All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.
It's The Great Pumpkin!
While looking for interesting stories to post about today, we dropped a line to frequent blog-respondent Mark Knoller, to see if he had anything blog-worthy. He sent us back the following picture and explanation. Happy Halloween! -- Ed.
A couple of years ago, Washington newsdesk staffer Fernando Suarez carved my likeness into a pumpkin. Guess he thought my image would fit most comfortably on a pumpkin.
He's since been promoted and is now an Associate Producer on The Early Show.
(CBS)
He's since been promoted and is now an Associate Producer on The Early Show.
Knoller's Ode To Glenn
(CBS)
CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller has been a radio reporter for more than 30 years -- and today remembers one of the giants of the business, Christopher Glenn. -- Ed.
Sometimes your radio serves as audio wallpaper. It can be a low-level drone to keep the VU Meter in your ear bouncing gently.
But it was never that when Christopher Glenn was on the air reporting the news.
His distinctive voice and compelling delivery demanded attention.
He knew the value of the simple declarative sentence. In radio, journalists get one chance to convey a story. A listener can't hit rewind and play it again if the point is missed on the first go-round. With Chris Glenn, you got the story on the first pass. Even in a moving car, with the window open.
He was authoritative without being stuffy; credible without being pedantic.
In a world where TV reporters write to their video, Glenn mastered the skill of writing for the ear.
He could boil down complex stories to their essence. What might take a print reporter hundreds of words to explain, Glenn could convey in a sentence.
That skill made him an object of respect, admiration and envy to the rest of us in the business.
It was a milestone in my career the first time I went "live" in a Chris Glenn CBS newscast. I had admired him long before coming to CBS News. As a college student, I was privileged to intern at WNEW Radio in New York, In its heyday, it was a station that set the standard for local radio news.
Chris Glenn was no longer working there by the time I arrived, but his legacy of excellence still reverberated loudly in the WNEW newsroom. To this day, I vividly recall a documentary he wrote, produced and narrated for WNEW's weekly series "Sunday News Close-Up." It examined the much ballyhooed rumor that Beatle Paul McCartney had died. The half hour report was cleverly written and skillfully produced. That report remains is an icon of the radio documentary genre. Somewhere in the boxes of stuff I've accumulated over the years, is a reel-to-reel audio tape of that broadcast. This weekend, I plan to dig it out and listen again to Glenn's mastery of the medium.
Of course, Glenn will always be remembered for his TV series In The News. It aired during the cartoon programs CBS broadcast on Saturday mornings. Whether you were a kid in pajamas enjoying the weekend, or an adult just cracking open your eyes after sleeping in, those In The News programs were an informative oasis.
You could get Glenn to bristle a bit by telling him "Oh, I remember seeing those reports when I was a little kid." But he had a great sense of humor and even greater sense of self.
He loved doing radio news, especially in a TV news age. And the rest of us loved doing it with him – or just listening to his reports.
He showed the rest of us in the business how it was done, for which we'll always be grateful.
And proud.
The Press Corps Wears Prada
(CBS)
Once again, the President used his latest news conference to needle some of those who write about him and his policies in sometimes unflattering ways.
The ribbing began early in the hour-long news conference staged in the Rose Garden.
First to get the treatment was Kevin Corke of NBC News.
"If I might say, that is a beautiful suit," the president told the correspondent filling in for his colleague David Gregory.
"Thank you sir. My tailor appreciates that," Corke replied.
Mr. Bush didn't let it drop.
"And I can't see anybody else that even comes close," he said, eyeing the attire of the rest of the press corps.
But when he spotted the suit being sported by Suzanne Malveaux of CNN, Mr. Bush corrected himself and called on her next.
"Suzanne. First best-dressed person here," he said apologetically -- bestowing on her the praise he had previously lavished on Corke.
"Kevin and I coordinated," she joked in response.
The presidential criticim was a little more blunt when he called on my colleague Jim Axelrod, the CBS News Chief White House Correspondent.
He tried to get the upper hand by telling the President "my best suit is in the cleaners." But to no avail.
"That's not even a suit," said Mr. Bush in mock indignation that a reporter would show up in slacks and a blazer.
Axelrod tried to volley with the Chief Executive.
"You've got to give me more time in the morning with a news conference," Axelrod teased. Reporters were only informed about 8:45AM that there would be a news conference at 11
But Mr Bush didn't let Axelrod off the hook.
"I know you like to wake up about 8:30 a.m."
Not to be outdone, he needled Axelrod further with the words "high-priced news guy."
"Yeah, sure," responded Axelrod before finally being allowed to pose his question.
It didn't end there. As Pres. Bush was answering the question, Axelrod tried to interrupt with a follow-up, but got shut down fast.
"Let me finish please for a second," demanded Mr Bush in a no-nonsense tone..
Adding insult to injury, he said "Plus, I couldn't hear you, but I saw you talking."
A news conference gives the President a chance he obviously relishes to rib the press.
At one point, he evidently wasn't sure he could correctly pronounce the name of National Public Radio correspondent Don Gonyea, so he called on him with the words: "Mister N-P-R."
A similar fate befell Washington Post writer Michael Abramowitz.
"Washington Post man" said the President to identify his next questioner.
Checking his seating chart again, Mr. Bush called Abramowitz by his first name. Sort of.
"That would be Mike."
"Right," said Michael.
Clearly, Pres. Bush still had AP's Terry Hunt on his mind when he called next on Steve Holland of Reuters.
"Terry. I mean -- you're not Terry. You're Steve."
"Insult, I know," he added with a two-for-one poke at two stalwarts of the press corps who usually get the first and second questions at most presidential press conferences.
I can attest that the only thing worse than being called on by the President when he's in a playful mood – is not being called on.
I sat in the third row. I thought I had established good eye contact with him – letting him see I was ready to be called on.
I would have been happy to be teased about my haircut. Or beard. Or the dockers I was wearing with a navy blue blazer. But no. I got stiffed.
"Thank you for your interest," the President said ending the news conference.
Sure we're interested. We're paid to be.
Forgive Us Our Debts
While President Bush spends the day trumpeting the decline in the annual federal deficit for the fiscal year that ended September 30th, he mentions not a word about the National Debt.
While the size of the deficit has declined over the last few years, not so the National Debt.
On the day President Bush took office it was $5.727 trillion.
As of today, the National Debt stands at $8.546 trillion.
That's a 49.2% increase on his watch.
While the size of the deficit has declined over the last few years, not so the National Debt.
On the day President Bush took office it was $5.727 trillion.
As of today, the National Debt stands at $8.546 trillion.
That's a 49.2% increase on his watch.
Maybe It's A Snow Day?
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
But the press office corrected that with this note on the transcript of his briefing:
"Mr. Snow, like other commissioned officers in the White House, is construed to be on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and therefore is not required to track vacation or leave time. As such, the law permits him to engage in political activity (such as speaking at fundraising events) during normal working hours without the paperwork required of employees who are on a leave system."
Snow has already done a number of political fund-raisers.
He has another in Wisconsin on Thursday. And two more on Saturday in Iowa and Chicago (the latter for House Speaker Dennis Hastert.)
Snow says the Republican National Committee pays the expenses he incurs attending GOP fund-raisers.
King George? Well, maybe Crown Prince...
At the Hispanic Heritage ceremony this afternoon, President Bush welcomed the Crown Prince of Spain to the event.
Mr. Bush sent regards to King Juan Carlos saying:
"Please give your best to His Majesty and your mom. And I will do the same on behalf of you to my father and Her Majesty, my mother."
Mr. Bush sent regards to King Juan Carlos saying:
"Please give your best to His Majesty and your mom. And I will do the same on behalf of you to my father and Her Majesty, my mother."
Bush Backs Christ
President Bush will be attending a reception today for a GOP gubernatorial candidate.
It might be worth noting, however, that last Friday, the "Week Ahead" schedule for the President misspelled the candidate's name, and indicated the President would be attending a reception for Christ.
Charlie Christ, to be exact.
The man's name is actually Charlie Crist.
It might be worth noting, however, that last Friday, the "Week Ahead" schedule for the President misspelled the candidate's name, and indicated the President would be attending a reception for Christ.
Charlie Christ, to be exact.
The man's name is actually Charlie Crist.
Remembering Richards
(AP (file))
The question that day was whether Texans could support a woman on the Democratic ticket.
At a rally at the state capital in Austin, Ann Richards settled that issue by pointing out that she had been the top vote getter in Texas in her election as State Treasurer. And, alluding to her gender, she said "My momma didn't name me Bubba."
It got a roar from the crowd and quashed any concerns about Ferarro's electability among Texas voters.
(Of course, that didn't help much come November. Mondale-Ferraro lost in Texas and almost every other state...)
"When we get behind closed doors..."
...then everyone lets their hair hang down. Which may be why nearly half the Bush fundraisers this year have been behind closed doors. Mark Knoller has the juicy details. Ed.
By attending a luncheon today sponsored by the Republican National Committee for big-money donors, President Bush brings to 47 the number of fundraisers he's done this year for the GOP and its candidates.
And of those 47, fully 23 have been closed to press coverage.
Nearly all of those events are held at private residences. The White House has said it doesn't want to subject those homes to the abuse a visit from reporters, TV crews, and photographers would inflict.
The Clinton White House made the same argument – but eventually relented and allowed a single print reporter to cover the event and provide a "pool report" on it to the rest of the press corps. In addition, the White House Communications Agency was authorized to provide reporters with an audio feed of the president's remarks.
The Bush White House is holding firm against that practice, choosing not to allow any coverage – or to provide an audio feed.
As recently as today, I asked the White House to provide the press with a transcript of the remarks the president makes at these closed events. Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino says she relayed my request but "there's been no change in the policy."
That means what the president says at these closed events cannot be covered or reported.
Today's RNC luncheon is being held at the Evermay mansion in the Georgetown section of Washington. It's a privately-owned Federal-period house built in 1801 and now rented out to various groups looking for an elegant place to host an upscale gathering.
The website of The Evermay Societybills the house as "a sanctuary located at the heart of America's hometown and the Nation's Capital."
Well, it certainly serves the GOP as a "sanctuary" from the press.
A Republican party spokeswoman says today's luncheon there will bring in $850,000 for the party.
In this midterm election year, President Bush has helped to raise over $104-million dollars for the GOP and its candidates.
It's actually a bit more than that. Mr. Bush attended a fund-raiser last month for the re-election campaign of Sen. George Allen, R-Va. But his campaign refuses to disclose how much the event generated.
In the decade that I've been tracking presidential fund-raising, it's one of the few times a campaign has declined to say how much money was raised.
By attending a luncheon today sponsored by the Republican National Committee for big-money donors, President Bush brings to 47 the number of fundraisers he's done this year for the GOP and its candidates.
And of those 47, fully 23 have been closed to press coverage.
Nearly all of those events are held at private residences. The White House has said it doesn't want to subject those homes to the abuse a visit from reporters, TV crews, and photographers would inflict.
The Clinton White House made the same argument – but eventually relented and allowed a single print reporter to cover the event and provide a "pool report" on it to the rest of the press corps. In addition, the White House Communications Agency was authorized to provide reporters with an audio feed of the president's remarks.
The Bush White House is holding firm against that practice, choosing not to allow any coverage – or to provide an audio feed.
As recently as today, I asked the White House to provide the press with a transcript of the remarks the president makes at these closed events. Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino says she relayed my request but "there's been no change in the policy."
That means what the president says at these closed events cannot be covered or reported.
Today's RNC luncheon is being held at the Evermay mansion in the Georgetown section of Washington. It's a privately-owned Federal-period house built in 1801 and now rented out to various groups looking for an elegant place to host an upscale gathering.
The website of The Evermay Societybills the house as "a sanctuary located at the heart of America's hometown and the Nation's Capital."
Well, it certainly serves the GOP as a "sanctuary" from the press.
A Republican party spokeswoman says today's luncheon there will bring in $850,000 for the party.
In this midterm election year, President Bush has helped to raise over $104-million dollars for the GOP and its candidates.
It's actually a bit more than that. Mr. Bush attended a fund-raiser last month for the re-election campaign of Sen. George Allen, R-Va. But his campaign refuses to disclose how much the event generated.
In the decade that I've been tracking presidential fund-raising, it's one of the few times a campaign has declined to say how much money was raised.
