According to CNN contributor Bill Bennett, given how the President was treated during his press conference, the news media weren't showing him much love Tuesday evening:
There is a conservative strain of thinking that says the press is in love with Barack Obama. Not tonight.
That was just the beginning. Bennett's complete comment can be seen at minute six of the following embedded video (partial transcript included):
BILL BENNETT: There's a terrible budget problem. The deficit. We may be going into a depression and you're going to spend all this money. And the problem has been we haven't spent enough money on education. It just doesn't follow.
But let me tell you what I think happened tonight. There is a conservative strain of thinking that says the press is in love with Barack Obama. Not tonight. He went through a murderer's row, from Jake Tapper to Chip Reid and CNN's own Ed Henry. And you saw a flash of anger by the president at Ed Henry.
Ed repeated the question. He was right to. The president said something that wasn't true in response. He said well, I wanted -- I wanted to wait a couple of days until I knew what I was talking about.
When he responded on that, he didn't know what he was talking about. He said we've got to find some way to stop these bonuses. He and Geithner of this administration had set up those bonuses.
He had a rough night. And Anderson said he was tired. I think tonight he learned that no matter how many times he beats up Republicans, some of the press -- a lot of the press is not going to buy it. They're going to hone in on his arguments.
Most of what he did tonight, in response to very sharp, pointed questions, was to give that same speech. And I don't think it cut. I do not think he had a good night.
Here was one of the challenging questions Bennett referred to (from CNN's Ed Henry):
Henry even discussed this exchange with Anderson Cooper later in the evening:
So, are they losing that loving feeling, or is this just a momentary loss of affection?
(H/T Huffington Post).
