The heights of gush

Editorial

Cincinnati Post

March 8, 2000

President Clinton has understandably been hiding out from the press, but he
had time for a lengthy one-on-one interview with Jane Langhart Cohen for
broadcast over the weekend to the U.S. armed forces and all their ships at
sea.

The Defense Department press release rose to the heights of gush: 'an
unprecedented Air Force One interview for the benefit of America's armed
forces.'

The Pentagon release describes Mrs. Cohen as 'an experienced former
television
journalist.' It does not describe a more relevant credential; she is the wife
of Defense Secretary William Cohen. Mrs. Cohen's questions would have been
puff balls even by the standards of the Home Shopping Network.

Like any interviewer given a crack at the scandal-beset president, she asks
'a personal question.' Her personal question is: Why 'you've always defended
and stood up for the underdog.' Clinton says he was just lucky to have been
brought up right. Responds Mrs. Cohen, 'Well, we're lucky that we have a
president who feels that way.'

As if deployment to various hellholes isn't hard enough for the troops, the
Pentagon says this interview is only the first of a series of Mrs. Cohen's
'Special Assignment' programs.

The release says Mrs. Cohen is donating her time, but even if it's free this
kind of fluff is overpriced. But since we've vaccinated our troops against
anthrax, we might as well inoculate them against saccharine as well.

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