Thursday, April 20, 2006

blah blah blah

"The press won't have Scott McClellan to kick around anymore." Don't you just hate when the media describe the job of Press Secretary as someone to kick around? Do press people or media people really think it is their job to kick someone around. I thought the White House Press Secretary was supposed to answer questions about administration policy so the public would understand why they were paying taxes. At least sharing information is what I think the job should be. But not if you watch the daily White House briefings, which, because like reality TV it does bring out the worst in everyone participating, should be called "Gotcha or no Gotcha". It works better for the correspondent if they Gotchim because then they get more air time, more money and more, it's not about the news it's about me being on the news, even though I'm supposed to be covering the news. It works better for the Administration if the press sec plays gothem and lasts through the entire session appearing to continue to tell a/the truth. But here's my favorite explanation of why the inhabitant of the podium is able to walk away with head high, despite years of lying for an administration -- they thought they were telling the truth. What idiot actually believes that. It's why I am concerned that my friend Tony Snow might take that horrifc job. Here's a guy with a great deal of charm and even more deal of integrity. I get why the White House wants him. He's like my "We're Just Sayin" collaborator David Burnett. When Greg Craig (he needs a real name not a tongue twister) wanted pictures of the relationship between Elian Gonzalez and his father he called David because he knew no one would question the integrity of the pictures. In fact, Senator Leahy went so far as to say, on a network show, that there wouldn't be any hearings about this Cuban family tragedy because of those pictures. Well it's the same thing with Tony, although I'm not married to him. The White House knows that everyone knows that Tony will only tell the truth. He will insist on being privvy to inner circle information because he is a grown up with a real sense of history, the process, and his reputation. He will know the inside story. He will not pretend to be ignorant of the facts. He will not lie and pretend it's what he knows as the truth. How will he reconcile the job with what is the right thing to do-- because he cares about the right thing to do. If he takes this job, what will he do? But I digress, as I said I would in our first blob. No one needs to worry about Scott. He, like so many who have gone before will probably wind up working for the very people who kicked him around. Anyone who has been in the White House stands a good chance to have a career-- even if they hated the press. Take George Stuffing Envelopes. His first act in the Clinton Administration was to try to close off the access to the press secretary's office. His second act was to write a tell all about things he could only tell because the President didn't close him off from the Oval office. He had no memorable acts in between the first and second, and now he's the mediocre but certainly not unbiased or underpaid Washington correspondent for ABC news. Maybe loyalty, integrity and a moral compass are not what it takes to be a success in or out of the White House. Yep, Tony may be in trouble --We're just sayin.

No comments: