Mitchell For “Meet The Press”

Under the helm of Lawrence Spivak and Tim Russert, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was the leader in Sunday morning political talk shows. So powerful, it oftentimes set the agenda on Capitol Hill. Its competitors are copy cats.

With the untimely death of Russert at age 56, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw stepped in and wishes not to continue. NBC may be passing the torch to up and coming reporter and fill-in “Today” show host David Gregory. Executives said it is not a done deal.

Gregory earned his bones as an aggressive White House correspondent grilling President Bush on the Iraq war. He’s become a player in Washington D.C. social circles.

He is not ready for the most prestigious job on Sunday television.

Andrea Mitchell is.

Mitchell is the best reporter in NBC’s news arsenal. She knows the players. She is obscenely qualified as her experience draws on nearly 30 years of quality reportage.

She has on the air masked her personal biases. She has instant credibility not only from her peers but the power people she covers and — most importantly — the viewers.

In short, she is the perfect candidate to moderate “Meet the Press.”

Of course, she may have turned down the job if offered. She may have retirement in sight and live out her days with her husband, former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan.

Too bad. Mitchell offers what Gregory and other candidates for the position cannot: the perception of bi-partisan fairness.

Gregory hosted “The Race For The White House” on MSNBC during the past presidential campaign. Whether unintentional or not, viewers — especially those coaxed by the right-wing opinonators on Fox cable — considered the show a rooting section for Barack Obama.

However, since the show renamed to “1600 Pennsylvania” after the Nov. 4 election, Gregory has improved the format to a more informational guide to how Obama will govern.

But the stigma of a Democrat partisan remains.

Gregory has long been considered a replacement for Matt Lauer on NBC’s goldmine morning “Today” show. As an observer and political junkie, that would be an ideal job for Gregory.

The list of contenders at one time included Mitchell, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, MSNBC host Chris Matthews; PBS host Gwen Ifill; CNN correspondent John King; and even the “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric, who had been a longtime host of “Today.”

Gregory is under contract at NBC until January 2010.

cross posted on The Remmers Report