White House Cancels Sunday Press Pool Coverage – Game Change?

DEVELOPING

by Tommy Christopher | 10:24 am, January 10th, 2010

» 2 comments

Late last night, the White House announced that there would be no pool coverage for Sunday, January 10. While the President had no scheduled events this weekend, there was pool coverage yesterday.

It could be a mere coincidence, or it could be that the White House is trying to catch its breath before responding to bombshell revelations in the upcoming book Game Change,excerpts of which poured out all day yesterday. President Obama already issued a statement about Harry Reid’s “negro dialect” quote, but even more explosive passages have emerged since.

The newest passages from the book to hit Marc Ambinder’s blog could be even more explosive than Reid’s, as several of them involve the Clintons. Among these is an anecdote about the late Ted Kennedy taking offense at President Clinton’s assertion that “A few years ago this guy (Barack Obama) would have been getting us coffee.”

While pool reporters are normally just there to observe and report, the only thing stopping them from peppering the President with questions is the icy stare of the press staff.

Also of interest, Jake Tapper reviews President Obama’s responses to other racially incendiary remarks in the past, which have some crying “Hypocrisy!” I would point out that the devil is in the details. In each case, Obama provides a fairly clear rationale. In Reid’s case, it seems he earned a storehouse of goodwill that the others cited did not.

barack obama, Bill Clinton, Game Change, Harry Reid apology, Harry Reid Barack Obama, Harry Reid Negro, Hillary Clinton, Marc Ambinder, Mark Halperin, Obama light-skinned, Obama negro dialect, Ted Kennedy, Tommy Christopher

puck30

You have to wonder how much of a game changer this book might be when it comes out Tuesday.

On the surface it looks like they swung the axe both ways.

If they did, fine and dandy. The Skunks on both sides might have different stripes, but they are still Skunks.
Moderate

Stephanopoulos tried to put the best face on things by saying that the Senator Reid comment about Obama being “light-skinned” and having no “negro dialect” were supposed to be “private.” The media would never cover for a Republican like that.