Obama Press Conference: Less Fawning Press Corps, Despite Attempt To Set Up With The Huffington Post

While the press corps didn't seem to have the overt hostility they displayed during the Bush era, the press corps during the June 23rd press conference were less deferential than previously had been the case.

Obama tried to manipulate the situation by calling on Nico Pitney from the house organ Huffington Post on the opening Iran question.

Obama was clearly irritated by the number and quality of questions he received on Iran - and did in his opening statements ramp up the tone of his remarks - and haughtily reminded everyone that he is the president (a la Richard Nixon) when asked about Senators Graham and McCain's statements. 

Fed chair Ben Bernanke got qualified praise and no statement was made about him being reappointed so hopefully he has an open seat back at Yale to go home to.  Obama pressed home the point that the Fed's role in monitoring risk is appropriate and didn't seem to blame them for the financial crisis as much as some critics have.

Obama would not commmit to whether he'd insist on a public option for health care and challenged the health insurance industry on their claims that the best quality, cost controls, etc. would be achieved in the free markets - while conceding that a government that can print money would have a big advantage in a market situation.  It is clear he's ready to go to the mat - or have his Congressional proxies do so - to keep the public option in the mix.

Obama was also confronted on the higher than predicted by the White House unemployment figures, despite the huge stimulus package.  He said it was too early to consider a second stimulus - and given other domestic plans he has, it seems unlikely. 

Altogether, Obama got a relatively more difficult grilling - and tried to give some non-answers via long winded explanation - but some press corps members seemed more willing to follow up on each other than in the past, even as Obama cut them off - while admitting he himself isn't satisfied with the manner and pace of the economic recovery.

The Obama Show by Dana Milbank

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Comments

[Rosa]

There is no way he is going to back another stimulus package. Recent polls indicate that most Americans don't think the first one was very helpful in the first place (story here: http://www.newsy.com/videos/tale_of_two_polls)
It also seems that the president's approval ratings are beginning to waver.