White House Admonishes Carole Coleman RE: RTE Irish Interview

[graham67]

What a bunch of weenies.


"And it is believed the President's staff have now withdrawn from an exclusive interview which was to have been given to RTE this morning by First Lady Laura Bush.

It is understood that both RTE and the Department of Foreign Affairs were aware of the exclusive arrangement, scheduled for 11am today. However, when RTE put Ms Coleman's name forward as interviewer, they were told Mrs Bush would no longer be available.

The Irish Independent learned last night that the White House told Ms Coleman that she interrupted the president unnecessarily and was disrespectful.

She also received a call from the White House in which she was admonished for her tone."


http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1205871&issue_id=11063 (registration required)

[Lindacooks]

1. OH MY GOD!!!

These people are such incredible wimps!!! If they think that chimpy is appointed by God, God ain't doing such a great job, is he?

[DenverDem]

2. Responsible journalism is unacceptable to fascists.

"You are either with us, or you are against us."

[Wind Dancer]

9. Well said! n/t

[Pepperbelly]

3. what a bunch of weinies!

Bush is such a thin-skinned punk ... how can he look at himself in the mirror?

[DenverDem]

51. His image does not reflect in a mirror.

Therefore, he literally can't look at himself in the mirror.

[0007]

57. junior has an inverted pee pee and has a hard time being understood, LOL!

I watched the interview in its entirely and thought junior was acting kind of overbearing and bitchy.

[0007]

58. junior has an inverted pee pee and has a hard time being understood, LOL!

I watched the interview in its entirely and thought junior was acting kind of overbearing and bitchy because Carole Coleman wouldn't kowtow to his Bull.

I've noticed that he treats male interviewer much differently than females.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Assholes. Now they are intimidating ALL media?

Is there anything they can do about this? Afraid of the tough questions? Will Ms. Coleman find the head of a horse in her bed this morning? Despicable. :grr:

[Rose Siding]

5. Until the US media make this THE story...

they will remain cowed and dependent on their submissive roll for access.

If a few networks and papers highlighted and challenged the tight control of access by the WH, then the Bushies would have to try to prove it wasn't true by allowing aggressive questioning.

The *worst* that reporter did was jump into a couple of his 50 yard stares and talk to him like a regular human being (bless her heart)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

17. The film was shown on all of the major networks to include cable.

[merh]

30. Another hero in our war against this regime.

If anyone knows how we can email and thank her, please let me know. She deserves our gratitude.

ps: I found the email provided later in this thread and sent her a thank you and an invite to visit our forum.

[Stew225]

the bigger problem is that this wuss behavior

won't be covered by "our" wuss press.

[Cat Atomic]

6. Well, that's got to be worth a good long essay on how the Bush

administration bullies the press by denying access.

[Vickers]

7. Lizard skin is mighty thin

:P

[Wilber_Stool]

8. Heres their email

[e-mail] Send a comment.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Thanks for that!

[HootieMcBoob]

10. Unbelievable

How dare anyone question the Imperial Presidency! This is not going to endear the prick to the Irish or the Europeans in general. He looked enough like the dick that he is in the interview -- they are going to totally go off on this. You think he's hated abroad now? Just wait until this hits Europe. I doubt we'll hear much about it here though.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. This action will hurt FratBoy MUCH more than it will hurt Ms Coleman...

..FratBoy came off as whiney and obnoxious. A truly embarrassing piece of footage for the Man Who Would be Dictator.

[leftchick]

26. Agreed MLD....

chimpy*s hubris knows no bounds and with that will come consequences. Hopefully indictments too!

[skooooo]

35. How will it hurt him?

I agree that he came off as obnoxious, but how exactly will it hurt him??

[LincolnMcGrath]

12. wimpychimpyfratboy would not have

cut a man off like that. He was disrespectful because she is a female.

[Terran]

13. I thought it was inappropriate for her to interrupt him

the way she did. But her "tone" was right on, and she was just asking the tough questions, the way you would have expected an American reporter to do 30 years ago.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

"inappropriate"? Why?

Because he's the "president?"

If someone speaks shit, they deserve to be interrupted, and Bush speaks nothing but!

As far as I am concerned, if I met the man, I would have a hard time not putting my fist in his face, so interrupting him would be the least of my concerns.

Bush may be the "president" of the US, but he isn't the president of the whole world. The rest of the world doesn't hold the US president as 'sacred' as Americans do at the best of times. With Bush in the role it is little more than a joke.

[Terran]

36. Because she's a journalist

I would think it's a no-brainer that journalists let their subjects complete their sentences in an interview before responding. This goes for anyone, no matter how much *we* might hate them, or how much the journalist might hate them. The journalist is supposed to retain some objectivity. Interrupting your subject does away with that objectivity.

Don't get me wrong people--if I had Bush in front of me, I'd spit in his face, never mind interrupting him. But this woman has professional standards to uphold; I don't.

[Slickriddles]

42. No interruption

I saw the interview on MSNBC with a title of "Irish incident." She didn't interupt. Bush would stop and kind of stare and she would ask a follow-up. Then Bush would say 4-5 times "Let me finish...let me finish." I didn't see an incident. But I didn't see a sycophantic reporter either.

[Terran]

44. Oh bullshit

I saw it too, and she damn well did interrupt him.

[GCP]

45. You obviously haven't seen a BBC interview

It's common practice over there to interrupt if they figure the guy's trying to avoid giving a straight answer.

I wish they'd grow some balls like that over here.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Maeve]

55. I disagree with your view of journalism in this case

If you are seeking some semblance of truth, you sometimes need to break thru a smokescreen(and he was blowing a lot of smoke). Bush answered her question about the Irish disapproval of his policies with a dismissal "they just don't understand" and set the tone. He over-ran her and gave stock answers to non-stock questions. (Hubby concurs; J-school, Ohio State, Class of '77)

I also thought that some of his "pauses" were periods and would have followed up at that point, as well. I think she may have been losing her temper toward the end after the number of times he insulted her and her intelligence ("And guess what happened?"--like she doesn't know, or assuming that she doesn't have a "personal relationship with God" like he does, or "You're talking about France, right?" when most of the population of Europe does not support him) and then he interupted her "thank you."

[Terran]

63. Sorry I seem to be upsetting so many people with this.

All I can say is, a Peter Jennings or a Walter Cronkhite would have found ways to do a productve interview and get at the truth without interrupting the interviewee. The fact that the interviewee is being rude to the interviewer doesn't, IMO, justify being rude back. A competent journalist gets around that.

[Maeve]

71. 'Sokay, just a diference in view on how journalists are supposed to act

Jennings or Cronkhite would have gotten more than ten minutes face-time and had the luxury to let him yammer on, then edit it out.

In an interview on RTE the next day, Ms Coleman said she thought the interview went well and that, since they shook hands and parted amicably, Dubya was a good sport about it. Well, she got THAT wrong!! :eyes: Dubya failed sportsmanship, not even a gentleman's C...

And Hubby says he was really cheering her on during the interview. Like I said, different view of how journalists are supposed to act.

[Terran]

74. I just watched the whole clip again...

in the interests of accuracy. I was cheering her too, partly because I know that if it was me and him in the same room, I'd just get up and slap him silly. She definitely did interrupt him a couple of times; there were other times where she sort of inserted herself into an ambiguous pause, and he *acted* like she'd interrupted him. Bush was a patronizing asshole toward her, I certainly agree on that. But I think she did allow, however slightly, her own disgust/anger with him to show through in those interruptions, which IMO is not something a journalist should do.

It's really a pretty minor thing; I am with her all the way, and now I understand the WH not only called her personally to chastise her, they've also complained to the Irish Embassy in DC--how contemptible can you GET??

[Devils Advocate NZ]

62. Bollocks...

A journalist is supposed to do what we ourselves can't do: ask the questions and get TRUE answers.

When the subject attempts to lie or ignore the question it is the DUTY of the journalist to STOP the lie or attempt to ignore and get the TRUTH.

That is what they are supposed to do, even if that is NOT what they do in the US.

Why bother HAVING journalists if all they are there for is to ask the pre-ordained questions and sit through the pre-planned "answers"? Just point a camera at him and let him make a speech, if that is what you call journalism.

In fact, doing that turns the journalist from their true role into nothing more than a PR conduit. A journalist that does that is actually a co-conspirator in the attempt to mislead the public.

Why do you think CNN has an "International" and "US" version? It is because they would NEVER get away with the shit they pull on the US version anywhere else in the world.

A true journalist would never let Bush get away with the crap he spews without interrupting him, regardless of whether that is what the lapdog US press is like.

Hell, even Clinton got a hard time from the media outside the US, so why should Bush get a free ride?

[smirkymonkey]

65. He never does complete a sentence

he's incapable of it. He's just a blithering idiot at best. What is she supposed to do? Allow her audience to sit through his rambling, mindless drivel without intervening?

It's about time someone had the balls to attempt to actually get some REAL information out of his piehole.

[Jade Fox]

24. I thought she was interrupting him speechifying.....

something Sam Donaldson used to be great at in the old days. As soon
as someone he was interviewing would stop answering the question
and start giving a speech, he would cut them off.

It seems fair to me for interviewers to not allow politicians to use them
as a speech platform.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

29. Bingo. Good comments.

[ladjf]

39. That is exactly what happened.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. "Inappropriate to interrupt him the way she did"??? What?....

IMHO, FratBoy has been treated with kid gloves by everyone up until now, especially the American mainstream press. Wait until all of the scandals hit full boil later this summer...he'll start getting more questions than he ever knew existed. He may never hold another press conference.

Additionally, the British/Irish press works in a far different way than the American mainstream press...interruptions and raised voices are part of the norm over there. In fact, that used to be the norm here, as you correctly pointed out.

One more thing...one doesn't interrupt a person that one respects. Tell me why FratBoy has earned that privilege.

[Terran]

40. I don't think you know what you're talking about

Additionally, the British/Irish press works in a far different way than the American mainstream press...interruptions and raised voices are part of the norm over there. In fact, that used to be the norm here, as you correctly pointed out.

The British tabloid press may do that, and they do it in the House of Commons. But journalism is journalism--if you don't let your subject complete a "thought" (and I use that word advisedly in Bush's case), then what's the point of conducting an interview? I doubt you would have seen a BBC interviewer do that. She would have been more effective if she had let him speak his bullshit and THEN counter with her own excellent points.

One more thing...one doesn't interrupt a person that one respects. Tell me why FratBoy has earned that privilege.

It's not about respect; the journalist doesn't need to consider whether or not they respect their subject. It's about professional standards and knowing how to interview someone.

[merh]

48. Go back and watch the interview.

She would ask a question and he would ramble his standard rubbish and then pause and look at her (with that notarious blank stare he uses when he is trying to remember his notes since he does not have an independent thought of his own other than "now watch this drive") and she would try to follow up and he would say don't interrupt me. She wasn't interrupting his response, she was interrupting his train of thought. Or, he would respond to her questions with a question and when she tried to respond he would say, let me finish.

CC: The world is a much more dangerous place since US invaded Iraq?
GWB: What do you mean?
CC: Terrorist attacks daily now. It wasn't that way before.
GWB: What do you think 9/11 was?

(not exact script, but close enough)

She was a professional journalist, the problem is we haven't seen one interview GW or his band of repugs that it is hard to recognize. (IMHO)

[Protected]

72. Just listened to the interview again...

http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/rte-carol-coleman-bush.mp3 (11 minutes, about 10.5mb)

2:10 Bush: Now look, Saddam Hussein had used WMDs. ... He was a brutal dictator who posed a threat. Such a threat that the United Nations voted unanimously to say, 'Mr. Saddam...'

CC: <Interrupts> Indeed, Mr. President, but you didn't find the WMDs.

Bush: <Interrupts> Let me finish... Luhluhluhet me... Let me finish... <Talks about the UN telling Hussein to disarm.> ... No one can argue that the world is better off if Saddam Hussein were in power.

CC: But Mr. President, the world is a more dangerous place today. I don't know if you can see that or not.

Bush: <Interrupts> Why do you say that?

CC: There are terrorist bombings every single day. It's now a daily event. It wasn't like that three years ago.

Bush: What was it like, September the 11th, 2001? It was a relative calm...

CC: <Interrupts> But if your response to Iraq was considered...

Bush: <Interrupts> Let let let me finish please. You asked the questions and I'll answer them if you don't mind. ...

As the interview goes on Bush pauses a number of times and then she starts to ask him another question and Bush responds with the "let let let me finish" thing.

[smirkymonkey]

66. Ummmm...ever watch Hannity, O'Liely

Scarborough or any of the other right wing media whores do a Q & A. Right.

[qwertyMike]

32. Inappropriate?

Jeez what century do you live in?
This prick affects the lives of the world while your American Empire Lasts.

Yankee go Home. Remeber that?

[Terran]

37. See post #36 n/t

[Pepperbelly]

38. He was fillibustering and lying ... what choice did she have?

That is what a good reporter should do. She had x minutes with the asshole and he was trying to run out the clock with his regular bullshit.

Fuck him. He is a poseur and a punk.

[truth2power]

73. I watched it. I don't think she interrupted him.

Junior doesn't speak in whole thoughts that have a beginning, middle and end. Then he has those wheezy little pauses - and you never know if he's waiting for applause or he's finished his response(sic).

In ORDINARY conversation, there are markers that tell us, more or less, when it's ok to continue the dialog. With Junior you never know!

He's nuts, I tell 'ya! :silly:

[Carl Brennan]

76. Bush gamed the interruption bullshit.

to make it look like this reporter was being to heavy handed. She didn't interrupt anything, she was merely following up on his inconsistent blathering.

If anything Bush was interrupting her legitimate questions.

[Blecht]

14. The best part of the article

And it emerged last night that presidential staff suggested to Ms Coleman as she went into the interview that she ask him a question on the outfit that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wore to the G8 summit.

Not THAT would have been a hard-hitting question.

Just a reminder -- use bugmenot.com to get a login to sites that require registration.

[merh]

52. She couldn't ask him about his outfit. She can see for herself

that the Emperor is wearing no clothes.

[qwertyMike]

15. I would say Ms. Coleman

can write her ticket now.

For asking the Emporer about his attire.

If any US news media are lurking. . . . you are a disgrace. You regurgitate press releases. I wouldn't hire you on the weekly (circ. 3,500) I used to work on.

[smirkymonkey]

68. Thank you!

I think we should be targeting the US media as much as the Administration and the Coporate pigs.

[eaprez]

16. Just Proves she did an EXCELLENT job!

...that's why its rumored the U.S. Press treats him with kid gloves - to maintain their access.

[MaineDem]

18. Many of her "interruptions" came because he paused

I can't fault her on this at all.

The US media should have been doing this with all his questioning. They don't follow-up appropriately at all. It seems they're so afraid of losing their credentials and access to the White House.

Thank you, RTE!!!

[Maeve]

21. I agree---he was waiting for the applause he didn't get

He didn't answer her questions and tried to run over her--she wasn't buying it.

[qwertyMike]

49. I don't care if your President (hahahaha)

paused, or had a dump.

He's affecting the lives of millions and he should be asked a few questions about that.

[MaineDem]

60. Hey, I'm on your side here

I think she did a brilliant job!

Slainte!

Edited because my spelling was less than brilliant.

[luaneryder]

19. I'm sure Ms Coleman will lose sleep over this

I applaud whether anyone thinks it is inappropirate or not. It was also inappropriate for cheese dick cheney to use obscenity on the Senate floor, but the excuse for that is that Leahy had it coming. Bush has had it coming from a journalist for a long fucking time. US journalists--take a lesson from the Irish.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

20. He was beaten by a girl? hehe

[qwertyMike]

23. "She also received a call from the White House

in which she was admonished for her tone"

I saw her - feisty Irish girl who had to suffer interviewing a goofball.
White House admonishments mean shit in Ireland.

I bet she told them to take a flying FUCK.

[Eloriel]

41. I HOPE she did

Because that's about the only appropriate response to something like that.

[merh]

25. Yep, that's how they have controlled the press. Just like 'em...

I love it that RTE has used their controlling (and petty) ways to make the story.

That is Bushco & repugs, if you don't play nice and give them everything they want, they won't play with you. Soon they will realize no one cares.

[qwertyMike]

27. What could Laura have to say?

She seems like a nice lady. She suffered W's alcoholism for 20 years. I think there might be a person in there somewhere. Poor woman.

[thecrow]

31. Please, please let me rant some more....!

I thought he was disrespectful of her with the "please please let me finish what *I* have to say!
He was really eager to get his talking points in.
Maybe Cheny's voice being pumped into him through a listening device...?
He wanted to stonewall her and use up her time for the interview.
As long as he kept talking and cutting her off she was unabole to ask more questions.
I think he owes HER an apology!!!!

[Jade Fox]

33. Republicans playing the Stern, Condeming, Dad-To-the World again...

She was admonished for her tone? She's a proffessional journalist. She
can use any damn tone she wants to!

The arrogance of these people is unbelievable!

[LittleApple81]

34. He is hanging himself with his own cord...Good for us!

How do you think this is going to play in Europe? Especially if they broadcast his interview with Ms. Coleman...It was an unbelievable demonstration of arrogance, repeating of memes, and stupidity on HIS part. She was right in interrupting the memes that everybody has heard 1000 TIMES!!!!

[FizzFuzz]

43. Language is a virus. finally, someone's bringing out the vaccine. n/t

[Slickriddles]

47. Great Sig.

I'm liking Kristofacists or Xistofacists (don't want to take the Lord's name in vain, just in case;-)

[FizzFuzz]

53. lol!!!

:thumbsup: and welcome!!

gee it sure seems there's been alot of new members here lately. YAY

[in_cog_ni_to]

46. Ms. Coleman is a REAL journalist.

Our talking heads should take notes on how to ask REAL questions! Her interview was so refreshing. I can't believe the WH WHINED to her about how she did her job THE RIGHT WAY. F****** assholes! :grr:

[TexasSissy]

70. Boy, you've got that right! I had forgotten how questions were

supposed to be asked by hard hitting, independent journalists.

[laylah]

75. I can believe that they whined!

Small sniveling shits that they are :mad:

Jenn

[Kool Kitty]

54. It's a shame, isn't it,

that asking real, probing questions, asking follow-ups and not letting him off easy is considered "disrespectful". I always thought it was journalism.

[SOS]

56. "admonished for her tone"

So what did the White House have to say about Dick "Go Fuck Yourself" Cheney?
The hypocricy of these phonies is astounding.

[Cleita]

59. Buwahahaha!

You can't interrupt King George while he is telling a lie? Just who does this martinet think he is? I hope the Irish press goes after him and Lady Laura with a metaphorical sledgehammer.

[AussieInCA]

61. if he answered the question instead of playing dodgeball...

she wouldn't of needed to interrupt him to get the answer (not the fantasy world in his head)


Q&A means Q&A not Q&ramble you abugrafey chimpy nincompoop


Post interview CNNI had a Professor on who said the difference between politicians in the rest of the world and the Chimpy is in the rest of the world they are politicians and all bets are off, whereas chimpy acts like some mythical figure that things he is immune to criticism.

[loudsue]

64. So....how come it's okay for the neocon pundits to interrupt Clinton,Gore

Clark, Dean.....and talk over replies from OUR presidents and candidates, but somehow it's NOT OKAY to do it to the chimp in chief??

Again....the neocons don't like the taste of their own medicine. That's ok. I don't like the taste of their medicine, either!!

What goes around, comes around. And it's about damned time!

:kick::kick::kick:

[Nlighten1]

67. Wussies.

If you can't take the heat get the hell out of the kitchen.

[Solly Mack]

69. Did she tell them to piss off?