Kondracke calls yesterday’s Chicago presser with Obama “a joke.”
This reporter was waving his arm and yelling out to Senator Obama throughout the presser, in hopes of getting called on to ask one of the above, tough questions to Obama on Iraq, Countrywide, Rezko, off shore drilling or Mugabe.
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It used to be much easier to get Barack’s attention when he was a guest of “Public Affairs,” back, say, in November, 2002 and we discussed his hypothetical Iraq War Powers resolution vote.
*****************************************
Brit Hume: I have argued that this race will not be about McCain. This race will be about Obama. McCain will be seen by most voters if they get worried about Obama as a safe alternative choice, not an extremist of any kind, somebody that they have known very well for a long time and that this will all come down to not how well McCain runs his campaign but to how well Obama survives such scrutiny as he gets throughout the course of the campaign. The question I have about it is will the scrutiny come and will McCain make an effort to generate it?
Mara Laisson (NPR Senior correspondent and FNC contributing correspondent): He is going to have to.
Morton Kondracke (Executive Editor, Roll Call and FNC contributing correspondent): Well, you know, that press conference today in Chicago was a joke. I mean there were no hard questions.
Hume: To Obama.
Kondracke: To Obama, no substantively hard questions at all. So, so far as the media is concerned, I don’t see the scrutiny [of Obama] coming.
Special Report, The nightly, one hour FNC national news and analysis show anchored by Brit Hume, June 25, 2008
Kondracke got that right. Yesterday's Chicago presser was kind of a joke. The presser at the Westin Hotel in Chicago went on for about forty minutes, drawing about twenty, or so, questions from a media pool of almost thirty media members, perhaps split somewhat evenly between Obama traveling media and Chicago media.
Obama was asked questions about Obama and the Clintons, e.g., Obama’s efforts to help Hillary pay off her campaign debt, Bill Clinton’s tepid endorsement of Obama and Hillary and Bill’s future contributions to the Obama campaign; what is unique about Chicago pols (Obama: their non-ideological, practical style); what the President can do about inner city shootings (Obama: Following Mr. Bill, more cops paid for by the feds); whether states should be permitted to impose capital punishment on those convicted of raping children (Obama: yes); what Obama thought about Ralph Nader's assertion that Obama was "talking white."
Not one question on the Iraq War was asked. Nobody thought to ask about the fact that 12 of the 18 political, military and economic milestones set before the surge have now been met—and does that fact give Obama pause in his promise to pull out most of the combat troops in the first 16 months of an Obama Administration.
Not one question about whether a President Obama might give up on the inaction of the UN and the European Union regarding the atrocities of Mugabe and consider unilateral action by the US or multilateral action by the U. S. and several of its allies to stop the downward spiral in Zimbabwe.
Not one question about the unseemly nature of a three hundred billion dollar federal bailout of “Big Lenders,” like Countrywide championed by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), after they were beneficiaries of Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo’s preferential mortgage program for legislators and high ranking government officials with the ability to benefit Countrywide [AKA the Friends of Angelo program]. Pay to Play, Chicago style, anybody?
Not one challenge to Obama’s statement that he had no connections or resemblance to Chicago pols, even though Obama (1) had assistance from the recently convicted Tony Rezko to the tune of a quarter of million dollars raised by and/or contributed by him to Obama in his State Senate and U. S. Senate campaigns, (2) at times, Rezko and Obama conferred almost daily about U.S. Senate campaign matters, and (3) Obama received some funky assistance from Rezko’s wife when she was a helpful buyer of a side lot (for 600K) to Obama’s mansion, which Obama purchased on the same day for 1.6 million dollars, a transaction which occurred in 2005 after Obama had been a U. S. Senator for a bit and when it was well understood by almost everyone in Chicago that Rezko was being investigated by the Feds (But, see here, for a somewhat contra view).
Not one question probing what, other than a federal government source or two, led Obama to conclude that a significant expansion of off-shore drilling could not possibly affect the price of oil for ten to twenty years.
For less critical reports on yesterday's Obama presser, go here and here.
This reporter was waving his arm and yelling out to Senator Obama throughout the presser, in hopes of getting called on to ask one of the above, tough questions to Obama on Iraq, Countrywide, Rezko, off shore drilling or Mugabe. Somehow this reporter (who will never be mistaken for “sweetness,” or a “sweetie,”) couldn’t seem to get Senator Obama’s attention.
It used to be much easier to get Barack’s attention when he was a guest of “Public Affairs,” back, say, in November, 2002 and we discussed his hypothetical Iraq War Powers resolution vote. Perhaps this reporter can get called on next time. We don’t want the national press media to continue to refer to Chicago pressers as a “joke.” Or, do we?
****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, soon this week's show in the Chicago Metro suburbs with 13th CD Dem. Nominee Scott Harper, last week's show in Chicago and Aurora with State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago); this past Monday night's city of Chicago and city of Aurora edition of "Public Affairs," featuring State Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), our prior shows with Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), State Rep. Candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), 6th CD Democratic candidate, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include this week's show in the Chicago Metro North and Northwest Cook County suburbs with 13th CD Dem. Nominee Scott Harper, last week's show in Chicago and Aurora with Sen. Kwame Raoul(D-Chicago), last Monday night's show in Chicago and Aurora with Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago)- watch here; our prior shows with State Rep. candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) on the Obama Presidential campaign and shows with many other pols
***********************************
It used to be much easier to get Barack’s attention when he was a guest of “Public Affairs,” back, say, in November, 2002 and we discussed his hypothetical Iraq War Powers resolution vote.
*****************************************
Brit Hume: I have argued that this race will not be about McCain. This race will be about Obama. McCain will be seen by most voters if they get worried about Obama as a safe alternative choice, not an extremist of any kind, somebody that they have known very well for a long time and that this will all come down to not how well McCain runs his campaign but to how well Obama survives such scrutiny as he gets throughout the course of the campaign. The question I have about it is will the scrutiny come and will McCain make an effort to generate it?
Mara Laisson (NPR Senior correspondent and FNC contributing correspondent): He is going to have to.
Morton Kondracke (Executive Editor, Roll Call and FNC contributing correspondent): Well, you know, that press conference today in Chicago was a joke. I mean there were no hard questions.
Hume: To Obama.
Kondracke: To Obama, no substantively hard questions at all. So, so far as the media is concerned, I don’t see the scrutiny [of Obama] coming.
Special Report, The nightly, one hour FNC national news and analysis show anchored by Brit Hume, June 25, 2008
Kondracke got that right. Yesterday's Chicago presser was kind of a joke. The presser at the Westin Hotel in Chicago went on for about forty minutes, drawing about twenty, or so, questions from a media pool of almost thirty media members, perhaps split somewhat evenly between Obama traveling media and Chicago media.
Obama was asked questions about Obama and the Clintons, e.g., Obama’s efforts to help Hillary pay off her campaign debt, Bill Clinton’s tepid endorsement of Obama and Hillary and Bill’s future contributions to the Obama campaign; what is unique about Chicago pols (Obama: their non-ideological, practical style); what the President can do about inner city shootings (Obama: Following Mr. Bill, more cops paid for by the feds); whether states should be permitted to impose capital punishment on those convicted of raping children (Obama: yes); what Obama thought about Ralph Nader's assertion that Obama was "talking white."
Not one question on the Iraq War was asked. Nobody thought to ask about the fact that 12 of the 18 political, military and economic milestones set before the surge have now been met—and does that fact give Obama pause in his promise to pull out most of the combat troops in the first 16 months of an Obama Administration.
Not one question about whether a President Obama might give up on the inaction of the UN and the European Union regarding the atrocities of Mugabe and consider unilateral action by the US or multilateral action by the U. S. and several of its allies to stop the downward spiral in Zimbabwe.
Not one question about the unseemly nature of a three hundred billion dollar federal bailout of “Big Lenders,” like Countrywide championed by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), after they were beneficiaries of Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo’s preferential mortgage program for legislators and high ranking government officials with the ability to benefit Countrywide [AKA the Friends of Angelo program]. Pay to Play, Chicago style, anybody?
Not one challenge to Obama’s statement that he had no connections or resemblance to Chicago pols, even though Obama (1) had assistance from the recently convicted Tony Rezko to the tune of a quarter of million dollars raised by and/or contributed by him to Obama in his State Senate and U. S. Senate campaigns, (2) at times, Rezko and Obama conferred almost daily about U.S. Senate campaign matters, and (3) Obama received some funky assistance from Rezko’s wife when she was a helpful buyer of a side lot (for 600K) to Obama’s mansion, which Obama purchased on the same day for 1.6 million dollars, a transaction which occurred in 2005 after Obama had been a U. S. Senator for a bit and when it was well understood by almost everyone in Chicago that Rezko was being investigated by the Feds (But, see here, for a somewhat contra view).
Not one question probing what, other than a federal government source or two, led Obama to conclude that a significant expansion of off-shore drilling could not possibly affect the price of oil for ten to twenty years.
For less critical reports on yesterday's Obama presser, go here and here.
This reporter was waving his arm and yelling out to Senator Obama throughout the presser, in hopes of getting called on to ask one of the above, tough questions to Obama on Iraq, Countrywide, Rezko, off shore drilling or Mugabe. Somehow this reporter (who will never be mistaken for “sweetness,” or a “sweetie,”) couldn’t seem to get Senator Obama’s attention.
It used to be much easier to get Barack’s attention when he was a guest of “Public Affairs,” back, say, in November, 2002 and we discussed his hypothetical Iraq War Powers resolution vote. Perhaps this reporter can get called on next time. We don’t want the national press media to continue to refer to Chicago pressers as a “joke.” Or, do we?
****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, soon this week's show in the Chicago Metro suburbs with 13th CD Dem. Nominee Scott Harper, last week's show in Chicago and Aurora with State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago); this past Monday night's city of Chicago and city of Aurora edition of "Public Affairs," featuring State Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), our prior shows with Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), State Rep. Candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), 6th CD Democratic candidate, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include this week's show in the Chicago Metro North and Northwest Cook County suburbs with 13th CD Dem. Nominee Scott Harper, last week's show in Chicago and Aurora with Sen. Kwame Raoul(D-Chicago), last Monday night's show in Chicago and Aurora with Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago)- watch here; our prior shows with State Rep. candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) on the Obama Presidential campaign and shows with many other pols
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