Whats up. Look, I'm just some guy in Brooklyn, out here in a bathrobe, in my mothers basement, eating Cheetos for breakfast or whatever you Washington types think. Far be it from me, a lowly, unknown blogger to tell you, a member of the Washington press elite, how to do your job. That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm actually coming at this from the perspective of a viewer of your network. I want to help you help me watch you.
So, with that being said: Chuck...stop asking inside baseball process questions.
I would really, really appreciate it if you would step your game up from Mark Halperin level and really take a good stab at being a better questioner.
Yesterday, the Adminisrtation announced its Cuba policy changes. Here was the exchange between you and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:
Q Why are you and Dan making this announcement and not the President? I mean, he's here, right -- he's in the building?
MR. GIBBS: He is. He's -- I think he's in his office, yes.
Q Probably hearing the vibrations from the music.
MR. GIBBS: I was going to say, hearing the dance music, not unlike I am. (Laughter.)
Q Yes. So why isn't he making the announcement? Why -- I mean, it looks like as if you were trying to avoid having his voice and picture --
MR. GIBBS: I'll certainly try not to take any of that personally. (Laughter.) And I noticed the music stopped right as you asked. (Laughter.)
No, I mean, Chuck, I -- a few people showed up to today's briefing. I don't --
Q But this isn't a small talk -- this isn't a small change of policy. So having the President not talk to the camera about it seems to be a little like a political decision.
MR. GIBBS: No. Again, I'm standing in the White House briefing room as the spokesperson for the President of the United States. I assume that when you ask me questions when we get to pirates or anything else, that my answer won't seem less than what any President would make. As I undertake that task, the President is doing today what the President promised he would do, not only on camera, but in Florida many months ago.
So I think this is less about the so-called "choreography" of some announcement, and more -- has to do with the fact that the President is taking some concrete steps today to bring about some much needed change that will benefit the people of Cuba: to increase the freedom that they have, and more importantly, to allow Cuban Americans to see their families and to send them money.
So what would you have asked the president had he been there Chuck? "Why are you making this speech today?" "Why aren't you making this in Miami?" "Why aren't you wearing the Presidential cufflinks?" Nowonder Gibbs treated you with such disdain.
Chuck. My man. Bro. Brogham. Ask a serious question when you're on national television. Ask about something that would make some news, or something that would provide some insight into the real effects on real people. Lemmie give you example of what im talking about...something I would have loved to learn at yesterdays press conference:
Robert, what are the President's expectations, if any, with respect to the effect these policy changes will have on diplomatic relationship between the United States and other Latin American nations, especially Venezuala?
See that Chuck? Thats how you make international news with a question. Especially on a day when you've got all of Latin America watching. I was curious if these policy changes would make Hugo Chavez less hostile to us, since he is a big supporter of the Castro regime. It also could affect Bolivia, which has worlds largest reserves of lithium, as in the battery mineral that will power all these green cars we are talking about. Bolivia's President is closely allied with Chavez. Not exactly something to discuss with your colleagues over cocktails at a bar in Adams-Morgan, I know. But a thoughtful reporter would bring this sort of thing up instead of a theatrics and staging politics question.
It's important that you not waste your platform on gaming out the president's political strategy with respect to South Florida. Get yourself out of campaign prognosticator mode, and do your best to act like a substantive reporter, and not a pundit.
Because I, the lowly viewer in a bathrobe, would really appreciate it.
UPDATE: Kossack bruised toes points out in the comments below the new Cuba policy is front page news in Brazil. That inspired me to check out Venezuela and Bolivia. It is indeed on the front pages of the major newspapers there. The message from the policy changes towards Cuba went far beyond Miami, which is one of the premises of my question.