While network news anchors such as CBS's Harry Smith are still gooey in love with President Obama, the White House correspondents for the networks are a little tougher on the chief executive, MRC's Tim Graham told Fox News's Bill O'Reilly on his June 23 program. [audio available here]
TIM GRAHAM: I think there's always been a difference between the guys in the White House press room who are trying to nail down the inconsistencies in what Obama is saying, trying to nail down his campaign promises, and the Harry Smiths and the Brian Williamses and the Diane Saywers.
There's really a disconnect, really, between the White House reporters who, for the most part are a little tougher on a daily basis and then the anchors who have been just yeah, beyond the, just [having] that dreamy look.
BILL O'REILLY: I agree with that. The anchors are obviously pro-Obama almost across the board.
Earlier in the segment, O'Reilly asked Graham about a moment in a recent interview where CBS "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith tried to bait President Obama into taking a swipe at George W. Bush by insisting the former president thought the current one "treacherous":
O'REILLY: I thought President Obama handled that [well], you couldn't criticize Obama for that, could you, Tim?
GRAHAM: I just think it's funny, the jarring nature of that. In that Harry Smith had granted Obama a very favorable, very positive interview about fatherhood and so on. And just to go from there to saying Bush thinks you're treacherous, that you're treasonous. I mean, I think it is kind of funny that it was so over-the-top that even Obama felt he needed to correct it a little.
