Dana Perino: Obama A "Phenomenal Candidate," "I'll Give You Eight Months" For Press Honeymoon

Washington Post:

The network stars were gone, the seats half empty and the questioning low-key as Dana Perino held a White House briefing last week, her biggest announcement that the administration would try to ease air traffic for the holidays.

President Bush has faded from the news, and the last year has been hard on his press secretary as she tried to follow his orders not to defend him from the verbal assaults of the campaign to succeed him.

"We took it from all sides, and it was difficult," Perino says. "When you're that close to your boss, it's hard sometimes not to take it personally."

Perino marvels at the glowing press that Barack Obama has gotten -- "He was a great candidate, a phenomenal candidate," she says -- but warned his incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, that it wouldn't last forever. "I'll give you eight months," she told him.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[tbone99]

the intellectual speaks

[Mygirl]

What you gonna do Dana ?

[BetterAmerica]

Try 8 year honeymoon. The media will never fall out of love with Obama.

All he has to do is flash that charming smile.

[wearyvoter]

I miss Tony Snow.

[Birdman]

I do not think that the Obama will have any issues with the media ever. See Dana it is pretty simple if you are honest and forthcoming with information. Making coherent statements and admitting when things are not going well or things appear to be less than rosy then say so. But you and your predecessors have treated the media and the general public like we were m0r0ns. We knew you and your predecessors were not being straight with us, we were not as $tupid as you thought. Nice of you to wish the incoming administration ill will, but then that is a typical republican response. As I said I expect to see smooth relations with the media for the next 8 years of Obama's administration simply because it will be truthful and forthcoming. Quite unlike the last 8 years have been, which you have been complicit with, I certainly would not want to be in your shoes come judgment day. As Ricky would say, you have a lot of splaining to do Lucy.

[markinaz]

She and Ari Fleischer should hook up. Then they can comparenotes on all the lies they told to the American people. Probably get a good laugh out of it too. At least Scotty-boy fessed up to his dirt-baggery.

[Tinsdale]

It will take at least 8 months to scrub up the slime trail left by these slugs.

[jonjon66]

Bye Bye Barbie!

[Thirdstone]

Man, she's been ridden hard and put up wet. Will the outgoing Admin. pay for her facelift? After liars re-hab, of course.

[max]

read a history book Dana......­..go......­call me in eight months

[JeffDV50]

Really looking forward to being rid of these GOP Barbie dolls. That means you too, Nancy Photenpharter.

Hitler would no doubt have approved of the criteria used in selecting their spokesmodels.

It is just so hard to believe that the nightmare is almost over.

The Horror... The Horror.

[MAragon]

Why do I have flashbacks to first grade whenever I hear Dana Perino talking?

[GeorgeP922]

Funny how Karl Rove thought he was gonna get the "Eye Candy" effect with this one.

Too bad for his reputation and Dana's ego that never happpened (maybe it was all those scary eastern european dictator getups she like so much).

[Rule Of Law]

"We took it from all sides, and it was difficult," Perino says.

Wonder how the Christian Right feels about that?

[old lady]

Dana - will be glad to speak to you again in 8 months when the country and press are still enamored with the idea and example of an administration that speaks to us like we're grown ups and tells us the truth... Grown ups & truth... you do know what those are, sweetie-pi­e...Grown ups are the guys who sent you out in front of the cameras and truth is the stuff they don't want you to say.