"Stubborn Indignation in Bush White House: A 4 Year History of...

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

...Avoiding Questions"

http://blog.johnkerry.com/rapidresponse/archives/003678.html#003678

Bush Has Had Only 15 Solo Press Conferences, Lowest Number of Any President in 50 Years. Bush has held the fewest solo press conferences in 50 years, holding only 15 to date. At the same point in their presidencies, Bill Clinton had held 42, Bush’s father 83, Ronald Reagan 26, Jimmy Carter 59, Gerald Ford 39, Nixon 29, Johnson 88, Kennedy 65 and Eisenhower 94. His last prime time news conference was April 13.

In 2002, New York Times Says Press Corps Could Not Remember Such an Inaccessible White House. The New York Timesreported that tensions had escalated between the White House and the White House press corps, who could not “remember a White House that was more grudging or less forthcoming in informing the press.”

White House Press Secretary Dismissive About Bush’s Inaccessibility. As a recent press gaggle illustrates, White House Press Secretary McClellan is in denial about the president’s availability:

Q: When is he going to take questions from us?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he takes questions on a regular basis. He's got -- he's got press availabilities coming up, and so you all will be around to cover him.
Q: Today?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I do not expect he'll be taking questions today. He's got speeches today.

Bush Not Even Answering Questions From the Public; “Ask the President” Events Staged By Campaign Are Tightly Scripted. “During a campaign forum in the Cleveland suburbs last month, President Bush was asked whether he likes broccoli, to disclose his ‘most important legacy to the American people’ and to reveal what supporters can do ‘to make sure that you win Ohio and get reelected.’ The ‘Ask President Bush’ forums, which on television look like freewheeling sessions with the commander in chief, are tightly managed by the Bush-Cheney campaign, with the president calling mainly on people sitting in sections filled with his most loyal supporters.”

In 2000, Bush Curtailed Press Conferences to Avoid Dealing With “News of the Day.” In January 2000, Bush temporarily curtailed press conferences. The day after Bush was peppered with questions concerning his stance on abortion, spokeswoman Mindy Tucker announced that the campaign would limit press access. “It’s not in our best interests,” said Tucker. “We have a message of the day, and we’re going to stick to it. We are not going to have one big fat news conference on our schedule where you can come and ask about what you think is the news of the day.”
Posted on October 27, 2004 at 11:24 AM

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Hiding from the people, hiding documents, reports, scientific info...

hiding outers of a CIA covert agent -- wake up, America, and smell the damn bacon frying in our WH!

[LynnTheDem]

2. Fascism.

G. W. Stalin.

[doni_georgia]

3. The most telling line:

Said Tucker:“We have a message of the day, and we’re going to stick to it. We are not going to have one big fat news conference on our schedule where you can come and ask about what you think is the news of the day.” This is what Faux reports. This is what * supporters think is actually going on. It all reminds me of the novel "A Wrinkle in Time." "It" tells the people what to think and they do it. God why can't people see what this man has done to democracy!?

[DemBones DemBones]

4. THIS is an issue. eom