On Aug. 24, controversial Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed boldly accepted an invitation to the Fox News show "Jesse Watters Primetime." It oozed confidence, but whether it was smart or strategic to play the Artful Dodger is a very different question.

In his newsletter, CNN media analyst Brian Stelter gushed over El-Sayed generating "lots of buzz and clippable content" and how he "showed a keen understanding of Fox's outrage machine." This is always amusing, as if Stelter doesn't think CNN can be characterized as operating an "outrage machine" against Trump.

Then Stelter mischaracterized the central mishap of the interview. El-Sayed was credited for "refusing to take the bait when Watters asked whether it's okay 'for a parent to slash his kid's ding-a-ling off' or whether trans athletes should compete in women's sports. Each time, he redirected toward gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran, and health care."

That's not what happened. When Watters pressed him on genital amputations for children, he insisted........

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