It took all of seven seconds for David Letterman to cut Rod Blagojevich off at the knees during the disgraced politician’s “Late Show” appearance last week.

The episode was a reminder of Letterman’s least appreciated skill. The monologue is fun, the “Top Ten” list an inspired creation, but often the best work on the “Late Show” comes when Letterman interviews the people invited to sit across from him.

Letterman rarely avoids or glosses over difficult subjects, drilling in with a journalist’s tenacity that he sometimes masks with a self-effacing attitude, and sometimes not. He uses humor to lighten a mood or make a specific point. His personality rarely allows him to conceal what he’s really thinking, setting him apart from most journalists.

Many of those qualities were in evidence when the former Illinois governor stopped by on his impeachment media tour.[read more...]