I’m Mike Wallace, and….you’re not!

Watching Hardball with Chris Matthews tonight I couldn’t help but getting infuriated with Mike Wallace (and Chris Matthews). Who doesn’t love a good Mike Wallace story on 60 Minutes? I know I do, but why do these guys have to be so arrogant?

The segment started out like this (I’m paraphrasing):

Chris Matthews: “Mike Wallace jokes that he’s interviewed every president since Abraham Lincoln save one, ‘W.’ So why is the man in the Oval office afraid of the man from 60 Minutes? Mike, why is George W. the man in the White house afraid to interview you? (Chris misspoke) Why haven’t you interviewed George W.?”

Mike Wallace: “Because he pays attention to Karl Rove and from the very beginning it’s been very apparent that Karl Rove will not permit him to sit down with me.”

something about Mike Wallace doing a story on judges in Texas when W. was Governor and Karl Rove not wanting him to speak to George W.

Mike Wallace: (indignantly – my interpretation) “I’ve never even met the man. I’ve never even shook hands with him. For some reason Karl Rove and Karen Hughes say ‘uh-uh forget it, you’re not going to talk to this guy.’ Why? You’ve got me.”

This is wrong on so many levels. The implication here is that “I’m Mike Wallace, I’ve interviewed President after President and W. wont’ talk to _ME.” What exactly is the sense of entitlement going on here? Karl Rove is George W. Bush’s political advisor. Shouldn’t he be allowed to advise the President as best he sees fit?

Let’s face it, as much as I admire “W” for his vision (among other things), speaking extemporaneously is not his strongest suit. Mike Wallace is an ATTACK DOG? If Karl Rove lets W. just sit down with Mike Wallace isn’t that borderline professional negligence? It is not the President’s job (or even a good idea) to mold to media. A President needs to find the best method for his “voice” and to communicate that way as much as possible. Karl Rove is paid to do a job and he’s doing it…well, much to the consternation of the left.

What bothers me is this total soft-ball (on a show called "Hardball") t-up of a question from Chris Wallace. Chris says, "why is W afraid of you Mike," and we're supposed to think the Presdient of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the world, is afraid of an octogenarian from CBS? Yes, I KNOW it's "tounge-in-cheek," but almost all of the main stream meeting is just like this. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but being a member of the news media, even a respected one, does not automatically make you "right."