The Empty Seat

There was an empty, but treasured, front row seat at the White House press briefing room today that once belonged to Helen Thomas, the female Queen of the press corps, who didn’t know when to say goodbye, but her mouth did her in last week and she retired today months shy of 90 and it was a sad way to fade away for a reporter that covered every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower and opened the future pathway for female journalists.

The White House was planning a birthday party for her in August in the East Room.  It was canceled today.

This all came about because she made a comment in May which was caught on videotape  that surfaced last week about the need for Jews to “get the hell out of Palestine” and return to Poland and Germany.

The video tape, captured during an interview with RabbiLive.com’s, Rabbi David Nesnoff and was widely disseminated on the Internet.

Thomas said in a statement last week, “I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians.  They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance.  May that day come soon.”

Nevertheless, today she announced her retirement, effectively immediately, from Hearst Newspapers as a columnist.

Upon learning of her comments, rebuke came from both sides of the political spectrum.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, “Those remarks were offensive and reprehensible,” adding that her remarks “do not reflect certainly most of the people here and certainly not those of the administration.”

Thomas’ agency dropped her as a client and a high school that asked her to speak at its commencement ceremony revoked the invitation.

And a number of politicians and pundits from both sides denounced her remarks along with many Jewish organizations.

Thomas served 57 years as a correspondent for United Press International. She was known as a tough questioner, but leaned to the left of liberal.  She tended to ease off on the Dems and was tougher on the Republicans.

That middle seat in the White House briefing room was privileged – first by protocol and than by mandate.

She was the first female officer of the National Press Club; the first female member of the White House Correspondents Association and the Gridiron Club.  When UPI was acquired by News World Communications, Thomas resigned and joined Hearst as a columnist and continued to hold her front row middle seat, while other columnists were in the back of the room.

She didn’t know how to say good-bye and it was a hell of a way to hang up a jock strap.