Last night during, on BBC America, the BBC broadcast all evening what I believe to be the same election coverage that was shown on BBC 1. That was an interesting different perspective, even though most of the commentators in studio were from the US. (Which seems fair since they would be the most knowledgeable on the subject.)
I was surprised at the rather disorganized nature of the broadcast. Quite often the host David Dimbleby never knew what was on screen, people were regularly cut off in mid-sentence as things popped up. It wasn’t the by-the-numbers production I would have expected from the BBC.
A couple of highlights: The Gore Vidal Interview in which Gore Vidal appeared to be, simultaneously, unable to hear Dimbleby, stoned, senile and belligerent… but mostly just incoherent.
And then (actually they occurred in reverse order) John Bolton, George W. Bush’s embarrassing one-time choice for US-UN Ambassador, was a talking head on the program at times. (Bolton was embarrassing because instead of being a “straight shooter” he’s always just an ass, and gives the impression he dislikes the UN and foreigners. – Good thinking when you made that choice, George.)
Anyway, Bolton was, typically, combative.
At one point, an in-the-field reporter was interviewing (If I recall correctly) the head of the Colorado Republican Party. He asked him if it was a surprise that a state that typically votes Republican was voting for a Democrat. The party official responded by stating the reporter doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The report asks, something like, “What do you mean, Colorado has voted for a Republican president the last 9 out of 10 times?” The party official proceeded to aggressively argue they elect lots of Democrats, talking about congressmen and governors. The BBC reporter kept trying to bring it back to the presidential election, which is what he was talking about. The party official just kept accusing him of being ignorant of the facts.
When they returned, Dimbleby turned it over to Bolton, who in his best asshole form said,
What a pillock.