August 06, 2004
McClellan vs. McClellan
We had previously witnessed Scottie Mac contradicting the Superbrain.
In today's "Press Gaggle", he contradicts Colonel Anthony Haslam, with regards to the resurgence of violence in Shia Iraq:
Haslam: The poor Iraqi police force do not have a chance. They are attacked and they are outgunned. Without eliminating that threat, this city will never be stable.
McClellan: The Iraqi people are assuming more and more responsibility for their future. But there are those who are opposed to a free and peaceful and democratic future for Iraq. And they will be defeated. The Iraqi leadership has made it clear that they will defeat those who seek to spread violence and fear and stop the transition to democracy. And we're there partnering with them to address these ongoing security threats.
But that's not all. Scottie also contradicts himself, within the space of a few minutes:
Q Will there be any pulling of attack ads on Senator Kerry?
MR. McCLELLAN: What are you referring to?
Q Will there be any initiative to get the attack ads on Senator Kerry, as we were discussing yesterday --
MR. McCLELLAN: Are you talking about yesterday?
Q Yes. The military service attack ads.
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, we continue to urge Senator Kerry to join us and call for an end to all the ads and activity by these shadowy groups that are funded by unregulated soft money. These ads are examples of the kinds of problems with this unregulated soft money. The President signed the campaign finance reforms into law in part to get rid of this kind of activity.
Followed shortly by:
We need an energy plan -- and there's two reasons we don't have an energy plan right now, called John Kerry and John Edwards, who voted against an energy plan in the first place.
It might be kind of fun were McClellan to, along with his predecessor, Ari Fleischer, mount a joint tour to counter the newly announced Vote For Change tour. That would be an entertaining double-bill!
Posted by Eddie Tews at August 6, 2004 04:50 PM
Comments
McClellan does not contradict the Colonel Anthony Haslam. McClellan stated, as you quoted, "And we're there partnering with them [Iraqis police] to address these ongoing security threats." Haslam is quoted by you as saying, "Without eliminating that threat [to the Iraqi police], this city will never be stable." The two statements are in perfect harmony. Both recognize the need of American forces to help give foundation to a secure Iraq. Haslam simply states that without American forces right now, the Iraqi police are outgunned. That is precisely why McClellan cites the need to "address these ongoing security threats."
Yes, there are critisms one can ligitimately make of the Bush Administration, but you hurt your credibility with stuff like this. The only person who would read your McClellan-is-contradicted blurb and cheer in agreement would be someone who has decided to agree with anything anti-Bush before they've read it. Hardly intellectually honest work.
-- Posted by: RLAmes on August 9, 2004 06:43 AM