Yep, this is unfortunately true. This raises the odd question in my head of how much more interesting our campy republic would be if elected officials could not

Yep, this is unfortunately true. This raises the odd question in my head of how much more interesting our campy republic would be if elected officials could not schedule & control their usage of the media, but instead were required (as part of the job description) to submit to such questioning by the press. The problem, I think, lies in the ways that these interviews typically are organized around pre-defined and submitted questions that control the conversation and allow for preparation.