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White House Continues Pushback Against NBC
By Mark ImpomeniMay 20th 2008 5:00PM
Filed Under:eBush Administration, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Media
The White House shed more light on its objections to an edited recording of an interview with President Bush conducted by Richard Engel of NBC News and aired on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and The Today Show. In response to a question at today's daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said that the Administration had received no response from NBC News to a letter sent to them yesterday by Counselor to the President Ed Gillespie, adding, "I think it's quite telling that they have been silent."In his letter to NBC News President Steve Capus, Gillespie charged NBC with "deceitful editing" in airing the president's answer to a question about his remarks to Israel's parliament last week. The White House is upset that the broadcast interview seemed to leave the impression that the president was agreeing with Engel's characterization of his remarks about the foolishness of appeasement, especially with respect to terrorist groups like Hamas and their state sponsor Iran, as being focused at Sen. Barack Obama. Ms. Perino clarified today that the White House was concerned that the media would attempt to take routine policy statements from the president in his waning days in office and try to put them in the context of the presidential campaign. Ms. Perino said that the White House was, "not going to allow the President's policies to be dragged into the '08 election unnecessarily and unfairly."
Gillespie also took NBC to task for its famous 2006 declaration that Iraq was in a state of civil war, noting that the network has made no similar pronouncements on the end of the so-called civil war since the troop surge has demonstrated great success at reducing violence levels in Iraq. Similarly, he complained that Brian Williams reported the recent Gross Domestic Product statistics skeptically. "If you go by the government number, the figure that came out today stops just short of the official declaration of a recession," Mr. Williams said on his April 30, 2008 broadcast. Gillespie asked sardonically, "Are there numbers besides the 'government number' to go by? Is there reason to believe 'the government number' is suspect? How does the release of positive economic growth for two consecutive quarters, albeit limited, stop 'just short of the official declaration of a recession'?"
Perino placed all of the White House's objections to the NBC report in the context of years of frustration on the part of the Administration in dealing with an increasingly adversarial press.
"The reason that we sent the letter yesterday is because we had gotten fed up with the way that the President's policies are being mischaracterized, or the situations on the ground weren't being accurately reflected in the reporting. We had complained before. And it just reached a boiling point when things had boiled over when we believed that NBC News specifically edited out -- intentionally edited out -- something that the President said in response to a question in an interview regarding Iran, and that it mischaracterized the whole interview because of it.Ms. Perino's last statement may be the most important. All Administrations struggle to remain relevant in the last months of their tenure, and this White house is no exception. President Bush said at the beginning of the year that he had every intention of working right through the end of is term to accomplish his priorities for the American people. But the long and rancorous presidential campaign, especially on the Democratic side, has left the White House outside the news cycle looking in. Gillespie's letter may have been as much to remind who remains in charge, even as they rush to crown President Bush's successor, as it was an attempt to set the record straight.
As regards the civil war, I remember very distinctly how there was quite the pomp and circumstance when NBC, on the Today Show, decided to declare -- that they were declaring that Iraq was a civil war. But since then, after the surge and things certainly improved in Iraq, NBC has never had a corresponding ceremony to say that Iraq is not in a civil war. I was just curious to find out what they believe.
And the same goes with the economy. When we got the numbers just two weeks ago on the GDP for the economic growth, it said that we had grown at 0.6 percent. And yet the anchor that night decided to disavow that number. We're just curious what part of the official government data that's been coming out for years do they not agree with. So we haven't had a response on that.
And just another point on this is that President Bush is going to continue to state what United States policy is for the next eight months, and certainly during the six months that there's an election going on. If, for example, if tomorrow President Bush says that he believes that the tax cuts should be made permanent, that doesn't mean he's attacking anybody; he is stating his policy.
Recent Comments
(Page 1 of 1)jan h7:20PMMay 20th 2008
La la la. "Some say" this president is toast and cannot get away with the sliming he has been doing for eight years.
Que sera sera8:06PMMay 20th 2008
I respect my President. You show him no respect, I show your choice no either. It's been a limo ride for Obama with the MSM and the PM. Quite frankly I am glad to see them stood up to. My vote goes proudly to John McCain.
Never ever to Barack Hussein Obama. Who isn't proud of his name or his country. Well I am ashamed of him.
Mark8:08PMMay 20th 2008
Let me see! I seem to remember a recent democratic president impeached when he lied to a grand jury!Oh thats right according to his wife it was a vast right wing plot. Now wait is that wife now running for his old office. Speaking of slime. There is two of a slime for you. Watch your FBI records if she makes it into Bill's BJ room
durene5:36AMMay 21st 2008
The Making of a Manchurian Candidate… Barack Obama is a troubled personality, the megalomaniac front man for a postmodern coup by intelligence agencies using fake polls, mobs of adolescents, super-rich backers, and orchestrated media hysteria to short-circuit normal politics and seize power. Obama comes from the orbit of the Ford Foundation, and has never won an election in a real contest. His guru and controller is Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Trilateral Commission co-founder and mad Russia-hater. Zbig wants a showdown with Russia and China far more dangerous for the US than the Bush-Cheney Iraq quagmire. Obama’s economics are pure Skull & Bones/Chicago school austerity and sacrifice for American working families, to bail out the bankrupt Wall Street financiers who own him. Obama’s lemming legions and Kool-Aid cult candidacy hearken back to Italy in 1919-1922, and raise a spectre of postmodern fascism in America. No voter can afford to ignore the lessons contained in this book.
FINALLY! THE TRUTH about that fabulous crowd Obama supposedly got in Portland: “Free Concert by Popular Band Preceded Obama’s Big Rally.” (Another wet dream of the MSM about “The One” that isn’t the real thing..)
Denice Johnson6:42AMMay 21st 2008
I always thought Brian Williams worked for the Democratic party and was just a guest speaker of NBC.
Bill in Scottsdale12:17PMMay 21st 2008
Bush's policies are generally correct: cut taxes (the top 1% are the only ones paying more now than before the tax cuts thusly undercutting the canard that the tax cuts were for the rich), taking a strong stand against Al Qaeda (most of their leaders are dead or captured and the ones that are left are writing letters pleading with their followers to hang on), etc. He just has been unwilling to articulate his policies in a manner that will ring with the American people. I would like nothing more than to see him stongly state his case and let the chips fall. I think it would be resounding, but the Republican Party, for whatever reason, has been reluctant to state its case. I hope Bush takes his case to the people in his last months in office. It sure contrasts with Obama who, last night in Iowa in the same speech said, America was the greatest country, etc. and then said he represented change. If we are the greatest country I don't want to change it. That's just foolish rhetoric on his part. And it truly was comical to hear Obama's reaction to Bush's appeasement speech to the Knesset.
M Sandoras1:04PMMay 21st 2008
Looks like this might be a media ploy by the white house to help increase Fox news ratings which has a republican agenda to spew.
Blondssspice1:32PMMay 21st 2008
TO QUOTE RONALD REAGAN :
I did not abandon the Democratic Party,
the Democratic Party abandoned me.
I mirror his sentiment.
The DEMS will pay a high price for the travesty, for their sexit bigot agenda to stop the most viable candidate Hillary Clinton, just because she is a woman. If Obama gets the nomination, We are leaving the party and going Independent. DNC, YOU WILL NOT DENY the most viable and competent woman the nomination in favor of a junior racist anti-american rookie Obama, by disenfranchising TWO states. Hillary received the most votes, and she is the only candidate that can win the election.
Blondssspice1:49PMMay 21st 2008
CONGRATULATIONS HILLARY
FOR THE LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN KENTUCKY LAST NIGHT.
YOU ARE THE BEST, WE ARE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY.
We will deal with the sexist bigot "boys-club"
DONT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WOMEN.
Hillary received the MOST VOTES IN HISTORY and she is the most viable, most electable candidate to win the election. DNC be on notice, You will NOT win by disenfranchising TWO states Michigan and Florida; You will not push a junior racist anti-american rookie Obama in our face, and force his nomination, in spite of the fact that Sen. Hillary Clinton is the most viable, most electable woman for president. The DEMS will pay a high price for this SEXIST, gender biased boys club travesty. If Obama gets the nomination, We are voting McCain and we are switching party to Independent. Be on notice DNC, YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH IT. TO QUOTE RONALD REAGAN : I did not abandon the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party abandoned me.
Jo10:06PMMay 22nd 2008
Oh, you poor, poor Bush-hating people. I'm so glad I grew up in an era when people were more refined, polite, and much less mean-spirited.
I have never seen a decade of more media bias in my entire life than the last 7 years. It reminds me very much of the "news" in the Soviet newspapers under communist rule--biased in one direction, as well.
Perhaps if under 40's would stop watching stupid irreverent, immoral sitcoms and ultra-violent shows attitudes would be nicer. Do you suppose??
FRED5:30PMMay 24th 2008
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, WHAH, WHAH, WHAH! Like Keith O. said, "SHUT THE HELL UP MR. BUSH!" I guess Ms. Perino is just doing her job lying for her bosses. We'll be reading all about it in her book after this mess of an administration is thankfully out of the white house just like Mr. McClellan's. I'm looking forward to Mr. Snow's as soon as he leaves FAUX NEWS claiming financial need like he did when he left his job as the official white house liar and went back to the Murdock kingdom. Come on people, is anyone still buying the daily pile of B.S. coming out of this mess of an administration anymore, REALLY?! I pray daily that this shamefull excuse of a president and his band of greedy, arrogant chicken hawks leave the white house before involving the United States in yet another conflict. You just know it is what they are working hard to accomplish, if you are in the twenty something percent that still believe that Mr. Bush is doing a good job, then you are in the same twenty something percent that are pathetically uninformed.
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Donna H.6:38PMMay 20th 2008
Ooh, poor White House! When they have historically lied and spun the media and all the rest of us to death (yes, sometimes literally as well), they get upset when their words aren't mirrored exactly and fully by the--what is it called, "free press"? Gosh darn, why do people imagine that the head politician of the land might have some not-entirely-explicit political agenda behind some of his pronouncements? If only we could go back to the good old days of our Founding Fathers, when Thomas Jefferson said of the press "They fill their newspapers with falsehoods, calumnies and audacities. [{Nevertheless] I shall protect them in their right of lying and calumniating." --Oh, sorry...nevermind.