Former DNC Chair guest hosts cable news’ top debate program
We’ve never been big fans of Terry McAuliffe here, so perhaps this opinion will come as no surprise. The former DNC Chair, apparently on hiatus from working on his book, How to Lose Two Elections, the Last to the Most Vulnerable Incumbent President in Decades, Without Losing Your Self-Esteem*, was sitting in for Alan Colmes last night on Fox News Channel’s squawk session, Hannity & Colmes. I have long thought of “McAwful” as the most loathsome legitimate political figure in the nation, but have always his style and delivery to be adequate. In the past, McAuliffe has come across as forceful and confident in his opinions.
As a television host, however, McAuliffe leaves much to be desired. Terry wilted under the bright lights last night, mumbling through most of his bits, missing the inflection changes, and rushing the applause lines when he tried to stick it to someone. During a segment with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), McAuliffe asked two questions so long and convoluted that nobody knew what was actually going on (Hatch looked like he was being tortured by hyenas). The poorly worded, poorly conceived questions also chewed up most of the time in the segment, making for a completely ineffective few minutes of television. The sad thing was that Durbin and Hatch were having a decent little exchange on the judicial filibusters but McAuliffe ruined it.
Never in his life has Alan Colmes looked so good.
*McAuliffe isn’t actually writing such a book, that we know of, but he should.
Eric adds: McAuliffe’s major problem, like most other guest hosts, was his ability to read the scripted portions. He just couldn’t blend the read material into the free flowing material. When he made the jump it was obvious as he started going twice as fast.
Also, the end of the show when he kept repeating that Hannity likes to touch guys was a little awkward.
Nathan Novak at 10:39 am
Any ruined Hannity show is a good thing. This is the ass mouth that links liberals with terrorists, as on the cover of his pseudo anthem of pure derelict fiction, derserves no less. Wake up! Your mind has been put on vacation and they are working your mouth overtime.
Comment by Evan MacKenzie — March 16, 2005 @ 4:34 pm