Instapundit points to USA Today and Mitch Berg, who suggest George Will as a replacement for Stephanopoulos on This Week, which is tanking.
It was so obvious to everyone except for the lunatics who were behind the decision to put Steph there that it would fail. I never knew Brinkley's politics, but always looked forward to his witty little comment at the end of the show. He never made too much talk about his feelings on how the political game is played in Washington. His face said it all. The way he moved the show along as politician after politician would dodge questions like the pros they are and deliver their talking points despite Donaldson's tenacity, was poetic.
I'm not too sure that Will will ever take over, nor do I know if it would play to his strengths....
I remember reading years ago during speculation about Brinkley retiring one day, that Will would never consider taking over the hosting chair nor would ABC News let him due to his independent yet paid status on ABC News. Maybe someone can find the reference or knows how the hierarchy works at ABC News...
Although perhaps one day they will find someone who can make This Week successful again, it will never be the same. It will be like The Tonight with Jay Leno is Vs. what The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was.
Posted by GilbertZ at 01:52 AM
| TrackBack
Comments:
I used to love the show with Brinkley. Sam and Cokie were great in their roles, and their interplay with George Will was terrific.
The real problem came when Sam and Cokie became the hosts. Perhaps Cokie could have worked by herself as the host, but Sam was a terrible host. Worse yet, since he was playing host, he stopped asking his rottweiler-like questions. The show got soft. Meanwhile, Tim Russert became the new rottweiler.
Steph is going to take a while to catch on, and he may never do so. But the decline isn't his fault. The show is actually better than it was when Sam and Cokie were hosting it. Sadly, that isn't saying much.
How the mighty have fallen. Watch Russert instead, and flip back for George Will's commentary at the end. If you get up that early...
Posted by: moty on November 20, 2002 01:51 PM
Post a comment:
| 
