Posted on 03/28/2006 4:24:42 PM PST by Peach
|NEW YORK In an apparent effort to mend his relationship with the press, President George W. Bush has been holding off-the-record meetings with White House reporters for the past few days, an apparent first since he took office.
Several correspondents confirmed to E&P either participating in such meetings or being invited to them, noting that at least two have been held in the past week, with one scheduled for Tuesday. Most have lasted more than an hour and at least one took place in Bush's private residence.
"It was very pleasant, he seemed very thoughtful and frank," said Stephan Dinan, a Washington Times reporter and one of about six reporters who took part in a session Monday afternoon. "It was on a wide range of stuff."
Monday's gathering also included reporters from the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, and Cox Newspapers, according to sources.
Several reporters declined to comment on the record, but said they had been called personally by Press Secretary Scott McClellan to participate in the chats, some getting invited just hours ahead of time. "It doesn't surprise me because presidents do this," said one reporter invited to a session on Tuesday who requested anonymity. "Clinton did it toward the end of his second term. A little bit of legacy-building, post-impeachment, post-Monica."
Another reporter who had been invited to Tuesday's chat, but declined to be named, said it was obvious Bush was trying to improve his image in the face of dwindling public support. "It says to me they are trying to be more communicative," the reporter said. "It has not been a select group, he is having a few people through there."
A scribe who attended a session last Thursday called it "a little surreal. ... He wants to chew the fat," the reporter said. "He asked about our backgrounds, our families. He wanted to be informal, but it couldn't be, because of who he is."
McClellan did not respond to several calls seeking comment Monday.
Ron Hutcheson, a Knight Ridder reporter and former president of the White House Correspondents Association, said he had not been invited to a chat, but knew of several others who had. "He has done two of them," he said Monday. "I don't recall them happening before."
He said it was likely part of the outreach aimed at improving support for the Iraq War. "He is personal and persuasive in the small group setting and they know that," he said of White House officials. "He used to do them during the campaign, come to the back of the plane and talk to reporters."
Hutcheson said Bush initially sought to speak off the record with reporters on Air Force One shortly after taking office in 2001, but most opposed the idea. "The consensus was that you can't do that now that you are president, be off the record," he explained. "Air Force One is a pool setting and you are obligated to share with the press corps what you hear. We always argue to be on the record."
Such concerns apparently prompted The New York Times to decline participation in one of the chats set for Tuesday, the paper reported. "The Times has declined this opportunity after weighing the potential benefits to our readers against the prospect of withholding information from them about the discussion with Mr. Bush," Times Washington bureau chief Philip Taubman said in Tuesday's edition. "As a matter of policy and practice, we would prefer when possible to conduct on-the-record interviews with public officials."
Los Angeles Times Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus said Monday he did not know if any of his staff had been to such a session. But he showed concern over where such discussions might lead. "If people are going to make small talk about kids and vacations, it is not a big deal," he said. "But when you get in to policy discussions, it can be."
See, OUR GOD STILL Does Answer our prayers!
This, despite the fact that they've sat down with this, and other presidents in similar situations before. Transparent posturing by a crumbling rag.
I sincerely wish them to ashes & then to dust....and then, if possible, to carbon atoms.
I doubt Helen got an invite.
If Helen got an invite, I want Jeff Gannon invited back.
Could it be possible that Andrew Card did not approve of such behavior?
This can only mean one of two things
1 ] At some point in time it's going to come around and bite him in the butt !
2 ] It's going to come around and bite us all in the butt !
It's only when they have a liberal "audience/cheering section" nearby that they start to play to their crowd and become "flaming liberal".
You're right. It was Clinton's press secretary who said that he regrets opening the press briefings to television because it changed the entire tone to hostile 24/7.
BTTT
She'll probably go all Cindy Sheehan on him.
It's getting to be like "Mr. Bill" on the old Saturday Night Live.
Every time he is nice to Mr. Sluggo, Sluggo returns the favor by torturing him and, consecutively, disabling his body parts.
Bush can try this all he wants, but I think it's a waste of time kissing up to these people. They are left wing democrat machine scum, they would help a dem all day long without a meeting, they will screw a republican all day no matter how nice he is to them.
I agree with your assessment of the media. 100%.
They like to play to the camera .. that's when they do their best to get the best "nasty" soundbite. Media whores is too kind a description.
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