There was a truly marvelous exchange between syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer and NPR's Nina Totenberg on Friday's "Inside Washington."
When Krauthammer pressed her on why President Obama didn't embrace the Bowles-Simpson plan to reduce the budget deficit, Totenberg replied, "Don’t make me the spokesman for the White House," leading him to deliciously ask, "What would be new about that?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: The number one item in the Bowles-Simpson report was tax reform, where you’d lower the rates to eight percent, fourteen percent, 23 percent. He had that a year ago in December, he did nothing.
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Why didn’t they just put their arms around Bowles- Simpson?
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: They should have. But they…
KRAUTHAMMER: But why didn’t they? He asked a question: why didn't they?
TOTENBERG: Don’t make me the spokesman for the White House. Geez, I don’t know.
KRAUTHAMMER: What would be new about that?
For those not getting the joke, Totenberg like so many on NPR has a long history of carrying Obama's water.
Nicely done, Charles.
