June 18-19, 2012 -- White House "stenography corps" cries foul over "Imperium Interruptus"

June 18-19, 2012 -- White House "stenography corps" cries foul over "Imperium Interruptus" All the angst emanating from corporate media shills, including the Fox News crowd, about Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro interrupting President Obama twice during his prepared speech about amnesty for illegal aliens in the United States is an attempt at reinventing White House history. As a memory refresher, WMR contacted an old hand at White House reporting who not only covered recent presidents but whose father worked in the Kennedy and Johnson press office. He recalled that White House press conferences were always "interruption sessions." Charges that Munro was a "rogue reporter" and a "heckler" who somehow managed to sneak into Obama's "press conference" are also laughable. This editor was frequently called for comments by Munro, who reported for Washington Technology and Defense News, when I worked for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). In addition, a defense industry source also recalled that Munro called him on various stories. So, Munro is neither a "rogue" nor a "heckler," but a Washington reporter who attended Obama's "press conference" on a daily press pass and decided to take it upon himself to change the way White House press conferences are orchestrated as public relations events. If Obama doesn't like the quality of his press audience, he can merely give a speech from his TelePrompTer to press secretary Jay Carney, a few White House staffers, and the rose bushes. Although interrupting a president's speech is rare, interruptions of the president while he was answering another reporter's questions was commonplace. However, if Obama ever took questions from the assembled press without relying on a list of "approved journalists," perhaps there would be no need to hit him with questions when he provided a forum in which to do so. Obama's so-called press conferences are merely events at which a gaggle of White House "stenographers" and scribes are brought together to provide the president with a ready-made audience. How many times have we seen a Rose Garden press "event," press conference is the wrong term since it implies a two-way conversation, where Obama, after delivering his remarks, quickly exits the scene for the Oval Office? Ever since George W. Bush and Dick Cheney transformed the Wbihte House into a :unitary executive," presidents are now treated like emperors. Like Bush, Obama has relished in his  emperor status and "imperium interruptus" is considered an affront against the divine right of a king. The criticism of Munro mask the fact that the White House press corps is more interested in being invited to "A-list" receptions and cocktail parties than in reporting on the activities of the president. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Watergate scandal, President Nixon would have dearly cherished such a subservient White House "press" corps. Who can forget the following interchange between Nixon and CBS White House correspondent Dan Rather during the Watergate scandal? Rather: "Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News. Mr. President.... Mr. President...." Nixon: "Are you running for something?" Rather: "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?" The White House etiquette and decorum issue was also raised then as it is now. It should be remembered that Nixon, like the present and previous president, was trying to install an imperial presidency. Nixon even wanted to dress White House guard in 19th century-style Prussian hats and tunics. During Obama's June 15 speech on his undocumented immigrant amnesty program, the following interchange took place between Munro and Obama: Munro: "Why’d you favor foreigners over Americans?”  Obama: “Excuse me, sir, but it’s not time for question." Munro: “Are you going to take questions?”  Obama: “Not while I’m speaking." It never matters whether Obama takes questions while he is speaking or afterward -- he rarely takes any questions whatsoever at such public relations events billed by the White House as "press conferences." Most of the White House press corps possesses no historical context in which to compare today's presidential press conferences to those of the past. Former ABC White House correspondent Sam Donaldson said he is insulted by suggestions that his shouting of questions to President Reagan whenever an opportunity presented itself was not the same as Munro interrupting Obama. Donaldson also implied that racism was at the heart of Munro's interruption. The record is clear, however, that many White House reporters interrupted president's at actual press conferences while the president was answering another reporter's question. Veteran White House correspondent Sarah McClendon was known for such interruptions during her many years covering every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. This editor's late friend, George Fowler, who covered the early Kennedy administration for the New York Daily News once related a story about how he engaged President Kennedy after discovering and writing about how Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, Sr., was buying votes in the 1960 West Virginia Democratic primary, courtesy of a phone call from Kennedy rival Hubert Humphrey. After Kennedy became president, Fowler was covering a White House press conference and during Kennedy's answer to a question, he interrupted the president mid-sentence. Kennedy glared back at Fowler and said, "I remember you from West Virginia." Kennedy was clearly not pleased with George or his question. Rather than criticize Munro, who likely did something most reporters present would have liked to have done but would have seen their White House "hard passes," permanent access passes, quickly lifted and fired from their jobs, the press should be criticizing Obama for using the press as stage props for public relations events. The Forth Estate's criticism of one of its own is similar to a bunch of prison inmates ratting out a planned prison break to the warden so they might get an extra baloney sandwich for lunch.