I’m going to do a long bit from today’s gaggle on Cheney’s assertion that the Office of the Vice President is not part of the Executive Branch, but first I have to give Les Kinsolving his props.

Les Asks A Good One

Q Thank you, Dana. Two questions. In his statement, “all human life is sacred,” the President deplored what he termed, “the deliberate destruction of human embryos.” And my question: If a pregnant woman is medically diagnosed as facing death, unless she has a therapeutic abortion, does the President believe it is wrong to destroy the fetus to save the life of the mother?

MS. PERINO: I think that we’ve made public comments on this before regarding the health of the mother. And you’re raising complex ethical questions, which I’d refer you to the NIH to ask.

Q Well, all right. Is the President opposed to the destruction of any embryo resulting from gang rape or incest?

MS. PERINO: I think we’ve made comments on that, too, Les. We’ll get you those from before.

Q He’s made them before?

MS. PERINO: Yes, I’ll get those for you. Go ahead.

Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle”

Aquickie on board Air Force One as Chimpy flies to Alabama to raise money for Senator Jaif Sayshuns (funny how we taxpayers get to foot the bill for Chimpy’s Republikkkan fundraising travel expenses, ain’t it?). Apparently No One Told Dana Peroxide That The Vice President Is Not Part Of The Executive Branch Q This is from the House Oversight Committee, this is Waxman’s people. The committee says it has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the Presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information. The Vice … Continue reading Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle

This has become a daily event. 

Pony Gets A Face Full Of Helen, And In Response Claims That Everyone Who Attacks US Forces In Iraq Is 1) A Terrorist And 2) Not From Iraq

Q A study shows that Iraq is the second-most unstable country in the world. Do we have anything to do with that?

MR. SNOW: Do we have anything to do with that? Yes, I saw the study —

Q — the killing?

MR. SNOW: We don’t — I’m not sure I got the —

Q I’m talking about Petraeus, also, intensifying — is he trying to build a kill record before September?

MR. SNOW: No. No. In point of fact, Helen, if you take a look at the record of the last two months, the people who have been trying to put together the kill record are al Qaeda. Go to the mosques —

Q Is everybody who resists our occupation a terrorist?

MR. SNOW: Do you think somebody who goes in and blows up 50 people in a mosque is resisting occupation?

Q What have we done for five years?

MR. SNOW: What we have been trying to do is to work with folks to deal with a highly volatile situation in Iraq in the wake of a murderous regime —

Q We’ve killed thousands of people, tens of thousands —

MR. SNOW: Many have died, and hundreds of thousands died under the previous regime. This is a place that has too long been wracked by violence. And the fact that in fighting —

Q We’re not supposed to be comparing, are we?

MR. SNOW: Unfortunately, if we fought evil guys who simply would say, you caught us, we’re evil, we give up, we’ll be good — that would be great, that would be wonderful.

Q Everybody isn’t evil who fights for his land.

MR. SNOW: A lot of the people we’re talking about, Helen, aren’t fighting for their land, because it’s not their land. They don’t even come from Iraq.

Q Are we fighting Iraqis, inherently, in their own country?

MR. SNOW: Are we fighting Iraqis inherently? I think if you take a look at what General Petraeus is saying, is that increasingly Iraqis are joining with us to defend their country from the onslaught of outside fighters, whether they be from al Qaeda or Iran.

Q Good, but we have to admit we’re killing a lot of Iraqis who are against our presence.

MR. SNOW: I’m not sure. I mean, that requires the kind of canvas of those who have died that I’m not capable of doing.

Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle”

I took a little break from the Internets yesterday, but today I’m back and so is Pony Blow. Pony Blow: Professional Ass Q How do you respond to critics who say that the United States should have done a lot more for Abbas a lot sooner? And do you think the administration feels any responsibility at all for the split, Palestinian split? MR. SNOW: I think what you really need to be thinking about is the President of the United States did not bind people’s hands behind their back and throw them from rooftops. The President of the United States … Continue reading Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle

Gee, a fairly decent gaggle today.

Pony Blow Opens

MR. SNOW: Good afternoon. One thing to add to this morning’s gaggle — the President this morning had a 52-minute secure video teleconference with the members of the presidential council in Iraq — the Prime Minister, the President and the two Vice Presidents.

And So?

Q During the video teleconference did the President very directly express his impatience about the lack of political movement?

MR. SNOW: No, what he did is he once again reaffirmed the importance of political movement, but it’s something that they’ve shared — one of the things that is happening is that this presidential council is becoming, as they expressed, more effective and coherent as an organization, so that you have not only much closer personal, but professional dealings between the foreign members — at one point calling themselves the gang of four.

So I think it’s — the President was impressed and reassured by the sense of seriousness that he heard in the meeting.

So The President Is Reassured, What About Those Of Us Who Reside In The Reality-Based Universe?

Q Can you tell us anything specific about what that reassurance — why he felt reassured, and also address whether or not they’re taking a vacation and whether you know how long that vacation will be?

MR. SNOW: On the second, I don’t believe so; and on the first, no, I can’t give you any specifics.

Q You don’t believe they’re taking a vacation now?

MR. SNOW: I’m not sure; I don’t think so. Again, I’ll refer it back to —

Q But, Tony, can you give us some sense of why he felt reassured, given that we’ve heard reassurances before?

MR. SNOW: Well, again, it is clear that you’ve got an environment now where the key leaders are working together on these issues. And, yes, we have heard a lot of these things before, but without — and I’m not in a position to go into the details and what they were saying, but there are reasons we think they’re very serious in moving forward on the key items.

Q But, Tony, we’ve heard that before, many times.

MR. SNOW: I understand. I understand.

Q I mean, why is there any more reason now to believe that they’re serious about moving forward than there was the last time you said that? Or the time before?

MR. SNOW: I understand. But, again, I think — let me put it this way, that you see that there are tangible efforts going on and I’m just not going to go into any greater detail, I’m going to let the — that is a sovereign government and I will permit them to make the announcements about how they’re doing and where they’re going.

Q You think there will be announcements on something about where they’re going?

MR. SNOW: No, I think, again, I’m just going to leave it at that.

Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle”