Shame on McClellan. Media will rebel. Helen Thomas is highly respected.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

Scott McClellan dissed Helen Thomas in today's press briefing: "..., and I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism."

Is McClellan trying to alienate the media? They are halfway alienated already and each one is only hanging around because they are are afraid to be the first to break ranks due to the sanctions the Whitehouse would impose. Helen Thomas is not afraid. However, at some point the dam will burst and they will all rebel because the Whitehouse can't ban them all. Then they couldn't "catapult their propaganda".

[CottonBear]

1. Isn't it a tad bit unprofessional to speculate about the political views

of a member of the media? :eyes:

[AllegroRondo]

5. *BINGO* My thoughts exactly

[CottonBear]

10. He is supposed to defend and/or explain the WH line on issues.

A real reporter, like Helen, is an objective reporter.

[blondeatlast]

31. And why single out Ms. Thomas,easily the most well-respected

member of the WH Press Corps, for her views. hmmm, Scottie?

Why not Terry Moran's, or David Gregory's, both of whom have planted burrs in Scottie's chair in the past?

Note how Moran took the ball and ran with just that very same question without skipping a beat?

I LOVE this! :popcorn:

[El Supremo]

2. He seemed to be more combative today.

Far less defensive.

[annabanana]

3. this admin has been dissing her since day one....

She was relegated to the last row and they didn't call on her for months..

[blogslut]

22. She's back on the front row

And she's got sexy Terry Moran (ABC) and John Roberts (CBS) as row buddies. Lucky Helen!

[CatWoman]

28. Moran spoke up for her

TERRY MORAN On what basis do you say Helen is opposed to the broader war on terrorism?

McCLELLAN: Well, she certainly expressed her concerns about Afghanistan and Iraq and going into those two countries. I think I can go back and pull up her comments over the course of the past couple of years.

MORAN And speak for her, which is odd.

McCLELLAN: No, I said she may be, because certainly if you look at her comments over the course of the past couple of years, she's expressed her concerns --

THOMAS I'm opposed to preemptive war, unprovoked preemptive war.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- she's expressed her concerns.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001305789

[blogslut]

30. I Know!

He's not just cute, he's gentleman...sigh.

[Tatiana]

35. Damn, Terry was representin' for the lady!

And ugh... how unprofessional, presumptuous, and just overall THUGGISH could Scottie have been?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. The press corps could anonymously band together and put her in front

The press corps could have anonymously banded together and put her in front, if they had any spine.

The good news is that there are definite signs they are growing spine, bit by bit. However slowly it might be, they are growing spine.

[mirandaod]

4. I wonder how much he has to drink

just to cope with being Scotty. It must be hell to be him.

[Vanje]

11. At the close of each work day, does Scott McClellen tell himself

does Scott McClellen tell himself that it was all very necessary for the greater good, as he slams his second generous tumbler of Scotch, and,seconds later, as he feels the warmth from his third drink, does he begin to believe it?

[mirandaod]

13. Doubt the booze will work much longer.

It will soon take hard drugs to keep him in comfy denial.

[ewagner]

17. No, it's different

He tells himself he did a good job.

Truth has nothing to do with it.

It's whether you have served the interest of you principal or client that counts. Nothing else matters.

[deadparrot]

6. I'm not really sure what the strategy is there.

I mean, if you treat the media like shit, they're gonna get pissed. They're getting more and more belligerent, slowly but surely. Being so arrogant isn't going to help matters.

[louis-t]

7. This was a baaaad day for Scottie

and the WH. Their hateful ways are getting a lot of airplay. Not only dissed Helen, but lied about a phony "pep talk".

[MuseRider]

8. If what they say is how they actually view people

then he essentially called her a terrorist. With us or with the terrorists? He should not have done that. It is not his place, even in anger or especially in anger, to say that about anyone.

[cassiepriam]

9. It means things are not going well. The angrier they get means

something is up in the WH and it is not good.

[jean]

12. Helen Thomas can out-think and out-last McClellan with little effort.

I believe she's going to be there long after he is gone.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Hear hear!

[nini]

27. exactly... she can hold her own and has many times

She rocks!

[spanone]

14. Fear and Arrogance are a bad mix. These are desperate people.

[ewagner]

15. Just what you would expect

coming from the south end of a north-bound horse! :evilgrin:

Hey Scotty, this is for you!

[BillZBubb]

16. It's called solidifying the base.

The WH knows that they need their base to be in a total attack the media mode in the next few months. When the media starts reporting on all their crimes, the base will then dismiss it as lies from the Bush hating, terror loving, liberal media.

They also know the media will accept the abuse without a whimper. After all, they've been doing so for over five years. Pre$$titutes won't make waves.

[chat_noir]

18. not the first time

This from the Washingtonian via Talking points Memo. White House doyenne Helen Thomas could be on to something. In the early "gaggle session" (the more contentious White House press briefing which is not televised like the session later in the day, and where things can get rough), Thomas "had gotten a tip that Bush might have been absent from duty in Alabama because he was performing court-ordered community service in Texas in 1972. She asked McClellan if that was accurate."

At which point, McClellan got his shorts all up in a bunch and denounced Thomas' question as "trash." This did not sit well with many of the reporters present. One "veteran" journalist remarked, "Scott is trashing reporters for asking questions. He’s dissipating the goodwill he had for not being Ari Fleischer. He’s proving to be as testy and disdainful as Ari."

Thomas herself saw red flags in McClellan's response. "I think they are getting pretty nervous about this. I’ve learned over the years that when you put out records, it often leads to more questions."

The matter Thomas asked about is, in fact, not new. People have known about it for many years. In 1972, Bush did community service for Project P.U.L.L., an inner city Houston program for troubled minority youths. It has always aroused suspicion, because it is so out of character for Bush at the time--an alcoholic, possibly substance-abusing young man, a party-goer, frat boy, draft-dodger--and suddenly, out of nowhere, he starts doing community service? For no reason? The same kind of service many people are told they must do to avoid a harsher sentence from a court? Hardly proof of anything, but it does make one a bit suspicious.



http://www.blogd.com/archives/000478.html

[blondeatlast]

24. Very interesting piece. I can't imagine Helen going after anything

without a good bit of merit behind it. She didn't earn her credentials following bupkus.

Very interesting and indeed bears some serious watching.

[AndyTiedye]

20. No, They Won't, Unless KKKarl Rove Gets Indicted

Every one of them (except Helen Thomas, bless her) is in constant fear
that their boss will get a phone call from Karl Rove.


Most of them think Karl is going to walk, and are accordingly remaining
in lapdog mode.


Now if the next week brings a KARL ROVE FROG MARCH, all bets are off!

:party:

Everything depends on Fitzgerald and the grand jury now. Everything

[H2O Man]

21. As I watched it,

I thought he was attempting to serve as an administration lightening rod, and become "the story" for at least a day or two. I could be wrong. He might be that foolish a man, as to think he can take his frustration out on Helen.

[girl gone mad]

25. Persecution complex.

Republicans all seem to have it, especially the fundamentalist ones.

[ToolTex]

26. It is getting even better. Scott was laughed out of the room.

Their double speak and stonewalling of every question with non answers has passed the boundary of reasonableness. They have become a parody of leaders. Bush is now the joke.

I thought this would end differently with black-shirts, a packed court, guns, and blood. But maybe the strength of the Constitution is that he will be laughed from power. How sweet a possibility.

[Reciprocity]

29. Like I said on another thread.

It's becoming painfully obvious, Scotty's mouth and sphincter are interchangeable.

[McCamy Taylor]

32. This is "code" for the Freepers to Freep her. Ill go check.

[McCamy Taylor]

33. Went and checked. Here is what Thomas said about Rove 9-05

when he said Dem's dont care about terrorism. So Scottie was standing up for Rove, attempting to deflect attention back to Terror/Media Critics of Rove/Dems.

I'll bet he knew exactly what he was doing when he said it. Scottie Dont doesnt ever lose his cool or do anything by accident.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477054/posts

[WillyT]

34. CrooksAndLiars Has The VIDEO If You Haven't Seen It Yet !!!

Link (under 'Scotty's Heated Press Conference'): http://www.crooksandliars.com/

McClellan ought to do the honorable thing and just off himself now. Before we do it for him.

:mad::nuke::mad:

McClellan... Honorable... What the hell was I thinking...

:shrug:

[Ernesto]

36. Watergate days "dejavu, all over again"..... n-t

[oregonindy]

37. scotty is the spokesman for the culture of corruption.

[Imagevision]

38. Watch Scottie after Fitzgerald drops the hammer, if he doesn't resign!

[MelissaB]

39. I just posted this in another thread, and I'll repeat: Scott M is a fuckin

asshole. I just watched the full clip on Crooks and Liars. Watch the end of the clip.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/10/13.html#a5354

[saltpoint]

40. McClellan's treatment of veteran reporter Thomas was --

-- deceitful and sexist. Smart women threaten some men -- I mean the Bush administration generally here -- Cheney, Rumsfield, Bush, etc. -- and good reporters threaten deceitful politicians as well.

Thomas is a champ at the big picture. Shame on McClellan for trying to smear her in public.

I hope she punches his lights out.