As Much Value As King Tut

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper is in Egypt. America Worries. His Mother Worries

Posted on January 31, 2011 by samhenry


It’s like sending Prince William to Afghanistan on a state visit during a surge against the Taliban. CNN has sent the “Silver Fox,” Anderson Cooper, to Cairo. The US military has sent Special Forces to protect the US Embassy.

Question: How long will it be before the Special Forces have to leave the Embassy in order to get Anderson Cooper safely back to his fans and his mother? O for the days of that reporter who reported the first tomahawks to hit the domes of Bagdad as he sat on the floor of his hotel room? Or the CNN reporter whose exposure to overseas assignments just forced a kind of leave of absence? Those two had grit. They were always in sweaty short sleeves and out of breath and in tune with the action on the ground and their mothers had gone past worry.

Anderson can be relied upon to get people to say what CNN wants America to hear. One Egyptian tells him “We don’t want to live in a fundamentalist state. We are poor and want jobs.” Another one offers “we will not harm Israel. We have an agreement with them we will honor.” He ads, “the Muslim Brotherhood are no more in control here than any other faction.” Now don’t you feel better? It’s like an afternoon talk show transported. But hold, aren’t there any “Egyptians gleefully yelling, hey, our time is come. They have sent Anderson Cooper!”

Anderson tries to do straight up reporting but face it, HE is the news. He has become a “property.” Surely his locks are even insured. Anderson wears cloths that hug the body so that little air can enter to cool him so he’s of limited use in the tropics, yet he bravely goes there. He looks like he could be on his way scuba diving. The hair is coiffed and the mike clean. There is no dust in the frame. Yes he was in Haiti, OK, he was at the oil spill in New Orleans and before that for the hurricane. But even when he is bent perpendicular to the ground by hurricane force winds, Anderson is wearing a really boss parka and keeps his cool.

He knows his facts, he hits his marks. Egyptians know he has as much value as King Tut. CNN, why would you do this to Anderson? It is like watching Houdini in a tank of water hoping he can find the keys to unlock his handcuffs before his air runs out. Is this a dream? All of the feeds from the font are beginning to come together – CNN, al Jazeera – oh, God, tell me…it’s 11:32 EST – is that Anderson on tape or live?