In days of yore – well, 1992 – not long before Bill Clinton was elected President, he and his staff wanted to field-test the town meeting concept. They decided to do a live national telecast from Democrat-friendly Pittsburgh – and, after reviewing a boatload of audition tapes from newscasters and correspondents, chose Susan Cosgrove as on-camera host.

If Clinton proved to be terrific, Susan would just bookend the event with an intro and outro – but if he choked or encountered hostile questioning, Susan would jump in and manage the situation.

A tense four-hour rehearsal showed us what the rest of the world soon learned: the guy’s a quick study. Then it was airtime –  and the rest is history. Clinton was a town meeting “natural”.

And Susan was a great bookend.