WeOpen With Helen Thomas Pressing Dana Peroxide On Illegal Israeli Settlements
Q Did you find out anything more about the Israeli apartments, the U.S. role in that?
MS. PERINO: It’s a little bit unclear as to what the announcement actually was, so we continue to look into that. Let me go back to one thing, which is that the President has said that he believes that President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert are two leaders who are committed to working on a final status agreement by the end of the year.
[snip]
Q Are you afraid to take a stand on this issue? I mean, they are taking land, Palestinian land, that doesn’t belong to them.
MS. PERINO: I think that’s — what I said, Helen, is that we understand that this is an issue that’s going to have to be worked out between the two. It is not clear if these were new — this was a new announcement, or if it was a reiteration of an old position. So while we’ll look into that, we will say that on these issues of settlements and borders, refugees, all of these issues are going to be very difficult, not to mention the issues of security that Israel is concerned about.
Q Well, when you keep taking other people’s land, and you keep worrying about your security — talk about the big picture. Think of the Palestinians losing all their homes and land.
MS. PERINO: I think the President thinks of both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and especially — he is a President, and the first President who has called for the Palestinians to have a state of their own, so that they could live in peace and security.
Q Let’s see — where is it?
MS. PERINO: Well, part of what we have to get through this year is a discussion between the Israelis and the Palestinians for a final status agreement, and that’s what we’re working towards.
Olivier Knox Calls It
Q Two for you. The first one you’re probably going to refer me to DOD, but does the United States have any role to play in the search for the ambassador and the two nuclear technicians who have gone missing, presumed abducted, on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan?
MS. PERINO: No. We are aware of the situation, but I would refer you to the Department of Defense for that.
Dana Is Up To Speed On The Economy!
Q Dana, one more on the stimulus plan the President is going to be signing tomorrow. What about the economists who say, great election year move, but in terms of stimulating the economy, by the time those checks arrive, even if the IRS works flat out, the earliest they arrive is May, they’re going to trickle out through July — the stimulus will be too little and too late?
MS. PERINO: Well, one thing I have learned as I’ve gotten more up to speed over the last several months on the economy, is that you can find an economist that can say just about anything about the economy.
Helen’s Question Regarding Pre-9/11 Wiretapping Is Translated To Fit Into Dana Peroxide’s Marshmallow Fantasy World
Q But were the telephone companies told that it was legal to wiretap six months before 9/11?
MS. PERINO: The telephone companies that were alleged to have helped their country after 9/11 did so because they are patriotic and they certainly helped us and they helped us save lives.
Okay, let’s do some definitions here. “Patriotic” does not mean “Will break laws if the President asks them to.” “Patriotic” means, at a minimum, “dedicated to the values set forth in the U.S. Constitution, our founding document.”
I am so tired of this characterization of lawbreaking corporations, whose officials knew perfectly well that they were breaking the law (after all, it was a law that had been in effect for DECADES and had applied to them for DECADES), as “patriotic.” Bullshit!
If the telephone companies were so patriotic, why did they disconnect the taps when the government didn’t pay the bills? Apparently, patriotism has its price.