Katie Couric’s one-year anniversary as the first female news anchor of any network weekday evening news show is approaching. Based on weak ratings and tepid reviews, the media is roundly declaring her tenure thus far a failure. Is it because she’s a woman held to a double standard by a society conditioned to equate hard news with a man’s voice? Or is it because she’s giggly?
Couric is currently on a heavily-publicized trip in Iraq, a war-torn country that is due for a surge of Couric effervescene. Her CBS-sanctioned blog oscillates between boring descriptive reporting and yellow-ribboned gushing: “All U.S. and Iraqi soldiers patrolling the streets have my renewed respect and appreciation. One-hundred-and-ten degrees with full-body armor and heavy uniforms. I don’t know how they do it. But they do, and we should be grateful.” (I really doubt that the troops need little convincing to wear the body armor.)
While at the Al Asad Air Base, Couric nabbed a one-on-one interview with Prez’ Bush, who just happened to be in the neighborhood. As the NYT points out, “The Bush administration clearly hopes that CBS’s in-depth coverage will lend credence to its claim of progress on the ground since Mr. Bush announced a troop increase in January“. Still, Couric isn’t completely playing along. She offers reports of “signs of life that seem to be normal,” but adds “That’s what the military wants me to see, so you have to keep that in mind as well.”
Bush obviously relished being interviewed by gentle, pliable, curious Katie, up until the last moments when they discussed General Petraeus’s impending progress report to Congress:
Couric: And if Congress isn’t receptive to General Petraeus’s message….
Bush: What do you mean if Congress, are you…
Couric: I don’t know….
Bush: Well I don’t know either.
Couric: But… What are your options?
Bush: I would hope that Congress would pay attention to what General Petraeus has to say.
Sigh. Yeah, I don’t know what she’s doing there. Who made her the CBS news anchor? I don’t know what Bush is doing there. Who made him President? Frankly, the whole scene is a bit surreal.
