News Flap
Posted Tue, 03/21/06
I watch most of my news on MSNBC, where chief White House correspondent David Gregory is a regular fixture. I've always found him to be concise and to the point, which I find refreshing in this Bush day and age. During White House Press conferences I find it annoying that the press secretary never seems to give Gregory a straight answer to the simplest of questions.
I was surprised to see the article "NBC's David Gregory learns what it's like to be caught in political battle." A web site named "Fire David Gregory" has also sprouted up, and I'm almost certain it was instigated by a Bush-lover and/or a die-hard Republican.
From MSNBC:
What put the target on Gregory's back was his anger at White House press secretary Scott McClellan shortly after Vice President Dick Cheney's shooting accident last month. Their widely-reported exchange made Gregory a symbol for administration supporters who believe the White House press corps is too aggressive.
The flare-up with McClellan came during an especially tense time, with the White House facing questions about whether the public should have been notified more quickly that the vice president had shot a friend while hunting.
McClellan appeared to object to Gregory's tone during a Feb. 13 question-and-answer session, saying ''David, hold on ... the cameras aren't on right now.''
That set Gregory off. ''Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras,'' he responded. ''Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question.''
They continued the back-and-forth, with McClellan urging Gregory to ''calm down'' and the reporter saying he was angry because his question wasn't being answered.
Gregory, who has covered both of President Bush's campaigns and his presidency, said he realized right away that he had provided the perfect example for an administration that wanted to deflect attention from an embarrassing story by portraying the White House press corps as petulant because it did not get the story first.
Isn't all of this so typical of the current administration? For some reason, they think the American public in general is comprised of idiots who won't see the crap flying and not know where it's coming from.
For once, I would love to see a "political leader" who truly respects the American people and treats them accordingly.
Not in my lifetime, I'm sorry and most ashamed to say.