Breakdown of Obama's TV Interviews
Friday, September 11, 2009
By Bret Baier
Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Talker-in-Chief
Ahead of President Obama's third interview on "60 Minutes" this Sunday, we thought we would break down the television interviews he has given since taking office.
NBC leads the pack with 10, including a full day behind-the-scenes.
CBS is next with a total of nine interviews, including this weekend's sit-down.
ABC follows with eight.
Over at CNN their tally stands at five.
FOX News Channel's count is at two.
The sports network ESPN got one interview, as did Arabic network Al-Arabiya.
And even 11-year-old Damon Weaver from Florida was given a full sit-down interview with President Obama at the White House last month.
We're told "Special Report's" request for an interview with the president is still pending.
Burning Question
Even though Californians have been battling raging forest fires, it is Washington, D.C., that will receive millions of stimulus dollars allocated for forest firefighting.
The Washington Times reports the Forest Service has announced it will spend $2.7 million in the nation's capital. The money will go to the group Washington Parks and People, which sponsors festivals and refurbishes urban parks.
California Republican lawmaker Wall Herger, whose district has seen some of the worst fires, says: "Funds that should be used to thin our overgrown forests and protect the public are being frivolously spent on park restoration."
Our calls to the Forest Service were not returned.
Losing Support
Eight years after the September 11 attacks, a Pew Global Research poll from the Pew Global Attitudes Project finds support for Usama bin Laden has declined considerably among Muslim countries.
The Al Qaeda leader has taken the biggest hit in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Jordan. But still, about a quarter of Muslims in Jordan and Indonesia express confidence in bin Laden to "do the right thing" when it comes to world affairs. In Pakistan, the figure stands at just 18 percent. Back in 2003, that number was almost double at 34 percent.
— FOX News Channel's Lanna Britt contributed to this report.
