Snow-Smith Showdown: 'You Sound Like Partisan, Not Reporter'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Who needs Chuck Schumer, so long as you have Harry Smith [file photo]? Dems might well be asking themselves that this morning, after the Early Show host went after Tony Snow on the attorney firings in a manner that might have made the senior senator from New York look statesmanlike in comparison.

Things got so bad that at one point, the eminently affable Snow accused Smith of badgering him, and later suggested the CBS anchor was acting like a partisan, not a reporter. Things ended on the worst possible note, as Smith effectively accused Snow of hiding the truth from him.

Edited excerpts from the interview [and which don't do justice to the rancor of the tone or to Smith's manifestly angry body language] from the closed-caption transcript. Note: Justin McCarthy of MRC will be posting a definitive item on this tempestuous exchange later this morning.

HARRY SMITH 7:03 AM ET: You know the news, the House panel has authorized subpoenas. The senate is likely to do so today. Is the White House ready to invoke executive privilege? [Note the provocative question from the top; Smith raising the stakes by suggesting the White House might invoke executive privilege].

TONY SNOW: Well, first, you're way ahead of the game right now, Harry. People have authorized subpoenas, they haven't served them.

SMITH: The people are pretty aware of what the deal is. You've basically offered a chat -- [note Smith's mocking use of "chat" to describe the White House proposal].

SNOW: No, wait --

SMITH: No, no, no, go down to the hill --

SNOW: No, no, wait, harry. You've framed the issue falsely. Let me help you out a little bit --

SMITH: Let's cut to the chase. Why not go down there and let these people testify under oath?

SNOW: First, what you're assuming is the center of action is the White House. This is a decision, a decision process that began at the Department of Justice, was executed by the Department of Justice. So the first thing you want to ask yourself is "what happened?" The Department of Justice said every key official is available. You can all go down there, testify under oath. The second thing is, they're going to make available any documentation and any communication anybody needs. Now what you need to understand, Harry --

SMITH: Tony, even from a cursory look at these e-mails it looks like it reaches much farther than the justice department.

SNOW: No, it doesn't. What it means -- if you take a look at the e-mail, harry it appears there were some communications like "what we're thinking about" --

SMITH: Karl Rove wasn't involved? Harriet Miers wasn't involved? Come on. [Said in a derisive tone].

SNOW: This is where -- I think what you're trying to do is create a narrative that I'm not so sure the facts are going to justify. This is why what we're trying to do is get everybody to figure out what's the deal. Let me start again --

SMITH: Hang on, hang on --

SNOW: Let me explain this point --

SMITH: Perception --

SNOW: Harry, come on --

SMITH: No, listen --

SNOW: The perception is you're trying to badger me into creating a fight between the White House and the legislative branch. What we're trying to do is something pretty extraordinary. The legislative branch has no authority over the White House --

SMITH [now in full flight as Dem inquisitor-in-chief]: Tony, here's what it looks like. These people who serve at the will of the president, or the pleasure of the president, have been kicked out for undue political influence. Even on the front page of the "Washington Post" today you have the lead prosecutor in the big tobacco case saying the Alberto Gonzales justice department, quote/unquote, political interference is happening at justice across the department. When decisions are made now in Bush attorney general's office, politics is the primary consideration. The rule of law goes out the window.

SNOW: Harry, you're sounding like a partisan rather than a reporter here. Let me -- please permit me to try to explain what's going on. Because if you take a look also, reporting in New York Times, what they've said is a look at the documents, which indicate there's no political interference. When people have looked at the available documentary evidence in the case of the U.S. attorney, zippo. So I think what you need to do is to stop trying to make this political interference and maybe do what we're asking members of congress to do, which is figure out what the facts are.

SMITH: When it comes down to evoking executive privilege, I want to return to you some of the words you wrote during the monica lewinsky scandal. Most of us want no part of a president who is cynical enough to use the majesty of his office to evade the one thing he is sworn to uphold, and that is the rule of law. Is that not what we're most interested in?

SNOW: No, we're interested in facts and the rule of law. Please permit me to explain. You've mischaracterized the offer we've made. You've put it in a slanted way and I'm shocked here --

SMITH: No, no, honestly, have a transcript --

SNOW: Every --

SMITH: From your press briefing yesterday.

SNOW: Yes.

SMITH: Why don't you allow there at least to be a transcript from this offer to the members of congress?

SNOW: You're looking at this through a straw. I think the American people probably deserve to know what the offer is and the offer is this -- any shred of information anybody needs is going to be available. And what you're -- what we don't want is kind of a Perry Mason scene where people are hot-dogging and grand-standing and trying to score political points. If you want the truth, we're going to make the truth possible. Everybody's going to be able to find out everything. Furthermore -- let me make the point I've tried to make a couple times.

SMITH: Very quickly.

SNOW: The executive branch doesn't have to do anything. What we've decided to do is make available any communication -- if anybody's worried about the communication the white house may have made with somebody, they're going to get it. If they're going to want to get an answer and want to get the facts from somebody, they're going to get it. What they're not going to get is the ability to create a show trial atmosphere. People are tired of that. They probably would like to get the truth. Wouldn't you?

SMITH: You bet. You owe it to me.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Snow-Smith Showdown ping to Today show list.

[Little Ray]

I'll believe its show down when he has the Sergant-at-Arms remove the @$$ from the press room.

[roses of sharon]

LOL, I hope people realize that this (the MSM) IS Clinton's mythical "war room".

Along with Hollywood and Academia, the commie vampire "war room" continues to suck the lifeblood out of this country.

[Vaquero]

Does Snow even try to bring up Clintons 93 US attorney firing(to get to the one US Attorney who new where all the Arkansas skeletons were buried) at the beginning of his presidency?


is that verbotten?

he seems to be on the defensive and neeeds to be on the offensive.

[geezerwheezer]

Harry Smith is a jacka$$, and has been for many years. I put no credence in anything he says or does. If anybody does believe him, it is at their own peril.

[bert]

BS

He mentions it

[IrishMike]

Good display of MSM liberal bias,with the 'over the top'symptoms a direct result of Bush derangement syndrome.

[Jeffrey_D.]

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2595472n

[Vaquero]

WHERE?

[ishabibble]

Whenever I see Harry Smith sitting on the couch with the Rainbow Womyn, it always crosses my mind that he probably sits down to pee. It's a strange thought, but that is my entire opinion of the Token Male.

[Ditto]

Harry, you're sounding like a partisan rather than a reporter here.

Well Duh. Tony, but a clue. They are partisans.

[Republican Red]

I pride myself in the fact that I have never once seen the CBS morning show. I have been channel hoping recently sice Fox & Friends replaced E.D. with Gretchen. I have seen bits and pieces of CNN, Today and GMA. I even watch our local Fox morning show but it never crosses my mind to even wonder over to CBS.

[USS Alaska]

who is harry smith? Is this the same mr smith that goes to washington? Faggot.

[7thson]

Edited excerpts from the interview

Read these five words starting in para three above. You need to read the entire post. To make it more plain - the excerpts are edited - which means not every spoken word from the interview is here. Is that clear now?

[Republican Red]

Nobody cares about this story except the media!

Attorney Firings Stir Limited Public Interest
Despite Extensive News Coverage

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=311

[Vaquero]

well OK...then please find them and include them. you seem to know about them...I not only read the whole item of this post but I searched the original article.

if it was remove fine...but I got a

"BS He mentions it"

from Bert and no quote, or even a parapharse.....

[ClearCase_guy]

Nobody cares about this story except the media!

That's true. However, it is dangerous to become complacent.

Nobody cared about Valerie Plame except the media too. But now, it is firmly established as fact that Bush lied with his 16 words, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney colluded in blowing the cover of an undercover CIA operative, and that everyone in the Bush Administration perjured themselves during the trial. However, because the Democrats are out of power, justice was not done, and only Scooter Libby will serve time in jail, and Dick Cheney and Karl Rove got off scott free.

Yeah, it's all lies. But the media has pretty much established it as fact. And how? Because the public didn't care, and too many Republicans shrugged and said, "What's the big deal? Nobody's following that case anyway."

[reagan_fanatic]

If I were Snow, I would have had to resist the urge to smack that smartass right in the face.

Harry, you are a worthless partisan hack masquerading as a legitimate 'reporter'. And not a very good one at that.

[Maverick68]

I was so damn angry that I actually e-mailed CBS, not that it will do any good.