Helen Thomas New BK: Bush Secretaries=Robots Spouting Orwellian Nonsense

In new book, White House reporter Helen Thomas calls Bush press secretaries 'robots' 'spouting nonsense'

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday June 1, 2006

In a RAW STORY exclusive excerpt from her new book, White House columnist Helen Thomas calls Bush press secretaries 'robots' 'spouting nonsense' and dubs Bush's press team 'Orwellian.' Thomas has covered the White House since 1960 and is now a columnist for Hearst. From pages 36-37 and 52-56 of Watchdogs of Democracy by Helen Thomas, which hits bookstores June 15.

For many reporters, the White House beat was nirvana--the top of the mark.

More than any president, we came to know and size up the press secretaries. My favorites had wit, warmth, and compassion, understanding that each--press secretary and reporter--had a role to play. The country was best served when the press secretary also understood he or she was dealing with the nation's business, operating as a publicist for the president. I have always thought that the job of White House press secretary is the toughest position after the presidency itself.

In fact, an impossible job might be a better description because the press secretary is caught between two worlds--an administration that wants to paint a rosy picture, no matter what the facts, and a skeptical, perhaps cynical press corps that is seeking truthful answers. Faced often with this dilemma and with job survival at stake, most press secretaries have opted for the political rule: to get along is to go along with whatever the president or his top aides want publicly said--whether it's right or wrong.

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What a wonderful lady