Press Corpse In Action; Final Score From Monday Briefing; Climate Change 26 Minutes, Benghazi 34

[hatrack]

EDIT

By the time Carney closed the proceeding 68 minutes after it began, the final score was climate and energy, 26 minutes of press corps interest, Benghazi, 34. Other topics, like the Ukraine, the Nigerian kidnappings, and tornado-ravaged Arkansans (miffed that the only president who's come calling is Bill Clinton) got a couple of minutes each. But what may or may not have happened when four U.S. diplomats were killed two years ago was the day's news, trumping what's very likely to happen for the rest of our lives.

President Obama scheduled a series of one-on-one interviews Tuesday with meteorologists to talk about the dire new Climate Assessment. The decision to bypass the White House press corps inspired a bothersome thought: If Obama's renewed focus on climate change is real, we already knew he'd have to pursue it with little help from Congress. But does he also have to do an end run around White House reporters to even talk about it?

If the tactic of anointing a press briefing as Climate Day failed, Tuesday's weather-palooza succeeded. Sort of. The old-line broadcast networks each did some justice to the importance of the report, with White House correspondents pitching in. Meteorologists Al Roker of NBC and Megan Glaros of CBS ended up on the nightly news.

But they weren't there chatting climate with Obama. You had the odd spectacle of two of the nation's most visible weather forecasters grilling the president on the Nigerian kidnapping story. Apparently network suits at NBC and CBS were comfortable diffusing the rare opportunity to talk climate with the President in favor of talking with him about anything.

EDIT

http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2014/05/white-house-press-corps

[Blue Owl]

1. In line with the Bohner 7:5 ratio

Fuck 'em...