Allyson Bird - Internship Diary

Dec. 2:

At some point during the seven hours I was sitting in Dulles waiting for my plane to take me home for Thanksgiving, I realized how little time I have left in Washington.

The city is filling with Christmas trees, and this morning I left class early to go to the White House for First Lady Laura Bush's media preview of the holiday decorations on the State Floor.

Another intern in my program was covering the event too, so we arrived together at the Press Briefing Room at 10:30 a.m. and waited for our 10:40 a.m. media escort to the 11 a.m. event.

At nearly 11 a.m., we wondered where this escort was, as pool press were called to the Roosevelt Room for the announcement of the new agriculture secretary. We asked workers in the press office about our event and were told the tour departed an hour ago -- 40 minutes early.

I asked the woman if Washington reporters really had the time to show up an hour early on the off chance that an event will start then. She told me some people arrived at 9 a.m., that the president and first lady can move events up at their discretion and that we couldn't join the tour now.

Disgusted, we went back to our respective bureaus and then both showed up again for the briefing with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan 45 minutes later. Never having attended one, we were both shocked at some of the inane questions the reporters asked.

But maybe we were just a little bitter.

next entry>>