Rightscoop posted audio of the reporters talking to each other before Mitt's disastrous news conference today making sure that whoever he called on would ask him the one question they all wanted to hear - do you regret being a total dick asshole or not?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: …pointing out that the Republicans… unintelligible …Obama….
CBS REPORTER: That’s the question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: unintelligible
CBS REPORTER: Yeah that’s the question. I would just say do you regret your question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Your question? Your statement?
CBS REPORTER: I mean your statement. Not even the tone, because then he can go off on…
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And then if he does, if we can just follow up and say ‘but this morning your answer is continuing to sound…’ – becomes unintelligble
CBS REPORTER: You can’t say that..
*Later*
CBS REPORTER: I’m just trying to make sure that we’re just talking about, no matter who he calls on we’re covered on the one question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you stand by your statement or regret your statement?
Their 'video' of the audio won't embed but it's at the link.
The rightwing 'liberal media bias exposing' website Newsbusters later confirmed that the reporters were CBS' Jan Crawford and NPR's Ari Shapiro. They point this out as though it is the reporters getting together to 'gotcha' Mitt but in fact they toned down the question. One says 'you can't say that word', then they decided to ask 'Do you regret your statement'? It appears they were trying to give him a chance to walk back his dickishness, not catch him. He didn't take it, of course.
The Right Scoop has posted video with an open microphone that shows the Romney press corps “coordinating questions to ask Romney," with CBS reporter Jan Crawford saying, “no matter who he calls on, we’re covered on the one question.” They wanted to make Romney take credit or walk back his statement condemning Obama weakness after the embassy attacks: “Do you stand by your statement or regret your statement?” NPR’s Ari Shapiro – the one who won’t say the Pledge of Allegiance – is one of the reporters planning their agenda on the clip.
Here's a
link to his actual press conference.
The first question comes at 3:33 from "Steve" and he does indeed ask, 'do you regert the tone of your statement last night given what we know now?'