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Monday, February 13, 2006

David Gregory Goes Bananas

NBC's David Gregory goes a little nuts on Scott McClellan over the "Cheney cover-up" thing:

Why was the White House relying on a Texas rancher to get the word of Cheney's hunting accident out over the weekend, asked Gregory, accusing McClellan of "ducking and weaving.''

"David, hold on… the cameras aren't on right now,'' McClellan replied. "You can do this later.''

"Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras,'' the newsman said, his voice rising somewhat. "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, pointing a finger at McClellan at his dais. "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, remaining calm throughout 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,''

McClellan insisted he understood that reporters deserve an answer.

"I think you have legitimate questions to ask,'' the press secretary said. "The vice president’s office was the one that took the lead to get this information out… I don’t know what else to tell you... That's my answer.''


Video of other members of the press freaking out here.

Sounds to me like McClellan wanted to answer the question once the cameras were on.

Here are the facts:

The Vice President was on a personal trip. There was no traveling press corps with him and this happened on a weekend. Over the night the Vice President's media people collected facts and then authorized the ranch-owner, being an eye-witness, to go ahead and talk to the media about the incident as the Vice President's office stood ready to answer questions.

The people who are trying to turn this into some colossal scandal, both in the media and on the left, are really making themselves look like a bunch of partisan, scandal-hungry idiots.

Comments

Avatar for Hoodlumman

The people who are trying to turn this into some colossal scandal, both in the media and on the left, are really making themselves look like a bunch of partisan, scandal-hungry idiots.

And this is out of the ordinary how?

Hoodlumman on February 13, 2006 at 01:36 pm
Avatar for 2Hotel9

So, why did David not wait for the cameras to be rolling to throw his little tantrum? Did he perhaps think it would make him look bad in front of his peers? Did he need plausible deniability? Or is it possible he is just a yammerhead? Inquiring minds want to know!

2Hotel9 on February 13, 2006 at 02:37 pm
Avatar for JeremyB

If this is the best scandal they can come up with, Bush & Co have nothing to worry about. Please. Did Cheney break the law? Was he negligent? Did he fail to report the incident to local authorities? If the answer is ‘no’ to these questions, then shut up. No scandal here.

JeremyB on February 13, 2006 at 02:49 pm
Avatar for The Whistler

Belies the saying there’s no such thing as a bad question.  There is if you ask it over and over and over again.  It get’s really sad when you’re upset the answer is the same.

The Whistler on February 13, 2006 at 03:00 pm
Avatar for robert108

What about Dick Cheney’s right to privacy?  He was acting as a private citizen, so the press had no business knowing anything, IMO.  They really are desperate for anything they can use as a smear.  I guess white christian conservative men, besides having fewer free speech rights, have far less of a right to privacy.

robert108 on February 13, 2006 at 03:06 pm
Avatar for The.Whistler

You’d swear that the few hours that the press didn’t know about it mattered somehow.

The.Whistler on February 13, 2006 at 04:32 pm
Avatar for Carlin

Gregory’s just another liberal media toad that is dying to get his mic around anything that might possibly make anyone in the administration look bad.  Since they’ve had virtually nothing to work with for the longest time, they are frantic with anything they find.  Keep it up dumbass and keep making your industry look like the dinosaurs they’re becoming.

Carlin on February 13, 2006 at 04:39 pm
Avatar for hvywgt

I think the inhouse press corps is ticked because a local paper got first word. 

hvywgt on February 13, 2006 at 05:43 pm
Avatar for The.Whistler

So it’s worth it.

The.Whistler on February 13, 2006 at 05:53 pm
Avatar for Neil

I knew David Gregory would go bananas some day at a Washington Press Conference where no concern was shown for the victim, only questions of how much Cheney’s behavior could be villified by the entire press corp.

Dave began acting weird about a year ago when he had a loaded question for President Bush but began it by speaking fluently in French before jabbing into Bush. Bush had a quick comeback and made Dave look like a fool--which, of course, he is!  I haven’t a watched a more self-important reporter since the early days of Helen Thomas. 

 

Neil on February 15, 2006 at 11:09 am
Avatar for melmat

robert108 asks about the VPs right to privacy, asserting that he acting as a private citizen. Cheney is NOT a private citizen - he chose to be one heartbeat away from running this country, and as such his actions are subject to public scrutiny.

IMO, this just emphasizes his contempt for the American public. He doesn’t figure we have the right to know what he does - he shot a prominent Republican  while in the company of the daughter of the man who elevated him to this position in Halliburton and the chosen representative of the United States to Switzerland.

 This IS worth questioning.

melmat on February 15, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Avatar for likwidshoe

IMO, this just emphasizes his contempt for the American public. He doesn’t figure we have the right to know what he does - he shot a prominent Republican while in the company of the daughter of the man who elevated him to this position in Halliburton and the chosen representative of the United States to Switzerland.

Holy moonbat alert. You guys need to get a damn grip.

likwidshoe on February 15, 2006 at 01:31 pm
Avatar for robert108

melmat: Glad you agree with me that the Vice President enjoys less of a right to privacy than a woman who kills her unborn child.  I don’t see any connection with Halliburton here, but your hatespew doesn’t seem constrained by any rationality. so I guess you think it’s relevant to this thing somehow.  Clinton was acting as President when he committed adultery with Monica Lewinsky, at the time a paid govt employee, and he did it on govt property, during both their working hours.  He then lied about it to the American public on a taxpayer supported TV event.  He delayed telling the truth about it for 8 months, and yet you self-righteously try to smear the Vice President for not informing the leftie MSM for a few hours.  He never lied about it, but you try to make it into a coverup.  How do you live with yourself?

robert108 on February 15, 2006 at 01:41 pm
Avatar for PizzaBoy

David Gregory pissed me off so bad ...Who the hell dose he think

he is ?  Anyways  Whats his e-mail  ........

PizzaBoy on February 15, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Avatar for Neil

Dave Gregory’s e-mail box must be burning up with angry protests. Let’s see if this has any effect on his future rants when it comes to someone daring not to notify him if they stub their toes.

Neil on February 16, 2006 at 05:59 am
Avatar for Neil

Dave Gregory’s e-mail box must be burning up with protests. Let’s see if this has any effect on his future rants when someone fails to notify him first that they’ve stubbed their toe.

Neil on February 16, 2006 at 06:01 am
Avatar for Goat Buster

Dave Gregory looks more and more like a ‘Chimp’ the older he gets. He has that simian look about him. If he gets fired maybe they will make ‘Planet of the Apes IV’ and give him a role to play.

Goat Buster on March 19, 2006 at 01:30 pm
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