Bret Baier '92 Interview of President Obama Analyzed in Wall Street Journal

March 19, 2010

March 19, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — A Wednesday segment on FOX News Channel's Special Report With Bret Baier was "the most revealing and important broadcast interview of Barack Obama ever," writes Peggy Noonan in her Wall Street Journal column today. She declares, "the Baier interview was something, and right from the beginning." Bret Baier is a 1992 graduate of DePauw University.

Noonan recaps the conversation, which took place in the Oval Office, noting, "Throughout, Mr. Baier pressed the president. Some thought this bordered on impertinence. I did not ... Mr. Baier forced him off his well-worn grooves. He did it by stopping long answers with short questions, by cutting off and redirecting. In this he was like a low-speed bumper car. In the end the interview seemed to me a public service because everyone in America right now wants to see the president forced off his grooves and into candor on an issue [health care] that involves 17% of the economy.  Again, the stakes are high. So Mr. Baier's style seemed -- this is admittedly subjective -- not rude but within the bounds, and not driven by the antic spirit that sometimes overtakes reporters. He seemed to be trying to get new information. He seemed to be attempting to better inform the public."

You'll find the complete column at the Journal's Web site.

Bret Baier was featured in this December article.

In March 2008, Baier returned to his alma mater to discuss his career and to praise the virtues of a DePauw degree. A story with audio clips can be accessed here.

Back