Says He Decided Which Reporters Bush Would Call On
At today's White House news briefing, WND asked presidential press secretary Ari Fleischer about the scripted nature of President Bush's press conference last night.
WND: Last night, after the fifth time he had looked down at an apparent list of reporters, [President Bush] smiled and he said, "This is scripted."
FLEISCHER: Are you going to complain he didn't call on you?
WND: No, no, no. No, no. Which surely suggests that he did not write that script, which gave two questions to one network, two questions to one wire service, and one to other vague and wealthy media - but left all the rest, including [veteran White House journalist] Helen Thomas, ruled out in advance of any chance to ask and left us to serve only as window dressing.
And my question is, since you are always fair, Ari, in recognizing all of us, who was it that wrote that script that the president confessed to? Was it Karl Rove or Karen or who?
FLEISCHER: It was me who gave the president a suggestion on the reporters to call. And the president called on all reporters; the president did not call on any columnists.
Mark.
WND: Wait a minute -
FLEISCHER: No, Lester, we're going to go to the - Lester, we're moving on.
(WND inaccurately mentioned one network and one wire service each getting two questions. Actually, it was two networks, CBS and NBC, which were twice recognized for question. But deputy press secretary Scott McCellan noted that one TV and one radio reporter was recognized from each of these two networks.)
Les Kinsolving is WorldNetDaily's White House correspondent and a talk-show host for WCBM in Baltimore.
Editor's note: Each week, WorldNetDaily White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asks the tough questions no one else will ask. And each week, WorldNetDaily brings you the transcripts of those dialogues with the president and his spokesman. If you'd like to suggest a question for the White House, submit it to WorldNetDaily's exclusive interactive forum MR. PRESIDENT!
!
At today's White House news briefing, WND asked presidential press secretary Ari Fleischer about the scripted nature of President Bush's press conference last night.
WND: Last night, after the fifth time he had looked down at an apparent list of reporters, [President Bush] smiled and he said, "This is scripted."
FLEISCHER: Are you going to complain he didn't call on you?
WND: No, no, no. No, no. Which surely suggests that he did not write that script, which gave two questions to one network, two questions to one wire service, and one to other vague and wealthy media - but left all the rest, including [veteran White House journalist] Helen Thomas, ruled out in advance of any chance to ask and left us to serve only as window dressing.
And my question is, since you are always fair, Ari, in recognizing all of us, who was it that wrote that script that the president confessed to? Was it Karl Rove or Karen or who?
FLEISCHER: It was me who gave the president a suggestion on the reporters to call. And the president called on all reporters; the president did not call on any columnists.
Mark.
WND: Wait a minute -
FLEISCHER: No, Lester, we're going to go to the - Lester, we're moving on.
(WND inaccurately mentioned one network and one wire service each getting two questions. Actually, it was two networks, CBS and NBC, which were twice recognized for question. But deputy press secretary Scott McCellan noted that one TV and one radio reporter was recognized from each of these two networks.)
Les Kinsolving is WorldNetDaily's White House correspondent and a talk-show host for WCBM in Baltimore.
Editor's note: Each week, WorldNetDaily White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asks the tough questions no one else will ask. And each week, WorldNetDaily brings you the transcripts of those dialogues with the president and his spokesman. If you'd like to suggest a question for the White House, submit it to WorldNetDaily's exclusive interactive forum MR. PRESIDENT!
!
