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Full-Court Charm Press
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shepard Smith has met the enemy and he is charmed. And capable of being charming under the most stressful circumstances.
The Fox News anchor had a little nosh and schmooze with the Atlanta Press Club Thursday and he seemed grateful to be greeted by applause. Considering the circumstances, and all …
“I’m sort of in enemy territory here,” Smith drawled to a lunchtime audience at the Commerce Club downtown. “People are wearing red, but it’s the wrong red. I’m terrified of Saturday. Please be nice and clean up after yourselves in The Grove. Unlike LSU fans.”
Yep, he was talking football. Specifically, Saturday’s faceoff in Oxford between the undefeated University of Georgia bulldogs and the — well, let’s just say, the NOT undefeated University of Mississippi Rebels (A Holly Springs, Mississippi, native, Smith went to Ole Miss and is still a season ticket holder for football there). He was NOT referencing the fact that he was making this appearance just a couple of blocks from rival CNN’s world headquarter, and that Fox has set up shop today right under CNN’s noses. Smith and Greta Van Susteren are broadcasting three shows live at 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce overlooking Centennial Olympic Park.
It’s part of Fox News’ 10th anniversary “Thank You America” tour. And, according to Smith, the occasionally overheated rivalry’s all pretty much in good fun.
“We do a lot of playing with our neighbors across the street here, but the truth is, we’re in this business because CNN created this business,” Smith said, while some “ooh’s” rippled through the room. “We have the utmost respect for them, and I have great friends at CNN and I admire the work they’ve done. But you know, if we sometimes treat it like the football game between Ole Miss and Georgia … When the game begins with a cheer, ‘We’ll swat you like a bug,’ well, you just sometimes keep going.”
From war in Lebanon to blogs, Smith covered a host of other topics in a 20 minute talk, followed by a lively question-and-answer session. The most interesting moment may have come when someone asked him about Sunday’s fiery interview between Fox News’ Chris Wallace and former president Bill Clinton:
“If you read the question, if you take all the hype and spin out, the question, I believe was ‘Why did you not do more to get bin Laden before it happened?’” Smith said. “Bill Clinton said that was a fair question. He said what wasn’t fair was that he hadn’t asked that question of other people.”
Smith continued his thoughtful breakdown of the exchange before finally concluding: “Chris Wallace didn’t ask a bad question, Bill Clinton was coming off a bad week, and that thing spiraled into some FINE television. Was anything accomplished? No.”
And speaking of spirals, the last and obviously toughest question for Smith concerned — you guessed it — football. Got a prediction for Saturday’s game, Shep?
“Well, I ain’t one for prognosticating, but I can see the Rebels have got trouble,” he sighed heavily, brightening only slightly at the thought of Georgia’s inexperienced quarterback corps. “I say, ‘Start that freshman! Start that freshman!’”
Comments
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By Hobnail Boot
September 28, 2006 3:52 PM | Link to this
One more reason to dislike Shep Smith.
By Geoff
September 28, 2006 3:53 PM | Link to this
Go Dawgs!
By Randy
September 28, 2006 4:16 PM | Link to this
Fox news is always welcome here in the conservative south.
By 2N4YEARS
September 28, 2006 4:30 PM | Link to this
I think Shep is a fine reporter. You don’t have to be a Republican to like Fox News, regardless of what your fellow Democrats have taught you. GO DAWGS!
By jacque
September 28, 2006 5:13 PM | Link to this
Shepard is a great journalist and I’m glad he’s in Atlanta. CNN could use a few anchors like him instead of the nuts they currently have.
By tammy
September 28, 2006 5:15 PM | Link to this
I agree with jacque. Paul Begala on CNN makes me throw up, what a hot-head.
By Francesco
September 28, 2006 5:45 PM | Link to this
Once a used to have satellite tv and for fun watch some of the most outrageous controlled propaganda TV from countries like Iraq (Saddam Iraq), I must say that Fox News along with its reporters is getting very close to these type of TV. They continuously avoid bad news and tough interviews on some of the current disasters such as the Iraq war, they have extreme and dangerous commentators and have some sort of sick hate of the French (never recognizing that may be US would be better today if they just had listened to the French back in 2003.
More sad is that CNN is not much better and has worsened in the last years. Fortunately we can still watch BBC!!
By Liberal Drive By
September 28, 2006 6:52 PM | Link to this
Paul Begala is a hot-head but O’Reilly and Hannity are mild as dolphins. Yeah right.
By LJ
September 28, 2006 7:17 PM | Link to this
All you Fox-Bush Butt Kissers need to get a life and tune in Keith Olberman on MSNBC. He tells it like it is.
By Larry
September 28, 2006 7:24 PM | Link to this
Are you kidding me? Keith Olbermann couldn’t cut it anchoring sports - and he is even worse trying to do the news.
By richard
September 28, 2006 7:52 PM | Link to this
I grew up listening to CBS, ABC, and NBC All liberal. One sided News. Never any view point, but liberal. What a joy it is to hear we have just a wonderful country. Liberal are always negative. Always mean and know it alls. Thanks for giving us another viewpoint FOX.
By Foxsucks
September 28, 2006 10:53 PM | Link to this
When Keith Olbermann was on ESPN, he had one of the best lines ever. While discussing the Tanya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan knee-bashing incident, he said “This incident (shows that) there are two things we need less of in this world; violence, and figure skating”.
By Bill
September 29, 2006 3:27 PM | Link to this
Actually, Shep’s one of the most ‘fair & balanced’ guys at FNC. He really ripped into Bill Kristol a few days ago about an assertion that Bush would send in more troops to Iraq ‘after’ the election and how stupid it would be.
Remember how he nailed Hannity when he was in New Orleans, pretty much calling Hannity a liar about what was going on after the levees broke.
I like Shep, I like Olberman….a couple of guys who aren’t afraid to go after the truth.
By wmac
September 29, 2006 11:24 PM | Link to this
Fox is still like the little brother, who annoys the s** out of you..CNN is a GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK..it’s apples and oranges