Fox News "Can't Get a Straight Answer" from White House

During the administration of President George W. Bush, reporters at the daily White House briefings were routinely dismissed, disrespected and lied to as press secretaries Ari Fleischer, Scott McClellan, Tony Snow and then Dana Perilo arrogantly refused to answer tough questions on hot-button issues such as Iraq, Katrina, CIA leaks, illegal wiretapping and torture. Bush himself was dismissive and showed a general disdain for the media during his press conferences, on the few occasions he actually held them. He often ridiculed and chastised reporters who pushed his many buttons a little too far, ignoring their questions with a smug "I'm just not gonna answer you," as he did with NBC's David Gregory in one such notable and highly contested exchange.

To be sure, the Bush administration was the most secretive in history, blatantly marginalizing and demeaning the press as it cavalierly reshaped American politics and national security with relative media impunity.

And now the hypocritical Republican crybabies at Fox are outraged over a heated exchange last Thursday between President Barack Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs and their White House correspondent, Major Garrett, over unsolicited emails allegedly being sent out by the White House to shore up support for Obama's health care reform. It seems like this is all the network can talk about since, incredulously asking "Where are all the other reporters? Why are we the only ones digging into this issue?

Email spamming? Are they for real? Where was Fox News and Major Garrett as thousands of U.S. soldiers were dying, and tens of thousands more injured and maimed, in Bush's unjust Iraq war? Where was Fox and Garrett as Bush, Cheney, Rove and Scooter Libby were outing CIA agent Valerie Plame and putting her and other agency operatives in danger as retribution over her husband Joe Wilson's 2003 NY Times op-ed "What I Didn't Find in Africa" (regarding the bogus claim about Saddam selling yellow cake uranium to Niger). Where was Fox and Garrett as Bush embarrassed and humiliated the U.S. by botching the post-Katrina rescue and recovery? Where was Fox and Garrett during the Abu Ghraib crimes and the Bushies' contention that only a "few rogue soldiers" were responsible? Where were Fox and Garrett when Bush was breaking FISA laws so he could spy on whoever the hell he wanted? Where were the tough questions then? Where was Fox and Garrett's outrage then? Where was the respect for the Constitution and the rule of law then? Where was the concern over Americans' right to privacy then? Spamming has them fired up? Cheney please....

Comments

[phuyay]

Boy, if Bush had done what Obama's WH did, there would be calls for impeachment. Obama is going down fast and is becoming another Jimmy Carter. So far the only thing Obama has shown any ability to do is fly on Air Force 1, and jet around the world acting like a rock star. What a joke he is, only the joke is on us!!

[johnie2xs]

The biggest failing of the Obama administration is not as you say. As a matter of fact, what you DID say is NOTHING. You made no point.

The single biggest mistake, however, on the part of Obama is his continual push for bipartisanship. The Rethuglican Party is nothing more than a 100% corporate shill. WE all know the strength of lobbyists in our government, and that does include the influence on the Democratic Party also, BUT there is a world of difference between the two parties, because at least there are some legislators among the Democrats who DO have the people's concerns at heart.

If you could get over the fact that the President is black, you MIGHT see the truth. Absent that, I guess we'll just have to put up with the proud ignorance you display.

[Meredith44]

Well I DID sign up to the White House web site, and I didn't get an email. Could Major please complain to Mr. Gibbs about that?

[Header]

Major Garrett (who names these people, anyway?) is a Major PITA.

He'd have a lot more credibility by asking these folks whether he could share their info BEFORE bringing it up in a national forum.

He question sounds like "I know a guy who says you said ...".

Where's the beef?

[NewsCorpse]

Garrett and Fox News are trying to ramp this up into some sort of scandal. It's funny really, considering the substance of it. Why would the White House scheme to send emails to people who don't want them? Especially emails that were explicitly written to appeal to supporters.

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=1366

Gibbs handled Garrett perfectly when he moved on from the matter telling him "Let me go someplace else that might be constructive."

This is just another attempt to create noise to obscure real issues and debates.

[JAJ2007]

It was Dana Perino, not Perilo... Just sayin'

[SantaFeConservative]

So your answer is "Bush did it too"? Neener neener!

[Veronica]

Uh, no. Read it again.

[Peter Madaka]

Is it my screen or do Greta's lips look funny? Gibbs is good at his job. He needs to start calling Garrett and the FOX noise machine on their lack of professionalism.

[Peter Madaka]

Yeah! Thank you for calling them out on their hypocrisy. For some reason Garrett and the FOX thugs think they are upright reporters....it is all, so laughable.

[CAVEMAN900]

Great commentary... perfect exposure of faux news !!!
please keep it up... !! great job ...

[BarryS]

all administrations try to coerce the press by withholding access. C'est la vie. FOX knew the jig was up once Obama won.