The use of planted questioners is a no-no at presidential news conferences, because it sends a message to the world -- Iran included -- that the American press isn't as free as advertised.

He already has every press person in DC kissing his butt and he still has to stage questions.

Soon Obama press conferences will just be reporters laying gifts at his feet and worshiping him.

HuffPo bloggers at the White House? I guess Obama can be assured the news they rip off from another source will be distorted to his advantage.

Micheal Savage ripped this OBAMA-SHOW farce on today's show. Hilarious if it weren't so pathetic.

And oh ya.....the "you pitch, I'll catch" line was just....illuminating

Obama Iran policy success is just ripping you guys to shreds internally isn't it?

Iran policy success = protesters gunned down in the streets while liberal twit goes for ice cream?

Obama Iran policy success = protesters in the streets

Bush Iran policy success = election of Ahmadinejad and Iran making nuclear weapons.

Obama is responsible for the protesters? I wonder what they think of him still inviting the mullahs to 4th of July BBQ and saying nothing as they get gunned down in the streets.

And I thought the whole Iranian nuclear weapons thing was being handled diplomatically through the United Nations, Germany, France, and Britain? That cowboy Bush wouldn't dare to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities. And now he's blamed for it.

Its true - liberals do make up their own reality.

I have to say that Dana Milbank, the author of the peice clipped here, does not come out so good. First, he refers to the question as "pre-arranged" and calls Pitney a "planted questioner" but only at the end of the article does he acknowledge that the question was not pre-arranged - Pitney was just asked to pick a question from an Iranian.

Second, Milbank does not even talk about the actual question itself, which was not a soft-ball question (although Obama dodged having to say if he was going to recognize the election).

Imagine the outrage and spittle-flecked invective flowing at any Republican President who planted a question at a news conference.

But The Messiah gets his apologists, just look above.

The president gets a list of those attending a press conference. As jk pointed out, it was not a softball question. Then there is the Bush White House.

When even a dried up old liberal crazy aunt like Helen Thomas says something about the Potemkin Village show that is the latest town hall - you know that The Messiah and His Holy Teleprompter are out of their depth on actually answering anything real.

Helen Thomas is suspicious of all those in power and I respect that. I do not see the intent of the current administration as she does but I am glad she is there to press this issue.

Now I do recall how hard she was on the Bush White House as well and how the freakish far right reacted... I recall something about senility, mental health, etc.