CBS's Chip Reid and Helen Thomas go after Press Secretary Robert Gibbs over the "pre-packaged" and "tightly controlled" town hall meeting.

Thomas calls him out and says how the administration using these meetings and press conferences as way of controlling the media.

Thomas also said it was the first administration to do this despite saying they were going to be "open and transparent".

I think some in the media may be tiring of certain things. The pre-selected question last week from the Huffington Post in which they were the fed the question has tainted the opinion of some in the press.

Gibbs was stumped.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/07/01/cbs_helen_thomas_challenge_gibbs_on_controlled_town_hall_meeting.html

Helen Thomas is an old battle-axe, and she sure don't like to be staged, god love her.

The staging of the Iran question from the Huffington Post was almost laughable. Here's the transcript and video.

 

THE PRESIDENT: I think that the international community is, as I said before, bearing witness to what's taking place. And the Iranian government should understand that how they handle the dissent within their own country, generated indigenously, internally, from the Iranian people, will help shape the tone not only for Iran's future but also its relationship to other countries.

Since we're on Iran, I know Nico Pitney is here from Huffington Post.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Nico, I know that you, and all across the Internet, we've been seeing a lot of reports coming directly out of Iran. I know that there may actually be questions from people in Iran who are communicating through the Internet. Do you have a question?

Q Yes, I did, I wanted to use this opportunity to ask you a question directly from an Iranian. We solicited questions last night from people who are still courageous enough to be communicating online, and one of them wanted to ask you this: Under which conditions would you accept the election of Ahmadinejad? And if you do accept it without any significant changes in the conditions there, isn't that a betrayal of what the demonstrators there are working towards?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NBj-vpDoe4

I like Gibbs.

I saw the clip this morning. She really went after them!

The "staging" aspect might not be cool but it was a legit question posed.

I saw the clip this morning. She really went after them!

 

I'm not sure there's not a present that Helen hasn't "gone after." :lol:

 

She even had Nixon give her a birthday cake and then in the presser she grilled him on Halderman.

Helen Thomas is an old battle-axe, and she sure don't like to be staged, god love her.

 

EKU grad as well.

EKU grad as well.

I didn't know that.

 

Wasn't she born in Winchester and spent the early part of her life there?

EKU grad as well.

 

I didn't know this either.

I didn't know this either.

 

I didn't know that.

 

Wasn't she born in Winchester and spent the early part of her life there?

 

Oops, scratch that. She did not, in fact attend EKU. She was, however, awarded an honorary degree from there. I guess I was mis-remembering.

 

She was born in Winchester but raised in Detroit, attending Wayne St. U.

Helen Thomas is an old battle-axe, and she sure don't like to be staged, god love her.

 

Separated at birth? You be the judge...

Maybe somebody should throw a shoe at the next press conference.

Separated at birth? You be the judge...

 

I think this one is closer.

 

 

Separated at birth? You be the judge...

 

Hey now, don't you diss Theoden like that!