To Howard Kurtz: You're Really Not That Important

Monumental Misfire

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 14, 2006; 8:12 AM

I could say the White House shot itself in the foot, but that would be in terrible taste, wouldn't it?

The Scott McClellan briefing was truly something to behold. The guy is still picking buckshot out of his backside.

Seriously: What were they thinking? The vice president of the United States shoots a man--accidentally, to be sure, this was no Aaron Burr situation--and White House officials wait a whole day and don't tell the press? Did they think it wouldn't get out? No one would care? It would remain secret as a matter of national security?

Instead, they had the ranch owner call a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times?

This is going to ricochet for days (forgive me), all because the administration essentially thumbed its nose at the national press.

McClellan seemed to be slightly distancing himself from the mishandling of the matter by directing many of the questions to Cheney's office.

Now imagine you're the veep's PR wizard and he has this little incident and shoots a fellow quail hunter. Imagine that you summon the press, your boss reads a statement, expresses deep regret over the incident involving his friend and takes responsibility for the mishap. Wouldn't that have generated a bit of sympathy for the errant sharpshooter, made him seem more of a human being and avoided all the exasperated questions about "when did the vice president tell the president that he had shot someone?"

Gee Howard, you think your vanity is showing? Did it ever occur to you that the first thought in the Vice-President's head and those of his staff wasn't "I need to tell the press?" Do you think maybe their first concern was "Is Jack Whittington alright?", "Is it serious?", "What can we do for him?" Naw, your first thought (you in the press) is "Can we get some more light on the body for the picture?" Believe it or not Howard, you in the press are not the most important people on Earth, the Sun doesn't rise and set with your presence. For most people your not even on the top ten list. I know that hurts your feelings, but it is the unfortunate truth.

Now add to the fact that you in the press are not that important to the fact that the Vice-President has little motivation to deal with a press which has been out to get him from the day he was nominated and you get a real low motivation to announce what has happened. Knowing the reaction of your fellow yellow journalists like Eugene Robinson and their propensity to take cheap shots whenever they are given the chance, and the level of genuine hatred of all things Republican in the Press and the political Left, I fully understand the reluctance on the part of the Vice President to announce this accident. I don't endorse it, because it was inevitable that it would lead to the type of pitiful spectical we witnessed at yesterdays press briefing, but I do understand it.

Full Story: Kurtz's Confusion

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