David Gregory, Silly NBC News Cack

White House press briefing transcripts ^ | 03/29/03 | John D. Jackson

[withteeth]

Here is David Gregory in a White House press briefing, March 25th, wanting, as always, for Ari Fleisher to confirm Gregory's impression/conviction that President Bush is deeply embarrassed about the course of the war.

David Gregory: "Ari, not until the President ordered war to begin and he addressed the American people last Wednesday did he prepare the public for what would be, in his words, a longer and more difficult military fight than many have predicted. Why didn't he do it sooner? And what does he believe the level of patience is of the American public? At what cost is the public prepared to pay for achieving this end?

Ari: [reads earlier presidential quotes, blowing David Gregory's silly assertion out of the water]

David Gregory: "Let me follow up on that, because given -- given your precise preparation for a question like that, it seems to me --

Ari: You're easy to read, David. (Laughter.)

David Gregory: I guess so. Well maybe that -- then maybe that means that there's some level of defensiveness, that perhaps the President is worried that the American public may be less patient than he advised them to be. Is that the case?

Ari: No, I just anticipate your questions well.

David Gregory: Wait a second, Ari. This is wartime. That's a dodge of the question.

Ari: You're asking me why am I prepared to answer your questions?

David Gregory: No, that's not what I asked you. I asked you, does he feel that the public did not adequately bring up its expectation for what we are facing.

Believe me, David Gregory was blushing mad when he blurted out that lie.

Sillyman? You decide.

Now, a couple of days pass and David Gregory is catching on that the White House press corps is being laughed at. So we have the following exchange.

David Gregory: "Ari, there seems to be some level of frustration on the part of the President with the press coverage and, indeed, our questions. One senior official characterized some questions about battle plan and the timing and the press coverage as "silly." So, A, does the President think it's appropriate for the public, the news media, to question him at all about the conduct and the progress of the war? And --

Continues at "Often And Then Again"

[Skel]

I think Gregory is still smarting from this exchange on 27 May 2002 -

"I wonder why it is you think there are such strong sentiments in Europe against you and against this administration?" the reporter said. "Why, particularly, there's a view that you and your administration are trying to impose America's will on the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to the Middle East and where the war on terrorism goes next?"

Turning to Mr. Chirac, he added in French: "And, Mr. President, would you maybe comment on that?" "Very good," Mr. Bush said sardonically. "The guy memorizes four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental."

"I can go on," Mr. Gregory offered.

"I'm impressed — que bueno," said Mr. Bush, using the Spanish phrase for "how wonderful." He deadpanned: "Now I'm literate in two languages."

source: http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020527-78351630.htm

[general_re]

Fat fingers alert. "ubuquitous" = ubiquitous.

[sonofatpatcher2]

"Hey, Jim, do you know why protesters always carry a bucket of week-old bear manure to ever anti-war rally?"
"No, Bones, why do they?"

"It keeps the flies off the reporters from CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC!"
Bada Bing!

Want a break from war news? Go to Stark Trek for a laugh or two. Then come back refreshed and loaded for bear whether he goes in the woods or not!

[withteeth]

I agree.

He wins points for professionalism, I think. But he could be a folk-hero if one day he jumped down from the podium and pushed a grapefuit in someone's face.

[2rightsleftcoast]

Gregory comes across as a little prep school brat.
I keep hoping one of these days one of the other reporters will just smack him or tell him to knock it off.
He's a punk,IMHO.

[ALS]

[Balata]

She'll never retire. She'll end up being carried feet first out of the White House press room.

Can it be done while she's still alive?

[Cold Heat]

I'm hoping for a press secretary who will say "Who says that?"

I have personally heard Arie ask that question a couple times. One time was to Helen and the question caught her off guard, LOL!

She collected herself and said with a bit of hesitation, "It's been reported in the papers."

Arie replied, "What paper?"

She totally lost it and said "lots of papers". "I read it................!"

BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

[1rudeboy]

I couldn't find "cack" in my dictionary. And frankly, if you cannot preview your own title, you deserve to be smacked across the chops.

[general_re]

LOL - OMG, I'm so mad I missed that. Finally someone calls them on their BS spin, and I missed it...

[okie01]

"Since you were wondering if the U.S. treats the most vile enemies of our country humanely, I must point out the most obvious evidence: You get a front row seat at every Press Briefing."

Truly, a zot! worthy of a FReeper...

[Politicalmom]

HEY!! That was my first thought too!!

[withteeth]

"I couldn't find "cack" in my dictionary. And frankly, if you cannot preview your own title, you deserve to be smacked across the chops."

You're addressing the wrong person, for one.

You're going to smack someone across "the chops" for using slang here?

[1rudeboy]

"You" is an interesting word, seeing that it can function as a third-person plural. Furthermore, "cack" is not in my slang dictionary, either. The closest match is:

cack-broad n. =cackle-broad. 1942: "I knocks de pad with them cack-broads up on Sugar Hill." Z. Hurston, 89. Cf. kack.¹

So it's not slang. It's a typo in the title. Ergo, open-season.

_____
¹Dictionary of American Slang. Ed. Harold Wentworth and Stuart Berg Flexner. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1975.

[1rudeboy]

Or am I misunderstanding you? Did you mean to use a verb as a noun?

[withteeth]

cack! hack! ca-hack-a-cack!