Dissembling
I heard this exchange on Public Radio on my way home from work. Later on I saw this clip of the exchange on MSNBC but something seemed to be missing. If you compare the clip to this transcript you'll observe some interesting editing by MSNBC. Although they capture the conflict between Senator Reed and Secretary Wolfowitz, the secretary doesn't look nearly as bad as he does in the transcript. A little bit of dissembling by MSNBC. I consider it unethical, am I being to harsh? You be the judge.
Democrat Senator Jack Reed keeps the heat on Wolfie.
JACK REED: Mr Secretary, do you think crouching naked for 45 minutes is humane?
PAUL WOLFOWITZ: Not naked, absolutely not.
JACK REED: So if he's dressed up, that's fine?
Let me put it this way. 72 hours without regular sleep, sensory deprivation which would be a bag over your head for 72 hours. Do you think that's humane? And that's what this says, a bag over your head for 72 hours. Is that humane?
PAUL WOLFOWITZ: Let me come back to what you said the work.
JACK REED: No, no. Answer the question, Secretary. Is that humane?
PAUL WOLFOWITZ: I don't know whether it means a bag over your head for 72 hours Senator. I don't know.
JACK REED: Mr Secretary, you're dissembling, non-responsive. Anybody would
say putting a bag over someone's head for 72 hours, which is
sensory deprivation.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ: I believe it's not humane. It strikes me as not humane, Senator.
JACK REED: Thank you very much
Comments
If the cut has started with "Let me" I would say you were being too harsh. But no, I think you nailed it.
"has" should read "had"
THANK YOU!!! I thought I was losing my mind, as in 'what the fu.....?'
For what it's worth, ABC ran this clip and it was clear Reed was trying to pin Wolfowitz down on the bag over the head for 72 hours. I don't remember how ABC edited the clip, but the point of the question was absolutely unambiguous.
No, I think you're on target. The edited version still doesn't make Wolfie look good, but it's not nearly as bad as the full exchange.
"I... grabbed... girl's... sweet candy..." -Homer Simpson
Wolfy's long, long stare to the right was one of the best parts; it's a pity they edited it out.
I heard this exchange on NPR and really wished I had seen it live. Wolfie's awkward pause had to be 10, 15 seconds before he grudgingly allowed that putting a bag over someone's head for 72 hours might not be humane.
wolfie would be fine, but rummy would be better
yay! circling sharks! yay!
Go to C-span and stream it for yourself. They have all the hearing that have been going on there...
I work for CNN in atlanta. that's completely off limits according to our guidelines -- if we cut stuff from the middle of a soundbite or exchange, we use a flash cut to make it clear to the viewer that we did just that.