Posted on 02/19/2006 5:14:27 PM PST by wagglebee
NBC White House correspondent David Gregory ate a little crow Sunday on this "Meet The Press," apologizing for his arrogant behavior during White House press briefings dealing with the shooting of a hunting companion by Vice President Cheney.
Reacting to the storm of criticism leveled by the public at the Washington press corps for complaining that they were not told immediately about the incident, leaving the job of reporting it to a small-town Texas newspaper, Gregory apologized for his boorish behavior.
"I think I made a mistake,” he told host Tim Russert. "I think it was inappropriate for me to lose my cool with the press secretary representing the vice president. I don’t think it was professional of me. I was frustrated, I said what I said, but I think that you should never speak that way, as my wife reminded me, number one. And number two, I think it created a diversion from some of the serious questions in the story, so I regret that. I was wrong, and I apologize.”
But Gregory quickly reverted to type complaining that another guest, Mary Matalin, "and others in the White House have been eager to stoke this as a false debate between the vice president and the White House press corps, attempting to cast this as the White House press corps is a ping-pong in the culture wars.”
Then, in a comment that once again revealed how remote the Washington media has become from the American people, he made the astounding comment that "No matter how you feel about the White House press corps -— and we’re worthy of criticism, and we can take our lumps —- this is about how the vice president chooses to communicate to the American people. We are a proxy for the American people. Whether you have faith in us or not, and we do make mistakes, we are still a proxy. This is about how the vice president chooses to communicate to the public. My view is not that I should have been informed or others should have been informed. It’s not about that. It’s a question of, "Does the vice president have a responsibility to the American people to inform them of his public and private activities?”
Gregory was backpeddling as fast as he could to deflect the firestorm of criticism that has engulfed his superiors for his rude, arrogant behavior.
I don't care if he was sincere or not, it must have killed him to have to apologize.
It was his wife that chewed him out so he goes to a "friendly" media outlet to have himself interviewed with softball questions ....
As veteran radio giant Bob Grant said of Mary years ago, she is a lovely and brilliant woman who regretably has horrible eyesight.
LOL! Leave it to Mr. Grant to speak the truth!
He, his wife must know mine!
To people like Gregory, anything outside the New York to Washington, DC corridor is hicksville. They might make exceptions for Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, but that's about it.
Try as I might, I have failed to find language to that effect in the United States Constitution -- or any state constitution, for that matter.
Danged if I recall signing a proxy release to allow the sick MSM and WH reporter dingbats like Gregory to be my news source proxy. Al Jazeera seems to have more news releases than the WH dolts.
More "clintonesque" appologies.
The WH prima donnas only ask why their poop does not stink, not if.
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
There is nothing in the First Amendment that says the press must have access, or that public figures are obliged to speak to reporters. We have a White House press corps only out of custom that arose gradually over time, particularly over the last half-century.
I would argue that there should be no White House press corps, per se. Why should a small, elite group of reporters be given offices inside the White House, daily briefings (from which they pick and choose what to tell the rest of us), assistance with travel arrangements to follow the president around, and special access and privileges that other reporters and citizens do not get?
"I would argue that there should be no White House press corps, per se. Why should a small, elite group of reporters be given offices inside the White House, daily briefings (from which they pick and choose what to tell the rest of us), assistance with travel arrangements to follow the president around, and special access and privileges that other reporters and citizens do not get?"
Your plan is even better. With the internet, there is zero need for the White House Press Corps to be on site. They could get emails. Of course if we got the same emails, they would be of no value to America.
LOL, ""Pretty"" in pink??
I laugh every time I see that one!!
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