Ok, ok… so I’m a bit of a sucker for punishment. For years, I have watched official press conferences directed by the White House Press Secretary. I feel like we learn a lot in these short interactions. I can remember moments even before my teens with Jimmy Carter’s Jody Powell and then onto Reagan’s James Brady. I remember Marlin Fitzwater — then both Dee Dee Myers and George Stephanopoulos under Clinton. I watched Ari Fleischer under Bush 43 — and then Tony Snow, my personal favorite.
In recent years, I’ve watched both Dana Perino and Robert Gibbs. And yesterday, I again watched Jay Carney.
I have hence concluded — based on my totally, notably, understandably incomplete perspective — that there is no more obviously ethically-challenging job in public service than the White House Press Secretary. The secretary’s job, no matter what, is to make the administration look good. And sometimes, that’s seemingly impossible to do.
Yesterday, when the former Time-Magazine-reporter-turned-press-secretary stumbled at the podium, attempting to defer criticism from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, I felt Carney’s pain. Here Gates, a man with years of bipartisan respect, affirmed the current administration for some very specific aspects — such as the initial approach toward Afghanistan and the savviness of Hillary Clinton — but other aspects scathed and stung… such as political motives behind military moves… Obama’s controlling, micro-management, leadership style… and Joe Biden, a man Gates says, who “has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”
Ouch. Note that Robert Gates’ perspective may very well not be accurate. Accurate or not, however, such an insider perspective is hard to squelch… hard to make anyone look good.
And so I’d like to take this time to offer a wee bit of amateur advice for the next to stumble to the press’s podium. Really, it’s an impossible job; but ideally, below are the top 10 things that I’d like to hear each press secretary say…
“I can’t answer that question.”
“Well, I can answer the question, but no one in the White House wants me to answer it.”
“I actually don’t know the answer.”
“I know the answer, but I don’t know how to make it sound good.”
“The truth might make us look bad.”
“The truth might be unpopular.”
“The truth might be appropriate, but if it’s unpopular, I don’t want to answer.”
“Yes, I know I’m dodging your question.”
“My poll tested answer is…”
And…
“Can we be real here?”
With all due respect to Jay Carney, Tony Snow, and all the valiant men and women who have attempted to fill these rhetorical shoes — which quite notably, the Intramuralist has not — the White House Press Secretary is a pretty tough job. It can be ethically challenging. It can be awkward indeed.
God bless ‘em.
Respectfully,
AR