Think Progress

White House reporters lose interest in Bush.

The Politico reports today that with a “minimalist agenda of an unpopular president,” correspondents on “the White House beat during these lame duck days” have become bored. Many “describe a scene where one might expect tumbleweeds lazily blowing across the finely manicured lawn on Pennsylvania Avenue.” Some reporters explain:

“You can’t attribute it all to the presidential campaign,” said Julie Mason, White House correspondent for the Houston Chronicle. “[Bush's] rhetoric is so exhausted. He rarely makes any news.” [...]

Carl Leubsdorf, Washington bureau chief of the Morning News, said that with the public interested in the campaign, and the fact that “this president’s long passed the point of getting any initiatives enacted,” there’s not a lot of news coming out of presidential day trips.

The report added that the current Bush fatigue “outranks the waning days of the Clinton administration.”




Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date

52 Responses to “White House reporters lose interest in Bush.”


  1. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    If only it were a case of fatigue and boredom...

    If only...


  2. RUCerious Says:

    Here's hoping Den Hague prosecutors don't 'lose interest in Bush'...


  3. Fritz Says:

    The Republic of Stupidity Says:
    March 19th, 2008 at 11:09 am

    If only it were a case of fatigue and boredom…

    If only…

    It's mostly disgust, revulsion, nausea, horror...


  4. DieNowForPeace Says:

    Maybe it's time for the "reporters" to pull their heads outta their collective a$$es and ask some REAL questions then?


  5. Fritz Says:

    Maybe it’s time for the “reporters” to pull their heads outta their collective a$$es and ask some REAL questions then?

    Don't hold your breath.


  6. Xisithrus Says:

    A white house press briefing sounds about as interesting as watching cow patties dry.


  7. Nevar Says:

    So?

    snark/off


  8. linda Says:

    well, let's face it. it's not like there was any useful information coming by way of these white house stenographers anyway.


  9. Fan of Man Says:

    IMPEACH & CONVICTS THESE TRAITORS/WAR CRIMINALS NOW!


  10. tom Says:

    A white house press briefing sounds about as interesting as watching cow patties dry.

    Actually, it's the same as watching cow patties dry.

    Every time that GDumbya or Bimbo Perino open their mouths, they produce a brand new pile of steaming crapola.


  11. po Says:

    Well, if they're so bored, some should try their hand at, say, investigative journalism. You know, doing the job they were (presumably) hired to do in the first place. They might learn something about what's been going on at 1600 Penn Ave over the past 7 years and, in turn, so might we. Lord knows, the current Congress ain't going to change the timing of W's departure.


  12. Badmoodman Says:

    Maybe if Bush tap danced and crooned a bit more, the press would take notice, eh?


  13. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    It’s mostly disgust, revulsion, nausea, horror…
    _______

    And utter rage... and contempt...

    Don't forget the rage and contempt, Fritz.

    A stew just isn't a proper stew w/out all the ingredients...


  14. Nevar Says:

    A white house press briefing sounds about as interesting as watching cow patties dry.
    Add Karma Recommend (1) |

    Heh. One of my never ending chores after a wildland fire is mopping up, which in this neighborhood entails putting out burning cowpies. Once dried, they burn for a long time...


  15. RUCerious Says:

    What a crappy job being a transcriber, er, uh, reporter on the white house beat these days.

    The steady parade of idiots sent out holding five gallon buckets of BushWater out on each extended arm, and twisting in the wind to prevent their noxious messages from gagging the audience must be hell to endure.


  16. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Burning cowpies...

    Somehow an appropriate image for this admin...

    Do they ever burst into flame of their own accord? That'd make them the PERFECT image for this bunch. Self-combusting sh*t.


  17. raynman Says:

    Its such a horrible boring job to sit there, turn on the tape recorder, and then go back to the office, directly transcribe what you've been told, and then call it news....

    Oh, the horror of these poor poor reporters


  18. Jeannie See Says:

    Considering the fact that they are only allowed to ask approved questions, it's no wonder they are bored.


  19. Fritz Says:

    And utter rage… and contempt…

    Don’t forget the rage and contempt, Fritz.

    Heh heh...agreed The Republic of Stupidity...agreed.


  20. Nevar Says:

    “White House reporters lose interest in Bush.”

    They would have lost interest a long time ago if the WH hadn't brought in Show Boat Tony Snow and Perino Cat Chow-Chow-Chow


  21. Nevar Says:

    Do they ever burst into flame of their own accord?

    Yes.


  22. texaslady Says:

    American journalists are getting so lazy, like dogs waiting for a friendly belly scratch instead of actually earning their salaries. Really sad. How many journalists even bothered with all the anti-war protests coverage this last weekend. I heard nothing from any news channel. Thank goodness there is the internet.


  23. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Nevar Says:
    March 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am

    Do they (dried cow pies) ever burst into flame of their own accord?

    Yes.
    __________

    Wow... then they ARE the perfect metaphor for this admin.

    Self-combusting piles of SH*T!

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

    That's waaaaay too perfect.

    Self-igniting cow patties... who'd a-thunk it?


  24. 5th Estate Says:

    Given the cow-pat theme:
    Karl Rove, more than Bush, Cheney and all the other cowhands represents the Bush Adminstration like no other. He is the burning "turd-blossom" in a paper bag on AMerica's front porch.


  25. texaslady Says:

    Well, on the other hand, voters ate it up when every debate question to bush was answered "no child left behind." Didn't matter what the question was. Bush only has 10 sentences for any question. I can't stand to watch s.o.b.


  26. 5th Estate Says:

    TYPICAL!

    When the public demonstrates significant and sustained interest (and disapproval) of something--actually, everything the days---the Press chooses to ignore the relevant subject(s) and look for something new. It's called ADD.


  27. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Bush only has 10 sentences for any question. I can’t stand to watch s.o.b.
    ____________

    And no more than 3 words per sentence...

    "Who dat?"

    "Don't know..."

    "Don't care..."

    "Clinton did it..."

    "Nu-cu-... nuc-le... atom bomb..."


  28. Zimzone Says:

    Nevar Says: March 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am
    Do they ever burst into flame of their own accord? Yes.

    Spontaneous Cowpie Combustion?

    I've heard of Spontaneous Human Combustion, as well, but I guess
    we'll just have to wait...and hope.


  29. CitiDC Says:

    I'm sure Jeff Gannon hasn't lost interest in Bush. George Bush, that is.


  30. jb Says:

    Maybe things will get a bit more interesting once the prosecutions start. What does W have to say about the emails? He should be asked every time he sticks his sneering face into the Public's air.


  31. celtic cynic Says:

    Methinks these so-called reporters had better pay attention and sharpen their pencils in the waning days of this most corrupt administration. They didn't question, didn't report on the shenanigans then, and Bush got away with murder. If he sees they're not paying attention, guess what's going to happen.


  32. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    That pathetic bunch of toadying, sycophantic boot-lickers "lost interest" in reporting the NEWS eight years ago.


  33. tombaker Says:

    took'em long enough.

    simps.


  34. texaslady Says:

    Well as long as bush panders to the rich he will be protected. It is only when you speak out for the citizens that you end up the end of a wire tap.


  35. joe cantwell Says:

    stick around.

    he may do a dance.

    *


  36. Marie Says:

    Of course, no one pays attention to the boy-king any more. His foolishness, his doltish behavior, his ridiculous language, etc. etc.
    However, his ego certainly demands that he keep the spotlight on himself, so I look for him to make some stupid move soon and get the press (and the public) to pay him some attention.


  37. Tobie Tall Says:

    Five years on, Bush says no regrets on Iraq war

    bet you that statement pisses 4000 dead America soldiers families


  38. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    So... that's IT?

    WH reporters have only two modes? Stenographer and bored?

    What ever happened to the free press that was supposed to hold accountable those in power? Is tat just a quaint old notion these days?


  39. Shayne Says:

    Well the comedy writers have always found plenty of material to write about.


  40. Buckie Boy Says:

    They have never shown much interest in Bush's WAR CRIMES, CORRUPTION, ILLEGAL WIRE TAPS, WAR PROFITING, ELECTION RIGGING, CONSTITUTION RENDERING, KIDNAPPING, TORTURE, ILLEGAL INVASION, NON EXISTENT WMD, NON EXISTENT TIES BETWEEN AL QAEDA AND SADDAM, NEW ORLEANS, CRONYISM, INCOMPETENCE, AUTHORIZING ANTHRAX ATTACK, CONSPIRING ON 911, BUILDING 7 and that is just to name a few items they could have spent a little more time on.

    Bush/Cheney
    Hague Trials '09


  41. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Last Year 2.3 million Died because of floors and stairs in the US alone! What we need to do is start a campaign banning all hard floors and stairs in the US.

    Straw man on aisle 4, straw man on aisle 4, cleanup needed.


  42. Buckie Boy Says:

    Themanwhocantspell

    Lookie, all stoopid n suh, lookie, I post off tapic crape, lookie, I doomb as rok, lookie, I not shaeprst toul in shede, lookie, I ned attentun, lookie, I 12 yeers old n piss my bed nitly.

    Translation: Themanwhocantspell is afraid and ignorant as hell.


  43. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    Themanoncecared Says:
    March 19th, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    Useless. Utterly useless. Not even clever enough to be entertaining.


  44. stewarjt Says:

    Don't let the moron get wind that he is not their focus of attention. He'll freaking bomb Iran just to get the spotlight back on him!


  45. Bluestocking Says:

    The report added that the current Bush fatigue “outranks the waning days of the Clinton administration.”

    *********************************************************

    On one level, that's hardly surprising -- the man has basically been saying nothing but variations on the same theme (Terrorism! Be afraid! Anything and everything we're doing is in order to keep America safe -- so if you're not with us, you're with the terrorists!) It's no wonder that the White House press corps are tired of hearing the same thing over and over again -- I'm surprised that they've been able to put up with it for this long.

    On the other hand, as Stephen Colbert pointed out during his famous speech at the White House press corps dinner a couple of years ago, perhaps they wouldn't be so bored if they had ever bothered to ask challenging questions instead of simply swallowing most of what they were told. "No comment" is, after all, still an answer -- and it says more than some people think it does. If someone refuses to answer a legitimate question, that in itself raises important questions.


  46. Cal Malenky Says:

    That's the way he likes it. He pulls his shenanigans when nobody's watching.


  47. Doc Rock Says:

    Maybe the louts could try their hands at invetigative reporting--maybe they can take a course somewhere in how to do it?


  48. galmud Says:

    Remember how Woodward and Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal by asking Nixon "Are you a crook?" and the president replied "Yes I am a crook."?


  49. eyesopen Says:

    It's nice to see Dubya claiming his rightful place in history; as a cipher, with nothing to offer other than displaced air.


  50. Xisithrus Says:

    Yes cairngman, lets start wars on countries with wood floors, and then since people die of heart attacks we will start bombing fast food joints.

    And, BTW, cairngman, the number of slip and fall deaths in the US are about 16,000 with 11,000 of those being elderly. But hey, what do you care about the elderly?


  51. columbuscharlie Says:

    These bozo's have failed in there jobs for the last 7+ years, instead of calling out this murderous,traitorous administration for countless lies, and corruption-they have sat puppet-like and mindless, then "parrot" this same B.S. thru corporate media. They make me sick- I would have walked out on any function that Bush and his minions used as a platform to espouse propoganda. P.S. Please excuse spelling errors-borrowed computer with no spell-checker and I won't waste any more of my time on these thugs.



Jump to Top

About Think Progress | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy (off-site) | RSS | Donate
© 2005-2009 Center for American Progress Action Fund
View Most Popular

Advertisement

What We're About

Featured

image
Subscribe to the Progress Report



imageTopic Cloud


Visit Our Affiliated Sites

image image
Reports


Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.

Name:
Email:
Tip:
(required)


imageArchives


imageBlog Roll