On Tuesday's Rachel Maddow show (MSNBC), Mitchell said that excluding the press when Palin met with foreign leaders was not "standard practice" and mentioned that in oppressive countries like Sudan and North Korea the press is often excluded. Mitchell also added that The State Department has a "standard practice" of making sure the press is included in meetings even in foreign countries. But Obama also excluded the press in his meetings with leaders in Europe this Summer, yet this fact didn’t even rate a mention by Mitchell tonight.
Maddow asked Mitchell if allowing at least one member of the press into such meetings was "standard practice."
Maddow: You have covered these sorts of high-level meetings with foreign dignitaries and getting at least one editorial staff member in the room to represent the entire network is standard practice right?
Mitchell: It is standard practice. It's standard for the White House, for the State Department. And often we are in foreign countries where it is not standard practice, like in Pyongyang or in Damascus, and usually the State Department insists upon it and then we are at risk for whatever happens. In Sudan... we were pushed and shoved and thrown out by the Sudanese, but that's not by American officials and certainly not by Republican campaign officials running a national election here in the United States."
(See this Huffington Post for video)
I find this whole snit that the press is throwing pretty amazing for its hypocrisy. After all, when Barack Obama went over to Europe this Summer to burnish his non-existent foreign policy credentials, he met behind closed doors with Europe's biggest leaders without the press allowed into the room. I don't recall Andrea Mitchell getting all upset then. Nor did she seem to remember it happened with Barack when she was discussing Palin with Maddow.
As NewsBuster Ken Shepherd reminded us all, when Barack met behind closed doors without reporters the Old Media barely even noticed.
Obviously, Mitchell is quick to scold John McCain and Sarah Palin but has no interest in reminding viewers that Barack Obama did the exact same thing. And let us remember that Obama is running for the top job, here. Palin is not. Yet, Andrea Mitchel and her compatriots in the press completely ignore the similar actions of Obama only to come out swinging at Palin.
In the tank much, Andrea?
