Look, the fact that Tony Snow has cancer is really horrible for him and his family, but this morning about 53 people were blown up in Iraq. Yet, the first five questions in the White House press conference were all about Snow’s cancer, the size of the cancer, whether the President would visit him, etc. The mainstream press simply because they see Tony Snow everyday abdicates their position of privilege in the White House press room and ignores the continued chaos in Iraq.
All sense of proportion is thrown out, for no good reason.
UPDATE: And yes, for you homegamers, Dan Riehl is an idiot.
Pandering is an aspect of politics that falls to both sides, especially sudden praise for your enemies when they fall ill so as not to look like a jerk for attacking them only 24 hours earlier. Did you watch the Nevada forum on Saturday? The moderator might as well have said “All the candidates will be given two minutes for an opening statement, 45 seconds of which shall be about Elizabeth Edwards.”
Yes. And Iran has taken 15 British hostages.
Some people say that Tony Snow should step down and let a healthier man take his place. Some people feel that it is wrong to be distracted by health problems while working such a difficult job. Which White House reporter is going to ask him about his plans?
I disagree with almost every word that has ever come out of Tony Snow’s mouth, but when I think of him right now I think of all my friends and loved ones who have had to struggle with this disease.
Let’s not dehumanize our adversaries. That’s what the other side does.
Let the press corps have it’s day of empathy. If they don’t get back to work tomorrow, then have at ‘em.
Yeah, like two – count ‘em, two – stories about the cancer of Mrs. Edwards.
I guess liberal cancer is more newsworthy than conservative cancer.
Hello? Got human interest?
fd10801?
It’s called “Google.” Plug “edwards+cancer” in and tell me you come up with only two returns.
don’t be a partisan jackass at every fell swoop, okay?
I’s unbecoming. And in this case, make you sound like a buffoon.
I agree with Wilbur, although I think I’m more cynical about it. Today they’ll talk about Snow, tomorrow they can go back to the truly important work of having their stories overshadowed by the latest American Idol elimination.
The press room seems a lot like pro football after awhile–you know that while the game is on, the middle linebackers are going to try and lay the QB flat, but at the end of the day they’re all in the same union, all in the same club, and only the truly psychotic ones want to see their “adversary” badly hurt.
Snow’s job is to be a dissembling puppet for the Bush cabal, but I can still feel sympathy for his ailments.
As for the press–I’m sure
Ignore that last line. It survived a previous incarnation of the post.
Iraqi people are dying every fucking day and we’re all of a sudden supposed to believe that Willis grew a conscience over this?
Sorry – I just don’t buy it.
Let’s cut the bullshit: the only reason you’re pissed is because your mortal enemy is getting a bit of media sympathy.
You’re a hypocrite Oliver, and you bloody well know it.
Oliver, this post is unbecoming of you. It is completely proper for the press corps to discuss Tony Snow’s disease. He is the main White House spokesman and probably a friend to many of them. The news was certainly more shocking than 53 Iraqi deaths, which is nearly a daily occurrence.
TC@LeatherPenguin: I was referring to Oliver’s blog.
Apology accepted.
What Wilbur said.
That’s all.
my bad, fd10801… saw the first line and jumped on it.
Please gimme a break. I’m not saying Tony Snow’s condidition shouldn’t be reported and questioned, but a sense of proportion: he has cancer, he’s also got the best health care in the most powerful nation in the world.
Since when is there proportion in the news? Whomever mentioned it above was absolutely correct that barring a nuclear war, Thursday morning’s lead story everywhere is going to be who got kicked off of American Idol (and if there is a nuclear war, then the American Idol story will move to page 2). At least Tony Snow’s situation is newsworthy.
He’s also got the best health care in the most powerful nation in the world.
As does Mrs. Edwards
Please gimme a break. I’m not saying Tony Snow’s condidition shouldn’t be reported and questioned, but a sense of proportion: he has cancer, he’s also got the best health care in the most powerful nation in the world.
Compare that attitude with what you wrote on March 22nd regarding John and Elizabeth Edwards:
Best wishes go out for Mrs. Edwards and Sen. Edwards. I’ve personally met the both of them and can testify that they are genuinely warm and great folks. The news they announced today was sad, but they both faced it with characteristic strength.
There were no ’sense of proportion’ comments then or remarks about how they have access to the best health care either.
Try putting away the partisan boom stick for a few moments.
Why not just wish Snow the best and leave out the political crap. There was a nice outpouring of well wishes a while back for Clinton when he had his bypass surgery on this site – from both sides Why not handle this in the same vein.
Because we have a press corp that can’t see past their own bubble, no matter how bad life is for Tony Snow.
Oliver, have you ever worked with somebody day after day? Get to know them? Know about them, their families, etc. And then find out that they have a potentially deadly illness? It’s going to resonate. And people are going to ask about it.
The White House press corps meets with Tony Snow every day. And despite the often combative tone they have with him, there is a feeling of mutual respect between him and many of them in there. And even if there isn’t respect, it’s simply common f**king courtesy to ask how he’s doing and the events surrounding it.
So for them to start off by asking about Snow’s cancer and such is not a big surprise, but it is surprising for you to behave like a petulant little creep because they took a few minutes of their time asking about Snow’s condition instead of inquiring about Iraq right from the get-go.
Talk about not being able to see past a bubble.
annoucing the cancer of someone in such a high position is understandable, as it is/was for Edwards wife.
If it continues over and over and over, everyday (especially here in states when this is not a US politician) then they are going to far.
as far as references to American Idol(or any entertainment piece) being ‘front page news’….
I can only say bullpucky, I don’t care who one, I don’t care what drug Nicole died of, I don’t care who fathered her baby or who gets it….
leave that to the d@mn entertainment section of the papers
Ooops I meant won not one…
Reporters are there to report the news, not fill up the media with the details of their friend’s medical situation, quite frankly. I think the goal of objective journalism is to cover the news and put your biases – personal and professional – aside.
FyreFli – I was being ironic. It shouldn’t be front page news. I’m just saying it probably will be.
Christ, Oliver, you’re going a bit beyond the pale with this.
The WH Press Secretary coming down with cancer is news, and just because his job places him in a position to be friendly with the press corps doesn’t mean that such news shouldn’t be reported.
If the entire gaggle had been about Tony Snow, you might have a point. But they did move on.
Acccording to you logic, Oliver, the “personal and professional” biases demanded that the media say, in passing, “today a bunch of people got blowed up in Iraq” and NOT mention one was an ABC News Nightline host… because he just another guy, right?
Because we have a press corp that can’t see past their own bubble, no matter how bad life is for Tony Snow.
O-Dub, if not for that “bubble,” you ain’t paying your rent. Media Matters doesn’t EXIST without that bubble, bonehead.
argh: “biases aside
note to self: preview, idgit.
Noticed the comments at HuffPost are turned off today. Wonder why ?
You’re focusing on the wrong dynamic. Oliver desires the press to focus on, “chaos in Iraq.”
Oliver likes chaos in Iraq. Oliver wants chaos in Iraq. It’s good for driving opinions Oliver wants you to have.
I’ll walk this back if Oliver has linked up or posted anything re: American heroism in Iraq. Something specific like an encomium to a Cong. MOH winner. No “I support the troops” Sean Penn crap.
BTW: “The US military has captured the leaders of a car-bombing ring blamed for killing hundreds of Iraqis.”(Sydney Morning Herald, 3/27/07). We gotta go to a paper from bloody Oz for this?
The only people who want chaos in Iraq are the people who supported and still support America invading Iraq.
I have never been on this blog so forgive me if I get this wrong. But you people are simply crazy. I didn’t know your type even existed in our country. What a waste of human potential talent.
Oliver…stop…just stop.
You got called on an ignorant and foolish post.
End of story.
Oli…
Please stop! You are proving the case for genetic inferiority!
Just One Mans Opinion!
JOM
Is Tony Snow married?
I don’t realistically care whether the press spent some time initially probing Mr. Snow over his cancer, but some of the nonsense in this forum is really beyond belief.
Iran has taken “hostages?” Really? Why are they “hostages” when Iran takes them, but prisoners when we do? Never mind, I know the answer to that one. It’s why Contras are “freedom fighters” but Sunni insurgents are “terrorists” or why Osama was a heroic resistance fighter against the Russians but a terrorist when he turned on us.
As for the capture of the car bomb ringleaders, that was reported on ABC and in USA Today, among others. I know its fun to pretend the news is liberally biased and never reports the “good” news out of Iraq, buts try to dig up an actual case.
Oliver wants chaos in Iraq, really? He likes it? That explains why he favored the invasion that created it, right? Way to pass the buck.
Without our daft press Oliver would be out of a job, so he can’t criticize a situation where the press seems insulated and its priorities broken? Am I the only one that thinks that is a ridiculous argument? Would the same people argue that cops like and encourage criminals because without them they wouldn’t have a job? Do Republicans want terrorism because its the most potent weapon they have in their push to gut any semblance of democracy in this country? Wait, bad example…
Take a moment and Goggle for photos of what life is like in Iraq. Look for the photos of the dead, particularly the children. That we can so casually dismiss these as “more of the same” is vile beyond comprehension. That we can go on to elevate a glorified propaganda hack as newsworthy over the lives of not tens, not thousands, but millions of Iraqis (and Afghanis and others thrown under the U.S. foreign policy bus) vividly illustrates how broken this nation has become.
Tony Snow gets press attention because the press know him and the public actually recognizes his name. That’s it. He is a “celebrity” (though, ridiculously enough, less of one then Anna Nicole Smith) and not some potent government functionary. Half a million people die from cancer in the U.S. every year. Out of all of them, someone needs to make the case why Tony Snow deserves press for his affliction. It’s not surprising that he gets it. It’s surprising that people seem to think it’s legitimate.
Mr. Snow has my sympathy to the same degree that I have sympathy for any cancer victim. My mother died from lung cancer over ten years ago. I watched her suffer chemotherapy and radiation treatments only to see the disease spread to her brain and rob her of her mind. At one point she even accused me and my brothers of betraying her somehow and deliberately making her suffer. Cancer isn’t simply an abstract villain for my family, or countless others. For the vast majority, it is a private affair, not basis for a quizzing from the press.
Comparisons to Elizabeth Edwards cancer announcement are utterly worthless. Not only is she the wife of an actual politician with presidential aspirations, but their announcement was made separate and apart from John Edwards other campaign functions.
Mr. Snow could have announced his cancer at a separate conference or simply kept the matter private. There really was no reason for him to announce it during an official White House press conference at all.
In case it wasn’t clear, I’m ticked at the press, not Mr. Snow. I meant to say that there was no reason for the press to go out of its way to question him on it, not that he somehow went out of his way to “announce” it. It’s not like he demanded they question him about his cancer. Nor did he push to turn the press conference into a personal discussion about his disease.
I’m simply steamed that he should be elevated above so many others for dubious or flat out ridiculous reasons.
The people in the press corps know Tony Snow and, quite frankly, they don’t know and never knew the 53 Iraqis killed. It’s simply a fact: we care for the one we know and identify far more than numbers which are known and understandable only as statistics.
Besides, we still need to know who fathered Anna Nicole Smith’s baby.
You are SO right. It is ALL about them inside the beltway.
Now will they stop showing a fucking Anna Nicole smith story on CNN every 5 minutes?
Tony Snow gets press attention because the press know him and the public actually recognizes his name.
Really? Thanks for pointing out the obvious.
Half a million people die from cancer in the U.S. every year. Out of all of them, someone needs to make the case why Tony Snow deserves press for his affliction. It’s not surprising that he gets it. It’s surprising that people seem to think it’s legitimate.
It is legitimate because the White House Press Secretary is an important position.
For the vast majority, it is a private affair, not basis for a quizzing from the press.
Because the vast majority are not public figures.
Comparisons to Elizabeth Edwards cancer announcement are utterly worthless. Not only is she the wife of an actual politician with presidential aspirations, but their announcement was made separate and apart from John Edwards other campaign functions.
First of all, John Edwards is technically unemployed right now. He doesn’t hold an office or any other government position, so using your logic, his wife’s condition shouldn’t have generated a second of news coverage.
In addition, they specifically scheduled a news conference to make the announcement and then had another news conference to announce the campaign would go on.
Mr. Snow could have announced his cancer at a separate conference or simply kept the matter private. There really was no reason for him to announce it during an official White House press conference at all.
Bullshit. His cancer is obviously going to affect his official duties at the White House, so there was no reason to keep the matter private. At some point the news would have come out, so perhaps it was best to get it out of the way quickly.
The very fact that you’re defending Edwards and blubbering about Snow just shows that this is nothing more than another partisan nitpick for you (and Oliver). Get the hell over it already.
My heart goes out to the families of those killed and I hope those resposible are held accountable, preferably soon.
It also goes out to Tony Snow and I hope he gets better even though he’s spokesman for a bad administration.
Empathy shouldn’t have a singular political party, guys.
His official duties? You serious? What happens if he has to step down tomorrow? Anything? Come on Jay, put some actual substance behind your words. Tell me what major disruption to the government occurs if Tony Snow is forced to resign. What bit of foreign or domestic policy hangs in the balance here?
Partisan nitpick my ass. You can’t refute my case as to why the Edward’s cancer was more newsworthy (that would be more deserving of being treated as news, not as more deserving of sympathy) yet like any slavering winger, you can’t resist spouting your usual “partisan” crap.
“At some point it would come out…” Oh, brother. Histrionic, much? Miss the suggestion to issue a separate statement, hold another conference if necessary, whatever? Why not even just say “Let’s take care of business first and I’ll be happy to take your questions about my cancer after that.” When did this become a cover-up?
As I said, this is a non-issue really. I don’t care that they talked about his cancer. I simply find it ridiculous that people are rushing to defend the idea that Tony Snow’s cancer is news to any greater degree than any average citizen’s cancer. So far no one has made any case beyond “he’s buddies with the press,” which I fully acknowledged and have no trouble accepting.
LM, the issue here is not empathy (or sympathy). That’s where things are getting grossly distorted. Many are taking this discussion to be a direct attack on Tony Snow or some sort of attempt to diminish his disease or even his humanity. Not even close. The issue is why is his burden more worthy of attention than others, particularly during a press conference where the business of the day is to discuss White House policy. For myself, the issue is mostly the ridiculous nature of this thread. With “partisan” nonsense getting tossed around with attacks on OW’s integrity and objectivity along with a healthy dose of exaggeration as to the impact Mr. Snow’s illness will have on the operation of our government.
So let’s go back to what a number of people have already said and which sums it up completely:
The White House Press Secretary is unfortunately suffering with a serious, very likely fatal, disease and he gets press time because his job puts him into direct contact with the beltway press corps and not because his ability to do the “work of the people” could be compromised.
End of story.
No one should attack or dehumanize him. However, no one should attack or dehumanize Mrs. Edwards either, which began before the Tony Snow news broke. Using someone’s illness to attck their party is bad polotics no matter what side you’re on.
I think the point Oliver was originally trying to make was that one living person’s sufferings are overshadowing a massive and steadily rising death toll, which is an even greater tragedy.
I think the point Oliver was originally trying to make was that one living person’s sufferings are overshadowing a massive and steadily rising death toll, which is an even greater tragedy.
No, Oliver’s original intent was “who damn cares if that man might die? Why did any of his colleagues waste time commenting on it?”
Way to prove my point.
Bill L? You work for MM, too? Because forgetting the second sentence in my comment, in order to provide your personal, perverted distortion of what I said, in order to justify you hackneyed reply, is right out of their editorial playbook.
And losing the introductory “No,”–which predicated my entire proposition, was cute, toots.
You made it past thirteenth grade, right?
Do you substantiate anything your write, ever?
Adding the “No,” back onto your original statement changes NOTHING, though I like the implication that Media Matters is biased and deliberately leaves out important information.
You attacked Oliver for something he never said or implied, which I complained people were doing just a few posts ago (just as you ridiculously implied that he wants the press to behave like a gaggle of imbeciles because his job depends on it).
Thirteenth grade?
Gawd.
Way to CONTINUE to prove my point(s).