Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff Praises the Press

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is making his round of exit interviews with an unusual twist. He's complimenting the press. "I really appreciate the work that you do," he says. "It's very hard, I know, to understand and explain complicated issues, and I can't say I never have a complaint, but I do appreciate the work you do, and I think it's important." He follows the press closely. "For what it's worth, I do read the clips, and it's one of the ways in which I do manage the department, in the sense that it tells me things I've got to ask about. Now, sometimes the answer is the newspaper article was wrong, but sometimes the answer is the newspaper article is right. And sometimes that tells me there's something we need to fix," says Chertoff.