Wolf in Pigskin


February 9, 2002


BROOKE GLADSTONE: Two weeks ago our producer-at-large Mike Pesca was on talking about a Wolf Blitzer interview with John Ashcroft on CNN. He's back with an update of sorts. Mike, what have you got?

MIKE PESCA: Well, Brooke, to harken back to that interview, two weeks ago on CNN Wolf Blitzer asked Ashcroft about Enron and Ashcroft said: I won't talk about it. I've recused myself.

BROOKE GLADSTONE: Right. And Wolf punted on any followup by changing the subject to the upcoming Rams/Eagles game.

MIKE PESCA:Okay. With that as prologue, I found Wolf's Q&A with another member of the administration, Condoleezza Rice, very interesting. Wolf read this provocative quote from Ariel Sharon.

WOLF BLITZER: [READING] "There was an agreement on Lebanon not to kill Yasir Arafat. Actually I am sorry that we did not kill him. If Arafat takes all the steps we are demanding that he take, as far as I'm concerned he will again be a partner to negotiation."

MIKE PESCA: To which Rice responded:

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: I'm not going to comment on everything the Israeli prime minister says.

MIKE PESCA: But on the second part--

BROOKE GLADSTONE: So she had talked about the second part. The part that didn't have anything to do with wanting to kill Arafat. The part that was a totally commonplace utterance as opposed to the shocking first part.

MIKE PESCA: Right. And just like with Ashcroft, Wolf didn't press her on it. In fact, here's what happened next.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: ...aspirations of the Palestinian people.

WOLF BLITZER: Dr. Rice, we have to leave it right there, but today being the Super Bowl here in the United States, a lot of speculation that one day when you leave government, you'd like to be the commissioner of the NFL.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: That's true! That's not speculation. That's fact.

WOLF BLITZER: So you want to tell us who's going to win the Super Bowl?

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Well shouldn't I be reserved--

BROOKE GLADSTONE: It's the endaround re-visited!

MIKE PESCA: [LAUGHS] I just wanted to note that if during the Dolphin/Ravens game President Bush was answering policy questions as opposed to snacking, he would have saved himself from a very embarrassing pretzel-related mishap.

BROOKE GLADSTONE: Very sobering, Mike. Thank you. Mike Pesca is OTM's producer-at-large and current co-host of Wolf Blitzer's Political Pigskin.

BOB GARFIELD: Coming up, the man who put big sounds in small boxes, and the latest take on the Hollywood Shuffle.

BROOKE GLADSTONE: This is On the Media from National Public Radio.