Helen Thomas Retires

As Instapundit says: Felled by a flip camera!

Helen Thomas is retired, effective Immediately, and the White House Correspondent’s Association, after mulling it over for a few days, has released a condemnation of Thomas’ remarks, and add:

“. . . the incident does revive the issue of whether it is appropriate for an opinion columnist to have a front row seat in the WH briefing room. That is an issue under the jurisdiction of this board.”

The White House itself, after ignoring the anniversary of D-Day and having a rather pleasant weekend, all things considered, has also decided to chime in:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs today called Helen Thomas’ remarks, “offensive and reprehensible.”

“I think she should and has apologized,” Gibbs said at the daily briefing today, “Obviously those remarks are — do not reflect certainly the opinion of most people in here, and certainly not of the administration.” …

Actually, no, Ms. Thomas has not apologized, per se. She has, as neocon notes, expressed regret that she was caught airing her anti-semitism so indiscreetly, to a person disinclined to protect her. And apparently there is a second part on the way. Might seem anti-climatic, though, with her retirement a done deal.

It’s difficult to believe that the White House Press Corps did not know Thomas was a raging anti-semite when so many ardent news junkies have understood it for years. Only Tony Snow seemed willing to acknowledge that Thomas brought “the Hezbollah view” with her.

Thomas was indulged for too long by too many of her peers. Perhaps that’s because she was only daring to echo their own thoughts.

Jay Nordlinger:

With the hard-core anti-Israel crowd, the problem is not “occupation,” not the addition of in-law suites in Jerusalem: The problem is Israel itself. The very right of that state to exist. People like Helen Thomas are way to the “left,” if that’s the term, of the official position of the PLO. They are in line with Hamas and Hezbollah — and their patron in Iran.

I wonder if Thomas is sitting over her coffee today, nodding sadly that those troublesome Jooos have finally got rid of her, and feeling just a bit like a martyr.

Now the big question: Does Helen Thomas team up with Pat Buchanan on MSNBC? Maybe they take it on the road?