Fifty years to the day after The Beatles' first concert in the United States, NBC's Shawna Thomas could have been mistaken for one of the screaming fan girls at the Washington Coliseum. But instead of idolizing the rock and roll band, the network's White House producer shouted for joy over Michelle Obama's gown, which the First Lady wore to Tuesday's state dinner for French President Francois Hollande.
Thomas' Tuesday night Tweet in all capital letters is probably the most blatant example of Obama worship that has come out NBC, and that is saying something, given the Big Three network has raved about Mrs. Obama since the 2008 presidential race: [screen cap below the jump]
When someone asked about her hyperbolic reaction, Thomas replied, "It's a very very nice dress."
This isn't the first time that the producer has exposed her pro-Obama slant. The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto spotlighted Thomas, in a September 5, 2013 "Best of the Web" item, as an example of "the fierce watchdogs of the press, confronted with this brazen falsehood, show themselves once again to be Obama's pet hamsters." Taranto took the NBC journalist to task over her pro-Obama spin on Twitter:
The funniest dodges come from Shawna Thomas of NBC News, who on Twitter calls Obama's whopper "a definite change in tone" and an attempt "to unilaterally widen the circle of responsibility." That last one is priceless. Next time someone accuses you of trying to weasel out of a commitment, say you're just trying to widen the circle of responsibility.
After this beyond gushing Tweet, Thomas may have morphed from a pet hamster back to a dog -- but instead of a watchdog, her reaction is akin to an overjoyed canine who can't calm down after her family returns from a long vacation.
Chris Matthews might finally have some competition in the Obamas-give-me-the-thrills club for the media.
