DID YOU HEAR A COUGH??

Tonight I watched the President answer questions about health care and other issues during his prime-time news conference. I've watched Presidential press conferences dozens of times in the past, but this time was different. I was listening for something in particular.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I've become quite active on Twitter. In the process, I've established chatting relationships with some exceedingly interesting people. There's Tanka_BarLinda, who is in charge of marketing food products produced on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (buffalo bars with cranberries). There's Keewatinrose, an Iron Ranger whose path I crossed many years ago in Northern Minnesota. And there's WestWingReports, a journalist who Tweets regularly about what's happening in the President's house.

I first noticed WWR (that's how he refers to himself in Tweets) when he made a couple of comments faintly critical of Obama. Although I'm an Obama supporter, I thought his criticisms were fair. But what really impressed me was that he also took a swipe at Obama's critics when he thought they were off base. Hm. A fair, even-handed--dare we say OBJECTIVE--reporter. Imagine my delight.

When Walter Cronkite died, I posted a Tweet mourning the loss of "one of the last real journalists of our time." That caught WWR's attention, and we began Tweeting back and forth about our views of the current state of journalism. It was a thought-provoking and satisfying exchange. I was amazed that a White House reporter would a) care in the least about what I thought, and b) take the time to share his own views with me.

So yesterday, when I told WWR I'd be watching the President's press conference, he promised to cough loudly, precisely at 8:12 EDT (7:12 St. Paul time) just so I'd know he was really there.

At 7:00 tonight, when the President took the podium in the East Room, I was standing six inches away from my TV wearing my cheaters so I'd be able to make out individual faces in the White House press corps, just in case WWR was on camera when he coughed up our secret signal. My sister and brother were watching too.

And at precisely 7:12, we heard a resounding and enthusiastic cough from the press section. The three of us looked at each other and grinned. That must have been WWR! Can you believe that, he really coughed--just for me! We have a secret buddy in the White House press corps! How cool is that??

Keep in mind, please, that I still don't know WWR's real name or what he looks like. I don't know what news outlet he works for or how long he's been covering the White House. I could walk right by him on the street and never know it. And while I'd love to meet him in person, that's almost beside the point.

Twitter created a personal connection between this slightly jaded, just-a-tad disillusioned PR hack sitting in her living room in St. Paul, MN, and a White House reporter who still believes in and honors the standards of honesty, balance and fairness in the tradition of journalistic giants like Walter Cronkite. I wish I could explain how good that makes me feel.