Chris Cuomo vs. Dennis Rodman

I used to admire Chris Cuomo, and enjoyed watching him on CNN's "New Day from 6 to 8 each weekday morning. But this morning he really made an ass of himself by continually belittling and berating Dennis Rodman for his visit to North Korea.

I don't know what is in Cuomo's head to be so antagonistic. I suppose he thinks he is being a tough journalist, but it came off that he was simply being an ass. Does he not realize that some contact between the two countries is better than no contact? Is he unable to appreciate the three years of his life which Rodman has devoted to visiting other countries and making friends in those countries?

I remember when Van Cliburn went to Moscow in 1957. Nobody damned him for this; rather, he was praised for creating a thaw in the Cold War and was given a ticker tape parade in New York upon his return, the only time a classical musician has received this honor. I remember also when the U.S. ping-pong team visited China in 1971, leading to a thaw in US-China relations. Nobody damned the ping-pong team for this; rather, they were hailed as good will ambassadors.

It is one thing to ask tough questions, which a journalist should do. But Cuomo went way beyond that. He thoroughly castigated Dennis Rodman, despite the sincere attempts by one of Rodman's teammates to explain that the purpose of the trip was basketball, not diplomacy. For this Cuomo should be ashamed of himself.