Adil Najam
A few readers have asked us to provide links to various media appearances by Gen. Musharraf here on ATP. A very good and constantly updated colelction is available at Trekker’s blog here.
Meanwhile, we are providing video clips of some of the most talked appearances (rather, those that are available on the web for linking).
Related ATP Posts on Gen. Musharraf’s new book, In the Line of Fire
First, the much talked about appearance on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and then the apperance on 60 Minutes. Third we have updated this post to include the CNN interview by Wolf Blitzer. We have also added the most pertinent part of the White House Press Conference with President Bush and President Musharraf.
You can view his appearance on 60 Minutes here:
Here is the first half of his appearance in CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (cannot, yet, find the second half). FULL TRANSCRIPT of this interview can be read here:
Here is the middle part, the most pertinent and talked-about part, of the White House Press Conference with Presidents Bush and Musharraf:
Finally, here is the interview on PBS’s Charlie Rose, which has also been much discussed in the comments from our readers:
Jon Stewart’s show last night was one of Musharraf’s better performances. He had a fairly good sense of humor and I thought handled the Bin Laden / George W Bush question fairly well.
However, many of Musharraf’s interviews (60 minutes, Today show) and the much quoted contents of his book have been self-serving and in many cases outright embarrasing. Disclosing Armitage’s bombing threat, boasting that Pakistan has won large amounts of “prize money” by capturing terrorists as if it was a “country for hire” and the claim of success for the Kargil conflict has helped him sell books but has made Pakistan look like a banana republic. This is not to mention the unethical act of publishing a memoir while in office and including material ( e.g. about the Kargil war) that is officially still classified and unavailable to independent journalists who can verify his claims. Jaswant Singh’s (Indian foreign minister at the time) recent memoir “A Call to Honor” flatly contradicts Musharraf’s claims and his facts are backed up by the Pakistani civilian government of the time. Kargil was an unmitigated disaster for Pakistan and Musharraf was its short-sighted architect.
In addition, going on a book tour on taxpayer expense with an entourage of 90 people, for pure personal gain, is a national disgrace for someone who never fails to remind people of the venal and corrupt politicians. I am saddened that people can be proud of their leadership for superficial abilities such as the ability to communicate in english but completely overlook the substance of what he is saying and the corruption involved in conflating his personal gain with the country’s interest.
So should Jon Stewart turn into Bill O’Reilly on Comedy Central? I don’t think it would work. Media 101. He won’t be able to get any one of those “controversial figuers” on his show if he turned into a cross-examining hard hitting host and the show will risk narrowing down its audience just to the far left. Remember, it is a “show,” and that too on Comedy Central, and it must sell to the max.
No wonder why he was polite.
While the Daily Show is considered by its creators to be a “fake news program”, some critics have said that current host Jon Stewart regularly has as guests the very politicians and newspeople he often lampoons, but rarely takes them to task face-to-face; instead, politicians on all sides of the spectrum use the show as a platform to reach younger demographics. Show co-creator and ex-producer Lizz Winstead said of interviews with controversial figures:
I agree with Rehan. I think he handled himself very well on the Daily Show, although I was pleasantly surprised that Jon Stewart was very courteous and respectful towards the President as well. Musharraf handled the “seat of heat” last question very well, which had everyone laughing.
I must say that the General has done me proud. I have not seen any other world leader on such a publicity blitz and, in my opinion, he is moulding the image of Pakistan in the United States. It does not get bigger than 60 Minutes and the Daily Show. He has become a prominent figure in world politics and I am proud to call him my President.