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Obama flashes irritation in press room
Politico.com ^ | 1/23/2009 | Puppage

Posted on 01/23/2009 6:42:56 AM PST by Puppage

President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question.

Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face.

"Ahh, see," he said, "I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can't end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here."

Pressed further by the Politico reporter about his Pentagon nominee, William J. Lynn III, Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter's shoulder and staring him in the eye.

"Alright, come on" he said, with obvious irritation in his voice. "We will be having a press conference at which time you can feel free to [ask] questions. Right now, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to you guys - that's all I was trying to do."

The president was quickly saved by a cameraman in the room who called out: “I’d like to say it one more time: ‘Mr. President.’ ”

Obama spent about 10 minutes total, winding his way through a crush of reporters and photographers between the upper and lower floors of the journalists' workspace and asking questions about who worked where and how the booths and desks were assigned.

Reporters had little warning about the impromptu visit by the new president, and those who were in the downstairs portion of the press quarters only came to the briefing room after an unexpected and cryptic announcement on the internal intercom that they do so.

"This is worse than the Middle East," he joked, alluding to the territorial claims staked on the cramped corridor. "Who's sitting where and all that stuff."

He revealed that he had already gotten in two work outs since being sworn in Tuesday.

"Turns out I have a little gym up there," he said with a smile.

Obama said he had watched press secretary Robert Gibbs debut briefing "in anticipation of some flop sweat. ... I just want to thank you for not completely ripping up Gibbs," Obama said.

"I am very proud of him today. He got a fist bump from me."


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 0bama; bho2009; bho44; bhopress; democrats; obama
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To: verga

Unfortunately, they can’t turn on, for by doing so they incrinimate themselves, since it is their biased reporting that put him in the White House in the first place.


61 posted on 01/23/2009 7:32:31 AM PST by PAR
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To: verga
Unfortunately, they can't turn on him, for by doing so they incriminate themselves, since it is their biased reporting that put him in the White House in the first place.
62 posted on 01/23/2009 7:33:06 AM PST by PAR
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To: verga

Looks like “Mr. Cool” is losing his “cool”. My prayer is that the press turns on him.


63 posted on 01/23/2009 7:33:22 AM PST by LottieDah (If only those who speak so eloquently on the rights of animals would do so on behalf the unborn)
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To: Puppage
0 working the room as the MSM swoon ...


64 posted on 01/23/2009 7:34:10 AM PST by maggief
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To: NoKoolAidforMe
It took less than a week for the crowd to turn against Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

I appreciate the allusion, but that's not quite accurate. There were two different crowds: One of enthusiastic pilgrims, the other a hand-picked and paid-for mob arranged by the Sadducees.

Yeshua's popularity with the common folk is why the corrupted priests initially did not want to arrest Yeshua during the Feast and then engineered a blatantly illegal trial and hasty crucifixion when He forced their hand: They couldn't afford time for the news to spread and for an angry mob to erupt. Afterwards, the official leadership of Israel having rejected Him, most of the common folk just went with the flow--but the Christian portrait of the "fickle Jews" is a blatant caricature of what was really going on.

While we're clearing up misperceptions, none of the four Gospel accounts record the Pharisees being involved in the trial--because the Pharisees did not believe in the death penalty as a rule, really did not believe in handing a Jew over to the Gentiles, were still debating among themselves about Yeshua, and would have happily thrown a monkey wrench into the proceedings simply to spite the Sadducees (as happened in the much-later trial of Paul).

On the subject of the thread: Obama's a twit, and I'm breaking out the popcorn in hopes of a good show as the press starts to push back.

Shalom.

65 posted on 01/23/2009 7:35:07 AM PST by Buggman (HebrewRoot.com - Baruch haBa b'Shem ADONAI!)
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To: verga
It is starting, once the messiah turns on the MSM, they will turn on him.

Don't bet on it. From the article:

The president was quickly saved by a cameraman in the room who called out: “I’d like to say it one more time: ‘Mr. President.’ ”

66 posted on 01/23/2009 7:37:02 AM PST by Wolfstar (This much I know is true, God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.)
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To: verga
It is starting, once the messiah turns on the MSM, they will turn on him.

I doubt it they are easily intimidated by liberals --it is only conservatives
67 posted on 01/23/2009 7:38:23 AM PST by uncbob
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To: ryan71
Slobama’s been on a love fest journey and he has no idea what lies ahead.

This man does not like to be held accountable and he does not like to make decisions.

And terrorists around the globe are watching and saying, "Allah be praised. Our enemies have been delivered into our hands. Victory is ours."

444 days, Kobar Towers, Twin Towers I and II, USS Cole may soon be looked upon as the good old days.

68 posted on 01/23/2009 7:38:38 AM PST by N. Theknow (Kennedys: Can't fly, can't ski, can't drive, can't skipper a boat. But they know what's best.)
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To: The Sons of Liberty

Yep...we need another Joe The Plumber moment!


69 posted on 01/23/2009 7:39:34 AM PST by gimme1ibertee (Sarahlution!!!!!)
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To: maggief

Looks like The Ass Chuck Todd properly posed in the background.


70 posted on 01/23/2009 7:40:11 AM PST by John W
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To: Old Professer

Turner Classic Movies had Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner onInauragation Day!


71 posted on 01/23/2009 7:40:57 AM PST by Dr. Ursus
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To: Puppage
Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter's shoulder and staring him in the eye.

A little savvy move he picked up from Slick Willie...kinda like the finger-wagging moment Clinton had with Chris Wallace. Sickening.
72 posted on 01/23/2009 7:42:48 AM PST by gimme1ibertee (Sarahlution!!!!!)
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To: Puppage
Well, what do you expect? He never had to answer a tough question throughout the 2 years he was campaigning....why should he start now?

That was the purpose of his visit, to become pals with the media to assure he still receives favorable treatment.

73 posted on 01/23/2009 7:44:59 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government)
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To: Dr. Ursus

Just a coincidence!!!!

Like the fact that a biopic of Robert Kennedy was advertised on Maryland tv stations the whole summer that Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was running for governor.


74 posted on 01/23/2009 7:47:21 AM PST by maica (Barack Obama is a Communist Party Project.)
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To: Puppage

I went to Politico to see the video and it doesn’t anything like they describe. They must have edited it and just put the words on their page because the video shows a friendly meet and greet.


75 posted on 01/23/2009 7:50:31 AM PST by Vendome
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To: verga

Never get into a pissing contest with people who buy ink by the barrel.


76 posted on 01/23/2009 7:50:55 AM PST by tom paine 2
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To: Clintonfatigued; Impy; TitansAFC; Perdogg

Ping


77 posted on 01/23/2009 7:52:05 AM PST by Norman Bates (Steele for RNC)
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To: dfwgator
President Bush immediately called Obama afterwards, and told him, "Welcome to my world."

Not even close to "Bush's world"! Just think if Bush had tried to make a friendly visit to the press room (uh, oxymoron phrase), he would have been bludgeoned by the press and hung out to dry if he tried to fend off a tough question.

78 posted on 01/23/2009 7:54:20 AM PST by REPANDPROUDOFIT
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To: Puppage

The WH press *hate* the idea that the POTUS isn’t just some clown they can bark at like a small town mayor.

Sam Donaldson really broke the ice for them with Ronald Reagan, as they would be shouting questions at him while he was walking from the WH to his helicopter, without even glancing at them because he couldn’t hear them. Donaldson would yell out a loud string of profanity directed at Reagan, that Reagan did hear.

For his part, always a gentleman, Reagan just smiled and waved.

But Donaldson ended even the veneer of politeness at WH press gatherings.

H.W. Bush, Clinton, and W. Bush, and Obama all faced the crude gallery, and all at first try, at least, to restore some degree of civility to it, and fail.

I cannot fault Obama too much, here, as he made it clear that he was just making a courtesy visit to be polite, so that introductions could be made with the press gallery. But some dork reporter had to screw it up by behaving like, well, a dork.

I forget which one or two of his predecessors tried to put out some ground rules of behavior, requesting that press conferences would be more productive if the press behaved with at least a little decorum; but they all gave out shrieks of objection, as if they had been asked to do something illegal and unthinkable.

So let’s face it. The press are pigs. This is one of the reasons the media is dying. They reject any self control at all, even with those they like. If they could just control themselves for a minute, the POTUS, whoever, would probably be more than happy to blather at them, and answer a ton of questions.

But they can’t, they won’t, they are utterly impulsive and obnoxious.


79 posted on 01/23/2009 7:54:47 AM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: Puppage

boo-hoo, the press doesn’t love Obama anymore. LOL!


80 posted on 01/23/2009 8:02:19 AM PST by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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