Political reporters love a certain type of question that seeks to under-mind those hours of preparation that politicians subject themselves to prior to a news conference, a one-on-one interview or the grand daddy of them all a political debate where the pol’s job is on the line.
The drill is simple. The boss sits around a table with all of his or her high-priced handlers and they pepper him or her with every imaginable question crafty correspondents are likely to pop on them. The object is, obviously, to avoid any embarrassing “wrong” answers that could damage one’s career. Think, “I know Jack Kennedy and Mr. Quayle, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
More often than not the prep work works like a charm. And you can tell that’s the case if you look at the handlers in the background as they smile, grin, highfive when they hear an inquiry they have anticipated and rehearsed.
