When an Interview Is Definitely a Blow-Job

Oh, this one merits an entire blogger ethics conference. So you’ve got the announcement for a rare public interview of a very important person.

Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, who helped shapethe nation’s economic and monetary policy for almost 19 years, talksabout the people he met, the issues he faced and the crises he helpedmanage during five different administrations. Greenspan discusses theworld we now live in, with a global capitalist economy that is moreflexible, resilient, open, self-directing and fast-changing than ever.Greenspan is the author of a new book, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, to be published by The Penguin Press on September 17.

That’s nice, you might say to yourself. I’d sure like to show up and watch this interviewer really skewer Greenspan for irresponsibly talking up ARM mortgages, leading predictably to the mortgage crunch that is about to start accelerating badly. It’ll be nice to see him forced to answer for the foolishness.

Only then you read further and see who is the "interviewer" who you hoped might actually pose some tough questions to Greenspan.

He is interviewed in this rare public appearance by the person whoknows him best, his wife, Andrea Mitchell, who covers politics andforeign policy for NBC News.

You were one of the most powerful men in the fiscal world for almost half my lifetime. Yet you can’t face live questions from someone who isn’t your wife?