Blitzer again failed to note Bush's contradictory statements on U.S. military action in Pakistan

Summary: Wolf Blitzer continued to tout his September 20 interview with President Bush, during which Blitzer failed to point out the contradiction between 1) Bush's assertion during the interview that he would "absolutely" send military forces into Pakistan to capture or eliminate Osama bin Laden if intelligence revealed that he was there, and 2) Bush's assertion at a press conference on September 15 that Pakistan is a sovereign nation and the United States would have to be invited in. Moreover, at no point during any of three segments touting the interview did Blitzer note this contradiction or Bush's myriad statements on the priority his administration placed on capturing bin Laden.

On the September 21 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer continued to tout his September 20 interview with President Bush, during which Blitzer failed to point out the contradiction between 1) Bush's assertion during the interview that he would "absolutely" send military forces into Pakistan to capture or eliminate Osama bin Laden if intelligence revealed that he was there, and 2) Bush's assertion at a press conference on September 15 that Pakistan is a sovereign nation into which the United States would have to be invited. Blitzer touted the interview during three separate segments: a discussion with Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and conservative radio host and former Reagan Education Secretary Bill Bennett; an interview with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright during which Blitzer described Bush's statement as "candid[]"; and a segment with CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntrye, during which Blitzer referred to Bush's "very forceful, very specific" statement that the United States "[a]bsolutely ... would take the action necessary to bring [bin Laden and other Al Qaeda targets] to justice." Not only did Blitzer fail to ask Bush about the contradiction, at no point during any of those segments did Blitzer note it or any other of Bush's myriad statements on the priority his administration placed on capturing bin Laden.

From the September 21 edition of CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer:

BLITZER: I interviewed, Donna, the president of the United States yesterday. And he made news by suggesting, you know what, even if the Pakistanis don't like it, the U.S., if it had actionable intelligence, would cross the line, go into Pakistan, sovereign Pakistani soil, and capture or kill bin Laden or other Al Qaeda operatives. Listen to this little clip.

[begin video clip]

BLITZER: If you had good actionable intelligence in Pakistan where they were, would you give the order to kill them or capture them?

BUSH: Absolutely.

BLIZTER: And go into Pakistan.

BUSH Absolutely.

BLITZER: Even though the Pakistanis say that's their sovereign territory?

BUSH: Absolutely. We would take the action necessary to bring them to justice.

[end video clip]

BLITZER: It's probably what the American public wants to hear. The question is the fallout. He's going to be meeting with [Pakistani] President [Pervez] Musharraf, and Musharraf wasn't very happy about that.

BRAZILE: Well, look. We knew that bin Laden was in sight in Tora Bora and we messed -- we messed up that opportunity. So I will hope that the president, when he meets with Mr. Musharraf, will clarify what he said. But if we have intelligence, credible intelligence that we know where bin Laden is, let's bring him to justice.

BENNETT: Well, I don't know who that reporter was, that clever reporter, bringing the president -- walking him down the garden. That was the back of your head, wasn't it?

BLITZER: Something like that.

BENNETT: Yeah, all right.

[...]

BLITZER: It's interesting. And you pointed out in your piece, Jamie, that when I interviewed John Abizaid, the overall U.S. military commander for the Central Command, which is in charge of that region, including Pakistan, earlier in the week, he clearly hinted that if they had the word that they knew where Osama bin Laden or others were, they would take action. The president was very forceful, very specific in saying absolutely they would do that. But there is concern that any such talk, even such talk, even if it's understood, could undermine President Musharraf, who is highly respected by the U.S. right now.

MCINTYRE: And that is the real danger, Wolf, by making any of this public. It's something that we sort of privately known that this would be the case. But one of the things you'll see if this should ever happen is the U.S. would be greatly emphasizing the Pakistani role -- cooperation, they might even try to give Pakistan credit for the kill if that would give President Musharraf some political cover.

[...]

BLITZER: We'll get to that shortly, Madam Secretary. But was it wise for President Bush yesterday to candidly acknowledge, you know what, if they knew, if they had actionable intelligence where bin Laden was, even across sovereign lines in Pakistan, they'd go after him?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I guess you asked him the question, so he had to respond. And I think he did have to make clear that we would go after Osama bin Laden.

—R.M.