The Situation Room Review

I remember Wolf Blitzer when he was a newsman.  At least I think I recall him as a newsman.  No matter.

Wolf has had a rough patch these last couple of years.  First he had to idly sit by while Howie Mandel landed the plumb spot on Deal or No Deal.  But then again, the show was new and untested and maybe Howie just got lucky.

But the real prize, the prize of iconic proportion was dangled in October, 2007.  After 35 years, Bob Barker had left The Price is Right.  Everything seemed right about it.  This must be God's plan after-all.  One can only imagine the rejection Wolf experienced when he learned he had once again been passed over, this time by none other than Drew Carey (Everyman).  The indignity!

A lesser man might have just retreated and sulked, but Wolf is made of sterner stuff.  He went back to his position as host of CNN's The Situation Room more determined than ever to leave his mark and become a truly self-made icon.

You're in The Situation Room

Fronting four enormous TV monitors Wolf can be seen Monday - Friday between 4PM and 7PM Eastern Time.  Most often the monitors are ganged together to treat us to one gignormous window into one horrific disaster or another.  Holding notes to which he never refers in one hand and a pen that he holds backwards in the other he almost gleefully brings these disasters into our homes.

During the past couple of months we've been treated to Wolf seemingly rooting for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Today, as the House of Representatives voted down the massive $700B bailout bill, Wolf took delight in showing us the effect of this failure on the stock market.  When the final bell rang and the market ended down 777 points, one could only wonder if even a brand new pair of Depends could accommodate his excitement.

Breakaways

During the show, Wolf breaks away often to either Jack Cafferty or Lou Dobbs.  Now if you're familiar with Cafferty and Dobbs you know they suffer fools poorly, if at all.  Props to them for being able to keep a straight face during these interactions.  I can't begin to imagine the pain they suffer from having to bite their tongues when fielding Wolf's inane questions.

My Viewpoint

Okay, you notice my rating of this show.  It's abysmal.  But then, I'm rating The Situation Room as a news program.  But, if you tilt your head a little to the left and view it as a game show, it's pure gold!  Tune in if for nothing more than the entertainment value.

To Wolf I say, hang in there.  Both Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek are starting to look a little long in the tooth.  Sometimes dreams do come true.

That's just my opinion.  I could be wrong.

Rudi