Today's Ari Fleischer Press Briefing: WHERE WAS HELEN?

The White House | March 7, 2003

[Churchillspirit]

I met Ari at a fund raiser last year.

When I complimented him on the great job he does, he graciously replied
"Well, I have the best boss in the world"

The grown-ups really are in charge again.

[BunnySlippers]

That was an outstanding answer. He also said he provided the president with the list of reporters to call on during the news conference. (Rove, Hughes didn't provide the list).

Ari is so cool.

[KC Burke]

...or is there supposed to be some kind of pecking order?

As I recall the tradition is that the senior White House correspondent is given an early question, without fail, and then at the indication of the end, holds the tradition of thanking the President on behalf of the assembled press corp. It was that way when she became senior correspondent many years ago.

Now the contention will be that GWB has snubbed the WH corp in general by his treatment of their honorary senior. The response, of course, is that neither Helen Thomas or the rest of the corp of WH reporters appears to take the stature of that unofficial position very seriously based upon the tone, content and editorializing of her "commentary" from the floor. If her collegues couldn't corral her conduct, someone needed to before she resorted to outright dramatics during a news conference.

This was a big deal in the tradition laden WH.

[mabelkitty]

She has no self-awareness.

She was being used by the Democrats and the left to embarrass the administration, which proves she lost any professional acumen and commen sense long ago.

If anything, she should take out her frustration and feelings to those who would lead an old woman on - not the people who finally showed her the door to prevent her from looking foolish any longer.

[skinkinthegrass]

heheheh...:)

[mabelkitty]

The looks don't bother me - it's the vicious soul that does.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Last night a friend told me that Helen Thomas is the late Danny Thomas' sister. Is there any truth to that statement?

In any case, I was glad that we did not have to endure a question from her last night.

[mabelkitty]

I agree. Perhaps they should rethink the bone-headed reports who don't have current news items to ask the President. Sheesh!

[bert]

....She was only a reporter, not the enemy dasshole is

Wrongo Wiz.

She is the enemy in its most insidious form. She is an unabashed leftist dedicated to the destruction of Conservative thought and action.She is old and doesn't give a damn and quite willing to use her pen as a dagger to slay the conservative monster.

[Paul Atreides]

Ari, to Helen: You monkey, you minion shut up and sit down! A curse on your moustache!

[biblewonk]

The other Helen Degenerate.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Pay back, some times, can be a bitch

As opposed to Helen, who always is.

[Reagan Man]

The elephant, is the official mascot of the GOP and Helen Thomas is no Republican! In the future, please don't compare that sweaty, stink'en old fart, Helen Thomas with a nice creature like the elephant. Thomas is better associated with that which comes out of the elephants rear.

[BA63]

I though Bush SLAMMED Terry Moran last night. I dang near fell off the couch, choked on my Slim Jim and spilt muh beer.

[PLOM...NOT!]

I'm sorry, but these people are/were not reporters, not journalists...they are AGENDISTS, pure and simple.

I took a journalism class in high school and it was just the facts ma'am. Who, what, when, where, why and how.

[Robert A Cook PE]

"She is the enemy in its most insidious form. She is an unabashed leftist dedicated to the destruction of Conservative thought and action....

Worse that that.

.... the enemy in the press corpse who then blantantly lies about their liberalism/socialism, and strongly asserts that the "national press corpse" is unbiased and independent with no agenda every time asked!

[Keith]

moron, he was looking at who to call on next.

Have you got a Harvard MBA?

You are an idiot.

[Catie]

Exactly what I was going to say! A pundit whose show broadcasts nightly on WCBM out of Baltimore, Les Kinsolving is a relatively harmless, former Episcopalian priest and gadfly who calls himself a "journalist." Ha! Last time I checked, journalists don't go on and on about the so-called "buggery lobby," a favorite Les nemisis. Although mostly conservative, he's also pro-choice, anti-death penalty, and married to a Berkley leftist.

[Exit148]

"The looks don't bother me - it's the vicious soul that does."

Dittos on that. I don't like the constant comments on her looks. We can't help what we are born with.

But her open and constant negative comments show how black her heart is. She comes out with whatever outrageous statement she wishes, only because she knows that her 'doyenneship-status' lets her get away with it. They are too nice to her.

I hope her snubbing gives a warning to others.I don't mean censorship -- I mean the utter rudeness and 'in-your-face' commenting.

[newgeezer]

Can someone enlighten me as to where this "pre-screened" thing came from? I tuned in late, only to see GWB call on a reporter and say something about the thing being "scripted," and everyone laughed. Later, while the tube was providing only background noise, I think I heard one of the talking heads mention some allegation of the press conference(s) being scripted/pre-screened.

So, what did I miss? With his "this is scripted" jibe, was GWB referencing something in yesterday's news? (I don't find a good answer to this at news.google.com.)