Kevin Drum at CalPundit has brought up an idea for a new Constitutional Amendment to require the President to hold a weekly Press Conference. This is an excellent idea. Kevin's idea has I think real merit. There are a couple of issues that need to be addressed however:

1. Will foreign reporters be allowed to participate in the weekly press conferences?


2. The amendment needs to be adjusted to allow the President a vacation or the ability to call them off if National Security issues required it. With the technology today the President could hold the Press Conferences from remote locations if he was on an overseas trip.


3. The method to select which reporters are allowed to participate in the press conferences has the potential to be open to political favor, since congress would have total control of the rules used to make the selection of the press conference questioners. A more constitutionally based means to select the press conference participants might reduce the ability to abuse who gets to participate. Those rules might include a geographical element or media outlet size element. They need to keep out the nut cases with a fringe website, but not allow the mainstream beltway press to dominate. Local press outlets should not be shut out.

I will be looking for the level of attention Kevin gets on this idea and whether it gains any support. I really hope it does gain some support. It is a long shot by far, but the current President has demonstrated that it is clearly needed.