Tony Farto Says The President Doesn’t Know What He Is Talking About

Q At the risk of getting lost in the weeds here, what is the White House position on the argument that earmarks that are contained in committee reports do not have the force of law?

MR. FRATTO: That’s something that the OMB Director will have an opinion on, and we’ll get an answer for you on that.

Q The White House does not have —

MR. FRATTO: I don’t have an answer for you on that. I don’t have an answer for you on that right now. Are you asking, in terms of a constitutional question or a policy question — and I don’t have a clear answer for you on that right now.

States’ Rights, Bitches!

Q Under what authority can the President tell California it can’t have tougher global warming levels than the national strategy that he said he wanted?

MR. FRATTO: I mean, the President didn’t tell California that, but the EPA Administrator made his independent decision on whether to approve or not approve that waiver. He made a decision not to approve the California waiver, and as he explained, I think, he made that based on what he thought was best for the nation in addressing this issue. And he pointed to the really significant policy changes that are going to come through from the energy bill that we signed last week.

Q — no longer supports the kind of states’ rights that he did when he was governor?

MR. FRATTO: There’s always a balance. And he does support — he does have a healthy respect for states’ rights. But these decisions need to be made in terms of what is best for the country. We support EPA Administrator Johnson’s decision, but it was his decision to make.

Les On The Goose And The Gander

Q I will. Could you explain to us why the President refuses to commute these men who shot an escaping Mexican drug smuggler —

MR. FRATTO: No.

Q — as the President commuted the prison sentence of his friend, Scooter Libby.

MR. FRATTO: No.