Women and Politics II - Diane Sawyer's Blunder

For days, ABC's "Good Morning America" heavily promoted Diane Sawyer's interview with the so-called "Sweet Sixteen"--the 16 women in the U.S. Senate, which aired yesterday and will continue this morning. The interview did offer some interesting insights--especially the perceived need of many of these powerful women to emphasize their willingness to go to war, if circumstances warranted. Despite their increasing stature, these politicians still are required to prove that they are "tough enough" for the Oval Office.

The editing of individual comments was too abrupt at times and, for whatever reason, Democrats were given much more air time than the GOP women. My main complaint about the piece, however, occurred in its opening seconds and almost derailed the entire interview. Sawyer opened the segment by asking the women what they thought of Barrack Obama's movement toward a presidential run. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) tried to keep the focus on the potential history-making presidential candidate sitting next to her, Hillary Clinton, and Hillary herself appeared awkward. Sawyer couldn't resist trying to get some "news" out of the event. However, she already had a great story sitting right in front of her--the largest number of women ever serving at one time in the U.S. Senate.

To focus the first moments of the interview--when most viewers are paying closest attention--on a male politician was unnecessary and undermined the entire point of the piece. By going for a cheap scoop, Sawyer reinforced the notion of politics as, first and foremost, a man's game.