Telecom Immunity and Ingrid Betancourt

Yesterday I learned how to give a tour of the Capitol. As we were walking into the Crypt, I noticed that the Senate was voting on cloture for the FISA immunity bill. As I was learning about the famous paintings of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, Senator Obama was first violating his own promise to support a filibuster of telecom immunity, and then voting to undermine the Constitutional guarantee of a fair trial. It happened just like that, while I was in that building. He betrayed his message to the American people and proved his neoconservative credentials. I saw soon after that the vote must be over because Ted Stevens walked past us.

I went home and watched Larry King interview Ingrid Betancourt. What I saw at the top of the hour shocked me. Betancourt had not spoken English in seven years; she was quiet, and slow to speak, and if it weren't for her mitigating celebrity status, she wouldn't have lasted two minutes on a talk show.

KING: You said that you suffered terribly during the captivity.

What was the worst thing you experienced?

BETANCOURT: (Thirty seconds of silence)

I think that the worst thing is... (twenty seconds of silence)

Realizing that mankind — that... that human beings can be so horrible to other human beings.

KING: Do you hate the FARC?

BETANCOURT: No, not at all.

KING: You don’t?

BETANCOURT: No, no. I don’t — first, it’s like a kind of position I took many years ago, that when I would be released, I wouldn’t take out of the jungle any kind of bitterness or any kind of eager to — seek for revenge, anything of that. And now that I am out, I feel that I’m, like, in another planet. It seems so far. Those people seem so — I mean, aliens to me, you know? I mean, I’m so — it’s incredible how in a week the distance between that life and this life.

I mean, it’s — well, I don’t — I — the only thing I want is — I pray God to give them his blessing. I want — I don’t want to forget, but I want to forgive

There was no acknowledgment that these were not the sort of answers King had expected, that she was showing surprising dignity, humility, and compassion for someone who just a week ago was trapped and suffering horribly. By any standards she was making a beautiful performance, on par with the deep understanding of Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet Larry King represented the worst of yellow journalism, saying things like "The obvious question: were you sexually mistreated?" An obvious question to no-one except a modern cable news reporter.

KING: Can you give us an example of what they did?

BETANCOURT: No, Larry no. I’m not ready for that, you know. I just — I don’t want to fill myself with those memories. I want to —

KING (cutting her off): I understand completely. Did you see anybody at all killed?

BETANCOURT: No.

KING: (waits five seconds for her to elaborate)

...all right.

This must be among the lowest points of American journalism. Cable news is a travesty of the heart that I hope will soon pass from this world.

Afterwards I watched Ted Koppel's report on China but it only made me anxious so I won't talk about that too much.