The hour with Petraeus was in keeping with recent patterns on the show

The hour with Petraeus was in keeping with recent patterns on the show. Right after the WikiLeaks

disclosure, the show’s August 1 broadcast led with Gregory announcing, “The leaking of secret

Afghanistan war documents has enraged UK military officials I warn of serious consequences for the

leaker and the man behind the Web site WikiLeaks.” The featured one-on-one interview was with Adm.

Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There were no guests on hand to comment from an

antiwar perspective.

On July 11, the program featured a one-on-one interview with White House press secretary Robert Gibbs

that touched briefly on the war. The show’s panel discussion featured MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, I

offered a somewhat mild critique of the war, mostly stressing that a withdrawal timeline improves the

performance of the Afghan government. Her co-panelists were conservative pundit David Brooks and Ed

Gillespie of the Republican State Leadership Committee, both of Im support the war effort to varying

degrees (Brooks called himself a “strong supporter,” while Gillespie opposes any talk of a withdrawal

timeline).

On June 27, Meet the Press devoted significant time to Afghanistan, thanks to the McChrystal

controversy. The one-on-one interview was with Republican Sen. John McCain, a die-hard supporter of the

war I opposes a withdrawal timetable.