What did you expect -- Jerry Springer?!

By J. Thomas Duffy

It seems that Barack Obama's appearance on Fox News Sunday, the Chris Wallace Show, has ruffled feathers far and wide today:

There are some who believe he's a traitor and vow, now, not to vote for him.

Others, crestfallen, believe he didn't duke it out.

A pretty wide swath of the pragmatic believe he did a fine, admirable, even good interview.

And, as always, there are those for whom reality is someplace, anyplace, they are not.

Taylor Marsh does her typical "All Hail Hillary" drone (aka "Everything Hillary says or does is great. Everything Obama says or does sucks.").

Ann Althouse goes all Dr. Phil on all the candidates ... And Un Poco Cojones Verde (LGF) lives vicariously, leering with glee at the reactions from those on the Blue side of things ...

You can go out to Memeorandum and wade, ankle- or knee-deep in all the reactions.

For those of you who either believe he's a traitor or are disappointed he didn't come running on the set screaming "There Will Be Blood," what the hell did you expect -- Jerry Springer?!

You want broken chairs and bodies strewn across the stage? Bouncing camera shots of Obama, Wallace, and others heatedly screaming at each other?

The last thing, especially right now, that Obama needs is to have a combative, confrontational Fox News interview that gets looped to the high heavens (Fox would, likely, launch yet another new network just for that), so, for the next week, all that gets talked about is Obama's combative and confrontational Fox interview?

No, thank you.

So, he goes Eddie Haskell, smiles at his host, drives his points home, and comes out of there without a ripped shirt.

What's that old newspaper saw -- you never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel?

Libby, at Newshoggers, hits it about right, when she says, "He's walking a tightrope in this race and while he didn't dazzle with any impressive tricks, he didn't fall off either."

When Obama gets the nomination, he's going to be on Fox News, oh, probably every other minute, and, no doubt, they'll be slamming and smearing him.

So, having a edited video clip of Wallace complimenting, or agreeing with him, will be something the Obama Camp can have to buttress themselves.

Chalk this up to Obama keeping, and acting on, one of his policies -- that we should talk to our enemies.

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Fair and Balanced Bonus Links

TRANSCRIPT: OBAMA ON ‘FNS’

The Raw Story: Barack Obama interview with Fox’s Chris Wallace

Josh Marshall: Obama on Fox (Video Highlights)

Creature at State of Day: Obama behind enemy lines

Jerome Armstrong: Obama on Fox transcript

Andrew Sullivan: Yglesias Award Nominee
















(Cross-posted at The Garlic.)