This week’s performance by Chris Wallace of Fox News, as moderator of the final presidential debate, shows there are always people out there quietly doing their job – in journeyman fashion – preparing for a moment they themselves cannot necessarily see coming.
Think of former Connecticut State Police spokesman Paul Vance who spent years helping the Connecticut news media explain routine crimes. When the school shooting at Sandy Hook happened, no one was better prepared to manage the tragedy as if it were just another day at the office.
Peggy Noonan, after beginning her career as a writer at CBS Radio, was similarly prepared to write the speech for President Reagan on the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch killing all on board.
After years of living in his father’s shadow and dutifully preparing for interviews with politicians practiced at avoiding straight answers, Wallace, at age 69, was obviously prepared to step up and turn in a performance that is already being offered as the best example of how to moderate a presidential debate.
