If you missed the hour-long interview between Tom Brokaw and President Bush, you missed an extraordinary bit of television.
Rarely does a president grant an extended interview like this on the run - Brokaw did the interview between war meetings and travel stops - without more control over the content.
The New York Times had a story today on their Web site about the broadcast. A transcript of the interview is also posted.
I also enjoyed the way that he batted away the thing that everyone has been making so much of a fuss about: anti-war comments by celebrities. To me, he put it in the context it deserved - that everyone has the freedom to speak their minds, as long as they understand the consequences.
Here's an excerpt from the story:
Mr. Bush also addressed the antiwar remarks of the Dixie Chicks, whose lead singer, Natalie Maines, said during a concert in London last month that she was "ashamed" that the president was a fellow Texan. Since then, the country superstars may have lost fans, but they are fighting back, in their fashion, by appearing naked on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
"I mean, the Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind," Mr. Bush said. "They can say what they want to say. And just because — they shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out. You know, freedom is a two-way street."