Planted Questions

How insecure is Obama that he feels the need to openly plant reporters with pre-arranged questions in his press conferences?

If Bush had done that, the media would crucify him. With Obama, the media is too busy crucifying their own integrety (and livelihood) to notice.

The Washinton Post's Dana Milbank is following this.

Pitney said the White House, though not aware of the question's wording, asked him to come up with a question about Iran proposed by an Iranian. And, as it turned out, he was not the only prearranged questioner at yesterday's show. Later, Obama passed over the usual suspects to call on Macarena Vidal of the Spanish-language EFE news agency. The White House called Vidal in advance to see whether she was coming and arranged for her to sit in a seat usually assigned to a financial trade publication. She asked about Chile and Colombia.

Pathetic.

Accuracy In Media website also has an amusing post up about the media's fawning over Obama here titled ‘Gerbilists’ In The National Press Corps.

I've decided "gerbilism" is a pretty good word for what's been going on in the news media these days. Gerbilism is an apt term for something that's soft and warm and cuddly, safe and timid, with no sharp teeth and no bite whatsoever. Gerbilism, I've decided, is partly responsible for a lot of our nation's problems today.