January 30, 2006
Brilliant Sentence Of The Moment
"The 2006 budget was a time of significant achievement."
In the same press conference, Scottie waxes enthusiastic to the effect that tax cuts are a panacea to all Americans. However, he later acknowledges that it's difficult, politically, to enact further tax cuts in an election year:
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't believe we have yet received a report from the Secretary of Treasury. But we do recognize the realities of an election year and recognize what can be accomplished in the context of an election year.
Now, why would a programme so beneficial to the American people be a difficult sell in an election year? Anybody? Specifically, any reporter? Is that really such a difficult follow-up question to conceive of?
On another topic, though, one correspondent did, finally, throw some statistics into Scottie's the-President-realises-that-by-going-on-the-offensive-we-are-winning-the-"war-on-terror" jowls (the first time, to my knowledge, that a White House correspondent has raised this issue in such a pointed manner). While it did elicit a laugh-out-loud response, he wasn't, alas, allowed a follow-up:
Q According to data currently available at the Department of Homeland Security Funded Terrorism Knowledge Base, the incidents of terrorism increased markedly in 2005: worldwide attacks were up 51 percent from the year before, and the number of people killed in those attacks is up 36 percent; since the year 2000, attacks are up 250 percent, and deaths are up 550 percent. How do you reconcile those numbers with your claim that you're winning the war on terrorism and putting terrorists out of business?MR. McCLELLAN: Well, just look at the facts. If you look at the facts, many of al Qaeda's known leadership have been put out of business. They've been brought to justice. They've either been captured or killed. No longer is America waiting and responding. We're on the offense; we're taking the fight to the enemy. We are engaged in a war on terrorism. The enemies recognize how high the stakes are.
Yeah, Scottie, just look at the motherfucking facts...
Posted by Eddie Tews at January 30, 2006 12:39 PM
Comments