From Holden:
Today the gagglers were treated to not one but two incompetent McClellan boys — our own Little Scottie and the man heading up the Medicare prescription drug debacle, Markie-Mark. And the first question is for Markie-Mark McClellan (mom always liked him the most).
Q What purpose does it serve to have the President involved with this? Why him, as opposed to the other — you know, you’ve got a thousand of these seminars going on around the country. Isn’t that a more utilitarian way of getting information out?
DR. McCLELLAN: The seminars and events are really focused on answering people’s questions. There’s a lot of people have — you know, this is a very important new program. This is the most important new benefit in Medicare in 40 years. So it’s understandable that a lot of people have a lot of questions.
[snip]
Having the President here, who has helped lead this effort, including from the start, of getting prescription drug coverage into Medicare after more than a decade of inaction on this issue, is a great way to help seniors find out about the assistance that’s available, so that they can make a confident decision about the coverage.
[snip]
Q Do you feel that people wouldn’t pay attention to it if the President wasn’t talking about it?
DR. McCLELLAN: Lots of people are already paying attention to it. But I think the more efforts that we can make together to let seniors know about the importance of making a decision about the most important new benefit in Medicare in 40 years before May 15th can really help.
Oh, yeah, Chimpy will turn the collosal train wreck that is the Medicare prescription drug plan into a bowl of cherries and a basket full of sunshine!
And now, time for yet another Nixon Comparison.
Q Can I ask you about — the President gave his speech yesterday about the war on terror and Iraq. I wonder — I know the President doesn’t look at polls, but is the President concerned that his leadership in this area, that people aren’t — that with his popularity as low as Richard Nixon’s, or close to Richard Nixon’s now, that people aren’t following his leadership, and that part of being a leader in the war on terrorism and Iraq is having people agree with you and follow you, but public opinion seems to be going the opposite direction, despite all of this effort he’s putting in this area?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the American people recognize that the President is a strong leader who is committed to doing everything in his power to protect them. His number one priority is the safety and security of the American people. And that’s why we are waging a comprehensive war on terrorism. That’s why we are staying on the offensive and taking the fight to the enemy. The President recognizes that this is a long-term ideological struggle that we’re engaged in, and he’s going to continue leading to make America safer.
Hmmm… I searched the transcript of yeterdays gaggle and I can’t find where Scottie was asked about releasing transcripts of Chimpy’s little interview with Patrick Fitzgerald. Funny, Little Scottie seems to remember it.
Q Ambassador Wilson on Sunday called for the White House to release transcripts of the conversations the President and Vice President had with Fitzgerald. Without commenting on the ongoing investigation, can you say whether the President —
MR. McCLELLAN: Nothing has changed from my response from yesterday when that question came up, and I answered it in the briefing, expressed our views.
What does the Chimpster have to hide? Why won’t he agree to release those transcripts?