The choice of CBS News Political Director
John Dickerson to take over as host of "Face the Nation" when Bob Schieffer retires this summer is a mistake, says Joe Concha.
Concha, who his host of "The Daily Wrap" on
Newsmax TV weekdays at 6 p.m. Eastern, writes in his column for
Mediaite that Dickerson risks being seen as far more partisan than Schieffer, who has worked at CBS for 46 years and hosted "Face the Nation" since 1991.
Schieffer is viewed as fair to all sides, which has earned him a spot as moderator in the last three presidential elections, Concha notes. Dickerson, by contrast, has a record of partisanship.
Concha points to a January 2013 article Dickerson wrote for Slate titled
"Go for the Throat! Why if he wants to transform American politics, Obama must declare war on the Republican Party."
"Obama’s only remaining option is to pulverize," Dickerson wrote in the days leading up to Obama's second inauguration. "Whether he succeeds in passing legislation or not, given his ambitions, his goal should be to delegitimize his opponents."
Concha admits the words are tame by comparison to what is read in partisan blogs from both sides. But, he adds, "please remember this is coming from the political director of CBS News. With that job comes great power and a certain responsibility to at least try to appear objective."
The incestuous relationship between the press and the political world is nothing new, Concha points out, with 30 former journalists now working for President Barack Obama. That's not to mention the plethora of Fox News and CNN pundits who have rotated out of political jobs.
But in making Dickerson as host of the network's prestigious Sunday morning news program, CBS News President David Rhodes made a "curious" choice, Concha says.
The partisan tie-in reflects the obvious tie that Rhodes himself has to the Obama administration: His brother, Ben, is White House deputy national security adviser.
Concha believes Norah O'Donnell, who has filled in for Schieffer recently, would have been a stronger choice.
"So why did Rhodes go with Dickerson? It’s certainly not because of talent or audience trust," Concha writes.
"Remember, this is the same David Rhodes who helped make life very uncomfortable for Sharyl Attkisson at CBS … So uncomfortable, in fact, that she resigned after nearly two decades after one-too-many stories by Attkisson critical to the administration on Benghazi (which Ben Rhodes played a key role in via changing talking points)."
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