Helen Thomas Screws Up

By Zamboni

One of the things we cats like best about the end of the Bush Administration is that we no longer have to endure White House briefings from the likes of Ari Fleischer. Our T.V. and computer screens are much better places without him.

So thanks a lot, Helen Thomas.

Don't get us wrong, we admire Helen Thomas. She's put Cheshire cat grins on our faces for many years — particularly when she was sparring with the execrable Mr. Fleischer and calling George W. Bush the worst President ever. In fact, we cited her as one of the few journalists whose death would be worthy of the wall-to-wall coverage Tim Russert inexplicably received back in 2008.

Now, however, Ms. Thomas not only has forced an awkward retirement on herself — she's given Arrogant Ari the opportunity to crow. This drives us cats crazy. (Oh, and by the way, as annoyed as we are by the Gaza thing, her remarks on Israel made us feel like hacking up a hairball. Substitute the words "blacks should go back to Africa" for "Jews should get out of Palestine," and — well, ugh.)

Interesting, however, that a dolt like Fleischer doesn't note the irony that Helen worked for the last few years for the Hearst News Service — or the fact that William Randolph Hearst, like most of his generation, harbored some pretty dark racism and anti-Semitism himself. But of course, why should a GOP flack ever criticize a fellow arch-conservative? Nope, only 89-year-old lefties are in their sights.

Well, we cats HISS at all this. Helen Thomas has just added a sad, unnecessary footnote to a brilliant career, and we're sorry.