HuffPost rigged question at WH presser?

[DarrinS]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0609/Obama_calls_on_HuffPost_for_Iran_question.html




n what appeared to be a coordinated exchange, President Obama called on the Huffington Post's Nico Pitney near the start of his press conference and requested a question directly from Iran.

“Nico, I know you and all across the Internet, we've been seeing a lot of reports coming out of Iran,” Obama said, addressing Pitney. “I know there may actually be questions from people in Iran who are communicating through the Internet. Do you have a question?”

Pitney, as if ignoring what Obama had just said, said: “I wanted to use this opportunity to ask you a question directly from an Iranian.”

He then noted that the site had solicited questions from people in the country “who were still courageous enough to be communicating online.”

“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 the — of what the demonstrators there are working towards?”

Reporters typically don’t coordinate their questions for the president before press conferences. And it was a departure from White House protocol by calling on The Huffington Post second, in between the AP and Reuters.

CBS Radio's Mark Knoller, a veteran White House correspondent, said over Twitter it was "very unusual that Obama called on Huffington Post second, appearing to know the issue the reporter would ask about."

According to POLITICO's Carol Lee, The Huffington Post reporter was brought out of lower press by deputy press secretary Josh Earnest and placed just inside the barricade for reporters a few minutes before the start of the press conference.

[ChumpDumper]

So they coordinated in order to make sure a question from an Iranian in Iran got asked?

That's turrble.

[LnGrrrR]

Eh, it's not much more heinous than Bush or Clinton placing certain reporters in the front, or only asking non-combative journalists. I've become resigned to this fact.

[SnakeBoy]

There's been some pretty stupid stuff posted on this forum but I think this has to be at or near the top.

Who cares if they planned ahead of time to answer a question from an Iranian. I guess if it was a softball you'd have something to complain about Darrin but it was actually a tougher question than what most of the reporters asked and Obama had to dodge answering it directly.

If you want to bitch about the questions he was asked why not pick the one on where/when he smokes a cigarette?

[DarrinS]

There's been some pretty stupid stuff posted on this forum but I think this has to be at or near the top.

Who cares if they planned ahead of time to answer a question from an Iranian. I guess if it was a softball you'd have something to complain about Darrin but it was actually a tougher question than what most of the reporters asked and Obama had to dodge answering it directly.

If you want to bitch about the questions he was asked why not pick the one on where/when he smokes a cigarette?


Can you quote the part of my OP that was judgmental? I even put a question mark on the title.

[Oh, Gee!!]

I even put a question mark on the title.

You learned that nifty trick from watching fox news promos didn't you?

"Is Obama a Muslim? We'll discuss that and other topics on Hannity."

[Def Rowe]

You learned that nifty trick from watching fox news promos didn't you?

"Is Obama a Muslim? We'll discuss that and other topics on Hannity."

I know. Then they usually follow that up with a "Is George Bush the most under-rated President ever?", err some crap like that. :lol

[jman3000]

Would you vote for a president who smokes?

[Winehole23]

Anybody remember t (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon)his guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon)?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/ian02302/4ef1a2d7.jpg
(http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0502/ab9ce61a46d05f62074b.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0502/S00178.htm&usg=__77vaULVEHDuiobCKSdPUf0mZaP4=&h=301&w=400&sz=20&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=V9P001I2ZfeVwM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeff%2Bgannon%2Bwiki%26hl%3Den%26clie nt%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1)

[ChumpDumper]

Terrorist fist jab?

[clambake]

Anybody remember t (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon)his guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon)?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/ian02302/4ef1a2d7.jpg
(http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0502/ab9ce61a46d05f62074b.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0502/S00178.htm&usg=__77vaULVEHDuiobCKSdPUf0mZaP4=&h=301&w=400&sz=20&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=V9P001I2ZfeVwM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeff%2Bgannon%2Bwiki%26hl%3Den%26clie nt%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1)
hell yes, i remember.

do you think darrins remembers?

[jack sommerset]

The President telling the reporters what to ask? You guys play this off like no big deal......Interesting. Thats not how it is suppose to work ladies and gents.

[ChumpDumper]

The Huff told the White House they were soliciting questions from Iranians for Obama.

Obama asked for one of those questions.

The Huff reporter gave him one.

Why do you hate the Iranian protesters, jack?

[SnakeBoy]

The President telling the reporters what to ask?

Can you not read? They asked a tough question that Obama didn't want to answer. You think Obama picked that question?

[DarrinS]

Stay Tuned for More of 'The Obama Show' (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/23/AR2009062303262.html?hpid=opinionsbox1)





In his first daytime news conference yesterday, President Obama preempted "All My Children," "Days of Our Lives" and "The Young and the Restless." But the soap viewers shouldn't have been disappointed: The president had arranged some prepackaged entertainment for them.

After the obligatory first question from the Associated Press, Obama treated the overflowing White House briefing room to a surprise. "I know Nico Pitney is here from the Huffington Post," he announced.

Obama knew this because White House aides had called Pitney the day before to invite him, and they had escorted him into the room. They told him the president was likely to call on him, with the understanding that he would ask a question about Iran that had been submitted online by an Iranian. "I know that there may actually be questions from people in Iran who are communicating through the Internet," Obama went on. "Do you have a question?"

Pitney recognized his prompt. "That's right," he said, standing in the aisle and wearing a temporary White House press pass. "I wanted to use this opportunity to ask you a question directly from an Iranian."

Pitney asked his arranged question. Reporters looked at one another in amazement at the stagecraft they were witnessing. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel grinned at the surprised TV correspondents in the first row.

The use of planted questioners is a no-no at presidential news conferences, because it sends a message to the world -- Iran included -- that the American press isn't as free as advertised. But yesterday wasn't so much a news conference as it was a taping of a new daytime drama, "The Obama Show." Missed yesterday's show? Don't worry: On Wednesday, ABC News will be broadcasting "Good Morning America" from the South Lawn (guest stars: the president and first lady), "World News Tonight" from the Blue Room, and a prime-time feature with Obama from the East Room.

"The Obama Show" was the hottest ticket in town yesterday. Forty-five minutes before the start, there were no fewer than 107 people crammed into the narrow aisles, in addition to those in the room's 42 seats. Japanese and Italian could be heard coming from the tangle of elbows, cameras and compressed bodies: "You've got to move! . . . Oh, God, don't step on my foot!" Some had come just for a glimpse of celebrity. And they wanted to know all about him. "As a former smoker, I understand the frustration and the fear that comes with quitting," McClatchy News's Margaret Talev empathized with the president before asking him how much he smokes.

Obama indulged the question from the studio audience. "I would say that I am 95 percent cured. But there are times where I mess up," he confessed. "Like folks who go to AA, you know, once you've gone down this path, then, you know, it's something you continually struggle with."

This is Barack Obama, and these are the Days of Our Lives.

As if to compensate for the prepackaged Huffington Post question, Obama went quickly to Fox News for a predictably hostile question from Major Garrett. "In your opening remarks, sir, you said about Iran that you were appalled and outraged," Garrett said. "What took you so long?

"I don't think that's accurate," Obama volleyed testily, calling his toughening statements on Iran "entirely consistent."

The host of "The Obama Show" dispatched with similar ease a challenge from CBS's Chip Reid, asking whether his hardening line on Iran was inspired by John McCain. "What do you think?" Obama replied with a big grin. That brought the house down. And the studio audience laughed again when ABC's Jake Tapper tried to get Obama to answer another reporter's question that he had dodged. "Are you the ombudsman for the White House press corps?" the president cracked.

The laughter had barely subsided when the host made another joke about Tapper's reference to Obama's "Spock-like language about the logic of the health-care plan."

"The reference to Spock, is that a crack on my ears?" the president asked.

But yesterday's daytime drama belonged primarily to Pitney, of the Huffington Post Web site. During the eight years of the Bush administration, liberal outlets such as the Huffington Post often accused the White House of planting questioners in news conferences to ask preplanned questions. But here was Obama fielding a preplanned question asked by a planted questioner -- from the Huffington Post.

Pitney said the White House, though not aware of the question's wording, asked him to come up with a question about Iran proposed by an Iranian. And, as it turned out, he was not the only prearranged questioner at yesterday's show. Later, Obama passed over the usual suspects to call on Macarena Vidal of the Spanish-language EFE news agency. The White House called Vidal in advance to see whether she was coming and arranged for her to sit in a seat usually assigned to a financial trade publication. She asked about Chile and Colombia.

A couple of more questions and Obama called it a day. "Mr. President!" yelled Mike Allen of Politico. "May I ask about Afghanistan? No questions about Iraq or Afghanistan?"

Sorry: Those weren't prearranged.

[LnGrrrR]

The question wasn't 'arranged' in the sense that Obama knew what the question would be. Obama just knew there was going to be a question about Iranians. Yeesh. Some people are retarded.

[DarrinS]

The question wasn't 'arranged' in the sense that Obama knew what the question would be. Obama just knew there was going to be a question about Iranians. Yeesh. Some people are retarded.


Seemed like he knew exactly what the question would be.

[DarrinS]

Eh, it's not much more heinous than Bush or Clinton placing certain reporters in the front, or only asking non-combative journalists. I've become resigned to this fact.



I pretty much agree with you. I just think it's funny that HuffPost was incensed when they believed Bush had a planted question and now this.

[LnGrrrR]

Seemed like he knew exactly what the question would be.

And Bush "seemed" to be an idiot. And Obama "seems" to be intelligent. And "seems" is a crappy synonym for "I don't know and I don't have proof". :)

[LnGrrrR]

I pretty much agree with you. I just think it's funny that HuffPost was incensed when they believed Bush had a planted question and now this.

Of course. Huffpost, for the most part, is a mirror version of conservative sites like PajamasMedia. It's good when our side does it, bad when the other side does.

[DarrinS]

And Bush "seemed" to be an idiot. And Obama "seems" to be intelligent. And "seems" is a crappy synonym for "I don't know and I don't have proof". :)


You're right. I don't know, but you said you did know. Which of us is being honest?

[clambake]

well, it's not like what happened to helen thomas.

[LnGrrrR]

You're right. I don't know, but you said you did know. Which of us is being honest?

The one of us using logic?

Technically, you don't know that I'm a space alien. I think we can assume that I'm not though.

If you want to assume that Obama was in the know, feel free. But at least speak freely with your conspiracy thoughts like Galileo does. :)

[DarrinS]

Obama: I understand that Matt Drudge is here from DrudgeReport.com. Matt, can you read me the canned question that Rahm Emanuel gave you five minutes ago?



Now that would have surprised me.

[EVAY]

Would you vote for a president who smokes?

The majority of Americans did.

[jman3000]

wow... srsly? did that one really go over your head that badly?

[jack sommerset]

Pretty sad I think. Reporters are suppose to ask the questions they want to ask not what the dirty politician wants them to ask. End of story. This douche will not be re-elected.

[ChumpDumper]

Seriously jack -- why do you hate the Iranian protesters?

[PixelPusher]

Seriously jack -- why do you hate the Iranian protesters?

Because the Iranian who sent in that question was clearly a plant designed to both gloss the Administration and trash his political opponents by lobbing him softballs.

I mean really...check this shit out (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon):


"Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. (Senate Minority Leader) Harry Reid was talking about soup lines. And (Senator) Hillary Clinton was talking about the economy being on the verge of collapse. Yet in the same breath they say that Social Security is rock solid and there's no crisis there. How are you going to work – you've said you are going to reach out to these people – how are you going to work with people who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?"

oh, wait - my bad. Wrong quote from the wrong guy.

Here's the actual question:


“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 the — of what the demonstrators there are working towards?”

Piece of cake. He should be ashamed of himself.

[jman3000]

This is such a non issue. The fact that it's being honed in on is pretty indicative of how petty some have become. Seriously, there's bigger fish to fry.

If he had asked him, "President Obama, if you could please give me a short list of why you are so great I'd greatly appreciate it". That would be something. Not this petty shit. They should be criticizing his answer as opposed to criticizing the circumstances as to which it came about.

[jack sommerset]

This is such a non issue. The fact that it's being honed in on is pretty indicative of how petty some have become. Seriously, there's bigger fish to fry.

Certainly bigger fish to fry but it's another example on how Obama manipulates the media. Can't wait for the healthcare info commercial on ABC. Wait...Does that make me a robot because cable news is telling me to say that? Or could it just be a fucking marketing campaign to spend another trillion dollars on socialism.

[jman3000]

Certainly bigger fish to fry but it's another example on how Obama manipulates the media. Can't wait for the healthcare info commercial on ABC. Wait...Does that make me a robot because cable news is telling me to say that? Or could it just be a fucking marketing campaign to spend another trillion dollars on socialism.

He didn't manipulate the media in this instance. You just want to believe he did because that's the way you've been programmed. Beep beep beep beep.

[ChumpDumper]

Because the Iranian who sent in that question was clearly a plant designed to both gloss the Administration and trash his political opponents by lobbing him softballs.You're saying that was a softball?

:lmao

You're always good for a laugh.