"Harry, You're Sounding Like a Partisan Rather Than A Reporter Here."
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:
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.
Video: 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.
Is there really any distinguishing between what you say and what DNC talking points are? If there is, I'd like to know what it is.
Also, Mr. Smith, I ask you to name ONE issue that you think Republicans or conservatives are correct on an issue and Democrats are wrong. Can you do that?
Is there really any distinguishing between what you say and what DNC talking points are? If there is, I'd like to know what it is.
Also, Mr. Smith, I ask you to name ONE issue that you think Republicans or conservatives are correct on an issue and Democrats are wrong. Can you do that?
Basically, you are a partisan hack who is carrying water for the DNC. Are we really supposed to think you haven't been faxed talking points from Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Jean Kerry?
Everyone knows the mainstream media want GWB's scalp to prove how influential they are. Americans aren't blind and know the score. The mainstream media's march to oblivion continues, thanks to the lack of objectivity. Congratulations. Jason Blair needs a lunch partner
The Bush administration has gone too far, yet again, and the political spin offered by Mr. Snow leaves a bad taste in the mouth of Americans who want a transparent government. Asking important questions, and demanding clear, direct answers is what good reporters do.
Fire the partisan hack today, CBS.
Or suffer the continuing down-slide of your broadcast ratings.
Actions have consequences (even for partisan liberals, believe it or not).
Don't Leahy and Shumer know that they are committing political suicide?
Doesn't the mainstream media know they are committing a moral and ethical breach of the public's trust?
I say "let them".
YOU OWE IT TO ME!
YOU OWE IT TO AMERICA!
a fair unbiased interview-No matter how hard the
MSM minions try, Karl Rove will not be destroyed.
Politics? Exactly, why does Washington, D.C. exist?
Pushing a non-story to scandalous downfall is a waste of most American's time. We want answers to
what are the people in all branches, every department, doing to make America better, safer and stronger? I don't want to see a grown man having Bush Derangement Meltdown question anyone
for me. I am able to make decisions without propaganda from either side, Thank YOu. The desperation to "score" from Smith was nauseating.
He was parroting, exactly, Schumer-Waxman types.
Since he lives in NYC has he investigated the control and politicizing Schumer is involved in
with his state (district) US Attorney office?
I didn't think so. Journalism 101- present all possibilities and let the reader,listener decide.
Don't preach to them what they should believe by
rudeness and snideness in treatment of those who
believe the opposite of your personal opinion.No one should tell from any tv news report, newspaper,radio interview how the journalist votes. It is very clear in everything Smith does
who's boots he licks.
Moron. The "rule of law" states that the President can hire/fire attorneys as he wishes.
No one has alleged any criminal wrong-doing here.
This is a manufactured scandal by Liberal Democrats Leyhe and Schumer, to score political points, and take the heat off of their failed attempts to stab our military in the back by slowly bleeding off the funding.
If you want to talk about "respect for the principle of democracy", then why are the liberal Democrat Legistators trying to run the Executive Branch of our Government? Don't you think that errodes our Democracy?
Hooray for Harry, got a bit feisty. The lackeys at FOX would never ask a tough bquestion of a fellow believer.
Relax, Bush hasn't done anything wrong in firing prosecutors doing their job in investigating Republic Party illegal doings%u2026It%u2019s the media and Bill Clintons fault!
Not only is he incorrect, but the press has an oversight responsibility over the all the branches of govenment.
An equal branch of government to Bush applies only when the other branches are to his liking.
I can see by many of the posts here that the right is afraid of one thing and one thing only. They are afraid of the truth that only comes when one is under oath. The Right Wingers are are going into cardiac arrest over this and everything else. They are wigging out because these actions by the Dems are threating their power structure which is based on lies and deception.
"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." --Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786.
I think even during his time, Thomas Jefferson could easily identify the difference between "Freedom of the Press" and "Yellow Journalism".
Obviously, you cannot.
So, who is lying and deceiving?
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.
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!
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.
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"
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.
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.
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by phoenixandy
March 24, 2007 7:36 PM PDT
- 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.
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Reply to this comment
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See all 28 CommentsAll 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.