About TWC | Contact TWC | TWC's Staff | TWC's Archives | TWC's Partners | Advertise 

Brier: Thomas' comments don't surprise me

By Henry Brier

The Washington Continent

June 8, 2010, 1:30 p.m. - During a December 2006 breakfast conversation in Washington, my eyebrows were raised after silently
listening to a notable someone’s brazen criticism of ‘Zionists’.

One morning in early May 2008, the same renowned figure told another small National Press Club breakfast table that President Bush had invaded Iraq and was planning on launching a foray into Iran before his second presidential term expired within seven-and-a-half months – all because of the same cause: Israel.

Any guesses as to who was this legendary Washingtonian?

None other than the newly retired Dean of the White House press corps Helen Thomas.

She retired on Monday at age 89 as a result her controversial May 27
statements suggesting to an interviewer that Jews 'get the hell out of Palestine', then saying they should return to Poland, Germany and the U.S., according to the clip in point, which has viralled. The damaging excerpt of this clip runs no longer than 25 seconds.

It’s been some time since I’ve seen her as I used to around town. Oftentimes our paths crossed when she’d be on her way onto White House grounds via the Northwest gate. Other times I’d bump into her at a nearby coffee shop, also northwest of the White House.

And another memorable encounter sticks out. I saw her standing on a K Street corner from less than a block away in October 2006 and I hustled over to say hello. She explained to me she was having difficulty hailing a cab, which I did for her before it picked her up and took her on her way.

Following that 2006 breakfast, I was keenly aware of her vendetta
against Israel but it did not faze me too much largely because I respected her right to her opinion. Thus, I was magnanimous; I operated on a belief that her individual freedoms dwarfed the content of her opinion.

I vividly recall her actions during the 2006 and 2008 occasions after expressing those anti-Israel opinions, which were very memorable: she would bat an eye toward others sitting at the breakfast table, as if she was monitoring our reception to statements she knew were reactionary.


Column continues on the right ->


 Advertisement

 Advertisement

Column continues below ↓

Those glances very strongly suggested she knew exactly what she was doing.

So, regarding her incendiary late May remarks that ended her career in disgrace, by no means am I surprised about her opinion. Her stronger
words and method of expressing that opinion amplify its strength and
clarity.

However, I am very surprised that such an accomplished reporter who
kept the company of each U.S. president during the past 50 years was as tactless, didn’t have the good sense to temper her opinion, and uttered such harsh words – all while on record. And while staring into a video camera.

Also not surprising is how that tiny excerpt, less than 30 seconds, proved to be what drove a stake through a prestigious career rife with
accomplishments. As many in Washington know, people who are well-respected, achieved and connected can make all sorts of progress and advancement but often are done in by tiny – yet underscored – incidents.

Such is the case with Thomas.


Thomas has been in and out of diplomatic circles and her featured presentations and lectures are vintage Thomas. When I hailed a cab for
her, she told me she was on her way to the airport to deliver a lecture at Whitman College in Washington State, the topic being a description of the life and times of a member of the White House press corps. The next time I saw her at breakfast, she explained to me that universities bring her in all the time and the topic is always the same: describing the livelihood of a member of the White House press corps.

Following her strong statements at breakfasts, I had mixed responses.

In 2006, I kept my mouth shut but later expressed concern to a friend who answered my email by telling me Thomas is known for making brazen statements.

Immediately following her 2008 remarks, I instantly became a bit more brazen myself and replied by asking Thomas if she still believed
President Bush invaded Iraq because he was attempting to outdo his father, as she had once told me during a random encounter outside the northwest White House gate. I had informed another friend of her soliloquy by email.

Thomas didn’t answer my question, which I accepted as an indication she would do the same if I asked her to expound how Israel forced the United States to invade Iraq.

Henry Brier is the editor of the Washington Continent.

Return to The Washington Continent

© 2010 The Washington Continent. All rights reserved.