Reply #34: Media whores are skilled manipulators [View All]

I'm sure Clark speaks his mind.
I'm just guessing here, I'll admit, but I would imagine that anyone sitting in front of a tv camera can be manipulated (maybe that's not quite the right word, maybe a closer word that is less charged would be "directed") towards keeping the discussion within certain bounds.
It's not a knock on the person this happens to when this happens, or at least I don't mean it as a criticism.
I stopped watching tv on any regular basis, quite awhile back and when I do watch it now I am always amazed (not surprised) at how subtle the control of the discourse is on television. Keeping everything nice and controlled, within certain parameters. There are a lot of very obvious ways this happens, but I also think there are a lot of subtle ways.

When you say above in another post on this thread
"I think when they have somebody like The General on, they should ask more substantive questions about the policy itself. Of course the military is doing its job, and he can explain how; but he also explains the policy in the region, what the job is and what it ought to be, and what needs to be done politically that isn't."

I agree. They should. & as you say --

"I'm surprised neither interviewer asked him about policy and the Chimp administration. Any of the "substitute generals" could have answered these questions."

I'd say, I'm not at all surprised. They are trying to cast him in the role of a "substitute general," nice and safe so he won't worry the people sitting at home on their couches.