Ace NBC reporter David Gregory blogs his take on Feeble Son's photo ops

[DemsUnited]

Sept. 23, 2005 | 3:43 p.m. EDT

No choice for the President

Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory

During his visit to FEMA emergency operations center here in Washington today, I asked the President what good he thinks he could do traveling to the hurricane zone later today in anticipation of Rita. He initially brushed off questions, but then spun around to say, "We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job."

What a difference a botched hurricane makes!

The same President who appeared just a tad aloof taking in Katrina's wrath from Air Force One, or strumming a guitar after a speech as Katrina was striking, is now desperately seeking a new photo opportunity to symbolize his stewardship in response to Rita.

Then we received late word today that Mr. Bush has scrapped his trip to San Antonio where he was going to visit search and rescue teams staging for the storm. Those teams are moving east to follow the storm track and the White House says the President didn't want to slow that down. Mr. Bush will ride out the storm in Colorado at Northern Command to view the military response to Rita.

This hurricane gives him his first major test and opportunity. Aides concede the biggest mistake made during Katrina was that the President trusted the word he was getting that the federal response was adequate. An aide told me this morning — I'm paraphrasing: look, if you are going to say mistakes were made last time you are obliged to see for yourself what's being done in preparation now.

Bottom line is, these are photo ops. White House aides admit they want Mr. Bush to be seen in briefings and personally tending to the government's response. Mr. Bush has no choice but to be in the middle of the action. Disaster relief and rebuilding are now the canvas of his second term. Between storms and war, the President's vision may face less scrutiny than his administration's basic competence.

On Edit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8045532 (scroll down a bit)

Oh yeah, the media's getting feisty.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

1. "Bottom line is, these are photo ops"

Anyone still think the Gregory questions were a setup? I bet not.

[NNN0LHI]

7. Yes n/t

[stevedeshazer]

18. I read your earlier take on Gregory being a setup.

I don't agree, but damn, the implications are enormous if you're right.

Time will tell.

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. I don't think it was, just by the look on Pinhead's face. He was pretty

snippy in his reply. :rofl: I think he was caught off guard and didn't appreciate it one bit. :evilgrin:

[oasis]

24. Yes, he wheeled around quite sharply to answer with a shit eating grin.

:D

[MADem]

34. Monkeyboy HATES "Stretch"

He hates the fact that David speaks flawless French to President Chirac, he HATES the fact that Stretch TOWERS over him, and he probably hates the fact that David is handsome, young, has all his brain cells, has good hair, is Jewish, you name it...the little monkey just HATES.

[CGrantt57]

2. ::::::::::sigh:::::::::

"This hurricane gives him his first major test and opportunity."

Somebody hold this dumb sumbitch while I scream into his face, please:

"WRONG, SUCKWAD! THIS DIPSHIT'S FIRST MAJOR TEST WAS NEW ORLEANS!! HE FUCKING BLEW IT, YOU RETARD!!! GET IT RIGHT BEFORE I SHOVE YOUR BLOG SO FAR UP YOUR ARSE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO READ IT BACKWARDS BY SHINING A FLASHLIGHT INTO YOUR EAR!!!!"

:spank:

Thank you.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled life.

[NNN0LHI]

6. You wasn't supposed to notice that

Welcome to DU CGrantt57.

Don

[karlrschneider]

15. Thanks for the first actual LOL I've had today and welcome!

:D

[crikkett]

27. LOL, welcome to DU.

:rofl:

[jhain]

31. I was screaming the exact thing to my monitor

thanks for typing it out.
Now, I can read yours real loud, too.

The sleeping late teenagers get a good social studies immersion when I read DU in the morning...

[MADem]

35. I think, in context, he meant SINCE KATRINA

The way I read it, it was chimpy's chance to prove that he isn't a congenital fuckup, that Katrina was a one-off. But your mileage may vary....

[BrklynLiberal]

3. The only thing Dimson could do to satisfy me is to resign and take his

entire admnistration with him...

[karlrschneider]

4. There won't be any protests in CO Springs...

...

[Gronk Groks]

8. Hey I didn't think about that...

...bubble-boy is escaping from the anti-war rally !!! I think hurricane Rita is a convenient excuse to dodge Cindy again !!!

[karlrschneider]

14. I am only an egg.

:D

[goclark]

36. Hurricane Cindy is in Washington

and he is getting out of harms way~ LOL

[Fridays Child]

5. Oh, yeah. DHS and FEMA f'ed up, post-Katrina, but Bush is in charge, now.

What a relief. :sarcasm:

[NNN0LHI]

10. It was all that doggone Brownies fault n/t

[supernova]

9. Well, he's finally admitting it!

The best thing he can do is stay the fuck out of the way!

[susu369]

11. "entourage" - Georgie speaking French, David

:evilgrin:

It's hilarious to me that bu$h* would say his "entourage" would not get in the way (how prissy) - more like that damn portable Potemkin Village set they have to drag everywhere would be the real problem.

Now, retire and go to bed early, bu$h, which we've always known was the code word for "closet drinker."

[DemocracyInaction]

12. Just saw the clip on MSNBC

Gregory nailed him. Kept yelling at him and Shitface finally turned around and confronted him. And then MSNBC says as the punch line that later that day, his trip was cancelled! Damn right---they smelled right then and there that the media this time might not be so nice and that this could be Bush's "Mission Accomplished" clown act Part II! Think about it---people now hate this fuck and they can see right through all this shit. They know these are photo ops. They know he isn't in charge of wiping his own ass after a dump (nor capable of doing it). Rove and company feared this was going to blow up like the aircraft carrier farce.

[DemsUnited]

17. Saw that clip too. Looked like DimSon was really going to lose it

but he managed to keep it together and put on his normal stupid face.

He's going to blow soon, though.

[MADem]

37. A ittle history, worth revisiting!!!!!!

President George W Bush regularly joshes around with reporters and gives them nicknames that suggest an easy familiarity. Privately, however, his advisers confide that he considers most of them to be preening, two-faced, Left-wing egotists who are out to get him.

For their part, the White House pack - particularly the network broadcasters - suck up shamelessly to the president and his aides, while privately ridiculing them.....But they desperately want two things: access and their organisation's coveted anchor slots (nearly all the major news anchors were once White House correspondents)....This week, however, a smooth, silver-haired NBC correspondent forgot the rules of the game and came a cropper when he decided to chance his arm with Mr Bush at a joint press conference with President Jacques Chirac. David Gregory would appear to have a good relationship with the president. He has often publicly praised the White House staff and because he is 6ft 5in, Mr Bush has nicknamed him "Little Stretch" - to differentiate him from "Stretch", the 6ft 6in Dick Kyle of Bloomberg News, and "Super Stretch", Bill Sammon of the Washington Times, who is 6ft 7in. But, at the Elysee Palace on Sunday, Gregory found out that Mr Bush wasn't really his buddy...."I wonder why it is you think there are such strong sentiments in Europe against you and against this administration?" he asked, before turning to the French leader and adding: "Et vous Monsieur le President Chirac, qu'en pensez-vous?"

The American president pursed his lips in annoyance: he does not speak French and sensed he was being mocked. "Very good," he said sardonically. "The guy memorises four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental."

Gregory, in so deep he couldn't turn back, ventured: "I can go on." But Mr Bush did a little mocking of his own: "I'm impressed - que bueno. Now I'm literate in two languages." http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/05/31/nmed31.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/05/31/ixhome.html

[justgamma]

16. What's frightening is

that Shrub could have found out what was going on in Nola by turning on the friggin' TV! Do you think he got mad at his "aides" for being afraid to tell him it was SNAFU?

[UTUSN]

19. Kick and Recommended n/t

[femrap]

22. I watched the NBC evening news last night and Dick

mentioned the HUGE anti-war rally that is to take place in DC over the weekend....I was shocked that the msm would mention it. Go Dick, go...

You know, it might not take too much to get w. to blow his drunken top on air....he hates to be challenged. And the press is starting to challenge. Please let the w. volcano blow!!!!! It would be such a welcome sight. It would be like watching Kruschev banging his shoe on the desk at the UN....or the other soviet leader drunk and singing....I think that is where our leadership is right now....one nudge away from MELTING!

[in_cog_ni_to]

20. Yeah, why not waste more fuel flying to Colorado for a freakin' photo op?

What the hell. Georgia's Governor is closing schools for 2 days to SAVE FUEL and the IDIOT-IN-CHIEF flies to Colorado for photo ops wasting a TON of fuel. Our children must sacrifice their education so that bastard can act like he's doing something? I hope Gregory and other journalists ask him if he thinks this is right?

[starroute]

21. I don't like the "Northern Command" part one bit

"Mr. Bush will ride out the storm in Colorado at Northern Command to view the military response to Rita."

Does that make anybody else as nervous as it does me?

We don't know how much damage there will be. We don't know if any major urban area will be impacted. We don't know if there will be trapped and desperate people as there were in New Orleans.

So why is the most important response already declared to be the military response?

This stinks to high heaven.

Police state anybody?

[MaineDem]

32. He had to go somewhere where it wouldn't look like a "vacation"

If he went to Camp David it would be like a relaxing weekend away. Ditto if he went to he ranch. Can't have that.

And he certainly couldn't stay at the White House to monitor events because of those godless commie moonbat freaks marching through Washington. (please note this is sarcasm.)

He had to go somewhere where he could look "presidential" and "in touch". Ergo a military base.

Edited for multiple typos.

[oasis]

23. From now on I suggest that you use only commercial airlines Mr. Gregory.

:scared:

[Alizaryn]

25. I love this line.

"Between storms and war, the President's vision may face less scrutiny than his administration's basic competence."

The link will take you to his blog where you can also send comments in. This might be helpful to his standing by letting NBC know that he is reaching a growing group of people. He has certainly earned my support.

[autorank]

26. Looked like Bush wanted to rush Gregory, but then realized he was

looking at him. No fun to tackle a guy who knows your coming is it?

We have one strange and dangerous dude running this country with a truly frightening Vice President and supporting cast.

They all have to go. Impeachment of the whole lot now. Restoration of the last freely elected President of the United States, Al Gore.

I don't care how they do it, fucking do it. Gore won. Carter establishes that (and the heat must have been turned up on him after endorsing a Jim Crow like National Voter ID Card). Kudos for quick turn around Pres. Carter. Now you turn up the heat.

[upi402]

29. Carter booted from Team Jesus

God pleased

[autorank]

30. ((((((((LOL)))))))))

:rofl:

[upi402]

28. Confiscate the TV Hairdo's bobbles and blups

and give everything that the "On Air Talent" owns and play Karl Marx with it.
Then send then to the corner for a few months to think about their part in the betrayal of democracy.

[Nothing Without Hope]

33. *** Here is the PERMALINK of this blog entry ***

You won't have to scroll down and it will still be the link tomorrow.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9399175/#050923f