Bush finds me unruly?

by Les Kingsolving

Posted: March 11, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

© 2008

The first formal White House presidential press conference was held by Woodrow Wilson in 1913, notes the White House Historical Association; which goes on to report:

"Franklin D. Roosevelt had more press conferences – 1,023 – than any other chief executive."

Considering that FDR did so while leading this nation through the Great Depression and the Second World War, the following Aug. 1, 2003 report, from Boston's WBUR.org – NPR News Source, is eye-opening:

"President George W. Bush is not known for enjoying press conferences. He has held only nine solo performances since his term began. By this time in their presidencies his father had held 61 and President Clinton had held 33."

On Wednesday, March 5 in the White House Rose Garden the White House Press Corps was invited to what is listed as: "Statement by the president with Sen. John McCain."

After opening statements of equal length by the president and Sen. McCain – with Mr. Bush endorsing his one-time bitter rival for the presidency – Bush announced:

"Yes, we'll answer a couple of questions."

And then he proceeded to engage in what he often does at his press conferences: calling on Old Big Media reporters who are selected in advance.

That, and this president's almost invariable refusal to take any questions from so many of us in the White House press corps, is why I stopped attending his press conferences – either in the East Room or in the jammed Brady Press Room.

But on Wednesday, I hoped to be able to offer a question to Sen. McCain – who, with former Mayor Giuliani, had provided good responses to my questions during the New Hampshire Primary in January.

I was able to stand on the front row, there in the Rose Garden. After the president said: "We'll answer a couple of questions" (that's plural: "We will"), I raised my hand and held it up.

Eventually, after calling on three of The Selected Few, President Bush called out:

"Wolf, Where's Wolf? No, I'm not calling you. Wolf. No, not you, either. Where's Wolf?"

I was one of those two "No-Not-You-I-Want-The-Wolf" rejectees.

So, I was rejected by the president, as he had done to me previously when I tried to question Jordan's king, who seemed receptive; some two years after Mr. Bush answered the only question he has ever allowed me to ask him – in seven years.

President Bush concluded this event by saying: "Listen, thank you all very much for coming."

Then a reporter I do not know called out: "Did you talk names for vice president?" (Laughter)

And hoping that the much-more-responsive-to-reporters McCain might be willing to respond with something of a valuable campaign promise, I cried out:

"One press conference a week if you're elected, senator?"

This was, (the White House transcript notes) a question directed not to the president but to Sen. McCain.

That apparently made no difference to Mr. President. For with what might be described as a wry smile (possibly a grimace) he cut in – before McCain could reply – with the following denunciation:

"Thank you all very much. It's been a pleasure to see you. Obviously we've invited some unruly members of the fourth estate here. I'm disappointed in the conduct of some of the people that have come. I told John it would be a nice and polite crowd. Thank you all very much."

At least I was not the only recipient of this First Estate Rebuke of The Fourth Estate. For Mr. Bush designated: "SOME unruly members" and "SOME of the people."

I do not know who else it was that was so presidentially chided.

But since I am covering the White House for WCBM Baltimore as well as 8 million WorldNetDaily readers (many of whom are not among the 30 percent of the American people who approve of the George Bush presidency), I am compelled to continue asking questions that may well meet with Mr. President's displeasure.


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=58535