Helen Thomas

Thank you Helen Thomas for asking the questions no one else seems to be asking. Sure she can be a bit overwhelming at some of the White House Press Conferences (always interrupting the W.H. Press Secretaries), but I'm sure you have to be pushy, edging into saucy, to get any sort of questions answered in her job. (As per the photo, thats Helen and Gerald Ford. Also in the left-hand side is Dick Cheney, lurking.)

For a bit of history on the woman her wikipedia page is pretty impressive. She's been a White House Correspondent since JFK, if that gives you any idea. And there is an entire section dedicated to what the current White House probably considers her "Rap Sheet". Here is the clip that first brought her to my attention, as she confront Perino on torture.


CrooksandLiars.com has a wonderful transcript of it:

THOMAS: The President has said publicly several times, in two consecutive news conferences a few months ago, and you have said over and over again, we do not torture. Now he has admitted that he did sign off on torture, he did know about it. So how do you reconcile this credibility gap?

MS. PERINO: Helen, you’re taking liberties with the what the President said. The United States has not, is not torturing any detainees in the global war on terror. And General Hayden, amongst others, have spoken on Capitol Hill fully in this regard, and it is — I’ll leave it where it is. The President is accurate in saying what he said.

THOMAS: That’s not my question. My question is, why did he state publicly, we do not torture —

MS. PERINO: Because we do not.

THOMAS: — when he really did know that we do?

MS. PERINO: No, that’s what I mean, Helen. We’ve talked about the legal authorities —

THOMAS: Are you saying that we did not?

MS. PERINO: I am saying we did not, yes.

THOMAS: How can you when you have photographs and everything else? I mean, how can you say that when he admits that he knew about it?

MS. PERINO: Helen, I think that you’re — again, I think you’re conflating some issues and you’re misconstruing what the President said.

THOMAS: I’m asking for the credibility of this country, not just this administration.

MS. PERINO: And what I’m telling you is we have — torture has not occurred. And you can go back through all the public record. Just make sure — I would just respectfully ask you not to misconstrue what the President said.

THOMAS: You’re denying, in this room, that we torture and we have tortured?

MS. PERINO: Yes, I am denying that.

Elaine, did you have one?

Q I have one on Zimbabwe, actually.

THOMAS: Where is everybody?

Unfortunately the youtube clip I've provided cuts off before she says "Where is everybody?" most likely referring to her fellow journalists slacking off on asking the White House tough questions that should be answered.

This question was asked only a week after Bush said that he "approved" the use of torture and defended water-boarding as not being torture. Here's the blog I posted just a few days ago on the issue, and here's an article to back up my statement.

Here is the link to an article she wrote recently on the topic.

And in other Helen Thomas news, and mostly just because I find it hilarious, a website has been set up, entitled "Helen Thomas Deserves Some Flowers." to show Ms. Thomas how much everyone appreciates her journalism.