After proclaiming Hillary Clinton the ‘Most Fascinating Person’ of 2013, it should come as no surprise that Barbara Walters is still singing the former Secretary of State’s praises.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Walters revealed that she considers Clinton the hottest commodity in the world of journalism:
In more ways than one, Walters believes that such international excitement is part of the past. The public interest in world leaders is greatly diminished, she says, and even the leaders themselves are less charismatic. “There is no Fidel Castro, except for Fidel Castro,” she told me over lunch. “It’s not his brother, and it’s not his cousin. There is no Middle East leader like Sadat. There is no one like Margaret Thatcher. There are no huge world leaders that [make] people [say], ‘Oh, if you could only get an interview with so-and-so!’ If I got an interview with so-and-so, and I brought it back, [producers would] say, ‘We’ll give him two and a half minutes on G.M.A.’ It’s like visiting a country and nobody wears a native costume anymore. Maybe everybody’s just too similar. We’re reading the same things; we’re watching the same things. I can’t think of a world leader—I’m trying very hard—that everybody is dying to interview. I guess the closest you’ll come to it now is Hillary Clinton.”
Ignoring the fact she referred to communist dictator Fidel Castro “charismatic,” let's focus on Walters' obsession with putting Clinton on a pedestal. I hope I'm not the only one scratching my head over the mainstream media's love for the former First Lady. What, exactly, are her admirable accomplishments? I mean, the State Department spokesperson couldn't even name one.
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My favorite part of the interview was when Walters admitted they took ‘no formal polling’ to determine her ‘most fascinating people':
For Walters and Geddie, selecting the group was always more art than science; from New Year’s Day to Thanksgiving, they’d keep a running list of more than 100 possibilities and often make 11th-hour changes if whoever felt like a defining personality back in February didn’t radiate relevance come November. They did no formal polling, but, Walters says, “If you’re delivering the turkey sandwich, we ask your opinion. I might say, ‘Hi. How’s the turkey sandwich? Did you ever hear of so-and-so? You did? What do you think of him?’?”
Well earned Hillary.
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