Not that I'm a fan, but what will the White House briefings be like without Les?
White House press secretary Tony Snow took time out from answering questions at Wednesday's briefing to lecture a veteran reporter [Les Kinsolving] on journalism and demand that he change the "twisted words" in an article he had written.Tony Snowjob wouldn't let Les get a word in edgewise. Nope, he just had to keep chewing him out, because, you know, Les Kinsolving's a bit of a neophyte.
Snow continued to press Kinsolving, "I saw the piece you wrote the other day, that has been thoroughly twisting[sic] out of context." At this point Kinsolving tried to get a word in, but Snow was having none of it, "You know what I don't care, because the fact is, if someone is going to take questions about things that don't fall under the president's purview, and I answer that question, and it gets twisted, it is a disservice to this White House and the craft of journalism."
It was never clear exactly what piece Snow was objecting to, but he was annoyed enough to suggest, "that if I were you, I would pick up the phone and tell them to start cleaning up or writing corrections."
Did I mention Les has twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize? When Snow finally stopped his blathering, Kinsolving didn't miss a beat and went right on with his next question.
But he's not coming back.
Tony Snow is the mouthpiece for the worst president ever. How perfectly appropriate.
posted by GottaLaff @ 10:11 PM
27 comments
27 Comments:
Helen better stay put, though.
Can congress impeach a white house press secretary?
Goodbye, Lee. You will be missed.
I agree about Helen. I suspect she will stay put, because she's a tough old broad in the best sense of the word.
It's a dream, I know, but wouldn't it just be swell if the entire Washington press corp decided to abandon the WH press briefings.
Yes, I know, a whore's a whore, and that will never happen, but it 's still a nice fantasy.
Richterscale,
I LOVE that fantasy.
I also love every happy ending in every movie ever. ::sigh::
Kinsolving is notoriously anti-gay and also an Anglican minister.
"Notoriously Anti-Gay" is another word for "Homosexual", by the way.
Snow is a neophyte and anything he says should be taken with a lot of grains of salt.
Whenyou look at some of the people who have held the post as White House spokesman and the high level of experience and expertise they brought with them to the job, the three stooges that have worked for Bush are simply jokes.
Don Herbert,
I think you just insulted the 3 Stooges.
In the era of vaudeville, Kinsolving would be called a “pants man” that is, if things weren’t going well in the regular show, a guy would come out on stage and manage to drop his pants, getting a quick laugh from the audience.
My guess is that he knew just how ridiculous his questions were. A very useful relief tool when the real questions got intense. Same with the Indian fellow, can’t recall his name…the subject is always arcane and supportive of the administration position.
I’d like to see a count of the reporters who function as plants in that room.
Good points rr harris.
Hmmm, "plants" could mean so many things. Shills, vegetation...
I do love the vaudeville reference though.
Can never go wrong with vaudeville.
RichterScale said it best: wouldn't it just be swell if the entire Washington press corp decided to abandon the WH press briefings
Bizarroland.net suggested this back in 2005
He was probably forced to reseign as he was probably cut off from future questions. This is how the white house works. that is why journalists were forced to toe the line for the iraq war. their careers rely on access if the bush admin denies it they are over.
Well, if that's the case, why is David Gregory still sitting in the front row? I've heard him ask some pretty pertinent anti-admin questions...Ah, but then there was the rappin' gig with Rove so that may have re-instated him.
In the first place, if one is to attempt to arrive at even a semblance of truth, or reality, it is essential that words uttered by Snow be twisted, turned, inverted, converted to english.
In the second place, what Snow knows about 'journalism' could be contained in his non-existent colon, what he speaks is PR Crap, paraphrasing the lies of the most mendacious political hack in the history of the nation.
Gregory may ask tough questions, but he never gets the answers to said questions and never presses Snow to give the relevant answers. Gregory fills his role in seemingly asking the real questions we all are thinking but never getting the real answers.
His gettin it on with Rove and the other asswipes was all we needed to know about Gregory. Is that what they call 'Dancin with the Devil'??
snow came from FOX! he had specific training in doublespeak and knows instinctively what must be written about this administration - pravda alone!
i loved helen's comment to him the other day: You're not speaking English, really.
Now if only David Gregory and everyone from the New York Times would depart (replaced by some Euros and some McClatchys, I hope), we're in business.
"if someone is going to take questions about things that don't fall under the president's purview....."
--Then refer them to the appropriate party, you idiot!
Snow's job is to speak for the Pres only, but thinks the press gaggle is his own Fox TV show; he's the expert on everything until challenged, whereupon he doesn't address the challenge but the challenger--bwaaah! Sounds familiar doesn't it?
But christ, Les KInsolving? He always struck me as a "go-to" guy. His questions were always ripe with specific right-wing talking points. like he was sponsored. If the big topic was Iraq he'd be called upon to change the subject and it was usually somepne's pet cause--like the border guards who were jailed for shooting an unarmed illegal alien.
That even Kinsolving has had enough is remarkable.
Disservice? I didn't know the press was supposed to be serving the White House. Tony Snow has lived comfortably with a White House press corps that slobbers over anything WH spokespersons say. Gee, sorry your twisted logic and truths weren't taken as gospel, Tony.
I often why wonder reporters show up at all at these briefings, besides that they are told to cover them. They should attend if they have to, but why bother asking questions, when you know there's a very high probability that you will be lied to? All that is bad enough, but the "anonymous sources" that pass along the lies of the Bush Administration as "facts" is really infuriating. If they're going to quote those sources, could they at least verify, from someone outside the administration, that they were told the truth?
I would love to see the day when Snow turns it over to questions and there are none, because nobody feels like being lied to again. And then they do it the next day, until it's pretty obvious they are just not listening to him.
Good, he is the RW Helen Thomas.
Tony is looking gray and his hair is falling out. I imagine he doesn't feel too good. It can't help that he feels he has to lie or cover up lies every day. Quit now, Tony.
When Snow finally stopped his blathering, Kinsolving didn't miss a beat and went right on with his next question.
Kinsolving was kind of a pussy. If I were in the position to quit anyway and a lying blowhard like Snowjob were giving me crap about "journalism". I like to think I'd at least tell the sleazy hypocrit to go "Cheney" himself(and yes I'd use those words).
Are we talking 'Lester the Molester' here? I don't know why he was called that - just heard it somewheres....(cough) - mediawhores or somewheres...long, long ago... somewheres.
Oh - and Dean, anyone who describes another man as a 'pussy' evi-goddamned-dently hasn't had one because pussies nor the women who have them are the little weak things some men like to portray them as. I'm so sick of anyone - but especially men referring to 'other' men as pussy. Survive labor and then we'll talk.
You must've meant 'pushover' or 'placemat' or something akin, huh.
Lets take a step back.
Snow's job is to be a fast talking propagandist. Why anyone BOTHERS to go to a press briefing is beyond me. You cannot, by definition, get a factual statement from Snow.
The whole thing is a circus. If journalists all wanted to report the truth, they wouldn't bother going to a briefing.
What happened with Les is an example of someone publishing something contrary to the propagandist's wishes.
=my2c
BC
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