Interns, by the very nature of their age and experience should be naive, open-eyed, eager, and anxious to learn. All of yours sound like they have those qualities. We need that to balance what those of us with older eyes have seen. The real tragedy in our society is the jaded, pessimistic, disinterested youth who could use a little of that naivete. I wish they were out there in the streets trying to stop the war, rebuild Louisiana and Mississippi, volunteering for the Peace Corps - anything. And by the way, nice retort Brian. Can you post something about how kids can apply for internship opportunities? I've got one about 3 years away from being ready for a summer like that and she's a news junkie already.

Hope you enjoyed Dallas - taught there for a few years, hose, heels, and dress required no matter what the temperature - recess duty was something else!

Brian -
I so enjoy reading your daily blog and watch your newscast as often as possible. The way in which you defended the NBC summer intern was truly refreshing and heartwarming. You are a man of true character and integrity. Thanks for keeping it real.

Rumsfeld is either a liar and a war criminal or a senile old man without a clue about what he said last year - or what goes on during his watch.

Who knew? The aministration knew. They only had a plan to knock out Saddem Hussian. The major players in this administration didn't have a plan for after the government was taken out. For anyone in the administration to not acknowledge that Iraq would have been thrown into civil war, is living on fantacy island. Just look at the history of the Middle East. This administration thought it was going to be less difficult to build a government and country than it truly is. Each religious based group of people wants a piece of the apple(government). Each believes that they deserve it. So if one or two groups feel slighted or ignored than they will fight for their cause. To prove that they are right. At this point we the U.S. are the most hated country by these same groups. Add that to the fire it was bound to get out of control. Each day goes by the is more US military getting wounded or killed. This begs the question, just how much more blood needs to be spilled before this administation decides to pull our troops out, let alone act on it. This civil war will cost U.S. military lives, all in the name of somebody elses democracy and freedoms. For that matter what side would this administration be by. Realisticly this administration caused this civil war to happen, due their lack of good planning, focus of the goal, and plan old fashion my way or the highway attitude. Any U.S. military blood is spilled due to this civil war in Iraq is the fault of this war hungry administration. Their hands will be covered will blood for the rest of their lives. It is time to really speak out and stand our ground about this issue, America.

Thank you for defending the intern, but equally important, for telling the anonymous jerk to sign their name next time!!! I value the integrity, leadership, and intelligence you have shown in this post, as well as all of your broadcasts and blogs.
This is why I am a loyal viewer. Y'all do a fabulous job, keep up the good work!

Brian-

Way to stick up for the kid - I hate cheap shot artists. They're the sort of people who equate Max Cleland with terrorist and Bronze-Star winners with cowards. What a confused society we live in.

Brian,
Some great news today, which I hope you will consider for your closing piece on this Friday evening: Kimberly Dozier's release from the hospital! There is great Barbaro news too. Cheers.

Brian...you are my hero! Any chance you could help my 6 yo out with bullies? I agree whole heartedly that for every supportive and insightful posting, there are sadistic abusive ones which are cruel to encounter, regardless of one's age or education. These interns are someone's children. Thanks for modelling thoughtful and considerate supervisory advocacy.

I work and still can't afford a family vacation. After what our president has put this country through (numerous wars we can't win, allowing open borders, high gas prices, massive debt etc. etc. etc.) I'm not so sure he IS deserving of a vacation. This country has lost all credibility both abroad and here at home. This president has a lot of work to do and needs to do it now and not pass this mess he made on to someone else. I'm disgusted by it all. I hope you all enjoy your vacations as we who cannot, continue to work for a future that increasingly looks worse, rather than better, for our children.

I have enjoyed watching the NBC nightly news for many years now, but I find myself switching the channel in frustration over many of the stories done and not put into the proper context. For instance, Abu Grab prisoner abuse story got so much attention from your news cast at the same time a recent report on the more prevalent abuses of the solders by the prisoners at the same facility were made public; however, I hear no mention of this. There seems to be a all most non-stop criticism of the war and highlighting of the many tragedies, yet we never hear about any of the good stories coming out of Iraq and the many accomplishments made. More importantly, would be some positive stories about our solders. As a concerned fan I would hope when NBC news does a story they take the time to put the story into its proper context and show a more balanced prospective.

That drive-by attack on one of the interns was the pits. Seems that while the great majority of human beings are decent folks who'd treat others as they'd like to be treated, there are the mean-spirited few who like to show how tough they are, how they think they're smart, and anything goes.

While like Don I have had my criticisms on NBC Nightly (in my case, regarding news judgment in particular, and even then I make every effort, usually successfully, to keep my complaints "kinder and gentler") I would never stoop so low as to attack an intern. Glad to see how you stuck up for him. All the interns I've read so far are wonderful!

It's a pity you're not stopping in New Orleans to anchor after having anchored from Dallas last night--as always, a lot's going on there that's worthy of NBC Nightly's outstanding news coverage, which is being neglected. A stop in New Orleans to bring viewers up to date on the rebuilding effort and the hardships her people still experience would be far more worthwhile than just returning to New York and covering the "same old same old." I'm just afraid of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast's being forgotten, that after the 1-year anniversary of Katrina the New Orleans bureau could close down and the area will revert to being "flyover country"--which is the last thing people who are still struggling to recover and suffering the storm's aftereffects need.

Good defense Brian, well deserved by your interns!

You guys do a better job than most of covering the news. That's probably why I was so disappointed in the "he said, she said" coverage of Rumsfeld's testimony before the Senate committee today. In the exchange with Hillary Clinton he responded that she'd have a "Dickens of a time" finding that he'd exaggerated the good or downplayed the bad in Iraq.

He's testified lots of times on the Hill and you have access to all the tapes. Instead of cutting the report there and letting his statement stand you could have/should have had an intern dig through his testimony from the past 2 years and see what he did actually say - not accept and broadcast what he claimed to have said. That way, we - the viewing public - would know for sure.

One of the reasons many people - me included - like "The Daily Show" is that they take a statement like that and say, "Oh really" then play clips that show it to be complete and utter nonsense. I'm not saying Rumsfeld wasn't being truthful. I'm saying you didn't do your job by broadcasting his soundbite without showing us that it was true or untrue.

You can do better. You should do better. You're NBC News for goodness sake.

brian, i would hope that you would broadcast from phoenix in the near future. we have two serial killers on the loose and i feel your reporting would bring this horrible story to the nation and we could catch these horrible human beings. and of course, the people of arizona love you and your work with NBC News.

Hi Brian - I watched the hearing from beginning to end and recognized the Senator Clinton remarks as her hope for a soundbite. Lindsay Graham always surprises me with his knowledge of facts that no one else seems to find. Did any of the cables air this? I was watching on CSPAN.

Re: Presidential 'vacations'. In this day and age with all the electronic bells and whistles, the President can do his job no matter where he is. To deny or question anyone about time off to spend at home is to not understand the world as it is today. He is the President 24/7 no matter where he is.

I read about a football coach in Miami who turned down the President's invitation to have dinner. What I never found out was why would he refuse the invitation - one could always just talk sports with this President and have a great time.
Joan Chapman, Cheshire, CT

No question but that the situation in Iraq is worse than ever. It is time to put aside all opinions that we shouldn't be there in the first place, even if those opinions are correct. The question is: What to do about the situation we currently face.

Many of us simply want out. Now!

Sounds great, but it is the wrong thing to do, no matter how good it would feel. Rabid Islamic thinking has spread like a cancer because the US has not taken really decisive action until Iraq in nearly thirty years. Since Iran took hostages back when Carter was president we have pretty much done little more than try not to think about the deadly acts against our country. Time and again we have looked away from the likes of dead Marines in Beriut and smouldering US Embassies.

Pulling out of Iraq would further embolden Hezbollah, Hamas and the Taliban, along with every
radical would-be terrorist.

My opinion: We should stand and fight NOW. This would mean reinstating the draft and the country would need to speak with one voice to try and stamp out an enemy which will surely become the conquerer if we do not act soon.

Do we have the will and the stomach for this fight? Sadly, I do not believe we do. I fear our children and grandchildren will live under the thumbs of radical Islam.

Just a thought: There was a time when Hitler could have been stopped before millions died.

After watching tonight’s coverage on free maternity hospital care for illegal immigrants, I felt compelled to write and bring up a point. Those who would argue that illegal immigrants do not qualify for maternity health care are essentially condemning these mothers to labor in adverse situations, putting both the mothers and babies at high risk. While the costs of care cannot be sustained forever, and I do believe a solution must be found, I cannot see how any human being can rightfully deny the care of a mother in labor, and child coming into this world. While this is surely a gernalization, I would say that many of those people who would deny an illegal immigrant health care are also those on the political divide who believe stem cell research is immoral. How is it that saving a stem cell is more important than saving actual human beings?

It is almost unbelievable that you could run that tape of Donald Rumsfeld tonight, pretending that he had never made any rosy predictions about Iraq--and then fail to run any of the innumerable examples of previous statements by the secretary of defense which would prove how laughable his latest statement is. When a senior public official tells a bald-faced lie in front of a congressional committee, it is your duty as a journalist to make it clear that he is lying. This is journalism 101. Why is this obvious to Jon Stewart, and not to you?
The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite would never have failed its viewers in this fashion.

To put an end to the violence in Iraq, we need to send more troops. Not the proposed 20 or 30 thousand, but instead we need another 100 to 150 thousand. This increase will ease the strain on the current troops there, and it will allow a much greater flexibility in the search for insurgents and their hide-outs.

I clicked out of curiosity on the latest internal post by the students so graciously hosted at the rock. I was curious what post got under Brians skin. All but one is encouraging, some are a bit over the top to a student but are we not doing justce by explaining realities? Do we not remmeber how fast our youth whizzed by? Should we shelter the youth from harsh realities or prepare them for what awaits? There are valued arguements regarding coporate influence on the industry and that is what I interpeted from several of the posts. I guess when it gets hot and your standing in line with commoners because you cant get coporate to invest in a shuttle its easy to skim over facts and grab the tag lines. Its has been a really challenging year for many of us and yes we all need a break. Wouldnt it be nice if we all could afford such a luxury to escape and decompress. There was an earlier post regarding the concern for those out in the field that are witnessing all the turmoil and carnage. Hope that post was absorbed. There are some great folks that are witnessing and recording upclose some horrible atrocities. Hope they all receive they respect and support they need. Far as purse strings go, I know that a purchase of an aircraft has merit but I wonder how many bureaus that could finance, how many more journalists could be deployed to the field.

Nice to see you in Dallas. Now you see why we (Texans) wonder what all the fuss is about concerning the hot days back east. I agree with your (and others) comments about the negative remarks about interns. Whoever said that should be ashamed of themselves. Hope you enjoyed your stay.

I have just read that the U.S. will be helping to rebuild and upgrade the Lebanese military. Isn't it quite possible that Hizbullah will wind up using our weapons against us just as it has happened time and time again? The answer is yes. Earlier today I believed that there would be no way that Hizbullah would join the Lebanese Army, but now I imagine that they would jump at the opportunity.

Thanks for addressing the anonymous sucker-punches taken at a 19-year-old student. How can we expect this generation to turn the world around if we trip them up on their baby steps into adulthood? Shame on them for heaping criticism and thanks again for calling them on it.

Thank you for defending the interns so publicly. You are a class act.

One request: The Nightly news is available online after 10pm ET. Is there any way you can make it earlier? I doubt it since you need to wait for the West Coast to see the news live, but thought I'd ask.

Brian:
I wanted to comment on the drive by commenter on this blog directed at one of your interns. I agree with you 100%. I am one of the first to criticize NBC or others with which I disagree. It's the nature of your public business. But, to attack a young intern who is finishing his term at NBC is totally unfair and childish. Your interns are obviously very smart and articulate and I'm sure will have a great career in journalism. Just tell them all to ignore the idiots and keep pursuing their careers.