Helen Thomas rules.

This is like porn for me. I would pay so much money to watch Helen mudwrestle the whole bevvy of blonde criminals twittering around the administration: Monica Goodling, Sara Taylor, and of course Ms. Perino herself.

I saw HT on K Street once, trying to hail a cab. It's still my most exciting celebrity sighting ever.

Damn, Perino needs to be smacked. Telling Helen Thomas that she is basically dishonoring her position and privilege by asking pertinent questions about the war while she works for George Bush, who has desecrated Iraq, the presidency, Constitution is stunning.

Do.Not.Fuck.With.Helen.Thomas.
And have a little respect, little blonde girl. It's "Ms. Thomas," to you. Also, to insinuate that it is a privilege for her to be up front in the briefing room? Huh uh. She has earned it.

Back when I had goals and dreams, she was my aspiration (inspiration?).

Now that I have none, I find myself reading this bit, watching the clip and thinking "Damn, I thought she died?"

Shame on me.

Love her! And it's so disgusting the way tight-ass Perino tries to lecture this living legend like a kindergarten teacher.

xoxxo helen thomas.

LURVE.

OH NO SHE DIDN'T. I LOVE Helen Thomas. LOVE HER. Perino sucks -- she looks and speaks like a kindergarten teacher, not a professional. Not only is she insulting and condescending to a totally bad-ass woman, but she sucks at her job too. Do not fuck with Helen, bitch!

@notbetty: Right on!

When the greatest thing you have done with your life ISN'T a hilariously funny sketch with Stephen Colbert (anyone else see that: spectacular), you know you are truly an uberfrau. May those of us who want children all bear daughters just like Helen Thomas... only less wrinkled.

Helen Thomas is awesome. Meeting her is probably my favorite memory of working in Washington. She came up to about my waist and was a little confused as I am named Helen too (other than that she's sharp as a tack).

She wakes up at 4am every day and doesn't tolerate those who aren't morning people also. Where I worked we had an annual reading of names of journalists who had died "in action" in the previous year and always had her read first as she was the only one awake at that hour. She was just cool.

When she passes, they better not give that seat to someone else. It should remain empty, like a riderless horse in a funeral procession.

Have loved that old lady for years, and how about that scary Stepford flack? Jesus.

yet another reason to want to smack dana perino in that stupid bitchy face of hers. oh, and for all you jezzies who commented on the british shopping over sex post? her husband's a brit and spent a night in jail for not paying his dog-off-leash fine. hahahahahaha...

One of my most treasured possessions is a little pocket copy of the Constitution signed by Barbara Jordan and Helen Thomas! Barbara used to say she never the left the house without hers, so I went and got one and brought it to an event she was speaking at. Then when HT came to town, I thought, "why the hell not." She loved it. RIP BJ homegirl.

God, that makes me sound like such a dork.

Lizawithazee: no it doesn't.

Helen Thomas kicks the ass of every other Helen out there, including Hunt, Reddy, and Of Troy.

Arguably I come in a close second, but she is the undisputed champion of the Helens.

@Lizawithazee: it makes you sound like a dc denizen! and i mean that in the best possible way.

@Lizawithazee: No it doesn't at all. You sound cool!

Helen Thomas is so much win.
Perino is like the whiny class secretary from high school who sulks when nobody pays attention to her reading the minutes.

Helen Thomas: Oh, regret. It doesn't bring back a life.

This perks me up after G-Dub's speech.

@Lizawithazee: I think it makes you sound hot. But I am a huge geek, so take that with a grain of salt.

It's so discouraging to see that most people in Washington are afraid to ask the serious questions and question those with power. I wish there were more people my age like this woman.

Love Helen Thomas. May she outlive all of the crappy 'journalists' out there today.

HELEN THOMAS, I LOVE YOU!

@Lizawithazee: No it doesn't! Given the bent of Chimpy McAssface's administration, we should ALL be carrying pocket copies of the Constitution.

grr have to post to see\

HT is the greatest. I cannot wait to watch this later. That woman is the best - she holds everyone's feet to the fire. I wish she was my grandma.

I think I'm in love.

Wish there were more like her.

Yeah, I love that Perino scolds Helen Thomas for making things uncomfortable. "I'm disappointed in you!". Bitch, I'm disappointed by how many people you and yours have killed.

Dana Perino is so incompetent she makes Scott McClellan look good...which I did not even think was possible.

Thanks for sharing this. More stories like this please, Anna.

And Dana Perino, WTF? "you should be honored to be here"? That woman was "here" long before your dad's cold sperm even cracked your mom's icy egg. You should feel honored to be talking to HER.

"To the extent that any innocent Iraqis have been killed, we have expressed regret for it."
Seriously? Thats all you have to say on the matter?

Damn I love Helen Thomas.

I got a tour of the west wing a while back and got to see her seat at the press room - front and center. The only person who had a name plate at their seat, not just a plate of the news service they represented. What a badass. I can kinda feel for anyone at that podium (kinda!): being in her sites must be a little scary. Which is why she is fantastic!!

@Nicolars:

so true! mcClellan was such a tool. actually all of the white house mouthpieces could've just been projected against a screen like a hologram, that's how fake they are.

helen just cut to the chase and went for the jugular. all that stupid blond twat could do was regurgitate some cut-and-paste crap about our "commander-in-chief" and "the enemy." i longed for a mob to rush in and drag perino off to a firing squad.

My cousin and I once mulled over running across a busy DC intersection just to meet Helen Thomas, who was waiting for a car. She was friends with our grandfather, so we thought it would be cool to say "hi", but then the thought of two 6 feet guys running down a diminutive senior citizen seemed a little crazed.

Now that I've read that transcript, I think she could've taken me and my cousin down and not the other way around!

Do Bush's cronies come with that disgusting sense of smugness and condescension to begin with, or do they undergo a labotomy and have it implanted upon their hiring?

I can't stand watching press conferences with Tony Snow and Dana Perino. They always act condescending and exasperated that people are actually asking them questions. Where do they think they are??

So I just realized that at this point Helen Thomas has beat down Ari, Scott, and Tony, and she is totally going to outlast this whitebread girlie. Bush Administration has nothing on Madame Badass.

I'm naming my firstborn child Helen. Even if it's a boy.

Ah, Dana... CJ Cregg you are not.

Oh fuck them, "privilege and honor." It's called maintaining accountability to the people, dickwad, and it's kind of relevant for an informed democracy.

In other news, Helen Thomas rocks. But you all knew that already.

@pinkhearts: They think they are at the Palace drawbridge valiantly fighting back the heathens who do not understand that they do not matter.

She blinks…a lot. Also, she reminds me of Harry Potter's Professor Umbridge - totally towing the line of Bush's Voldemort.

I love you Helen Thomas.

@Meanmllemustard:
I so hate how people like this try to make it seem like people who question the war are anti-military and care not for the soldiers. My family was military (except for my generation); we all care plenty, and part of the caring is not wanting our people (or anyone) in harm's way to assuage the egos of the Bush administration.

@missmade: I was TOTALLY going to make the Umbridge parallel!

I am kind of a greedy praying-type, and I pray for the Mz H. a lot. I wrote her a fan letter when I was 11 (81) and she actually wrote me a real letter back. I was thrilled.
I need her to live forever, because I have already sufferd through the losses of Ann Richards and Molly Ivins. If I lose Helen, I just won't have anyone to root for anymore.

@exiled: It's an excellent name, good choice.

@Jerseylicious: It's on the job application:

Q:Your friends describe you as

a) condescending
b) arrogant or
c) what friends?

Only the c's get through.

@Jerseylicious: I think they have those traits when hired. The lobotomy is to remove any ethics they might have left.

I just want to say, I don't know if anyone knows or cares about this, but do you know what the Latin word for "Commander" is? It's "Imperator." Augustus Caesar took the name because he knew that the Roman people wouldn't accept a king in exchange for their old republic. So, he put himself in charge of the army, called himself Imperator, and made himself into a military leader with widespread civic authority.

I'm just saying. That that's exactly what this is like. Like, EXACTLY. That kind of creeps me out a little.

@Lizawithazee: Oh I love the late great Barbara Jordan. I heard her speak about conviction and values once. I can still hear her voice in my head. It was once of the best speeches I ever heard in my life.