The real First Lady of the White House

It was a long shot. Me, a young reporter from South Arkansas e-mailing a legendary journalist like Helen Thomas. I read an article online late last month about Thomas, and it mentioned that she returns all of her e-mails. The article also listed her e-mail address, which is no secret but would have otherwise taken at least an hour to find online. So I e-mailed her, and she replied.

But before I share the e-mail with you, I want to first enlighten those who may not know who Helen Thomas is. In a word, Thomas, 86, is vivacious. She’s been a member of the White House Press Corps since November 1960, when she covered then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a United Press International (UPI) correspondent.

Since then, she has covered every president and still sits with the White House Press Corps. Today she works for King Feature
Syndicate. If you watch or listen to White House press conferences, Thomas is the one who fires off hard-hitting, ballsy questions that no other journalist would dare touch.

To quote Thomas on why she’s so gutsy at press conferences today: “I censored myself for 50 years as a reporter. Now I wake up and ask myself, who do I hate today?”

And for that, Thomas has paid a price, at least in the current administration. Beginning in 2003, Thomas was banished to the back row during press conferences — an area for rookies and those who ask tough questions the administration doesn’t want to answer. But Thomas still holds a first row spot during briefings, which are given by the White House press secretary.

Moving Thomas to the back row also meant that a long standing White House press conference tradition died. Thomas no longer concludes press conferences with the phrase “Thank you, Mr. President,” as she had done for decades before. It seems the current administration has no time for tradition. Sad.

Just last week, though, Thomas had a chance square off with George W. Bush when he called on her for the first time in many months, although he probably regretted it afterward.
The first question Thomas posed to Bush: “Did you want to go to war with Iraq?” And then she asked, in the very blunt Helen Thomas style: “What was your reasoning was for going to war?”

To which the president replied: “No president wants war.” And after that, he side stepped her repeated charges, most likely hoping she would stop asking him questions about Iraq and why the United States went to war.

The exchange between the two seemed more like a debate than a Q and A session, which, too, has become Helen Thomas’ trademark as of late. She calls them like she sees them, and she sees Bush as one of the worst politicians this country has ever seen.

She also sees a war that seems unwinnable and wants to know the real reason why our troops are over there. So do I. It takes guts to stand up to the president of the United States like that. How many people would do that today, ask those hard-hitting questions that many Americans want answers to but will likely never get?

That’s what made me e-mail Thomas. I told her how much I admire her career and the way she stands up for her beliefs. I told her I wanted to buy her a cup of coffee for all the years she has put in reporting the news to America. This was her reply:

“Good we have a coffee date; I am happy you are a reporter and I can assure you it is the greatest profession, a way of life, but on the highest plane to seek the truth and to do a public service, keeping the people informed at low wages, long hours.
But an education every day; thanks for your kind words, helent.”

Every morning, in a coffee shop near the White House, Thomas reads the newspaper and has her daily caffeine fix. It’s my goal one day, sooner than later, to meet up with one of this country’s most legendary journalists — to talk shop and share ideas — and I’ll buy her that cuppa joe.