The press has beeen hostile towards Bush for quite some time, but Jim Miller points out a pair of unbelievable questions directed at Bush during his last press conference. I cannot believe the sneering condescention dripping from these questions, and I am astonished that they were directed towards the president, rather than to a press secretary. It won't happen, but I'd be more than willing to support an official White House snubbing of these two reporters' news agencies, by refusing to acknowledge interview requests or calling upon them in press conferences. Note that it is not the questions that peeve me, but the sactimonious, insufferable smugness in which they were framed. There were a number of uncomfortable questions asked at the press conference, but for the most part, they were asked as questions, not framed as editorial snipes. Perhaps a little time out in the cold will allow "John" and "Ed" to develop a little bit of decorum.
One of the things I find amusing is the constant criticism levelled at Ari Fleischer (Bush's former press secretary) was the constant criticism levelled at him for his occasional pokes at reporters, and his supposed disdain of foreign leaders. However, despite his faults, he never descended to the level displayed by Francoise Dubois, Jean Chretien's former press secretary. She called George Bush, leader of a country allied to Canada, a "moron". Can you imagine the furor that would erupt if an American press secretary leveled a similar slur at an allied leader? Resignation would not be enough; there would be calls for impeachment of the president, wailing about American indifference to foreign sensitivities, and so forth.
posted on August 03, 2003 01:18 PM
posted by 
