"an unwanted appendage, like a cocklebur that attaches to your pants leg"Helen's saga continues

Thomas continues on to recount her memories of the "good ol' days." In this chapter, she describes the ignoble and the few noble deeds of the many press secretaries she dealt with. Throughout the chapter Thomas does not hesitate to paint herself as a witty journalist that was feared and respected by all. She loves to mention her trip to China with Nixon. She has mentioned this trip at least twice. Thomas's ego seems to inflate a little bit when President Reagan asks about what she is thinking. There are a lot of little interesting pieces of trivia and history in this chapter and it is interesting to find out about these things. However, what does this really have to do about the "waning press corps"? "Watchdogs" is more of a recollection of Thomas's experiences, accomplishments, and thoughts. The title could be changed to The Life and Times of Helen Thomas. I hope so far she is just setting the scene, and as the book progresses that she will begin talking more about how the press corps has failed the public.
This chapter shows how hard it is for a journalist to get the truth when there are presidents, press secretaries, and others lying to them. But that's just an excuse. It is the journalist's job to dig deep and verify information. It is easy to get bigheaded though. I am writing little stories for a community college newspaper and here I am ripping on an experienced journalist. If Thomas ever read my stories, I wonder what she would think? Anyways, she probably won't read them because I am not the president.