Al's Morning Blog - Thursday January 12th, 2017

In my six decades of broadcasting, most of my interviews have been one on one. I have attended a few where a sports star or movie celebrity was involved. On those occasions, I always worried that I would ask a stupid question. My intent was to lay down something that no one else had used and one that would make said celebrity think I had pondered that question for more than 6 seconds. It didn’t always come out that way but I batted over 500. It’s tougher when you are doing a 1 on 1 for a 30-minute piece. You try to be careful and not repeat or get boring. So on that measure, I find no sympathy for people interviewing a Donald Trump. You know when you raise your hand you better bring your A game because he has brought his. You can look like the brightest bulb in the room or that of a complete dimwit. Questions can be asked in a way that doesn’t always go for the throat, but most interviewers, in an attempt for that 15 seconds of fame, cross the line. When they do it’s like being whistled out of bounds by the ref.  When the guy or gal in the room is very good at this, you better watch it. Give her due credit. Hillary Clinton knew how to bob and weave and answer or make the questioner look stupid. She did so without raising her voice. (At least most of the time.)