"Harry, You're Sounding Like a Partisan Rather Than A Reporter Here."

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: CBS News Issues

Check out this contentious exchange between CBS anchor Harry Smith and White House press secretary Tony Snow that took place on the "Early Show" this morning. To get the full effect, click on the video box to watch. You can also read portions below:

Video:
Smith, Snow Spar On Subpoenas

Tony Snow: What we're hoping is members of the House and Senate will take a close look at the offer we made. It's going to make available to them every shred of information that they need to figure out what happened in terms of the decision process.

Harry Smith: I think the people in the House and the Senate are pretty aware of what the deal is, and that is basically you've offered a chat…

Tony Snow: No, wait…

Harry Smith: No, no, no, go down to the Hill…

Tony Snow: No, no, wait, Harry. What you've done is you've framed the issue falsely. So let me help you out a little bit…

…

Harry Smith: Tony, even from a cursory look at these e-mails it looks like it reaches much farther than the Justice Department.

Tony Snow: No, it doesn't. What it means -- if you take a look at the e-mails, Harry, it appears there were some communications like "what we're thinking about"…

Harry Smith: Karl Rove wasn't involved, Harriet Miers wasn't involved, come on.

Tony Snow: This is where -- I think what you're trying to do is create a narrative that I'm not so sure the facts are going to justify. This is why what we're trying to do is to get everybody to figure out what's the deal. Let me start again…

Harry Smith: Hang on, hang on…

Tony Snow: Let me explain this point…

Harry Smith: Perception…

Tony Snow: Harry, come on…

Harry Smith: No, listen…

Tony Snow: The perception is you're trying to badger me into creating a fight between the White House and the legislative branch. What we're trying to do something pretty extraordinary. The legislative branch has no oversight responsibility over the white house --

Harry Smith: Tony, here's what it looks like. These people who serve at the will of the president, or the pleasure of the president, have been kicked out for undue political influence. Even on the front page of your Washington Post today, you have the lead prosecutor in the big tobacco says saying the Alberto Gonzales justice department, quote/unquote, political interference is happening at justice across the department. When decisions are made now in the Bush attorney general's office, politics is the primary consideration. The rule of law goes out the window.

Tony Snow: Harry, you're sounding like a partisan rather than a reporter here. Let me -- please permit me to try to explain what's going on. Because if you take a look also, reporting in the New York Times, what they've said is a look at the documents indicates there is no political interference. When people have looked at the available documentary evidence in the case of the U.S. Attorney, zippo. So I think what you need to do is to stop trying to make a brief or political interference and maybe do what we're asking members of Congress to do, which is figure out what the facts are.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by phoenixandy March 24, 2007 10:36 PM EDT: I noticed that one word in my comment got blipped. What I said was that Tony Snot is a w h o r e for the right-wing.

All you fascist hypocrites blasting Harry Smith, get over yourselves. Tony Snot is a whiny crybaby who can't stand it when his own words get thrown back at his face. It's about time someone in the MSM held Bush's feet to the fire, instead of giving him the free ride he had for the last six years when Republicans controlled all three branches of government.; Reply to this comment


by phoenixandy March 24, 2007 10:31 PM EDT: Now THAT'S the way our MSM needs to grill the Bush administration, instead of Fox News-like giving the Bushies an easy ride and grilling the Democrats.

Tony Snot is a *** for the right-wing. Whatever he said about Clinton and Monica Lewinsky doesn't apply to Bush, huh?

Tony Snot is a hypocrite.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 March 23, 2007 7:18 PM EDT: Why are the "good Bushies" spouting off about people that want some answers from this corrupt administration?; Reply to this comment


by one_american March 23, 2007 4:44 PM EDT: At no time in our history has the mainstream media become more like The Communist Soviet Union media.

Only the "party" message makes it to the airwaves.

I suppose a revolution by the people is in order.

After a few of the talking heads FALL BY FORCE will the media take the right path.; Reply to this comment


by lt5000 March 23, 2007 2:16 PM EDT: Oh yeah, someone tell the half-wit bertjones9 that Aldous Huxley didn't write 1984. It was George Orwell.

Fortunately his stupidity didn't stop him from making the same tired Nazi comparisons of Goebbels and Adolf Hitler (A.H.)

As Bugs Bunny would say "What a maroon"; Reply to this comment


by Lennyohio March 23, 2007 1:37 PM EDT: I saw that. I wonder what Tony Snow owes Harry. Harry tried so hard to get opion from Snow. Snow is the spoke person for the White House. Why did Harry decide to become a stooge for the DNC?; Reply to this comment


by lt5000 March 23, 2007 12:14 PM EDT: I love the liberals here who think Harry Smith is a real reporter instead of a partisan hack.

CBS kept their mouth shut when Clintoon fired 93 prosecuters. Of course he did this to get rid of the Arkansas prosecuter investigating numerous Clinton scandals.

At no point have they brought up Mrs. Lam who refused to prosecute illegal aliens or the other judge who refused to prosecute Marijuana cases under 500lbs.

Oh yeah, no illegality has been alleged, even by the Moonbat Dems. These judges serve at the pleasure of the President, he can fire them if he doesn't like the shirt they are wearing.

The Dems are way out of line and Harry Smith, Katie Couric, Keith Olbermann and the rest are eagerly ladling out the propoganda. Goebbels would be proud.; Reply to this comment


by BertVJ March 23, 2007 10:06 AM EDT: More and more since he became the President's Press Secretary Tony Snow has been perfecting his method of dealing with news reporters. At first I thought he was taking a page from Aldous Huxley's 1984, or perhaps more accurately Brave New World, given the current state of our socioeconomic condition. On reading the transcript of his interview with Harry Smith it occurred to me that he must be an (the?) American Studienstiftung, our Phi Beta Kappa, graduate of the Joseph Goebbels School of Public Information. For those who favor conspiracy theories the A. H. connection must be compelling.; Reply to this comment


by ancient6 March 23, 2007 4:11 AM EDT: GO HARRY!!!!
I just arrived home at the end of a work day and read the blogs on this site. It's easy to see who has time to sit around all day and throw mud at you.
Since when is a challange considered partisanship? The only reason this administration has been able to lead us down the rosy path is that no one has had the guts to challange. "All we like sheep...." again GO HARRY!; Reply to this comment


by one_american March 22, 2007 8:49 PM EDT: mauricedel:

I hope that if CBS is considering putting Harry Smith in to replace Katie Couric, that they first consider permanently closing down the Evening News and turning off the lights.

Not that I'm pulling for Katie; it's just that it's HIGH time for CBS to CHANGE DIRECTION.; Reply to this comment