You will no doubt have seen the petulant display from the current President of the United States - Donald Trump - towards a member of the White House Press Corps - Jim Acosta of CNN - when he asked Trump, in effect, why he called a group of a few thousand desperate people, who were hundreds of miles from the US border, an "invasion."
Trump responded like a spoilt, bad tempered child who was always used to getting his own way and for once discovering that he'd been caught out and that his self-absorbed behaviour wasn't going to be accepted.
He threw a tantrum.
If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here:
My question is this: Why didn't every reporter who asked a question after Jim Acosta was accosted by Donald Trump, ask the following question:
"Mr President, why don't you answer Jim's question?"
And then one after one, keep asking him to answer the original question asked until he did answer it or stormed off.
Contrast Trump's petulance with the class of President John F. Kennedy when taking questions from the press.
A little known fact is that Kennedy held 64 fully broadcasted press conferences in the less than three years he was in power. About one every three weeks.
And it wasn't that Kennedy was given an easy time by the press or the Republican Party either, as these questions from one of his press conferences testify, though his answers illustrate how he would easily deal with them and with good humour.
Journalist: "Mr. President, I am sure you are aware, sir, of the tremendous mail response that your news conferences on television and radio has produced. There are many Americans who believe that in our manner of questioning or seeking to gain your attention that we are subjecting you to some amount of abuse or a lack of respect."
President Kennedy: "Well, you are subjecting me to some abuse but not to any lack of respect, I don't think."
Journalist: "Mr. President, in the 1960 campaign you used to say that it was time for America to get moving again. The reason I ask you the question, Mr. President, is that the Republican National Committee recently adopted a resolution saying you were pretty much of a failure."
President Kennedy: "I am sure it was passed unanimously."
You can watch him answer those questions and many more in this clip from YouTube:
Kennedy also spoke of the importance of an active press in a free society in this interview in 1962:
"I think it's invaluable, even though it may cause you some (pause) it's never pleasant to be reading things frequently that are not agreeable news, but I would say that it's an invaluable arm of the Presidency as a check really on what's going on in administration, and more things come to my attention that cause me the concern or give me information, so (pause)"
"I would think that Mr. Krushchev [The Soviet Union's Premier], operating a totalitarian system which has many advantages as far as being able to move in secret and all the rest, there's a terrific disadvantage not having the abrasive quality of the press applied to you daily, to an Administration."
"Even though we never like it and even though we wish they didn't write it and even though we disapprove, there still is (pause) there isn't any doubt that we couldn't do the job at all in a free society without a very, very active press."
"Now, on the other hand, the press has the responsibility not to distort things for political purposes, not to just take some news in order to prove a political point."
"It seems to me their obligation is to be as tough as they can on an Administration, but do it in such a way which is directed towards getting as close to the truth as they can get, and not merely because of some political motivation."
You can see his answer at this YouTube link:
The class difference between Kennedy and Trump is as far apart as the poles.
Surely, it's well past time for the White House Press Corps to bring Trump into line and treat him just like any other spoilt brat would be:
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