Spewing his propaganda AND taking his lunch order since 2001!
I gave up watching the White House press briefings about 2 years ago. I just got too tired of watching people like David Gregory and Suzanne Malveaux, and other Bush suck ups take non-answers as answers and refuse to follow up with tough questions on everything from Scooter Libby to Guantanamo Bay.
Now that they’ve all successfully had their lips transplanted from GW’s ass to Obama’s, I guess they can’t remember that they themselves are hugely responsible for the pitiful state of our nation for not probing into some of the criminal and borderline treasonous activities of our soon to be ex-President.
CNN even went out of its way to document this by allowing Malveaux to speak candidly. I suppose they don’t think there’s any harm in a little Bush bashing at this late date. I mean, I doubt it will cost her an invitation to whatever gala inaugural ball she is most likely going to be attending–as a journalist of course. But even so, its more like a little good natured hazing as she strolls down memory lane. 9/11, The Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina….ahh good times!
Q: How do you compare this to previous briefings?
Malveaux: This was an extraordinary press conference. It took the president a little time to warm up. He called on me third. About two questions after that, he embraced this different kind of mood and revealed things about himself that he didn’t before.
That’s because at this point he’s got nothing to lose, and you never did your job before in trying to drag information out of him. If you had, he probably wouldn’t have called on you third. Just ask Helen Thomas (more on that in a bit).
Q: Were you surprised at how candid the president was?
A: This is certainly the most open he has been about some of the failures of his administration.
Maybe because most of you never asked him about them before, and when you did, and he answered that there had been none, the only thing to follow up was the sound of crickets.
It was a very interesting look at President Bush grappling with all of these different things — the successes as well as the failures.
You get a sense here that he is looking at his legacy, that he’s trying to come to terms with some of the things he did, his role in all of this.
Ahh, if only the press had any inkling of a collective soul, they might do the same. Instead Malveaux gets her kicks seeing the man she’s been servicing proudly for the last eight years wallow in self-pity, as if she bore no responsibility herself whatsoever.
If Bush had half a brain, I’d think he was being sarcastic with this next little nugget:
At times, Bush seemed to be speaking directly to the president-elect: “He’ll get in the Oval Office, and there will be a lot of people that are real critical and harsh, and he’ll be disappointed at times by the tone of the rhetoric.”
Funny how people like Bush and Obama can still complain about “tone” or “harsh rhetoric” when both of them have had the media in this country as their personal propaganda machine since they both entered politics.
Now back to how the game really works. If you ask tough questions, and you follow up, and you don’t sit down and shut up, what happens?
Q: Any other surprises about this press conference?
A: He didn’t call on Helen Thomas, who is widely viewed as the dean of the White House press corps. She’s been critical of President Bush and been covering presidents since Kennedy. She was out there, front row center with her hand raised.
Come on Suzanne, that surprised you? Well maybe she just acts like it does. I’m sure that she doesn’t want to let on to the fact that when a journalist does the job they are supposed to do, they make no friends with those in power. And Suzanne, asking tough questions does not mean one is being critical, again, that’s just doing your job. Nah, I’m sure the only thing on her mind at this point is going from being picked third to being number one. Because for people like her THAT’S what it’s all about.
Posted by garychapelhill 
