Stephen Hayes, writing in the Weekly Standard, throws yet another monkey wrench into the idea that Obama is good at impromptu oratory. Hayes gives several examples of Obama dodging reporters’ questions during the campaign:
At his first press conference, three days after the election, [Obama] backed some kind of stimulus package and artfully dodged several tough questions. CNN’s Candy Crowley, for instance, noted that Obama had begun receiving intelligence briefings and asked whether he thought the intelligence agencies were doing a good job sharing information. “I have received intelligence briefings. And I will make just a general statement. Our intelligence process can always improve. I think it has gotten better. And, you know, beyond that, I don’t think I should comment on the nature of the intelligence briefings.”
Crowley also asked whether he’d learned anything in his briefings that gave him second thoughts about any of the policies he advocated during the campaign. “I’m going to skip that.” (Obama did talk at some length about buying a dog for his daughters.)Obama’s second press conference focused on the economy. The president-elect had come out in favor of some kind of stimulus package–something he hoped would pass “either before or after inauguration.” Reporters, not unreasonably, wanted a little better idea of what he actually wanted. So the first question was: “What are the details on your proposed stimulus package: how much it’s going to cost, where the money’s going to come from, and when do you want to see it enacted?”
Obama said he wanted it quickly but was short on specifics. “I want to see it enacted right away. It is going to be of a size and scope that is necessary to get this economy back on track. I don’t want to get into numbers right now.”
Funny thing is, the press has, in general, treated Obama with kid gloves, so his dodging of, or bristling at, a few run-of-the-mill tough questions is all the more ironic.
