But then he took a deep breath and faced the first question: "Were you surprised by this verdict today?" "I am very surprised to see this verdict," he said truthfully, and proceeded to offer an unassailable explanation for his reaction: "because I was not expecting that". "A big surprise," the host said.
"I see this verdict as vindication for independent businessmen in every field," Mr. Gottlieb said.
Yet his father, George H. W. Bush, at ninety-one, is living long enough to see the verdict on his own Presidency — and he has to like the results.
They looked up again and again to see their verdict evolve, as if it might suggest something of their own legacy, along with that of the President.
He was an old-time Republican but a moderate, who had come to see the verdict of the Civil War, the destruction of slavery and the challenge to make it good.
In approving extradition while rejecting six of the charges, it mainly based itself on Chile's own penal code rather than on international norms.Nevertheless, some lawyers see the verdict as a wider turning point.
A good few million people still want to see the verdict in the trial that has destroyed the victim's parents, and a resolution to the old case that nearly did for David Tennant's pale sleuth, DI Alec Hardy.
Many in Tehran see the verdict against Mr. Aghajari and the arrests of three reform leaders in the past month as part of a new crackdown aimed at Iran's reformist president, Mohammad Khatami.
"I see your verdict is guilty on all three counts," Owen said, and that was that.
The Cambodian courts make little pretence at being independent from political interference, and many will see this verdict in that light.
In a statement, read out by a police officer, she said: "I do not see this verdict as a victory, nor a celebration, as it has taken its toll and has caused hurt, heartache and anguish to all those involved".
