Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 21, 1991 TAG: 9103210409
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Speaking at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner Tuesday, Bush praised U.S. press coverage of the Persian Gulf War.
But the president also wisecracked that he was urged to take the Desert Storm coalition all the way to Baghdad to "take out the man who caused so much grief and anger. And I said, no, let CNN take Peter Arnett out."
Noting that some Iraqi soldiers had surrendered to members of the press, Bush exclaimed: "I can't imagine surrendering to the press. To Mary McGrory, I say, `Never! Come and get me. I'll never surrender!' "
McGrory is a syndicated columnist.
As he took note of the standing ovation for himself and his wife, the president dubbed Barbara Bush the "Mother of all Bushes."
On a more serious note, Bush said the war "reminded us of the value of a free press" in defending democracy, and he offered a toast "to the men and women who are the eyes and the ears of democracy."
\ Lt. Gen. Thomas Kelly, who jousted with reporters as a Pentagon briefer during the Persian Gulf War, is headed into the world of business.
He's expected to join the board of the Enron Corp., an oil and gas company.
Kelly, 59, will be nominated for a seat on the Houston company's board during a May 7 shareholders meeting, said Ed Segner, Enron senior vice president. The general won't formally accept the nomination until he retires at the end of the month, Segner said.
Kelly will be paid $18,500 a year, plus fees for attending each full board and committee meeting.
\ Mike Wallace, hospitalized after a fainting spell last week, is ready to resume work after receiving a heart pacemaker, CBS says.
The 72-year-old "60 Minutes" correspondent checked into Lenox Hill Hospital after fainting aboard a New York-bound jetliner in Los Angeles.
He received the implant on Saturday and went home Monday, CBS spokesman Roy Brunett said, adding that Wallace was expected to return to work today.
by CNB