Did Bush have a closed meeting with TV reporters?

[zanana]

I was just waking up this morning when I thought I heard that Bush had a private meeting with reporters from the major networks yesterday. Bush stipulated that he could not be quoted? Maybe I was dreaming, but then again, it's hard to tell these days. Could somebody straighten me out on this?

[drthais]

1. I heard it too

...in the 'newspaper reads' on C-Span
this is what caught my attention:
that reporters could refer to Bush's remarks as having come from
(get this)'a senior administration official'
what kind of bullshit is THAT?!

[bryant69]

2. Extremely common

It's to provide a level of deniability later, while still being high enough on the totem poll for reporters to take it seriously. Strange that they would do it so clumsily though, or have the President involved; possibly it was an after the fact thing. President Bush had already spilled his guts, and so they tried to clean it up a little.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Katarina]

3. Article in Washington Post about it

I guess his "secret" meeting didn't go as planned. Poor little chimperella. :eyes:

<snip>
When President Bush summoned five network correspondents into the Oval Office for a mysterious meeting yesterday, political and journalistic Washington started buzzing with the rumor that Osama bin Laden had been caught. Even the Kerry campaign was talking about it.

But no. Bush just wanted to chat on "deep background." That means the information can be used, but not attributed to anyone.

The secret interview lasted 80 minutes -- which was a lot longer than it stayed secret. In no time at all, Mike Allen of The Washington Post had all the details.

...More...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26077-2004Mar3.html