Conservative Radio Host Smerconish Invited to the White House Today [View All]

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Conservative Radio Host Smerconish to the White House

Updated 9:28 a.m. 8/20/09
By Garance Franke-Ruta


President Obama has invited conservative Philadelphia talk radio host Michael A. Smerconish to broadcast his nationally-syndicated radio show from the White House Thursday afternoon, a first for radio during his administration.

Smerconish, who unusually among conservative radio hosts endorsed Obama for president in 2008, teased the move on his Twitter account Wednesday morning, writing, "Haven't tweeted for a while....but this is big...making major announcement on air at 730am....clue: fireside chats"

A major topic of discussion on the show, which will involve a call-in component, will be the president's health care reform efforts, which have draw increasing criticism from conservatives and independent voters. "There are no ground rules. I am not prescreening with the White House on what the subject matter will be," Smerconish said in a statement announcing the show. But he used his morning and afternoon programs Wednesday to seek out listeners with "pointed direct and substantive questions about Health Care," he said.

"We're looking for questions that have not already been asked," he added.

Smerconish told The Post that he had submitted multiple interview requests to the White House through his publisher over a period of months before his producer got a call last Thursday inviting him to come down to do his show from the White House. He said he did not know why his request was granted now.

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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/08/19/obama_invites_conservative_rad.html