Where is Sam ?

Other than all the Uhs and Ums and y’knows and word searches, the president-elect’s news conferences are as exciting as watching paint dry.

He obviously has a list of attending reporters he is going to call on. They, obviously, have been alerted. Sooooooo...

Why the room full of newspaper people? Why not just send the ones who get the face time and one extra pool man for the wore services and keep it cozy?

It’s the old Ben Hecht-Charlie MacArthur “Front Page” coming out in me. I used to cover the state Capitol when Georgia had two...no, THREE... governors, 52 years ago. I followed Atlanta mayors like Ivan Allen, Jr., into angry student mobs. I scooped the wire services on tornado deaths by 45 minutes from my assistant state editor’s desk.

But, I was watching his “briefing” and I wondered:

Where is Sam Donaldson when we need him ? Man, he could stir things up, tormenting presidents like no other newshawk in history.

There was a post online from a Chicago (hometown ??) Sun-Times reporter predicting an era of Lap Dog journalism. She was really shrill about it. As if to threaten she might roil the waters.

Stay tuned. Somebody will. They will catch Hell when they do.

But it’s inevitable that some unruly wretch will refuse to worship.