Admitting it was "smart-assed," CBS White House correspondent nonetheless defended his now-infamous "If he's so smart, how come you lost Congress?" quip from Monday's White House South Lawn farewell for Rove. Interviewed by CBSNews.com blogger Matthew Felling, Plante did concede that he welcomes scrutiny of how the press functions, especially in live press conference settings.
Said Plante at the close of his interview:
I’m absolutely and totally in favor of openness, even if it makes us look bad. The public is entitled to see what we see – and, increasingly, they do because of live coverage. If that means they see me or hear me asking what they think is an impertinent question, that’s fine. I’ve got no problem with it.
Glad to hear it, Bill, because we at NewsBusters are happy to oblige.
Below is an excerpt of the PublicEye interview:
Matthew Felling: Interesting week. Anything surprise you?
Bill Plante: Nothing much, actually. Anytime you challenge or appear to challenge the president – and I don’t care if the president is a Republican or a Democrat – there are people who will take issue with it and tell you it’s inappropriate. And you kind of expect that. I knew that was I did on Monday was smart-assed, but I think that that’s beside the point.
Our asking questions should not be dependent on what the White House thinks the mood or the tone of an event should be. And the fact that they say ‘no questions’ or don’t allow time for questions really has nothing to do with it. They don’t have to answer, but I think we need to preserve and aggressively push our right to ask.
Matthew Felling: This week, you asked a question, it got uploaded on the web, it got broadcast everywhere. Did you see any increased polarization or partisanship in the responses you received?
Bill Plante: Yes, the response was instant because of the Internet. In this case, my question got put up on DCFishbowl and then on Drudge, so then it spread like wildfire. That’s no surprise, since there are people that monitor those sites and others everyday.
When I did this 20 years ago in the Rose Garden, I yelled a question at Ronald Reagan at the ‘Teacher of the Year’ event as he was leaving and going inside. Several of the teachers complained and said I disrupted things and that it was inappropriate. In that case, I got a few phone calls but then had to wait for the angry letters to come in. Then after that, I wrote a Washington Post Outlook piece about questioning the president. It took more than a week to play out.
But in this case, it was instantaneous, of course. But I know that’s how things happen these days.
In an unrelated note of interest, Bill Plante may be a biased liberal journalist, but at least one apple fell far from the ideological tree as son Chris Plante, also a journalist (formerly with CNN), is a conservative-leaning talk show host here in Washington on WMAL radio (630 AM).
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
His father may be conservative but he did a poor job raising him
August 16, 2007 - 14:24 ET by terrigBill Plante is still an A$$ and I don't care if his father is a conservative. They did a poor job of raising him if he thinks it's appropriate to be a smart a$$ to the President. You know, I met Clinton a few times as President and while I didn't like him I was raised that you do not disprespect the Office of the President, even if you may not like the person occupying that office-their tenure there is temporary. It's a shame the Plante's did such a poor job.
So have at it all of you who think I'm mean.
spot on.. These are the
August 16, 2007 - 14:35 ET by USA4freedomspot on..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
It's childish Bill -
August 16, 2007 - 14:43 ET by TruthMongerIt's childish Bill - atypical of your leftward generation, of course...
Sets a great example for another young generation of leftwing traitors and a$$holes i guess...
As my mother would say: No
August 16, 2007 - 21:29 ET by motherbeltAs my mother would say: No class; all a$$.
No, Chris Plante is the
August 16, 2007 - 14:47 ET by Ken ShepherdNo, Chris Plante is the conservative son. Bill Plante is the liberal father.
Sorry I mixed it up
August 16, 2007 - 19:15 ET by terrigWell perhaps he didn't have a hand in raising his son then because he was too busy running around heckling Presidents.
Yes, I remember Sam Donaldson but it got to be a joke. President Reagan would always cup his hand to his ear and say "I can't hear you, Sam". However, Sam never really got much out. Evidently Plante has been doing this awhile if he was doing it during a teacher thing during the Reagan administration. Boy, teachers have changed. The crew I used to work with would be cheering him on.
What a Load
August 16, 2007 - 14:47 ET by allanfMy reaction to Bill Plante is "what a load".
The sad thing is that folks like Plante, Diane ("my daddy was a republican") Sawyer and Barbara Walters are far more solicitious of Hugo Chavez, Mahamoud Amadinajad and Kim Il Jung.
Republican book-end questioning
August 16, 2007 - 14:40 ET by Rihar"I don't care if the President is a Republican or a Democrat"
Well if that's the case Bill, then were you on vacation when both the House and the Senate went Republican during the Clinton administration? I don't remember any "If you're so smart how did you lose the Congress" questions at that time to good 'ol Bill Clinton?
When a liberal speaks, the truth is busy elsewhere.
Repeating Rush and Another Poster
August 16, 2007 - 14:39 ET by CaringwhiteguyAs was recently reported by another poster, Rush Limbaugh's radio retort to Bill Plante was "Hey Plante, if you're so smart how come Katie Couric is in the anchor chair"?
Plante was a marginally decent local news anchor in the Midwest decades ago. His career has been in neutral ever since.
It's amazing how much Helen
August 16, 2007 - 14:57 ET by MightyMouthIt's amazing how much Helen Thomas has rubbed off on other members of the Gaggle.
I agree with the "career in neutral" comment regarding Plante. It must suck to be banished to the peanut gallery for the rest of your tenure.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Terrier, all
August 16, 2007 - 15:00 ET by Special KayThis new breed of "journalist" makes me puke. They have taken that smart-assy tone with everyone. Professional Question Shouters are as bad as my neighbor's terrior dog, yipping at my ankles when I walk past their house.
Colleges need to add "Manners" Classes to their curriculum. This is what happens to the ME generation - it's all about ME getting MY question heard so I can get NOTICED so I can get MY time in the SPOTLIGHT.
How is this journalism, eh?
"Interum faeces et urinam nascimur"
"This new breed of
August 16, 2007 - 15:07 ET by Sonny Lykos"This new breed of "journalist" makes me puke"
Correction: These are not "journalists." They are "activists", pure and simple. And I do love simplicity.
It's Not New
August 16, 2007 - 15:39 ET by NoMoreClintonsWhat Bill Plante did is nothing new. Can you say "Sam Donaldson"? He was relentless in his goofball questions shouted out to Ronald Reagan and that was 20 years ago.
I had to laugh when Plante
August 16, 2007 - 15:05 ET by TheConservativeChemistI had to laugh when Plante said "Anytime you criticize the President, whether he's a Republican or Democrat"....
I didn't know the MSM criticized Dem presidents...they're usually too busy giving them verbal fellatio (or in Clinton's case....hmmm?)
All you ever hear about when a Republican is president is how bad the country is, no jobs, bad economy, too many homeless, etc.
It's always so miraculous how as soon as a Dem is president, those issues go away....
Plante is a jackass and obviously, like most lefties, hasn't developed intellectually past 5th grade (as evidenced by his smart-ass comment that was neither funny nor accurate)
"Yesterday's Communists are Today's Democrats....
Yesterday's Democrats are Today's Republicans..." - An analogy made by *ME*
Remember how they criticized
August 16, 2007 - 15:10 ET by TruthMongerRemember how they criticized the hell out of Clinton? It was really clever the way they hid it by going after Newt Gingrich, Jennifer Flowers and Ken Starr instead - i guess it is the big leagues after all - these MSMer types are on a whole nuther level, billy bob (chew, spit)
CBS interviewing CBS
August 16, 2007 - 15:08 ET by JayTeeGee what a brave CBS'er, letting another CBS dude interview him. Such a Brave man, what class, what safety ! !
CBS should send him over to Iraq and let him Shout at Al Queda....."If you're so smart, how come you lost Afghanistan ?"
He should be Brave enough to do that....once.
What good is a Free Press, if it is a False Press ? David Foote GoE
That was a question?
August 16, 2007 - 15:45 ET by KC MulvilleIt's absurd to defend an insult by labeling it a question. It was a rhetorical question, in the same category as "What are you, stupid?" It was a cheap shot that showed no class.
Exactly, KC.
August 16, 2007 - 17:09 ET by Scout FinchPlante misses the major point here. Either he's lying, or he fancies himself as pursuing the baby-boomer past-time of "questioning authority". However, it was not a question. It was, as you say, simply a cheap shot.
Spot on
August 16, 2007 - 22:13 ET by USA4freedomSpot on KC..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
They don’t have to
August 16, 2007 - 15:47 ET by MidAmericaThey don’t have to answer, but I think we need to preserve and aggressively push our right to ask.
Bill..... That's not being a reporter. That's being a heckler.
Plante did this merely to inject himself into the situation. He didn't ask the question to get an answer.
The msm went apolectic over having Bush and Rove in the same place and their hatred compells them to do something to tarnish the situation, which Plante managed to do, even though it was classless.
It will be better when these self-important, bitter old men, left over from the days when the msm had total control, are finally gone from the scene.
Plante
August 16, 2007 - 16:23 ET by exLibPlante says "I'm for going after them whether they are Dem or Republican"
Yet his only 2 examples of "Going after" someone agressively are Republicans.
These people are so biased and so arrogant they don't even realize what they are saying.
Had the guy wanted to show conservatives that his Bush pot shot was not biased he could have trotted out a time he challenged Bill Clinton.
It's their job...
August 16, 2007 - 17:44 ET by Army BratIsn't it the function of the liberal MSM to defend the indefensible? Happy Trails...Peace on the playground is achieved through superior firepower...
I am glad he said it
August 16, 2007 - 19:09 ET by Reality CheckI, for one, am glad he said it. He's come right out and let everyone know exactly where he stands politically. We have a right to condemn it and be offended by it. We also can now be very skeptical about any anti-Bush reporting he provides.
Thanks, Bill!
I rant about this a little more here.
Reality Check
Bill Plante: "Hey ... Hey,
August 16, 2007 - 20:38 ET by drillanwrBill Plante: "Hey ... Hey, Rove, you're a poopy-head!"
Be grateful, Mr. Plante
August 16, 2007 - 20:49 ET by Mike BrattonMr. Plante, you should be grateful that the Bush administration, particularly the nearly-departed Mr. Rove, is as kind as it is.
Last I checked, you were a reporter, not a critic; pre-pubescent remarks such as yours should've precipitated the revocation of your credentials. Be grateful that you still have yours.
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport.com
This Week's Captionfest?
August 16, 2007 - 21:09 ET by dodecahedronThe picture of Plante would make a good Captionfest, since we could all have a field day creating "If you're so smart..." captions.
"Hey Plante. If you're so smart, why are you on CBS?"
By his own admission (see comment about Reagan) Plante has a history of making rude and inappropriate comments, yet he's still their Senior White House Correspondent.
Screw ratings. Screw ethics. CBS isn't even trying any more.
Or this:
August 17, 2007 - 07:27 ET by HelenS"Hay Plante, if you're so smart, how come you're a reporter!?"
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
Putting the bias aspect
August 16, 2007 - 21:09 ET by ckc1227Putting the bias aspect aside, it's really a stupid comment to begin with and shows who is and isn't very smart. Is this the new standard? I mean, not winning them all now means one isn't smart? If so, then why the hell does most everyone in the media believe Gore knows what he is talking about when it comes to science?
Morons....