UPDATE: A reader notes we’re probably not going to win the CBS4 best political blog award again…

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Yesterday, CBS4's Karen Leigh "interviewed" the President. Note that we put interview in quotes because it barely qualifies. Leigh must have mistakenly thought she was on an episode of The View, not interviewing a President running for re-election. There is no other explanation for her utter failure to ask anything approaching a tough question.  

Check it out here:



There wasn't a single policy question, other than please, go ahead, use our air time to spout your talking points on the economy, gas prices and the military. Don't worry, we won't point out anything that contradicts your talking points — we don't prep our interviewers that well. 

The first tip that the interview was going to be a joke was Leigh's delivering printed comments from viewers to the President, as if we were still in the days of the Pony Express and the internet had yet to be invented.

The second tip was when Leigh used her first question to ask the President to talk more about a report put out by his administration. A real journalist would ask the President to defend criticism of his talking points. Not Leigh, she just wanted to listen to the President pontificate about all the great things his administration says his administration is doing. 

Karen Leigh, since you appeared to be basically just reading questions off a piece of paper, how about you print the following out for your next interview with Obama:

• Gas is nearing $4 a gallon. In 2008, your own Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, said he would like it to hit European levels, which are over $8 a gallon. What is Secretary Chu doing to get gas to $8 a gallon?

• You take credit for the increase in oil and gas production, yet new leases, permits and wells are off dramatically on federal lands throughout the West. How do you justify taking credit for energy production when your own administration is cutting off future production at the knees?  

• Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, formerly a US Senator from Colorado, has become hugely unpopular with Western Members of Congress.  Do you stand by him and the job that he is doing?

• Why hasn't stimulus worked better?  

• Where are the jobs?  

• Do you feel bad that Congresswoman Betsy Markey lost her job because you goaded her into voting for your healthcare bill?

If Obama's campaign is going to use the strategy of manipulating awe-struck local reporters, than those starry-eyed local reporters better be ready to be held to account.

CBS4, you should be embarrassed.