David Brock and the Flaws of Katie Couric

OK, so, we all know Katie Couric is a softball interviewer who would never, ever challenge a guest except out of ignorance. But, I stumbled on this tidbit in David Brock's "Blinded By The Right" that really puts things into perspective.

Brock is the now-reformed right wing "hit man" who savaged Anita Hill in his book, "The Real Anita Hill" and wrote a series of badly researched articles about President Clinton in the American Spectator. Brock's articles helped lead to the President's impeachment. Funded by The Scaife Foundation, Brock was part of the "Arkansas Project" which really was a right wing conspiracy bent on taking down the President. Whatever flaws Bill and Hillary might have, they really were victims of a "vast right wing conspiracy."

Back to Couric: The Today Show had Brock on as a guest to talk about his book where, by his own late admission, he unfairly painted Hill as a sexaholic man-hater. The Today Show sent ace interviewer Katie Couric after him. Here's how Brock describes the interview on page 107 of his book:

""Katie," I told Today show host Katie Couric, leaning in for effect, "character assassination is wrong," whether is happens to a liberal or a conservative."

And that was apparently that. Brock returned to his hotel room to phone calls from friends telling him he'd "Hit the ball right out of the park." Brock wasn't even really describing the interview in his book. He was using it and Couric to show how well he'd learned to spin America. He couldn't have picked a better interviewer.

If you want to know how Brock was so influential with his, again by his own admission, flawed and biased journalism, one need look no further than a mass media populated by doting Katie Courics, put there beceuase we Americans can't possibly stand confrontation over breakfast.

Just imagine if Michael Moore tried that "Character assassination" line with a guy like Bill O'Reilly. The blood would seep through your television screen and onto your carpet before you could switch the channel.