David Gregory forgot about Jeff Gannon...

MR. GREGORY: A couple of points before you go. Here was a moment from the press conference on Tuesday when there was a question that the president took from The Huffington Post. Let's watch.

(Videotape, Tuesday)

PRES. OBAMA: Since we're on Iran, I know Nico Pitney is here from Huffington Post.

MR. NICO PITNEY: Thank you, Mr. President.

PRES. OBAMA: Nico, I know that you and all across the Internet we've been seeing a lot of reports coming directly out of Iran. I know that there may actually be questions from people in Iran who are communicating through the Internet. What--do you have a question?

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: I just want to be clear. Did the White House coordinate with a reporter about a question to be asked at a press conference?

MR. AXELROD: The White House didn't coordinate with the reporter about a question, we were looking for a way to get questions from within Iran. We could--we did not have access to Iranian journalists.

MR. GREGORY: So you talked to a reporter beforehand and said, "Could you ask a question about--from--directly from Iran at a press conference?"

MR. AXELROD: We said if you--we, we, we, we, we knew that he had been and he was very publicly involved in getting--in trafficking and communications in and out of Iran, and we felt it was important...

MR. GREGORY: Well, why is it appropriate to coordinate with a reporter about what's asked at a time when we're championing democracy around the world?

MR. AXELROD: No, no, David, you miss...

MR. GREGORY: Is that, is that what you should do at a press conference?

MR. AXELROD: You're not, you're not listening to what I said. We didn't coordinate with, with him about what was asked.

MR. GREGORY: Right.

MR. AXELROD: In fact, he asked probably one of the most--the toughest and most probing questions at that press conference. We had no idea what he was going to ask.

MR. GREGORY: But you coordinated with him about, about that subject of a question beforehand.

MR. AXELROD: He was a, he was a, he was a, he was a vehicle to get questions from Iran asked at this press conference, and that we thought was not only appropriate but, but necessary.

MR. GREGORY: If President Bush had done that, don't you think Democrats would have said that's outrageous?

MR. AXELROD: I do--well, I do not, because if--what would have been outrageous is if we knew what question was going to be asked, just as if you told us what question you were going to ask.

MR. GREGORY: Right. So you would, so you'd do it again?

MR. AXELROD: Yeah, I have no problem with what was done. We want to foment dialogue around the world. And if we can get quotations from within Iran asked, whatever those questions may be--and as I said, that one was a tough one--I think we're, we're doing something positive.