White House Press Comedy Team

Yesterday's press briefing at the White House should be released on DVD as a comedy special. How did these people rise to this level in journalism? With all the important things going on in the world, the reporters just couldn't let go of the fact that Cheney decided not to release the information about the accident to the press corps, but they had to find out from a local reporter in Corpus Christi. I just love that, and given their reaction, I think Cheney made the right decision. If he'd reported the incident right at the first, he still would have been subject to every joke on the planet, but at least this way he can make the press look like fools at the same time.

My favorite question of the day came from some reporterette, possibly from NBC:

"Would it have been more serious if the guy had died?"

What cereal box did she get her journalism degree out of?

The Washington Post had a piece on some of the behind-the-scenes antics of David Gregory, the NBC reporter who never met a camera he didn't preen in front of:

The most heated public moment occurred during McClellan's off-camera "gaggle" with White House reporters yesterday morning. It featured NBC's David Gregory, one of McClellan's most persistent inquisitors over the last year, who raised his voice while asking a question about the incident.

"Hold on," McClellan interrupted, pointing out that "the cameras aren't on right now. You can do this later."

"Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras," Gregory replied. "Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question."

"You don't have to yell," McClellan said.

"I will yell," said Gregory, jabbing his finger in McClellan's direction. "If you want to use that podium to try to take shots at me personally, which I don't appreciate, then I will raise my voice, because that's wrong."

"Calm down, Dave. Calm down," said McClellan evenly.

(Drudge continues the exchange): 'I'll calm down when I feel like calming down,' Gregory said. 'You answer the question.''

I have answered the question,' said McClellan, who had maintained that the vice president's office was in charge of getting the information out and worked with the ranch owner to do that. 'I'm sorry you're getting all riled up about.'

'I am riled up,' Gregory said, 'because you're not answering the question.'"

There's no question that neither Cheney nor Bush care much for the press, and you can't blame them for being less then proactive when it comes to releasing information to these morons.

And Tim Graham checks in at The Corner with the predictable lefty media response to the accident:

The Washington Post did their original front-page Monday news story on Quailgate? Check. Today, another front-page story questioning the slow alerting of the media? Check. Outraged unsigned Post editorial? Check. Outraged column by liberal Eugene Robinson? Check. Two Style section pieces to lead off the Beltway buzz? Check.

Anything on Al Gore's America-bashing speech in Saudi Arabia? Not in the paper, yesterday or today.