by Mark Silva
On the occasion of President Bush's announcement of a new press secretary today, the Swamp is offering a reprise of a golden oldie, our profile of Dana Perino, dog-lover, taskmaster and one of the most efficient people to ever enter the halls of the press office.
Perino, "almost 5-foot-1,'' pulled the step out from beneath the podium of the new press briefing room today and prepared to step into one of the biggest jobs in Washington, which she will assume on Sept. 14 -- becoming the first woman to serve as the voice of the White House in the Bush administration. As Bush put it today: "She can handle you all.''
See and hear her remarks above -- note how quickly she gets to the continuing Bush agenda of his remaining time - and read on for her story, written as she stepped in for Tony Snow earlier this year, when he took time out for cancer treatment:
Mark Silva
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Dana Perino, a good-humored taskmaster who is standing in as spokeswoman for President Bush for the foreseeable future, has spent considerable time training her dog Henry, one smart vizsla.
When Perino says, "Tell us what you really think about John Kerry," Henry fetches one of her flip-flops.
When Perino asks if "anybody thinks that Bill Clinton should be in jail," Henry barks.
This playful turn reveals the partisan side of Perino, who has devoted a considerable part of her career to representing Republicans in Washington.
Her professional side, expressed in two years of largely behind-the-scenes work in the West Wing, is now on display at the podium of the press briefing room, where an "almost 5-foot-1," 34-year-old flutist—whose family owns a Wyoming ranch where cattle are driven twice a year—has stepped into the center ring for a White House besieged by war and controversy.
When Tony Snow, Bush's star-powered press secretary, faced exploratory surgery this week, Perino, his deputy, was tapped to fill in for an expected three weeks. But when Snow learned that his cancer had returned, news that Perino tearfully delivered at the press room podium Tuesday morning, the deputy abruptly became caretaker of the White House media machinery.
"I was floored," Perino said in an interview, referring to Snow's new cancer bout. "In all of our conversations about his checkups, I thought it was going to be fine."
As Snow undergoes chemotherapy, his return is uncertain. And that means Perino's time on center stage is indefinite.
She rises at 4:30 a.m. to exercise—"If I didn't, I would be a woman on the edge"— and reaches the office by 6:30. She tries to turn in by 9:30 p.m., explaining, "I realize I am such a nicer person with an extra hour's sleep."
Perino started as a television news reporter in Springfield, Ill., where she had earned a master's degree at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She covered the General Assembly and other news in a broadcasting stint that lasted less than a year.
"I didn't think I was very good at it," Perino said. "I like news. I like politics … But I like being on this side of it. I like coming up with a way of using communications as a tool for getting policy through."
Moving to Washington in the fall of 1995, Perino served as press secretary for then-Rep. Dan Schaefer (R-Colo.). Though born in the Black Hills of Wyoming, where the Perino family still operates a ranch, she was raised in Colorado.
Her favorite office wall poster: a black-and-white portrait of a cowboy-hatted Vice President Dick Cheney, viewed from behind, with a horse.
Another favorite photo: the 8-month-old twin grandchildren of her husband, Peter McMahon, an international businessman from England whom she first met in 1997. "I'm a grandmother now," she said.
After a year in England, she moved to San Diego to work in public relations. Six years ago she returned to Washington, where she was hired at the Justice Department as a press officer for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Susan Whitson, then deputy director of public affairs at Justice, remembers Perino handling a case about caviar smuggled in a suitcase. "I will never forget her explaining the caviar case, and what the ENR Division was doing to prosecute it," Whitson said. "She basically was able to take a legal brief, extract the most interesting… parts of it and convey it."
In this partisan town, Perino is hardly blinded by politics. She counts among her words of encouragement this week a phone call from Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a friend of Snow, "to tell me I'd do fine."
Perino moved into the White House press complex in 2002, starting at the Council on Environmental Quality. Scott McClellan, who was Bush's press secretary before Snow, made Perino a deputy in February 2005, then chief deputy, and Snow kept her on last year.
"She had proven herself within the White House," McClellan said. "Dana has the full trust of the president and the White House staff. … She knows how to handle the pressures and challenges remarkably well."
Perino has rehearsed the role of leading spokeswoman many times, in informal "gaggles" with reporters and in one-day stints at a podium that Snow often has been willing to share.
Perino fields questions these days with a blend of the partisan training she brought to the job and her own personal touch. Snow has counseled her by telephone on White House "talking points." She readily lapsed into those points Thursday, when asked about war-spending bills Congress has tied to timelines for troop withdrawal.
"Slow bleed," she called it, invoking the GOP label for the Democratic plan. The nation needs only one commander-in-chief in war, she continued on track, not "535 generals."
Yet as a measure of growing confidence, Perino adds her own commentary. Asked about Defense Secretary Robert Gates' testimony before Democrats on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Perino said: "I wonder if Secretary Gates will be able to get a word in."
One of her predecessors, Ari Fleischer, has advised her never to take questions personally.
"I haven't always had thick skin," acknowledged Perino. But she added, "It's gotten thicker through the years."
mdsilva@tribune.com
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Comments
She's kind of hot for a knuckledragging mouthbreathing Republican freeper, I wonder where her life took a wrong turn?
Posted by: John E | August 31, 2007 3:30 PM
AMERICA WELCOMES DANA, SHE'S HOT!
BUT NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR K STREET CULTURE OF CORRUPTION CAMPUS. ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HER TONGUE TIED INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BECOME APPARENT. DUH, DUH, I DON'T RECALL, I WILL HAVE TO GET BACK WITH YOU ON THAT. OR THE PRESIDENTS HAS A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION, WE WILL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU AMERICA ON THAT ONE.
ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE HAS TO EXPLAIN, DICK CHENEY SO CALLED EXECUTIVE BRANCH DUTIES THAT HE SAYS HE DOESN'T HAVE TO DO. YEA F YOU SENATOR, F YOU.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME THAT WE NOW GET A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE ON IRAQ. WE WILL NOW HAVE TO ENDURE THE LOWEST OF ALL UNDERTONES AND HAVE TO TRY TO DECIPHER IF IT IS JUST ONE NEW LIE AFTER THE LAST NEW LIE.
ITS SEPTEMBER AND WE ALL KNOW THIS IS THE MONTH THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION AND THIS GEORGE BUSH'S GOVERNMENT AND ITS GOING TO BE NOTHING BUT GREAT NEWS FROM THE WEST.
THE IRANIANS ARE COMING, THE IRANIANS ARE COMING. WHEN THE UN SAYS NO THEY ARE NOT, NO THEY ARE NOT.
DICK CHENEY COMPELS HER TO SAY OH YES THEY ARE. JUST WATCH AND SEE.
THE BUSHES ARE COMING, THE BUSHES ARE COMING. THE BUSHES NEW SPIN ON IRAQ IS COMING. THE BUSHES NEW SPIN ON IRAN IS COMING. THE DICK CHENEY SAUDI ARABIA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WAR ON TERROR IS COMING.
I WISH YOU LUCK MRS. PERINO, BUT I WOULD KEEP THAT GOP BUTTON "I'M QUITTING TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY" BUTTON.
Posted by: Roger Morris | August 31, 2007 3:48 PM
Great. Another pathological liar at the podium. McClellan, Snow, Perino. What a parade of sycophant robots. Why does the Press Corp encourage these clowns?
Posted by: Steve D | August 31, 2007 4:14 PM
Let's just call her Dana Pespino.
Posted by: RomanB | August 31, 2007 4:38 PM
She'll do. She's a looker!
http://OsiSpeaks.com or http://OsiSpeaks.org
Posted by: KYJurisDoctor | August 31, 2007 4:54 PM
At least she has an adams apple.
Posted by: bill r. | August 31, 2007 5:27 PM
She is a Beautiful, Intelligent Lady.
Posted by: Dee S. | August 31, 2007 10:19 PM
Typical maniacal meanderings from the dumbest, most ignorant and worst mankind has to offer: the Loony left.
Posted by: John D | August 31, 2007 10:33 PM
Why not Jeff Gannon?
He has experience.
Posted by: Roger | September 1, 2007 2:51 PM
She married a man who is at least twice her age.....Yawn.....Next topic please.....
Posted by: Sharon Mounier | September 2, 2007 3:32 PM
I wonder when we'll start seeing her clips on youtube.
PS:Ahem, and how does she plan on "handling" us? Any idea?
Posted by: Naser | September 4, 2007 10:16 AM
Another liar? ABSOLUTELY. I can't wait to see Miss Washington and Miss South Carolina side by side on youtube. These SLIME BAGS....................
Posted by: Kant Waite | September 4, 2007 2:22 PM
How long before this intelligent being starts hemming and hawing her way though a press conference. Too bad that she is nothing more than fodder.
Posted by: bad1y2k | September 4, 2007 2:24 PM
Ms. Perino has a tough job ahead of her as a Bush apologist. She'll have to juggle the truth, spin like a blackwidow and be good at contextual lying. Her first gig could be explaining why her boss is considering a "cut & run" exit from Iraq. Her best reply could be "If Richard Nixon could cut & run from Vietnam and Ronald Reagan could cut & run after 256 Marines were killed in Lebannon, why can't Dubya cut & run from Iraq? It is afterall, a proven Republican strategy.
Good Grief and Good luck to her!
Posted by: Radar | September 4, 2007 3:04 PM
so now we have a woman who can lie for little bush....what difference does that make? helen thomas could eat her alive if she wanted to do so.
Posted by: elaine chumley | September 5, 2007 10:27 AM
Duh! Roger, Robert, Steve, Roman,Sharon, Kant, Nasser, and Radar, typing in all caps is considered shouting and rude?
What is wrong, are you afraid someone won't get your point if you don't scream or shout?
Posted by: Ed S | September 5, 2007 10:33 AM
I can't wait to see her explain that "19 Iranians with Cuban-made boxcutters and Venezuelan visas blew up the something-er-other, and so martial law and World War V must begin immediately!" Will the American people believe the lies then too? Will we continue to let them get away with it? Are we so certain that trusting Democrats to impeach (which is off the table) or voting for someone like Obama (who wants to attack Iran and Pakistan right away) are the answers?
Posted by: Esteban | September 5, 2007 10:47 AM
I have never seen so many negative people all in one place together before, just let the lady do her job.
Posted by: Ed S. | September 5, 2007 11:03 AM
What pathetic, ignorant, distasteful drivel!! And whoever is screening this is too lenient! Abbreviated obscenity is still obscenity and whether she is "hot" or not is not relevant to the topic. Such a depressing, negative, disparaging, character assasinating environment! I don't envy your job reading and screening this bitter pill text! You have my sympathy. This is well named "The Swamp"
Posted by: Bill | September 5, 2007 11:34 AM
She's 34?! She's already lying and sh'e not very good at it. Just take a look at the video image. Other than that, good luck. She'll need it for all the heat she is going to be under for the next year or so.
Posted by: Jenny | September 5, 2007 11:59 AM
I don't think you are screening for relevance to the topic and over-the-top personal attacks.
Give Ms Perino and all of us a break!
Posted by: annemarie richardson | September 5, 2007 12:55 PM
I'm annoyed by the comments about her looks. She's good looking, so what. I'm sure the same people are going, "damn the president's " after he makes a speech, give me a break.
Posted by: Chris | September 5, 2007 1:06 PM
I am hearing everyone saying she is a liar, when she has not even had a chance to prove herself. Funny, didn't President Clinton lie under oath? I guess that is overlooked for liberal agenda's.
Posted by: JDW | September 5, 2007 2:01 PM
I'm so glad LBJ didn't cut and run . . . all he can accept kudos for was to allow Israeli warplanes to murder innocent U.S. sailors from the U.S.S. Liberty in international waters. That's much better isn't it Roger, Robert, Steve, Roman, Sharon, Kant, Nasser, and Radar?
Posted by: virgilio1 | September 5, 2007 5:36 PM
Well, the right wing kooks always bring up Clinton, as if every single person in the Bush whitehouse has not LIED many, many times under oath.
So Bush has a new press yakker, it doesn't matter who it is, the result will be the same.
Lies.
The right wing kooks need to forget Clinton and turn the microscope on the LIARS in the whitehouse.
EOM
Posted by: Handi DeLain | September 5, 2007 6:16 PM
I wish Dana luck! That vicious press corps does more harm to America then the environment does.
As for Clinton, he admitted he is a liar,end of story.
Posted by: ladyluck | September 6, 2007 7:13 AM
I think it is funny that the same people who voted for a guy who owned 3 houses, 5 SUV's and was married to a woman who's company moved to another country because they believed him when he said he could relate to the poor, cared about the environment, and promised to save American jobs would come here and call the Bush camp "liars." I also think it's funny HR Clinton is blaming Bush for trade woes she and her husband Billary started. I'm sure that will work considering the American attention span allows for things like that.
Posted by: Sandy | September 6, 2007 3:36 PM
It didnt take long for the personal attacks to begin.
Perhaps one day such critics will have their dream of making the Republican Party illegal and have a one party state like their beloved Chavez.
Posted by: Freedom Now | September 6, 2007 5:03 PM
People, People, People;
It seems to me, that there is no respect or commonsense in this country anymore. It was once said: If you do not have nothing nice to say about someone, do not say anything at all.
All this trash and hate talk, is just plain wrong, period. You all should look in a mirror. Look at your own short coming's; before opening your mouths. We all live in "GLASS HOUSE" in the world today. Yours may be the next one to have rocks thrown at it.
Mrs. Dana Perino; looks like she has work hard to get to where she is today. Her education and back ground and work ethic has got her where she is today. I congradulate her on that.
I wish her the best of luck; in her new job. For it is not an easy job to do. Not many people can do it.
Signed: "THE PIZZAMAN"
Posted by: pizzaman | September 7, 2007 7:35 AM
bring it on dems-weve got the podium-and this gal will cut the legs out from under you.
Posted by: judy kelley | September 7, 2007 10:20 AM
She's stepping into a tough job, being the pretty front-girl for duplicity itself. She'll have to be quick with her mouth to twist evil, and make it sound like the Christian thing to do; but I understand she's got that skill. I'm sure she'll be able to lie with the best of them, to keep up the Bush White House tradition, while covering for Bush's lack of intelligence, idiotic ideas and self-serving government givaways.
Posted by: Peter Plantec | September 7, 2007 10:58 AM
I feel so badly for my country when I see all of this hate speech at a time when people are out to kill us for no other reason than we are Americans and we are free. How many more of our people will have to die before we realize that we must win the war on terror. I am certainly willing to try anything that will get that job done. Even if it means trying something that the "hate America" crowd wants.. short of surrender of course.
Posted by: Ed Sloan | September 7, 2007 2:58 PM
Congrarulations to Mrs. Perino. It is past time for this country to have women in active government rolls. It seems that countries such as the UK, India, Israel, and Germany have been more progressive in honoring and respecting well educated women than we have. It is my hope that the populace of the U.S.A. will take a stance to give women that have worked dilligently to achieve an education and success the chance to be leaders of this great country. They certainly deserve it. I wish Mrs. Perino and other women the greatest success.
I also congratulate Nancy Pelosi as the first woman to occupy the position of Speaker of the House.
We seem to be making some progress.
Posted by: Roger | September 7, 2007 3:43 PM
Wow....lots of angry male testosterone out there. I have never read The Swamp comments, nor will I waste my time in the future. Are there any nice things you all have to say about anyone?
Posted by: meghan | September 7, 2007 4:57 PM
Amen Meghan, I've never read the Swamp comments, nor would I again... Constructive criticism is one thing.. such hatred, stereotyping and profanity is another. It's embarrasing.
Posted by: Sandy | September 7, 2007 5:23 PM
I was seven years old when i first time heare Joseph Goebbels who was able to swalow his own lies? When the mess of Fascism-Nazism was over I came to USA. But lately i have to lis-ten again samkind Goebbels as Dana Perino and Rush Limbough? It is too much and un accepteble in USA.
Posted by: STEVAN CTEBAH | November 2, 2007 5:46 PM
Another Bush flunkie. She should go down like the rest of them. Liars, liars, liars. Now she has joined the ranks.
Posted by: Joyce | December 23, 2007 5:22 AM
Saw a vid from her where a reporter asked about oil prices coming from OPEC are high because of what our gov't has done to the dollar.She said that she was given strict orders not to talk about it our she would get fired..........And why might that be? Another sounding board for the new nazi germany?
Posted by: Eagle 1717 | May 9, 2008 10:34 PM
Good grief!
To read two thirds of the nasty, hectoring comments on here, one would think that this pretty, intelligent woman was the second coming of Lucifer himself.
One can only wonder if these "compassionate" liberals furiously spewing their bile for all to see might even have it in them to turn that antipathy and energy on our REAL enemies, i.e. terrorists.
Ah, but no, of course, they would rather snipe from behind the safety of our military cordon, while condemning that same military protection.
No wonder the terrorists thought they could get away with 9/11.
Just look at how eager a depressingly large segment of our population is to do all that it can to hinder our very real effort to stop the likes of Chavez, Jong-Il, Ahmadinajaed, and Bashar-Assad, then cuddle up to those same enemies.
Can you say Jimmie Carter and his disgraceful Hamas/Syria circle jerk?
Posted by: Scott Conway | May 15, 2008 10:51 PM