"COLMES: How did a guy like Jeff Gannon, Jim Guckert, get in there? How did that happen? As I understand it, you wouldn't take his questions for a week, is that right? FLEISCHER: For one week, that's correct. This is a real tough one, because the problem you have got is who in the government should decides who is a reporter and who isn't? What standards do you use to make those decisions? In the history of the White House — it's a long history — has been relatively inclusive, more so than the Senate and the House press galleries. And it's led to some colorful characters left and right... COLMES: But it's not easy to get a day pass. He gets these daily passes. How does this happen? Isn't somebody on the inside giving this guy a pass? FLEISCHER: Oh, sure. He couldn't have gotten in if he didn't have a pass. COLMES: Knowing he would ask softball questions of the president, right? FLEISCHER: Well, you know, he asked conservative questions. I don't know I would say those are softball... COLMES: Oh, come on. You know some of the questions... FLEISCHER: Does that mean the liberals in the room asked softball questions to Bill Clinton.... who asked softball questions to Bill Clinton? COLMES: I don't know. To that extent, did they? FLEISCHER: I think reporters' jobs are to ask tough questions. And if you get a question that matches what you believe, that doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with that. COLMES: All right. But is there a security problem when someone like that gets in there, no one knows how he gets in, no one takes responsibility, using a phony name? FLEISCHER: There was never a security issue. He had to go through the same metal detectors as everybody else and be searched just like everybody else. That was never a concern or an issue. I think the tough part is, in this day of bloggers and computers and Internet, how do you define who is a reporter anymore? And even the White House Correspondents Association (search), which represents White House reporters, refused to take a position or a stand because they recognize, who can make this division and who else should be thrown out of that room?