Hewitt, so far as I know, has never made public whether the Clintons demanded control as a precondition of doing their 60 Minutes interview or he offered it as an enticement. Likewise, it is unclear what was demanded or offered as conditions of Hillary's ratings-bonanza appearance with Letterman. I've been a guest three times on Dave's previous show, but never had gags written for me by his staff. My subjective impression was that with Mrs. Clinton, the polite and politic Letterman behaved as if he were in a strait jacket, severely constrained in what he felt he could say or ask. Those who vote for liberals typically have something wrong with their heart and head.
Television networks depict themselves as watchdogs over politicians.
But when a politician has the power of the presidency, the networks usually to some degree behave as lapdogs. They depend on the White House for favors. They fear the President's ability to manipulate the regulatory, taxing, and other authority of the government. They want to be, or at least appear, civil and respectful. It may also explain why when Dan Rather interviewed her, he was so fawning and deferential that viewers like me expected the CBS anchorman at any moment to fall to his knees and lick Mrs. Clinton's shoes.