Helen Thomas Retires

I'm always fascinated by how certain people in the press corps just get under the skin of listeners, readers, viewers and Presidents.  That was certainly true about Helen Thomas.

Thomas "retired" from her job yesterday as a columnist with Hearst Newspapers, ending a lengthy career of skewering those in power from both parties.

Thomas has been covering the White House since John F. Kennedy arrived in 1961.  Much like the late Sarah McClendon, Thomas was a pioneer for women covering Presidents and politics.

She asked blunt questions and genuinely aggravated the media apparatus of both parties at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The difference this time was remarks that she made in a video that was posted on the internet, which quickly went viral,  where the longtime reporter and columnist said Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine".

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gave Thomas no wiggle room with his review.

"I think those remarks were offensive and reprehensible," Gibbs said at the White House Briefing on Monday.  

"I think she should and has apologized, because -- obviously those remarks do not reflect certainly the opinion of I assume most of the people in here, and certainly not of the administration."

Thomas also earned a rebuke from my colleagues who run the White House Correspondent's Association.

It wasn't really news to anyone here in DC that Helen might not have been on the side of the Israelis.  If you go back through many years of White House news conferences and briefings, Helen always seemed to ask much tougher questions about actions of the Israeli government.

But in the new era of You Tube, her remarks went worldwide very fast.  And that doesn't help you keep your job, even if she is a columnist.

Her downfall just days before the start of soccer's World Cup is ironic for me, because that's how I will remember her the most.

In 1994, the US was playing Brazil in the World Cup on July 4th.  I went to a party in Washington, D.C. to watch the game.  A lot of the people there had worked at United Press International, where Helen was a longtime correspondent, and she was actually at the party, much older than most of the people boozing it up on a hot holiday.

I was watching the game, and Helen sat down on the couch with me and watched the second half, asking questions at times about the rules and what was happening on the field.  

When the game was over, she got up and thanked me for dealing with her basic questions and went on her way.

Thomas will now have a lot of extra time to watch the World Cup in 2010 in coming weeks.

I'm always fascinated by how certain people in the press corps just get under the skin of listeners, readers, viewers and Presidents.  That was certainly true about Helen Thomas. Thomas "retired" from her job yesterday as a columnist with Hearst Newspapers, ending a lengthy career of skewering those in power ...