The Gift That Keeps On Giving: No Press Secretary Left Behind

Like Dana Perino, I was seven years old during the Carter administration. And back then, I hardly had an encyclopedic knowledge of world history. Frankly, I don't now. But, I know a little bit, and one of the things I know is that if you were seven during the Carter administration, and are currently serving as White House Press Secretary, it should not be possible for you to tell the story Perino told on this weekend's episode of "Wait...Wait...Don't Tell Me" on NPR.

I had a situation the other day when they said President Putin said that our missile defense program was like the Cuban Missile Crisis. And so I got asked about the Cuban Missile Crisis and I was panicked a little bit because I really know nothing about the Cuban Missile Crisis...I came home and I asked my husband...wasn't that like, the Bay Of Pigs thing? And he said, "Oh, Dana."

Rarely is it asked, "Is our press secretary learning?" Probably because we don't want to know the answer.

To hear Perino in the segment entitled "Not My Job," click here.

Comments

[mae692]

08:22 PM on 12/11/2007

If she (the press secretary) is always lying and they (the press) keep showing up, what does that make them?

[Taan]

11:12 PM on 12/10/2007

Folks, please remember that the Press Officer is merely the public end of a pipeline that originates in the Oval Office. They cannot say anything that contradicts the input or they will be busy updating their resumes pronto. If the P.O. seems a bit evasive, artificial or downright uninformed, remember they are paraphrasing input from the man in the 10 gallon hat with a 2 quart brain. For these hapless souls, garbage in, garbage out.
Reply | posted 11:11 pm on 12/10/2007

[Taan]

11:11 PM on 12/10/2007

Folks, please remember that the Press Officer is merely the public end of a pipeline that originates in the Oval Office. They cannot say anything that contradicts the input or they will be busy updating their resumes pronto. If the P.O. seems a bit evasive, artificial or downright uninformed, remember they are paraphrasing input from the man in the 10 gallon hat with a 2 quart brain. For these hapless souls, garbage in, garbage out.

[430robin]

06:50 PM on 12/10/2007

Checquoline asks, what is a white house press conference?? Answer: a joke every day. DP is perfect for the job

[jqcitizen]

04:35 PM on 12/10/2007

Question: What is "Creditable Deniability"?

Answer: Get an Ari Fleisher, Scottie McClellan, Toni Snow or Dana Perino to speak for you. Then when things go 'Tango-Uniform' the President can say It's not my fault.

Seems like wishfull thinking the US will ever again see a President that will face the press and answer questions personally.

[Checquoline]

04:00 PM on 12/10/2007

What is a white house press conference?

[Metacortex]

03:00 PM on 12/10/2007

Oh my God!! How could she NOT know that the cuban missle crisis occurred during the John Quincy Adams Administration right after Lincoln freed all the hobbits from Darth Vader?! Sheesh! I thought everybody knew that.

[lr]

12:58 PM on 12/10/2007

I think Jason is referring to the fact that they are the same age, and could be expected to have a similar knowledge of history. I don't think he's implying that the CMC happened during the Carter administration. Trust me, as one who went through bomb drills at school herself, and who had dog tags provided to her, one doesn't forget it.

[Rocketmind]

12:23 PM on 12/10/2007

Their charades cannot continue without a peanut gallery; only fools and supporters of traitors will continue to attend W.H. "press conferences" which, as political theater, limelight the (press's) unjustifiable tolerance and undeserved respect you "truthseekers" fawn and droll out on cue- just say no- boycott them- let them dangle from their own petards and lies. It is, after all, Not Our Government. Play not their game, and we may become Free of the chains of their lies, the blood of their wars, and the theft of all that humanity holds dear.

[bronceye]

11:46 AM on 12/10/2007

Intelligence is the antithesis of neocondomism. They have their jim bob billy boys to lead. They do quite well, sorrily.

[thealater]

11:40 AM on 12/10/2007

I really hate to pick nits, but the Cuban Missile Crises happened long before the Carter Administration. Jason, do you perhaps refer to the Iranian Revolution?

If one is going to mock others for ignorance (and by all means, do!), one should perhaps get their own facts straight. That is all, carry on with the well-deserved mocking.

[Camel54]

11:38 AM on 12/10/2007

Between the post itself and the comments left behind, I'm not sure which is more disappointing and more embarrassing. Here we've got people dogging someone for making a mistake, calling her all sorts of horrible names and done with misspellings, ridiculous punctuation, improper word usage. On top of that, the level of hate and bile dripping off these comments is far more indicative of the Republican base than it should be for progressives. AND the poster's referencing the Carter administration as having anything to do with the CMC, well now if that's not justice for arrogance, I don't know what is.

[JerseyBob]

11:36 AM on 12/10/2007

Cuba eh? How about a question on the penal colony at Gitmo. Red in the face, maybe, her answer might be something like, "What a disgusting implication. Sex offenders are not sent to penal colonies. And besides, we are not a colonial power nor will we ever be one. Just absurd! Let's move on..."

[DCMike]

11:17 AM on 12/10/2007

Dana Perino is a corporate salesperson. She's doing just fine. When your job is to sell poison, style is much more important than substance.

[bethinCary]

11:05 AM on 12/10/2007

Dana Perino gives microphones a bad name.