Helen Thomas | 04/08/2009 10:20 am
Helen Thomas Speaks Up on Barack Obama: 'He Plays It Very Safe'
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Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas has covered every president since John F. Kennedy, so you can be sure she has an opinion on Barack Obama, who is rapidly approaching his 100th day in the Oval Office. And, though she wants to remain as objective as possible, Thomas recently shared her thoughts with the Washington Flyer.
Thomas, who’s still kicking at 88, says she thinks Mr. Obama is going to continue to "play it safe" while he should be more "bold:"
I have to hold my judgment here … I think he has to be very daring, [but] I think he plays it very safe, very cautious, which is probably smart, but I’m not sure he’s going to really be as bold as I want him to be. I want to see a real transformation — a caring for the people, not just giving a $700 billion bailout to Wall Street while Detroit suffers.
One thing Thomas didn’t hold back on? Her opinion of former vice-president Dick Cheney, whom she described as "Darth Vader." Cheney, we’re sure, has equally vitriolic words for Thomas, whom the Bush White House tried to restrict in a myriad of ways, including booting her from her front row seat at press conferences. The Obama administration has since overturned that rearrangement.
In addition to discussing the new president, Thomas told the Washington Flyer that she’s often frustrated by presidential press secretaries: "They have one credo: The best defense is offense. When you ask a question that irritates them, they start attacking you personally."
Read the entire profile in the Washington Flyer.
And be sure to check out our slide show on Thomas’ storied career: "Helen Thomas: The Watchdog of Democracy in Photos."
Read more about: Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Gossip, Helen Thomas, John F. Kennedy, Media, News, Politics
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Yes, I also hope President Obama is bold, I hope he pushes a Single Payer Healthcare System through for one. It is a bit early though for him to be too bold, so I think he is being smart holding back a bit, especially considering the vitriol that has been aimed at him over every tiny, picky move he makes. As the people get to know him more and more, he will have the space to be bolder and bolder.
Cheney isn’t Darth Vader, he’s The Emperor. Well, he was, he still hasn’t gotten it that he’s not in that position anymore.
Oh make no mistake about it, Obama isn’t "playing it safe", he is out and out lying. He lied during the campaign about his vision for "change" and is just hoping that he has enough time during this "crisis" to push through all of his fascist plans.
His worst fear is that our capitalist markets will correct themselves before he gets a chance to ram a transnational set-up down our throats. He does not want to be found out yet…
When his plans are in place, the word "bold" won’t even begin to describe what he will enact. This man wishes to be a leader in the global sense, not President of one country. He must first devalue and nationalize our autonomy before he can offer our resource up to the world.
A dowry… that’s what America is to Obama.
She also said this:
"We’re in the midst of a presidential campaign which is really getting rotten - down and dirty between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," Thomas said. "The Democratic candidates - Obama has the edge, he’s a rock star. He’s galvanized the youth vote of this country, but I have yet to see what he has done to take the highest office in the land. He is no Martin Luther King and his campaign, like all others, is backed by people with deep pockets."
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2008/04/19/helen-thomas-blasts-obama-media-coverage-he-no-martin-luther-king
Goodman asked Thomas if she has her first question ready for Barack Obama.
“Sure. I have a thousand of them,” Thomas responded. “What are you going to do to fulfill your ideals expressed on the campaign trail? Or are you going to submit, like most presidents, just … try to carry out your promises that have no meaning except for how many people gave you money?”
Yes, we need more Helen Thomases in the press corps.
http://www.progressive.org/mag/wxld011409.html
Helen Thomas is worth listening to. She has a lot of wisdom to share.
Rather than our ‘Daily Dose of Palin’ why not spotlight a treasure like Helen Thomas?
Ms. Thomas is a wealth of American history in her anecdotes alone! I would love to read of her ‘takes’ over the years; how she not only as a woman (and an older one now) but a constant news reporter from Administration to Administration. That would be ‘worthy’ of intelligent discussion and note.
Not the sex lives of teenagers in Alaska! Or playing ‘Six Degrees of Seperation’ with Palin relatives and their legal troubles. That’s not news (except in a ‘Mean Girls’ bitc#y we are still in high school kind of way)…reading about an influence like Helen Thomas is.
(Knock, knock on the microphone)…anyone out there listening?
I don’t limit compliments based on ideology - I like to think my thought process is more advanced than that. I respect and admire intelligence and creativity whenever I find it - Helen Thomas also has a great sense of humor.
With an attitude like yours, how do you function in real life? Most people are different from you, one way or another - to only find good in similar people is not healthy for an individual and definitely not ‘inclusive’.