"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:
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.