Who knew a wedding invitation could cause so much trouble?
Martha Raddatz is coming under fire for not disclosing that Barack Obama attended her wedding, all the way back in 1991. (The Daily Beast has more.)
ABC News defended her in a statement yesterday. This is no surprise, as ABC News’ own credibility is threatened.
I think for the sake of completeness — and avoiding these sorts of awkward situations — Raddatz should have disclosed the connection. But given that Obama was a Harvard Law School student at the time, it’s hardly indicative of bias. Especially, if he came as her then-husband’s classmate and not her personal friend.
Cynics might suggest the conservative brouhaha is a way of shielding Ryan from possible negative publicity post-debate. But the Romney campaign doesn’t appear to be using that strategy — a spokesman said the campaign has “no concerns.”
In the end, I suspect these concerns will be overshadowed by what actually happens at the debate.
But what else can we expect from Raddatz? Jay Rosen suggested today that the Commission on Presidential Debates might have intended for Lehrer to take a hands off approach, or as Rosen calls it, being a “vanishing moderator.”
Raddatz is a newcomer to moderating debates on the national level, but not to politics. At least, not entirely. She covered several campaigns at ABC’s Boston affiliate, WCVB-TV back in the 80s and early 90s. But most of her career was in national security and foreign affairs. Those topics certainly intersect with politics, but it isn’t the same as being on a political beat.
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