30 November 2006

You've heard the expression "gone to the dogs"--well, this next item goes to the CATS.

First, a little background. When a VIP (the president, VP, Sec of Defense or Sec of State goes on a big overseas trip, the networks all get together and set up a "pool" to cover the event(s). Each network takes turns doing these pools and everyone shares in the product. For Secretary Rice's trip to Amman, Jordan--NBC was the pool. Part of the duties for whoever is doing the pool is to write pool "notes" about what happened, what time it happened, and any interesting "color" to the events. Today's installment is from NBC anchor Brian Williams. He's describing a series of interviews Rice gave to some of the networks outside the Dead Sea Marriott:

"Fox went before us in the interview order, and their correspondent tried awfully hard to continue the interview with a straight face... after the conversation was interrupted... by a cat. The pool/beach-front deck at the Dead Sea Marriott is a sea of cats. At one table, we counted four felines, each of them seated in a different chair. These cats are of a tough and saucy breed. They have visible swagger. It's close to a strut, actually. One of them made off with the sandwich that had been the intended lunch of the CBS cameraman. The cats, as far as I could tell, run the place. When our cameraman tried to apprehend the cat that had been running around the interview, the cat objected loudly and clawed at him. Finally, after another cat interruption, a member of the security detail that surrounds the Secretary picked up the cat and tossed it off the patio, as several of us looked on, certain that this was a first in the annals of Secretary of State interviews. We're pretty sure the offending cat landed on its feet and is resting comfortably tonight."

Thanks to my friends at mediabistro.