Helen Thomas Quotes

American author and journalist

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Helen Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was an American reporter who worked for the Hearst News Service, as a dean of the White House press corps, as a White House correspondent, and King Features Syndicate columnist. Thomas covered every President of the United States from John F. Kennedy to Barack H. Obama II. Perhaps her most famous quote is "Thank you Mister President." This is how practically every presidential news conference was traditionally ended for over 40 years, from Kennedy to Clinton, and the honor was reserved for Helen Thomas to say. The tradition was started by UPI's Merriman Smith during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 2003, the George W. Bush administration put an end to this tradition.

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Alternative Names: Helen Amelia Thomas

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At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President deplored the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent lives in the world? And I have a follow-up... My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent Iraqis? …

They could go home.

—and America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who are lived there for centuries? See?

Ooh. Any better comments than that?

I'm a liberal, I was born a liberal, and I will be a liberal till the day I die.

The White House used to belong to the American people. At least that's what I learned from history books and from covering every president starting with John F. Kennedy. But now the 201-year-old Executive Mansion belongs only to a select, elitist group of people, including top government officials, members of Congress and the press corps. They and some others, all of whom are screened in advance, are welcome. But most people are not — not anymore.

Well it wasn't a formal hanging. It was kind of subtle. I had covered him … his first press conference. He dropped down into the press room and started taking questions and everyone asked about the tax cut and I sort of — Ari Fleischer later told me I blindsided him because I said to him, "Mister President, why don't you respect the wall of separation between church and state?" Well, there's a video of him that is so funny. He jerked back as if he had been hit! I mean both barrels! And he said, "I do respect—" I said, "Well if you did, why would you have a religious office in the White House?" (I'm exaggerating, but anyway) and "you're a secular official." And he said "I am secular." Well, anyway, I got a call from Ari after that. After that there was a formal news conference and I did ask him a Middle East question and it wasn't the question per se. They just don't like my boorishness.

Not a secret. It’s very open.

Every President hates the Press. Every president thinks that all information that comes to the White House is their private preserve after they all promise an open administration on the campaign trail, but some are even more secretive than others. Some want to lock down everything.

Now, are you familiar of the history of that region, and what took place?

We've got to break through the wall of secrecy. It's America's fate.

I paid the price for that, but it was worth it, to speak the truth. The Zionists have to understand that's their country, too. Palestinians were there long before any European Zionists.

All presidents rail against the press. It goes with the turf.

So where should they go? What should they do?

Tell 'em to get the hell out of Palestine.