CBS's Bob Schieffer on Sunday bashed the White House for how it responded to House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Oh.) tax cut comment uttered on "Face the Nation" a week ago.
As readers are likely aware, Boehner made news - if not friends amongst conservatives! - by telling Schieffer that if the only thing that came out of the House was an extension of the Bush tax cuts for all but folks that make $250,000 or more per year, he would grudgingly support it.
After reading the White House's official response to Boehner during this Sunday's final segment - "Time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess" - Schieffer scolded, "I can remember when the first move by a president like Lyndon Johnson or maybe a smart aide in the Eisenhower White House would not have been a snarky press release."
"I`m guessing LBJ would have been on the phone to Boehner in five minutes after seeing him on TV saying something like, if you`re serious, why don`t you come over here quietly and we`ll try to work out something good for both of us and the folks out there," continued Schieffer.
"As we saw, no chance it could happen today. And we`re right back to the partisan war" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST: Finally, House Republican Leader John Boehner did a rare thing on this broadcast last week. He got off the talking points. I asked him about extending the Bush tax cuts that expire this year. Boehner gave me the GOP line: We should extend those cuts for all Americans, rich and poor, Democrats want to extend the cuts only to those making less than $250,000 a year.
And when I pressed Boehner, he carefully said that was just bad policy, but if it came down to tax cuts only for the lower and middle income groups or no tax cuts at all, he said, he would reluctantly vote for just the lower and middle income cuts.
That was big news all across the country. And it set off a thunder bolt of reaction in both parties. By mid-afternoon the White House acknowledged Boehner`s change in position but added in a written press release: "Time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess."
Blame it on a long memory, but I can remember when the first move by a president like Lyndon Johnson or maybe a smart aide in the Eisenhower White House would not have been a snarky press release. I`m guessing LBJ would have been on the phone to Boehner in five minutes after seeing him on TV saying something like, if you`re serious, why don`t you come over here quietly and we`ll try to work out something good for both of us and the folks out there.
Call me a romantic, but I believe that might have happened. As we saw, no chance it could happen today. And we`re right back to the partisan war. Too bad really.
Nicely done, Bob, but isn't this possibly another instance of you not being as aware of things going on in Washington, D.C., as you should be?
After all, it was only two months ago that Schieffer interviewed Attorney General Eric Holder and not only didn't ask him about the New Black Panther Party controversy at the Department of Justice, but also admitted to CNN's Howard Kurtz that he hadn't heard anything about it.
Regardless of the media's pathetic echoing of the Democrat talking point that Republicans are the Party of No, GOP members in the House and the Senate have been offering legislative ideas since Obama was inaugurated.
Problem is the Party currently controlling Congress and the White House has wanted to implement its policies without any input from Republicans relying instead on their majorities in both chambers.
As such, it's by no means surprising the Obama administration didn't immediately jump on Boehner's comments from last Sunday to try to use them as a means of coming to a resolution on this matter.
That's not been this White House's modus operandi since January 20, 2009, and Schieffer would have known this if he wasn't accepting the administration's talking points as the Gospel truth.
Why he didn't this time is anybody's guess unless like so many folks on the Left he's beginning to come out from under the Hope and Change ether.
Stay tuned.
