Katie Couric won’t get her debate after all.
After several weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations with the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the North Carolina Democratic Party said Monday it was canceling plans for an April 27 debate that would have aired on CBS following “60 Minutes.”
Clinton had immediately agreed to the debate, which would have been held in Raleigh, but Obama’s camp wanted to wait until after Tuesday’s primary in Pennsylvania. But the logistical questions and concerns had become so great that the debate couldn’t continue without a commitment from Obama.
That leaves hanging CBS News and Couric, who had staked out a claim to this debate and had given prime TV real estate — following “60 Minutes” — in order to assure the debate. An earlier attempt to hold a debate with Couric and “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer last December in Los Angeles was canceled due to the writers strike… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Reuters>
Frankly, I’m thrilled at this news. If I thought there was half a chance that we’d have an authentic debate on real issues, I’d love to watch it, but the US broadcast MSM cannot be trusted not to turn it into another infotainment media circus, and given that Couric is such a lightweight, I can’t see this being anything better than the ABC fiasco.
