‘If he’s so smart, how come you lost Congress?’

August 14, 2007

When the president and Karl Rove delivered brief statements at the White House yesterday, reporters were not allowed to ask questions. One spoke up anyway.

As Karl Rove embraced President Bush today following an emotional farewell announcement on the South Lawn, the solemnity of the moment was shattered by Bill Plante of CBS, who bellowed to Bush: “If he’s so smart, how come you lost Congress?”

Now, I consider myself a fairly polite guy, and if the president had just made a statement regarding something truly solemn — about, for example, war casualties — I can understand reporters showing some restraint. Under truly somber circumstances, the press corps almost certainly shouldn’t shout cheeky questions.

But Karl Rove is a controversial, nearly-indicted, currently-subpoenaed political advisor. His departure is not “solemn.” The White House seems to have trained much of the press corps not to disrupt the president’s preferred media dynamic — reporters are to spoken to, not heard from — but why should they play along? What’s so awful about Plante trying to get a response from officials after public remarks at the White House?

Reader D.K. alerted me to this CBS News piece today, in which Plante talked about why he asked the question — and the kind of response he got.

As the President and Karl Rove walked away from the lectern after their emotional announcement of Rove’s resignation, I yelled a question: “If he’s so smart, why did you lose Congress?”

The President, as usual, didn’t answer. That’s OK – he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. But judging by some of the reaction, you’d think I had been shouting obscenities in church!

“Unprofessional;” “Inappropriate;” “Unbecoming;” “Doesn’t show much class;” “you are a total idiot;” “Shill for the liberal Democrats.”

Apparently it’s now considered disrespectful for a reporter to ask the president confrontational questions at the White House.

This is silly. I like good manners as much as the next guy, and I don’t want to see our public discourse coarsened, but this notion that the White House press corps has to treat Bush and Rove with kid gloves, and with excessive deference, is misguided.

Plante explained and defended his conduct.

There was no time to frame that question because the event this morning was a statement, not a news conference. So I asked a more direct one. I thought it unlikely that they would answer, but it’s always worth a try.

Yes, it is. If they don’t answer, they don’t answer. A journalist ought to try, right?

Plante, a veteran reporter, does not appear to be tarnished by partisanship. Twenty years ago, he shouted a question at Reagan as he left the Rose Garden after the annual Teacher of the Year ceremony. Ten years ago, he shouted a question at Clinton after an event (which, in turn, led a red-faced president to respond angrily).

The point is that reporters are not [at the White House] as guests. We’re here to ask questions.

Why? Because if we were ever to agree to “behave,” we’d be walking away from our First Amendment role — and then we really would be the shills we’re so often accused of being.

Sounds right to me.

“Unprofessional;” “Inappropriate;” “Unbecoming;” “Doesn’t show much class;” “you are a total idiot;” “Shill for the liberal Democrats.”

I would bet my last red cent that those making these accusations are the same folks who complained about political correctness back inthe day.

Hypocrites all.

  • and the same folks who supported mean jean schmidt after she called john murtha a coward on the floor of the House, and dick cheney when he told leahy to go f*ck himself onthe floor of the senate.

    Hypocrites, all.

  • This just goes to show how the media still doesn’t get it, and why they are slowly fading into oblivion.

  • “Unprofessional;” “Inappropriate;” “Unbecoming;” “Doesn’t show much class;” “you are a total idiot;”

    Yes. But Bush can make a joke of looking under his desk for WMD while thousands of people are horribly killed in Iraq, and that’s just fine and dandy.

    Of course, he was making that joke for the benefit of the DC press corps, who laughed right along like a bunch of bleating sheep.

  • Personally, I would have shouted, “Don’t let the door hit you… on second thought, do let the door hit you on the way out!”

    The shock and outrage of the elites at such ‘rudeness’ just further underscores how much our political system has become a ‘good ole boys club’. One of the rules of this club is that no matter how vile you were as a politico, it is expected that you’ll be given a graceful sendoff — even if that’s against the best interests of the country.

  • The stenographers should just shut up and do their job. “Bravo Plante” should have been their response but this ceased being a “press” corps when Bush took office. They are bit players in the Bush presentation of “Bush WH” who have learned to play the parts assigned to them by the WH. The polite witnesses to the documentary unfolding of one criminal parting from another criminal and that is just what they are expected to do…document not question.
    The discussion should be about the fact that Plante’s question was right on. Here is this dirty tricks, corrupt, gutter political advisor whose guidance so inflamed a nation that following his advice cost republicans the congress, being touted as some kind of “genius” instead of an immoral power monger.
    It would have been more appropriate for Rove to sneak out the back door in silence with his subpoena tucked between his knees than to plaster his leaving over the national news media.
    Someday this press core will discover they lost their integrity years ago along with their credibility as they continue to bow and scrape to stay in favoritism with Bush.

  • “The point is that reporters are not [at the White House] as guests. We’re here to ask questions.

    Why? Because if we were ever to agree to “behave,” we’d be walking away from our First Amendment role — and then we really would be the shills we’re so often accused of being.”

    from this comment, it appears that at least one journalist gets it.

  • Don’t worry, I’m sure that when there’s a Dem in the White House the press corp will find their teeth. They only seem to be afraid of rethugs.

  • Don’t worry, I’m sure that when there’s a Dem in the White House the press corp will find their teeth. They only seem to be afraid of rethugs.

    You got dat right.

  • Bravo for a real journalist. I wish someone would have asked either Turd or Turdblossom why they got so choked up about not seeing each other daily, but no tears for our departing troops or the returning caskets. Sane Americans consider those events to be “solemn”.

  • The so-called press corps used to love it when Sam Donaldson yelled provocative questions at Bill Clinton.

    They’re simply hypocritical partisans, who think they belong to the Royal Republican Court, which had been so rudely interrupted since 1980 by eight years of Arkansas sensibilities.

  • I thought the question in this context was indeed unprofessional. Reporters often shout questions in non-Q&A situations, but this one — left unanswered — hung in the air like a cheap shot. In another setting, such as any Snow or Perino session, the question would have been appropriate worded exactly as it was. My opinion, of course.

  • The White House purposely sets up its “news conferences” in the Rose Garden the way it does. Press are kept at a distance, forcing them to shout questions, if they ask any at all, and the end result is to make the press look like impolite, disrespectful boobs.

    The question is probably the one single question which everyone should be asking right now and it is absolutely relevant. What also should be asked is why this administration from beginning to end placed its prime focus not on POLICY, but on politics. EVERYTHING Rove did was based on the politics of it…not whether it was good for the country, but whether it was good for the party. The chickens have come home to roost….the GOP is in shambles and Rove has a big responsibility for that. Plante is one of the last of the old corps of good CBS reporters who are steadily disappearing. They remind us what good journalism is and should be and never will be under the current circumstances.

  • OK, so who called Plante those things? Other ‘reporters’? Commenters on mediabistro or at the CBS News site?

    If the first, he should be naming names.

  • What I think so often gets missed is that even our supposed “hacks” — like Olberman and Stewart — aren’t hacks at all. They just don’t BS us like the rest of the media. They’ll make fun of Pelosi, when warranted, but they won’t do it just to appear “balanced”. They’re irreverent, not somebody’s monkey, which is what us on the left want.

    A hack is someone who will put up a flimsy defense when your side is clearly in the wrong. We won’t read “hacks”, no matter who they shill for. We want earnest opinions.

  • “Unprofessional;” “Inappropriate;” “Unbecoming;” “Doesn’t show much class;” “you are a total idiot;”

    Are these comments about Bush, Rove or both?

    Oh well, members of organizations teetering on the brink of failure often become obsessed with protocol to distract themselves from the complete sham their lives have become. Beats workin’ I guess.

  • I wouldn’t be as polite as Bill Plante. I would just take a baseball bat and crack that war criminals melon head. Really. No problem. Then let the name calling begin.

  • I think it’s fine that he asked it, but in all honesty, it does sound like a taunt.

    And a taunt is unprofessional. The question, overall, was fine, but it should have been worded without the “If… then how come…” school-yard jibe.

  • Horray for Bill Plant!!

    Finally, someone in the media acts like a real journalist and asks the tough questions.

    We need more like him.

  • Oh it’s good to see “Turd Blossom” go, he’s been the “architect” for a lot of damage to this country and our political system. But I have a feeling that though he isn’t officially involved in the administration he will still be dangerously engaged with the Bush/GOP machine. He may have not been able to keep the Republicans from losing in 2006, thus putting off this supposed “permanent Republican majority” {at least for now}, but he still knows how to turn a non-threat to society into a holy crusade in order to pull off unexpected and unlikely wins for his party. In other words, don’t break out the champaign yet!

  • Rove has become a liability to the Bushylvanian Cause—as have several others (Gonzo and Cheney being thrst that come to mind)—but Rove is much more expendable than the others now. There are no longer a series of “impending victories” on the political battlefield for these guys, and Rove cannot provide any level of protection for the WH from Congress, the courts, and what little reality-based media still exists in the United States today.

    A number of small fish have been cut loose, but the small-fish segment of the administration is bleeding from the throat via resifnations already. Canning small fish has become, shall we say, impotent. It doesn’t shield the Oval Office.

    Cheney cannot go; Bush loses his attack-dog. Gonzo cannot go; Bush loses his Criminal (protected-from) Justice system. He cannot lose Petraeus or Gates; he loses support for the Royal Iraq Jousting Tournament. He cannot afford to lose Rice, simply because he cannot afford to have Condi’s replacement get a grip on the graft that’s been foreign policy for the past few years.

    Short Bush—the chimp-in-cheef has laid waste to all escape routes; burned all bridges; bitch-slapped all support-sources, including “Das Base.”

    The clock is ticking….

  • The important information in this column is EXACTLY WHO CRITICIZED YOU MR. PLANTE?

    It is essential to me as a citizen to know who they are so that I know their bias.

    In this article, Mr. Plante grants anonymity to people who utterly misunderstand their role in our society as members of the 4th estate. To me this is as serious as a surgeon covering up another surgeon who is dangerously incompetent, except Mr. Plante’s patient is 300 million americans and the future of our constitution.

    Mr. Plante’s protection of these men sickens my stomach something akin to the protection of pedophile priests by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

    Anonymity of sources led us to war, and covered the incompetence of those politicians who secretly argued us there.

    End the code of anonymity and bring a touchstone of Accountability back to our political discourse, PLEASE MR. PLANTE NAME THESE DANGEROUS SYCOPHANTS IN THE PRESSCORP!

  • “But I have a feeling that though he isn’t officially involved in the administration he will still be dangerously engaged with the Bush/GOP machine” — DragonScorpion @ 23

    If you’re already thinking along those lines, here’s an NYT piece you might find interesting… Rove Legacy Laden With Protégés

  • Come on — I have been watching Bill “Potted” Plante’s boozy, early morning broadcasts for years. He is a tool of the highest order. This may be the one time his inner journalist got the best of him.

  • Please. Total Non-story. This will not make the White House Press Corps so their job. They are pawns, not journalists. Those who “reacted” to Plante’s question, are probably scared they will not be getting their script from Rove anymore.

  • If the press corpse had been more “Unprofessional;” “Inappropriate;” “Unbecoming;” before the war, perhaps we would not be in the Iraqi quagmire.

  • It WAS unprofessional of Bill Plante to ask that question – if his profession was whoring for the bush administration, like most of the other journalists.

  • if those Repubilkkkan Christian Right cursaders have Jesus on their side,why is everything going so wrong? I need some one like Mr. Plante to ask. Keep on asking!

  • The press has been far too deferential to this president. Rather Rovian, don’t you think, to attack a reporter for asking a question than attack the president for not having an answer.

  • The Bush Administration deserves war crimes trials at home. His goons threatened to kill me because I wrote an expose article about the 2004 election fraud and I also wrote about cocaine smuggling by the CIA, which is how the election fraud was paid for.

    I’m moving to Europe to a country that has a balanced budget so I can be free again.

    Welcome to the New American Imperial Century… :-))

    Carpe Diem and throw the war-profiteering chickenhawks out of office.

    202-224-3121 : US Congress Switchboard

  • Here’s another question I hope any reporter asks if he gets a chance — “How do you sleep at night?”

  • If more reporters would act like Plante then Bush would pack up and take a permanent vacation. He can’t take it. He has to be the cheese and if someone tries to grill him he’s very vindictive. But if the whole gang would go after him he’d put his tail between his legs and retreat. You’ll see…in the near future there will be more reporters showing their stuff. We’ll see what this shit kicker is really made of.

  • Plante did a one-time response…. Does anybody remember how Stephen Colbert framed the issues last year at the Press Corps ‘dinner’ with the President? He framed it eloquently and nobody like it either. Looks like either way they don’t like it, so might as well blurt it out while you can….

  • the fact that this is even reported as an “event” and somehow out of the ordinary just goes to show what shills most reporters have been the last 15-17 years for the rightwing neo-con agenda which has destroyed our beautiful Republic.
    my question to Plante would be, “why do you guys only ask these kind of questions once every ten years????”

  • Plante’s question was not “unprofessional,” “inappropriate,” nor “unbecoming.” To any observer of politics, Plante asked the most obvious question in the world. Why is Rove always reflexively labeled as some sort of genius or svengali? Because the Washington press corps mindlessly repeats this inaccurate statement. Good for Bill and better for us. Another member of the Washington press corps is cleaving away from the Broderistic “civility” helps cover-up Bushite crimes. Every time the press corps says something “rude” about Bush, another point of truth gets its wings.

  • Why Rove resigned.

    Source Disclosure Ordered in Anthrax Suit

    By Carol D. Leonnig
    Washington Post Staff Writer
    Tuesday, August 14, 2007; Page A02

    Five reporters must reveal their government sources for stories they wrote about Steven J. Hatfill and investigators’ suspicions that the former Army scientist was behind the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

  • The bigger issue is the lack of Presidential press conferences and
    in general the lack of access to the President.

    As well as Ari & Tony turning the Press Secretary’s position into
    a stand-up lying routine. Certainly a Press Secretary needs to
    be creative, but professionally mendacious 24×7?

    Perhaps Mr. Plante should have asked Karl how he plans to spend
    more quality family time when his son will be off in college.

  • I’m still dreaming of a day when the White House held a news conference and NOBODY SHOWED UP!!!

  • Maybe ” tazer like” questionning in the future will pin Tony “Putzi Hanfstaengl” Snow up against the wall. Behind the urbane facades of Putzi/Tony lies the primordial madness of their respective leaders.

  • Good for Plante. Jesus, what’s wrong with the rest of these “reporters”? They’ve all been neutered and Bumillered. Give me the loud, irreverent, noisome, socially unacceptable bunch that came and went through the back door. At least they knew what they were there to do.

  • If he were to name the reporters, it would certainly say a lot about how we arrived in our current state as a nation….

    We want names Bill…

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