Fight of the Day: Helen Thomas Versus Scotty - We luv U Helen!

[doxieone]

Wonkette has this today:



There are not official transcript for the White House morning gaggle, so we rely on talkradionews.com's summary for an account of a rather contentious exchange between Scott McClellan and the unsinkable Helen Thomas, in which McClellan tries to pin on Thomas a claim that "the U.S. is not better off now that Saddam Hussein is out of power.":

that he can produce transcripts of Thomas' comments to support this point. Thomas denied this assertion, stating that she never made such a comment, instead stating that she had questioned in the past why so many innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed during this conflict. McClellan answered that this was his briefing and that Thomas could offer her political views from the stakeout, a microphone stand located outside the White House briefing room. Thomas replied that this was her "house too."

Yeah, it's her house, but her hundreds of cats live somewhere else.

--------
Fuller account after the jump

White House Gaggle
By: Adam Sharon
January 12, 2005

Weapons of Mass Destruction and Exchange with Helen Thomas

Press Secretary McClellan noted that the Iraq Survey Group is still operating in Iraq and will follow up on any leads indicating that Weapons of Mass Destruction do exist in Iraq. McClellan did add, however, that the Iraq Survey Group is not actively looking for WMD and that perhaps a few people on the ground are continuing to look into this matter. McClellan then noted that in October, President Bush did state that the U.S. must find out why intelligence was flawed regarding this issue. Helen Thomas continued to ask follow up questions about WMD, until she was interrupted by McClellan. The Press Secretary noted that Thomas was on the record stating that the U.S. is not better off now that Saddam Hussein is out of power, adding that he can produce transcripts of Thomas' comments to support this point. Thomas denied this assertion, stating that she never made such a comment, instead stating that she had questioned in the past why so many innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed during this conflict. McClellan answered that this was his briefing and that Thomas could offer her political views from the stakeout, a microphone stand located outside the White House briefing room. Thomas replied that this was her "house too."


EDIT: Link

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/white-house/index.php#helen-thomas-makes-a-scene-029603

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Helen's right

that house belongs to all Americans, and I want Bush OUT.

[Maat]

2. Go, Helen!!!

Get 'im!

[BrainRants]

3. Why is Helen the only one with balls?

I know she's the elder stateswoman of the press gaggle, and not to sound too "age-ist" she really has nothing to lose at this point in her life, which really makes her able to take chances and not give a damn about access.

I seem to remember that Sam Donaldson used to have balls giving Reagan shit during his press conferences ("Mr President, a recent survey showed that 75% of the men in America masturbate in the shower and the other 25% sing. Do you know what song they sing? Reagan: No Sam I don't) This is lore as far as I know, but I remember the story from many many years ago and it's always stuck with me for some reason...mostly because I don't know the song either! :)

[NV Whino]

6. Age has nothing to do with it

Ms Thomas has given every president a hard time.

[BrainRants]

10. True enough, she has been a spitfire all along. n/t

[CBHagman]

17. Russell Mokhiber has backbone, too.

To some extent, he gets the Helen treatment, too -- i.e., whatever lickspittle press secretary Bush has sent out tries to avoid calling on Mokhiber or Thomas, and will hasten to extricate himself if an actual encounter takes place. But he assists in the ripping of new bodily orifices at the WH briefing. We need a few more like HT and RM. Anyone got a press pass here?

As for McClellan, he does that wimpy technique of trying to change the subject, rather than answer the question. Look at a full transcdipt sometime and see how much of it is pure boilerplate, paragraph after paragraph of his repetition of the administration. You know the drill: Focus group-tested phrases like "September 11th changed everything." Frequent references to freedom and liberty for the Iraqis or whomever they claim they're liberating this week.

[mcscajun]

4. You just Gotta Love her!

She's on time and on target.

[Virginian]

5. Has ANYONE said the US is not better off without Saddam?

Personally, I couldn't say one way or the other, but I thought the argument was that IRAQ was better off without Saddam. We all know that IRAN is better off without Saddam in power.

I think when this all shakes out, we will have exchanged one tyrant for another. Same game different name. Iraq will have the same kind of government it had before we stuck our national nose in their national business.

[Cheswick2.0]

7. let me state for the record that IMO, Both Iraq and the USA are worse

off without Saddam in power in Iraq.

[Virginian]

8. Does it really matter to the US who is in power?

Saddam was no threat to the US. He was an irritant to Bush*. I don't think the US is impacted one way or the other by Saddam's status. WE ARE, however, impacted by having Bush* in power and Bush* having a vendetta against Saddam.

The poor Iraqis are in a lose / lose situation.

Edited for spelling.

[Auntie Bush]

9. I second that! n/t

[tkmorris]

13. Do you really think Iran prefers the US to Hussein

living next door to them? I don't. Otherwise I agree 100%.

[leesa]

14. I know quite a few Iraqis have said Iraq was better off before Saddam

was ousted.

[Virginian]

18. The relatives of the 100,000 killed in the war probably think so.

With Saddam, death was somewhat predictable. You knew if you spoke against him, it could cost you. With the way it is now, no one knows where or when a bomb will explode.

With the prospect of "hit squads" you don't know who might tell them you are harboring insurgents just to get back at you for calling him names in sixth grade.

Bush* is right about one thing, Iraq is a dangerous place. He made it that way.

So, no WMD, no connection to 9/11, why are we in Iraq? To impose our form of government on the Iraqi people? That is rather arrogant of us to believe everyone wants our form of government.

Were our elections a test for the Iraq election? To see if the winner could be chosen ahead of time and the votes manipulated to elect him.

[Cha]

11. scatty is trying to make it the

chimphouse. It will definetly have to be exorcised after bush gets purged ..one of these fine days.

Thanks for standing up for us, Helen Thomas!

[0007]

12. I have a good friend that had lunch with Helen Thomas a few weeks

ago.

[riverwalker]

15. Helen Thomas and Barbara Boxer

do they have the only gonads in this country?

[saltpoint]

16. At my house:

Loud, sustained applause for Ms. Thomas.

She's a champ.