Who scheduled this thing?

Last night President Obama held his first televised news conference, just as ABC's "The Bachelor" and CBS' string of Monday night sitcoms were due to air. I thought he seemed a little uncomfortable. Not for any trepidation of reporters, but maybe he knew he was delaying "Bachelor" for an hour and that my wife had been silently cursing his name since she realized what had happened. She has only a few "must-see" shows; "Bachelor," "Grey's Anatomy," and perhaps "Private Practice." More than once I have felt her wrath when I failed to record one of these when she had a meeting at work during Prime Time.

Of course all did see "Bachelor" jack around with the lives of the oddly-motivated young women in question but the President may be getting a letter.

If the Q-and-A session had been a little meatier it would have been a more meaningful experience. This isn't the President's fault. The White House press corps tossed him a load of softball questions, which is about typical of today's newsmen and women. Not one of them really challenged him about the pork in the so-called stimulus package. If someone had asked why is there $4 billion in there for ACORN to assist with "neighborhood development," and how does that stimulate the economy, I might have taken their efforts more seriously.

But President Obama won't be required by a weak fourth estate to justify anything. The ultimate nonsense question came from an effeminate little fellow from the Huffington Post who, almost in a fit of pique, demanded to know if the new administration would pursue criminal charges against individuals of the Bush 43 presidency. To his credit, the President said in essence, "get over it and get on with life."

Huffington is the journalistic equivalent of the obnoxious little kid who was routinely de-pantsed after school. They make a lot of noise indignantly taunting anyone to the right of Lenin. It is recognized as anything but objective, except by the other press institutions who must let it continue to exist because they are amused by it. But Huffington is rarely a player in national affairs.

With the straightest of faces the President said there are "no earmarks" in the stimulus bill, and urged its passing. If only they could have got him to admit there are indeed earmarks there that will not stimulate anything--even just one pork chop--it might have been possible for me to take the whole thing seriously. So they are either lazy, very subjective, or not very bright. Or all three. I have a little insight here, I was a journalism major; I can see clearly what the press corps is up to. Or not up to.

And how does the President figure it won't pass the Senate? There are enough "RINO" senators to easily put it through. Maybe, just maybe, he was concerned it wouldn't pass if he knew women across the country were angered to action because he held up "The Bachelor" for an hour!