The White House criticized CBS on February 26 over what a spokesman said was a spurned offer to rebut comments by Saddam. 'This seems odd they wouldn't let the White House have a voice,' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) told Reuters.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House criticized CBS television on Wednesday over what a spokesman said was a spurned offer to rebut comments by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during an interview to air on Wednesday evening.
In a flap that raised anew questions about U.S. news outlets airing the views of potential foes and government attempts to influence coverage, CBS rejected the charge and said it remained open to providing a forum for a top Bush administration official to respond to Saddam.