Unfair And Unbalanced

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a huge Bill Clinton fan. My opinion of him is mixed.

Jon Friedman has gone off the deep end over at MarketWatch.com.

From Recalling Bill Clinton's eruption on 'Fox News Sunday' by Jon Friedman:

Wallace has interviewed countless newsmakers over the years, but he is likely best known for the Clinton show. The former president, who ordinarily kept his cool throughout his pressure-packed presidency, famously erupted when Wallace introduced the topic of whether the Clinton White House had done enough to go after Osama bin Laden.

Clinton sparked what broadcasting insiders like to call "great TV." The exchange, readily available on YouTube, underscores what I appreciate about Wallace and "Fox News Sunday." He is always calm and tough, but fair and well-prepared. He also treats his subjects with respect.

In a profession where lesser broadcasters preen to get noticed, Wallace, 61, is part of a vanishing breed of ultimate, old-school professionals.

Clinton vs. Wallace

That Sunday morning, Clinton emotionally made his points that he had tried hard to kill bin Laden. He also accused Wallace of "doing Fox's bidding" and orchestrating "a nice little hit job on me."

When I asked Wallace about Clinton's outburst, he stressed his "absolute astonishment." He said his questions were "not at all inflammatory" -- and I agree.

"I was genuinely surprised at his eruption," Wallace said.

What was going through Wallace's mind when Clinton was haranguing him? "'Don't let him roll over you but don't get into a fight with him,'" Wallace told me.

Wallace was able to consider the magnitude of the moment. "As I got past the astonishment," he recalled, "I did think, 'This is great stuff!' We're seeing this side of Bill Clinton that we've never seen before on television."

What the hell is this all about? Is Friedman in love with Wallace or did Wallace pay Friedman to write this extremely biased claptrap?

At the time, others thought differently of this interview. Check Keith Olbermann Response to Clinton Fox News Interview and Clinton Kicks the Crap out of Fox News Part 2.

If Wallace is such an outstanding journalist then why did he lie about Bush and Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda? Check out Chris Wallace Claims Bush Never Linked Hussein and al Qaeda and Fox News Host Chris Wallace Claims Bush Never Linked Saddam and al-Qaeda.

Watch the interview yourself. Judge for yourself. Did Clinton erupt? Or was he simply using his words in a very Clinton-like way.

Part One:


Part Two:


There is no way that anyone can paint this interview as some sort of win for Chris Wallace at Bill Clinton’s expense. And not everyone thinks that Chris Wallace is a great journalist.