From Holden:

Compare the fawning Terry Moran’s question…

Q Scott, these are remarkable scenes we’re witnessing in Beirut. Is this a domino falling? Does this show the President’s strategy is vindicated and confirmed and right?

With the incisive questioning of Helen Thomas.

Q Has the President ever issued an order against torture of prisoners? And do we still send prisoners to Syria to be tortured?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has stated publicly that we do not condone torture and that he would never authorize the use of torture. He has made that —

Q But has he issued an order?

MR. McCLELLAN: — statement very publicly, and he’s made it clear to everybody in the government that we do not torture.

Q Well, why do we still hear these stories then?

MR. McCLELLAN: If there are allegations of wrongdoing, then the President expects those allegations to be fully investigated and if there is actual wrongdoing that occurs, then people need to be held to account. The President has made that very clear.

Q Well, do you deny that we still send prisoners to other countries to be tortured? Is that a denial?

MR. McCLELLAN: Judge Gonzales testified previously that we have an obligation not to render people to countries that we know would torture them.

Q He did not rule out torture.

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, David.

I know these words will fall on deaf ears, but I’ll give it a shot anyway. Here’s the deal, wingers. The role of the press in a healthy democracy is to question authority. This is particularly true of the White House press corps. They are supposed to question what the administration says, rather than elbow each other out of the way to be Scottie’s next buttboy.

“Jeff Gannon” and today ABC’s Terry Moran are symptoms – they are symptoms of a sick democracy. Helen Thomas is doing her job. Call her an “old Arab” if you like, she won’t read your drivel anyway. Nor will she stop doing her job.