Russert's fault? A lack of outrage

Is there something vaudevillian about all these histrionics? Sure, but that's part of journalism. Maybe not the most handsome part, but a part nonetheless. It's revealing that when Libby rang Russert in 2003, it was to lodge a complaint, not about Russert, but about his high-volume MSNBC colleague Chris Matthews. The "Hardball" host is exactly the kind of outburst-prone broadcaster who can drive handlers up the wall.

On the Feb. 4 show, Russert drilled former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards over his stance on the Iraq war, tracing how the Democratic presidential candidate shifted from support to opposition. Russert asked all the right questions, presented all the right evidence, but there was an emotional element missing. Isn't it at least a little disappointing that a leading voice from the supposed opposition party went along for so long with a war plan that he now tells us, with the benefit of several years' hindsight and when the information is of little use, was grievously flawed?

But because that sense of outrage was missing from the "Meet the Press" host -- he asked the questions in the same lawyerly tone of polite urgency and slight incredulousness he always uses -- Edwards was basically allowed to shrug: Oh, well. Can't win 'em all.

Russert fans say the host is getting a raw deal. Marvin Kalb, "Meet the Press" host during the 1980s, praises his successor for building the program to its No. 1 status, and said whatever trade-offs Russert lives by were inevitable. "The politician wants exposure, the journalist wants a story," Kalb said. "On 'Meet the Press,' the two attempt to come together with dignity. Most of the time, it works."

It's also probably not a good idea to put too much faith in the proclamations of the pro-Libby folk. "It may be tactically in the interests of the administration to say Russert is easy," noted Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. "Any time a politician plays press critic and tells you who's good, you need to carry a large container of salt."

Even Huffington admits that Russert attracts a lot of attention simply because his Sunday program is No. 1 in the ratings.

Still, it's clear that the ground has shifted beneath Russert's feet. Sixteen years hosting "Meet the Press," and he's suddenly becoming the story. Surely that's not a welcome switch, but Russert's plenty smart enough to know something is going on.

When a Libby attorney, during his cross examination, went over the specifics of a newspaper column critical of Russert and then asked whether it was "one of the more personal attacks you've experienced," Russert replied, "Probably not anymore."

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Contact Scott Collins at channelisland@latimes.com.