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Bells! Whistles! Doohickeys! The refurbished White House press briefing room got a lot of attention at its reopening a few weeks ago. CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller muses that the two newly-installed video monitors could be used in an additional way that Tony Snow hasn't thought of yet.

The new and improved White House press briefing room gives spokesman Tony Snow some brand new audio-visual capabilities.

He is flanked on the podium by two 45-inch high-definition video monitors – on which he can project slides, graphs, quotes or pretty much whatever he wants.

Last Friday, he used the screens to illustrate his assertion that progress was being made in Iraq as a result of the surge in U.S. troops ordered by Pres. Bush.

And today, he was able to push a botton on his lectern and project a couple of old quotes from the current chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT., to defend the White House claim of Executive Privilege in the congressional probe of the firings of those U.S. Attorneys.

It got me thinking that Snow could use the screens to respond to many of the questions he gets on a daily basis from reporters.

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A testy exchange popped up this week in the new White House Briefing Room between Tony Snow and CBS News' chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod. Public Eye reached out to Axelrod for his insight on the incident.

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and I engaged in an exchange that sparked some interest. The subject was political support for the President on Iraq coming on the heels of several Republican defections. To set a baseline for the questions, I asked Tony if in his view Republican support was eroding. He said he wasn't sure. We then had this exchange:

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I just spoke to "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith about his contentious interview with Tony Snow this morning.

Snow is "very good at the give and take," Smith told me. "It's very interesting, because there are others that when you confront them with certain realities, they react defensively or angrily. He reacts with smile on his face."

Smith said he only knows Snow through their on-camera conversations. He may have developed an approach for how to deal with the press secretary, he said, from watching Snow in the press room.

"If you watch his briefings, you'll see that he has a pretty spirited conversation often times," said Smith. "I think maybe some months ago I took cues from that." Smith said it was clear that Snow is "a big boy."

"His job is to put the best face on [the administration's] performance, and perhaps all I'm trying to do is say 'there's the truth, and there's your version of the truth,'" said Smith.

I pointed out that Snow had accused Smith of bring his own facts to the discussion.

"He knows how to fight back," said Smith. "It's not like he doesn't come with weapons."

Whenever "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith interviews White House press secretary Tony Snow, there's a good chance for fireworks. Back in March, we noted a contentious exchange between the two in which Snow said, "Harry, you're sounding like a partisan rather than a reporter here."

This morning we got another battle between the two, which you can watch by clicking on the video box. Around the two and a half minute mark, there was this exchange:

Smith: But the other question that comes up then, is that if the president can't get this [immigration bill] done, in which he has placed so much of his own prestige and will and everything else, does this not show that he is a lame duck?

Snow: Well, let's flip it around. The president just came back from a G-8 session where when everybody went they said "well here's George W. Bush. The whole world's against him on climate change. Guess what? He goes to the G-8, leads the way on climate change, leads the way on development, leads the way on AIDS…"

Smith: No I think that's following on climate change. He's following on climate change.

Snow: No I don't think so…

Smith: These other countries have set the table on this for years. The president is late to this table. You can't flip that around.

Snow: No, Harry, you can't have your own facts.

At that point, Smith lets out an exasperated laugh. Then the two interrupt each other a few more times and Smith laughs again at Snow's comments. Check it out.

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for the Public Eye Chat. This week's subject is CBS News White House Correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Matthew Felling: It seems like the ‘gaggle’ exists in an old school media vacuum, as opposed to the afternoon briefing, with all the cameras present. Are there completely different moods? Are there different tones of voice used in the morning as opposed to the afternoon?

Jim Axelrod: Well, [Clinton Press Secretary] Mike McCurry famously said that the biggest mistake he made was allowing the briefings to be televised. They used to be just to be for a minute or two and then the cameras would be off. But with the televised nature of the briefing, I don’t think now that the gaggle is “old school,” I think the briefings sometimes become show business because everybody knows it’s on television. It generates a lot of heat, but I’m not sure how much light.

The gaggle is often a much better source for actual information, primarily because there’s no camera on. You can tape record comments and trancscribe them later. And I don’t want to say that they’re informal or casual, but they’re more relaxed in the sense of ‘performance’ that sometimes accompanies the briefing which is not always to the process’ benefit. If the process is getting information to the public, than I’m not sure the briefing is always the best way to do that. The gaggle often yields more.

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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…

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There's a great little exchange in the excerpts section of Mike Allen's piece on the recent sit down between White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and a group of White House reporters.

The portion I'm highlighting is an exchange between Snow and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, who came to the White House beat from Capitol Hill. As Allen points out, Capitol Hill "reporters have relatively free rein." Check out the exchange:

Stolberg: "Coming from [the Capitol Hill] environment, the White House felt utterly constraining. I often tease Tony and tell him he’s the most useless press secretary ever.”

Snow: “Thanks, Sheryl.”

Stolberg: “I’m trying to get information out of you. You’re trying not to give me information.”

Snow: “I’m not sure that’s quite the case."

Stolberg: “You ARE trying to give me information?”

Snow: “Yeah, but sometimes – ’’

The AP’s Terence Hunt, to laughter: “At a slow pace!”

Snow: “No. My view on this is pretty simple, which is: On a big story, if we don’t get our side out, we have no right to complain if it’s not reported. So we’ve certainly tried to be more aggressive, for instance, before a big speech and so on. There are going to be times when for various reasons – national security, or sometimes even the propriety of dealing with other individuals in Washington, around the world – you are, in fact, going to clam up for a little while until others have had their chance to speak. I’ve been getting lots of questions tonight about the decision the British government’s made. Well, the prime minister has not yet made his announcement, and it’s a little presumptuous for me to start characterizing or pronouncing on something that hasn’t happened yet. So, ‘stonewall,’ ‘useless press secretary.’ But sometimes that, in fact, is the appropriate thing to do. On the other hand, again, I’m a big believer that if we come and complain that you haven’t reported something and you have to ask for it, then that’s our fault.”

Press Bashers Anonymous: During a White House event last Friday honoring the late Time magazine reporter Hugh Sidey, former President George Bush unleashed what CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller described as a "formidable tirade" on the press. Taking an adversarial approach to the subjects journalists cover is one thing, he explained, but “It’s another when the journalists’ rhetoric goes beyond skepticism and goes over the line into overt, unrelenting hostility and personal animosity.” He added that he had begun an organization called "Press Bashers Anonymous" at one point, but "…then along came the South Carolina primary or something like that – and the hell with it – I got out of the organization and it folded.”

White House Hearts Bloggers: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow also had a few opinions about the press to share at a recent Q&A at George Washington University, The Washingtonian reports. To begin, no one can be an objective reporter. "God's objective. He knows what the truth is. Everything else is scratching at the surface." His other message: "the White House is continuing its efforts to bypass the mainstream media when possible." That means things like last week's conference call with "25 to 30 bloggers" before the State of the Union speech will likely be repeated.

CNBCitigroupGate?: A questionable relationship between CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo (of BartinankeGate fame) has been eating up headlines for days among media-watchers (especially at TVNewser, where you can keep up with all the background and all the latest.) In today's New York Times, TV critic David Carr sounds off on the matter. And he writes what has been largely left out of most analyses: "Commerce runs on the favor bank," he says, and that symbiotic relationship "happens in journalism, too, no matter what anyone tells you."

Considering that, the question of why Bartiromo was making "command appearances at the request of Citigroup — and many other companies — that sit dead center in Ms. Bartiromo’s beat," still remains...

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Adventures In On-The-Record Body Language: The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire took note of yesterday's White House Press Briefing, which included an interesting non-verbal message from Press Secretary Tony Snow in response to speculation about John Negroponte's appointment as deputy secretary of state. From the briefing:

Q Do you want to comment -- there's speculation that the reason that Mr. Negroponte is going to move over to State is because Dr. Rice will leave in several months and that he's in a position to take over. Do you want to say anything about it?

MR. SNOW: No. But let me just -- let me try to do this. This will be some subtle body language that should help you on this. You ready? (Head and eye roll.) (Laughter)

The Journal's John McKinnon described the move as "a kind of full-body expression of dismissiveness."

Cheers To A Back-Rub Free 2007: In other public-display-of-awkward-body-language news, McKinnon also takes note of the final denouement of President Bush's awkward much YouTubified moment with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last summer "in which he squeezed her shoulders from behind at a summit of world leaders, causing her to recoil visibly in surprise." At the end of their appearance on Thursday at the White House, Bush told reporters: “No back rubs."

Britney Spears, Media Critic: Finally, today's notable media criticism comes from Britney Spears, recently maligned for her much publicized, and incidentally, profound lack of undergarments. CBSNews' The Showbuzz reports that a message on her Web site argues thusly: "The media has criticized my every move and printed a skewed perception of who I really am as a human being." She adds,"I know I've been far from perfect and the media has had a lot of fun exaggerating my every move, but I want you all to know that I love my fans so much, and I appreciate everything you have done for me, so Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" No, Britney, thank you.

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The relationship between the press and the White House can be seen every day in the briefing room (or temporary briefing room, as the case happens to be), where the press corps meets with Press Secretary Tony Snow. Of late, the gathering has gotten more attention than usual because some think the level of contentiousness has reached a fever pitch. It's been awhile since our own visit to the briefing room, so we decided to ask White House Correspondent Jim Axelrod -- who's there every day, front row – how he approaches the job:

In terms of yielding worthwhile answers -- from Snow or anyone speaking at the podium in the briefing room -- what works and what doesn't?

The presumption in the briefing room is that Tony Snow is there to explain the administration's point of view. That makes him an advocate. Sure, he can tell you facts -- who the President met with that day, what the subject of the week's radio address might be, or where the Bush family will spend Christmas. But the bulk of his job is to explain why the President is doing what he's doing -- and answer questions from reporters who are often trying to glean more information than the White House wants to share.

I generally have one chance to ask a question or a series of questions at the briefing. I know that if I ask a question like, "so what's the President's new way forward in Iraq?" it's not going to yield much. They'll announce that when they are ready, and not a moment before. However, I can ask questions designed to peel back a layer or two of the onion. For instance, yesterday I asked if the White House is factoring in the feelings of the American people in devising a new strategy. Either answer is going to provide a little better sense of how the process of crafting a new way forward is unfolding. That's all I try to do.

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