The Village Idiots

In dealing with foreign journalists who cover American politics, I’ve noticed a consistent view about the White House press corps. I strain to recall a positive word ever being uttered about them by their professional colleagues abroad. But usually these judgments are saved for social interaction and don’t find their way into some public forum. Yesterday at a Middle East Institute function, however, honesty appears to have gotten the better of professional courtesy. A panel of three Middle Eastern journalists were asked by ThinkProgress what they felt about the Washington press corps and their knowledge of Middle Eastern issues. Here’s the answer from Nadia Bilbassy, White House correspondent for MBC, a satellite TV network in Dubai: