Last week, in a testy exchange that received much attention on political blogs and talk shows, Tony Snow dismissed an ISG-related question from NBC News White House correspondent David Gregory as “partisan.” But on Thursday, the day after Dana Milbank devoted his column to criticizing Snow for the number of times he has said that he doesn’t know the answer to a question posed by a reporter, the press secretary gave a rare showing of humility.
In an attempt to make amends with Gregory, Snow called on him first, and before addressing his question offered this apology:
Okay, before I get to that, I want to address something else, because you and I had a conversation last week that got a whole lot of play in a lot of places where I used the term “partisan” in describing one of your questions. And I’ve thought a lot about that, and I was wrong. So I want to apologize and tell you I’m sorry for it. …
And the reason I do that is not only because it’s the right thing to do, because I want people in this room and also people who watch these [briefings] to understand that the relations in this room are professional and collegial. And if I expect you to do right by us, you have every right to expect that I’ll do right by you. …
Today, shockwaves are still rippling through the blogosphere, as bloggers both applaud and continue to criticize Snow.
At Crooks and Liars, John Amato wonders how David Gregory has come full circle in the esteem of the Bush administration: “As the Conservative Mainstream Media steps up their ‘attack the media’ meme because the Bush/McCain/Lieberman war is such a nightmare — they’ve picked David Gregory as their new public enemy #1. Fox News lends a helping hand to Tony Snow yesterday as they try to shift the narrative from Bush and the ISG report to Gregory being a ‘partisan.’ Isn’t it interesting that the conservative — cough — cough — watchdog group ‘Media Research Center,’ voted Gregory as the top White House correspondent of 2001. … How times have changed when desperation sets in.”
Elsewhere, bloggers defended Snow’s “partisan” labeling of Gregory.
Hugh Hewitt of Townhall Blog laments the decline of NBC: “Gregory may not be so much a partisan — though he strikes most people as such — as an extremely annoying blowhard, a-never-to-be-ready-for-primetimer who endlessly tries to be a new Sam Donaldson in an age when such theatrics work well only on The Colbert Report. NBC was the network of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Now they have Gregory and Keith Olbermann — the empty and the angry. Tony Snow’s abilities so tower above those of Gregory that it is perhaps not fair for Snow to engage Gregory as other than a teacher would a somewhat slow and thus belligerent student. With that in mind, I understand the apology, as well as the way in which it was cloaked.”
“One thing’s for sure,” writes Stephen Spruiell at National Review‘s Media Blog, “Gregory was not owed an apology. His question was designed purely as an attack, not a serious inquiry into administration policy. So given that A) Snow must know that, and B) he went on Reliable Sources on Sunday and defended his handling of Gregory, his about-face today was a call for a truce before things get even uglier. A sad state of affairs in the White House briefing room.”
Conservative blog 186k Per Second chimes in: “I know it’s petty but I doubt we would ever hear an apology from David Gregory for all his presumptuous, pompous and yes ‘partisan’ questions statements and behavior in the White House press room.”
There was one blogger, though, who offered unconditional praise for Tony Snow — without backhanded criticism of Gregory.
“Tony Snow is one of my Heroes,” writes GM Roper at GM’s Corner. “He sent me a very long email when I was diagnosed with cancer and followed it up later. This [apology] is typical of Mr. Snow.”
Mark Boyer was a CJR intern.