding frustrating about US news media. The interview was with Donald H Rumsfeld, former arms trade negotiator, latterly US Defense Secretary.
Now, I find any interview with that man frustrating, but today my key problem was with the interviewer: senior NPR news man Juan Williams. When questioned about the prospect of the return of the draft, Rumsfeld qualified his claim that he would “absolutely” rule it out (were it a personal decision) with the statement: I’m not the Government of the United States, I’m just one person.
He is of course quite right that he’s just one person, and it’s good of him to remind us, but when it comes to policy of this sort he has more say than many. So, I awaited the simple rejoinder, a reminder perhaps that the Defense Secretary carries rather a lot of clout. None came. The questioning moved on.
In the current climate, the return of the draft is a scary but not paramount issue to be quizzing Rumsfeld on. And were he to be questioned on it, he could point to comments on the Selective Service website or perhaps note that:
Chairman John Warner responded, “The answer is no,” when asked on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press” program if the United States would need conscripts to meet its military needs.
But when an interviewee slips such a comment through in the very first round of questioning, it doesn’t encourage me to retain concentration. If only Radio and Television Ireland would interview Rumsfeld…