Word: contra
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...they believed that Bush came out ahead, while 27% said Rather did. (Republicans split 59% to 16% in Bush's favor, but Democrats split 40% to 31% in Rather's favor.) Yet when asked whether it was right for Rather to push Bush on his role in the Iran-contra affair, 59% replied that it was (including 46% of the Republicans and 72% of the Democrats). Moreover, 79% said they believed the Vice President knows more about the arms-for-hostages deal than he has told the public...
...they seemed. For both sides the encounter had been meticulously planned. By the middle of December CBS News had already aired a series of political profiles. Richard Cohen, senior political producer of the Evening News, lobbied for a different approach to Bush, one that centered on the Iran-contra affair. Rather and other producers agreed. In early January Cohen sent a letter to the Bush campaign requesting a lengthy taped interview for a campaign profile. "Part of our early coverage of the 1988 presidential election has been a series of candidate profiles," he wrote. "We purposely saved your profile...
...unpredictable. A taped interview allows for editing and shaping; a live interview gives the subject a chance to manipulate the conversation. The subject can filibuster, deftly evading a probing question. CBS had already produced a hard-hitting five-minute introduction examining Bush's contradictory claims about his Iran-contra role. Executive Producer Tom Bettag saw three options: run the five-minute intro on its own, kill the story or accede to Bush's conditions. Finally CBS agreed to do the interview live, and warned Bush's staff that Rather's questions were going to be tough and pointed...
...weekend before the broadcast, CBS began airing promotions for the Bush-Rather interview and calling political writers to flag for them the "first interview on Iran-contra that Bush has done with any network." The day of the interview Rather had three one-hour rehearsals with the six people involved in the broadcast. He was coached as if he were a candidate preparing for a debate or a pugilist preparing for a fight, rather than a journalist going into an interview. Howard Rosenberg, a producer from CBS's Washington bureau, played Bush. "We knew it was going...
Though CBS never directly informed the Bush camp that the interview would focus exclusively on Iran-contra, its intentions were hardly a secret. "We kept getting reports that it was going to be an ambush," said Bush's chief of staff, Craig Fuller. "CBS was leaking so badly that if they'd been Dutch they'd have been under water," said Teeley. On Monday Teeley telephoned Bush to inform him of the rumors about a potential on-air confrontation, suggesting that Bush have a briefing for preparation. "I don't need a briefing, " Bush replied. He had just returned from...