I saw it live yesterday. He didn't look sandbagged to me.
He looked like a journalist that asked questions to get answers. He got answers. He was not rattled or displeased with the answers. His questions were predicated on the public mood. The only one who seemed at all testy was that one soldier who made the remark about the newspapers. The soldier has, by the way, been in Iraq for 6 months according to what he said in the interview.