Condit interview will be pointless

Well, well. Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., who has admitted to an affair with missing 24-year-old former D.C. intern Chandra Levy, has consented to an interview Thursday night on ABC, with noted lefty Connie Chung at the helm.

"With criticism from congressional colleagues on the rise for his conduct in the disappearance of Chandra Levy, and his political future at stake, Rep. Gary Condit has agreed to a televised interview with ABC News' Connie Chung, his office said yesterday," the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.

"The Chung interview represents one of the most sought-after interviews for television journalists since the Monica Lewinsky session with Barbara Walters," said the paper.

"ABC's Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters, CNN's Bob Franken and NBC's Stone Phillips were also pushing hard for the opportunity to question Condit," the Chronicle reported. "An ABC spokesman said Condit's half-hour interview with Chung will be taped earlier in the day Thursday – at a yet-to-be-determined site in the Modesto area – and will run unedited."

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Can you believe this? Talking to Condit on the air "represents one of the most sought-after interviews" for our television news "journalists."

But did you see who the Chronicle compared interviewing Condit to – Monica Lewinsky. Unbelievable.

For the record, WorldNetDaily isn't "competing" to interview Condit; it's pointless. Even if he agreed to the interview (and he won't – ever), nothing would come of it; he won't "admit" to anything important or newsworthy, so why bother?

ABC is going to try hard to pass this BS off as some sort of "ground-breaking, exclusive" bombshell report. But rest assured, there isn't going to be a damned thing "revealed" on this show that the congressman doesn't want "revealed." In fact, he's not going to say anything he hasn't already said. This isn't about truth-telling, it's about rehabilitating his image so he can be reelected.

Think not? Well, according to the Chronicle:

"Bruce Cain, a political science professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said Condit's choice of a nationally televised interview shows his political priority – addressing concerns that the scandal has hurt his effectiveness in Congress. …"

"Cain said Condit's media advisers apparently believed it was best for the congressman dogged by allegations of affairs to be interviewed by a woman journalist."

Cain told the paper, "I think that's smart – if it works well – because if somehow he can establish a rapport with her and come across as sympathetic, that maybe goes a ways toward taking away some of the kind of feminist revulsion about the way he manipulates women."

Convinced? You should be. Remember that dear Congressman Condit has agreed to an interview of his making, on his terms and in his own sweet time. He has dodged all sorts of reporters for television, newspaper and Internet news agencies for months; now, suddenly, he "agrees" to talk to ABC? Come on.

Oh, but hey – ABC says this isn't a set up. Company spokesman Todd Polkes said ABC didn't agree to any limitations on the subject of Chung's questions.

"We're going to be well-prepared and ask him all the questions that people want answered," he said.

Yes, well, if you believe that then you believe the networks were also tough on Clinton and Lewinsky during those softball interviews. ABC will be asking the questions Condit has agreed to, period – questions that won't be revealing but will be good for his reelection bid.

Why do you think Condit agreed to let ABC instead of Fox News or, God forbid, Bill O'Reilly, interview him?

For ABC, obviously, this is a "status" thing – it makes the network look important and gives its executives a "one-up" to talk about with their colleagues at the other networks during Democratic Party fund-raisers.

But as a consumer of news, you should pass on this because frankly, it won't be worthy of your time.