Anybody watching David Gregory GUSHING

[cwydro]

over his night at the state dinner? He just showed off his place card.
What an obsequious twit.

[Skidmore]

1. Well, the going price for a journalist has been a song and a dance

for several years now. They are cheaper than two-bit floozies these days..

[Joe Fields]

24. Well put.

[Nightjock]

2. He's a real pro

sarcasm...(I don't know how to make that cool sarcasm thing)

I used to think he was one of the few real reporters in Washington. What a fracking loser!

[cwydro]

8. he was BRAGGING about how he tied

his own bowtie. I choked on my coffee.

[bdamomma]

35. this is nothing but a show to these guys.

[tanyev]

23. How have you been here so long without figuring out the smilies?

Anytime you reply to someone, there is a Message options box with a link to the Smilies lookup table. Click on that and it will give you all of the codes for the smilies.

For sarcasm--
Type :
Type sarcasm
Type :

Voila!

Have fun :hi:

[salin]

3. Is it just me? Or did that whole dance with the big guys... make

him seem more goofy per those in power ever since? I didn't used to think of him as a media ninny... but he seems to be working at keeping that image running.

[cwydro]

10. He couldn't stop smiling

as he related how he could see the Queen and the chimp talking....

[wndycty]

4. Oh please

He is one of the toughest reporters in White House briefings, must he be expected to challenge the administration 24/7. Its funny how manic depressive some DUers can be, the next time he takes the administration to task, which I'm sure he will do, he will be celebrated again.

[GCP]

5. Agreed

I wish some Duers would just grow the f**k up!

[cwydro]

16. Ah, too early in the morning to respond

to such vitriol. Hope your day gets better.;)

[cwydro]

13. Nah, didn't think he should have to challenge

anyone re the Queen's visit. But come on, showing off your autographed place card??? On national TV?

[AlinPA]

17. I watched a few press conferences last year where he was tough on Bush** and Snow;

since then, the only thing I've noticed is his dancing with Rove and being invited along with all of Bush**'s allies (except Pelosi and Reid)to the dinner for the Queen. I have watched press conferences this year and he doesn't seem to be engaged the way he was before. Of course I don't follow him every day, so I could be all wrong.

[Mike Daniels]

25. I think people don't understand that "public" politics is akin to theater

in that the performances stop when the audience (newsreporters/cameras) goes away. From what I've seen/read it appears that most politicians have a respect for their comrades in arms that often extends to friendship regardless of party. The exception may be politicians of the extreme right/left variety but I would imagine that those individuals aren't invited to many parties/functions anyway.

I hope to God that the same people bitching about Gregory enjoying a state dinner don't ever see pictures of politicians from opposite parties standing together and having a good time at some social function. Something like that could cause their brains to short-circuit.

[KoKo]

29. Haven't seen him asking any tough questions lately at the Pressers....

and it seemed after he did his "French" thing with the Chimp that his fame grew. I think now it was a "stunt" to get him more recognition in the media and get us Dems to think he was a tough guy while he fooled us.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

51. he's "intercontinental"

says the chimp of gregory in paris.

[mudesi]

48. True, but it's unsettling to see a reporter so close to the president

Like it or not, the "schmoozing" does, and will, affect his job. He's not a robot, and the White House if very good at manipulating people. As someone else pointed out, he hasn't asked so many hard questions at the press briefings lately.

It's actually not at all surprising that the White House would target him. I wonder, was Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly at that dinner?

[saltpoint]

6. I think the smart money's on David Gregory. There is nothing at stake

in the Queen's visit to the White House. A reporter doesn't need to spend any ideological or existential energy on this story. The Queen looks nice. Bush got some people to chortle over the gaffe. The White House Chef was under the gun. So-and-so showed up. It was a marvelous evening. Etc.

Gregory has been quite a bit sterner with the president on Iraq and other issues. In sum, I like his questions. He's bolder than many of his colleagues in the White House press corps. He does good work. The coming year will reveal the Bush administration to be increasingly isolated and Gregory's earlier questions will seem prophetic. Tony Snowe had to apologize to him once already.

Gregory is mercurial and difficult to contain or control. Watch Bush's nervous school-girl twittering when Gregory is the questioner at the pressers. He's the Trickster analyst with the press corps microphone on NBC. He's doing pretty well, all told.

[wndycty]

9. Yeah I can careless if he and his wife got dressed up to do the electric slide. . .

. . .at the White House as long as he does his job.

[saltpoint]

12. Yes. There's no case for his dismissal from a job he's doing just fine.

The Queen evidently opted for the official White House high-end feed instead of a ride in the pickup truck in Crawford.

[AlinPA]

20. The White House could have shown respect for the WH press corps if they

had invited Helen Thomas.

[saltpoint]

32. The White House has been disrespectful and dismissive of Helen Thomas

long prior to the dinner engagement with the Queen.

Gregory is no less a member of the press corps whether Thomas was or was not invited.

[Captain Hilts]

21. This is a non-issue. nt

[saltpoint]

31. Yet evidently issue enough for you to post on it.

The OP set a notion down. Some agree. Some don't.

[KharmaTrain]

7. The Dogs & Fleas Sleep Again...

In a previous life as a talk show host, I had a newscaster...a damn fine reporter with tons of "hardware" (awards) to prove it. I tried to engage daily in current events...trying to take a top story and get a little more substance to it. Initially I would try to get her to give an opinion about these issues until one day, she pulled me to the side and strongly asked me never to put her in the position to take a position on an issue...or to speak off the record on her contacts or private life...as she felt she needed both the objectivity and annonyity to do her job. While she would socialize with some of the people who she would cover, one never would talk "shop" with her outside the office and on several occasions I saw her avoid attending parties or station functions if she felt it conflicted with her ability to remain "above" the news.

Needless to say, the lines between the journos and the power elite has been used by this regime to obscure and distort their corruption and in the process has put them in box...where they can't report objectively...their social status and careers trump the truth every time.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. a whore, a cheap one, at that. The price you pay for his "journalistic

integrity" is little more than a bit of public adulation - and presto! Gregory is a fan for life.

Other than owning a haircut that would be suited for someone 1/3 of his age, what does he have going for himself? Not much.

[saltpoint]

14. On what grounds would you dismiss him from his post?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. halitosis?

just kidding.

Once upon a time, there was a school of thought that there were four distinct rings of government.
One ring to pass laws
One ring to enforce them
and one ring to lead them all
with one ring to report, investigate, root out corruption, and place questionable acts under a public microscope.

that had changed. A new branch of government has grown - agencies. Some are allegedly under congressional control, others are directed by presidential appointees. their one common factor is that none of the three original branches has full control over them. Social Security, NIH, EPA, DHS, TSA, NSA, INS, - the list is HUGE. Several of them used to d good work, until BushCo picked up an axe and gave them 40 wacks.

At the same time, the original "4th" branch - the free press - has ceased to exist in its original form. Between corporate take overs, mergers, and control by MBAs, CPAs, and political whores (murdoch, TimeLifeWarnerAoHellCNN, TribCo, McClatchy - the list is really short) the free press has dropped its responsibility to oversee government. Rarely do we see the results of investigative reporting. When is the last time a decent journalist spent time looking back at stories 6 months, a year, two years ago, comparing that to today's reality and reporting on how the quagmire we find ourselves in has grown? 20/20 is more concerned about hookergate. CBS got burned with questionable docs. NBC is owned by a big corpse. perhaps the only outlet still doing real reporting in frontline.

The only ONLY reason that Gregory has the slightest bit of attraction is not because he is so good, but everyone else has become so bad, except for Helen Thomas. 15 yrs ago, gregory would have compared unfavorably with the average white house press whore. Today, he has this tarnished shine because everyone else is horrible. he
What makes it worse is that he is so easily impressed by the trappings, by rubbing elbows with the self-proclaimed elite, (bush, rove, Cheney, and a tottering monarch of a hasbeen power) That is a major weakness, a major flaw, and it spells the end of his independence. Dancing on stage with White House staffers is not the way to do hard hitting investigations.

I'll bet that the GOP is pleasantly surprised that his price was so cheap. He is nothing other than a whore.

[saltpoint]

38. Your assessment is too back-of-the-hand.

I don't resent the man. Never did.

The press corps joked with John Kennedy. I grew up with the expectation that there would be a given amount of professional flirtation.

Gregory is well within bounds in that regard, and again, his questions to Snow lately and to Scotty before that have been incisive. He's a pro at what he does. I respect him. He questioned Chirac in French, only to be kidded by Dubya, who after all can barely manage English.

Were the decision mine to renew his contract or not, I'd renew it swiftly and with emphasis.

[KoKo]

30. Fraternizing with "the enemy."

:D He's getting too close to those he covers.

[saltpoint]

36. A judgment call by you, but the sum of his questions in his role as

NBC's White House correspondent have been excellent.

On the evidence, he stays.

[KoKo]

37. Agree...at one time he was better than the rest of them except Helen Thomas.

So....maybe there's hope...but I'm not too optimistic after seeing him "rapping with Rove." :shrug:

[saltpoint]

40. Well, not to worry. Rove was only practicing the jargon for the

upcoming prison term he'll be serving!

[saltpoint]

15. Here's this of interest re Gregory from mediamatters:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200612090004

[wicket]

19. And to think, just a couple of months ago he was a DU hero

n/t

[saltpoint]

33. DU can be a fickle bunch, that's for sure.

[Beelzebud]

42. That was back when he behaved like a journalist. Those days are gone.

[liberalnurse]

22. I probably would be on

cloud -9 too............just saying.O8)

He is sharing his experience, I'm okay with hearing it from an outsiders view.

[ShortnFiery]

27. So you believe Royalty and Political Elitism should be idolized?

instead of at LEAST covertly disdained? How very sad for folks that "to be on Cloud nine" they must get a glimpse of an woman who didn't do a damn thing to EARN her position and lifestyle. :thumbsdown: :(

Both Royalty and Political Elitism are NOT what America should be about. :patriot:

[liberalnurse]

54. It's not what America is about........the point is about an experience one had...

Your point is taking a new course from the topic and that has nothing to do with the interaction one had regarding another culture. It is an experience, and adventure the man is talking about; not revolution....That's another thread.

[ShortnFiery]

55. "the adventure the man is talking about" is smoozing with royalty. Now, he's a cutie pie,

and intelligent, but I'll be damned if I will let that shade my increasing impression that, one each, David Gregory, is morphing into the political elite not unlike their lauded "disinformation minister" Chris Matthews. Let him and wifey go to a few more D.C. socials of the upper crust politicos <wink wink ... they are politicos - insiders, NOT us disgusting chattering classes.:wow:> Gregory will serve the ruling elite like a good M$M trained seal. :thumbsdown:

Politico.com was formed to CONTROL the masses through the media elite. I have no doubt about that and I'm always saddened when anyone quotes them as an respected source. :(

[ShortnFiery]

26. Alas, David Gregory has been fully assimilated into the BushBotBorg.

[KoKo]

28. He's becoming so disgusting. Maybe he should become an Entertainment

Reporter for one of the Tabloid magazines.

[cwydro]

43. good suggestion. n/t

[Beelzebud]

34. Did they brainwash this guy or what? He didn't used to be such a fanboy.

[cwydro]

39. That is what I thought.

I don't remember this degree of fawning.

[dogday]

41. People are dying in a war based on lies and deceit

and who really gives a flying f**k about white ties and place cards... Fake phony bunch of people make me ill...... :wtf:

[RevCheesehead]

44. I can't help but admire someone...

who uses the word "obsequious" so eloquently. :thumbsup:

[saltpoint]

45. What's-His-Name admitted to his inclusive ministry even tax collectors

but you cheer the slamjob on a better-than-average reporter.

Sheesh.

Modern Christianity appears to have several loopholes I wasn't aware of.

[RevCheesehead]

46. Huh?

I'm cheering the vocabulary, not necessarily the content. :shrug:

[cwydro]

50. oh please.

It is hardly a "slamjob". I just thought he was a little too much this morning...what with the showing off of the autographed placecard, the "Yes Meredith, I even tied my own bow-tie!".:rofl:

[cwydro]

49. Well hey, thanks.

:hi:

[tinfoilinfor2005]

47. Everyone has a weakness.

That is the backbone of the mafia, and it works very well. The well meaning cop who has a taste for the good things in life that you can't get on a cop's salary. The balding overweight old judge who dreams about sexy young girls. The politician who would do anything to get elected. The newsman who wants to eat dinner with the Queen and dance with the president.

Not that I would ever compare Rove's tactics to the mafia...

[Beelzebud]

52. What did the mafia ever do to be compared to Rove? :D

;)

[cwydro]

53. Love it!

Though that is demeaning the mafia somewhat...:rofl:

:hi: