A sad day for NPR

At first, I thought someone played a practical joke on me by switching the radio station from NPR to FOX. Then I realized that the reporter throwing softball questions to President Bush was none other than Juan Williams. I was stunned, listening to President Bush bumble his way through this political version of an infomercial, while Juan Williams helpfully put words in his mouth when the going got tough:

MR. WILLIAMS: One last thing, Mr. President, with the Democrats. You asked the Democrats on a bipartisan basis to form an advisory council and monitor the war, work with you. They haven't responded at all. What do you take from that?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I'm going to have to keep working with them and explain that my notion is to – is to put in place a consulting-type group that will be able to talk about the war on terror in general. In other words, I don't want – I think that a lot of these folks aren't happy we're in Iraq to begin with, and I understand that, and then they are – they don't believe we are going to succeed in Iraq, and I understand that too. I think what some may be afraid of is I'm trying to get them into an Iraq-type situation where they are forced to say something they don't want to say. I don't know.

MR. WILLIAMS: Oh, that they would be co-opted by cooperating or working with you?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and that may be part of the issue.

Even more disturbing was Juan's gushing thanks at the end of the interview. I imagine that President Bush was "glad" it was his "buddy" Juan Williams and not a less partisan journalist like Robert Siegel on the other side of the microphone:

MR. WILLIAMS: Mr. President, I want say thank you from National Public Radio.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Juan, thank you, buddy. Glad you're here.

MR. WILLIAMS: I appreciate it, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes sir.

MR. WILLIAMS: Thank you again.

It's enough to make me consider asking NPR to refund my membership.