Posted on 03/10/2003 5:09:46 PM PST by Cinnamon Girl
Helen Thomas returned to her front and center seat at the WH press briefings with Ari. Her hair is now a dark brown and she was wearing two inch long red Lee press on nails.
But Ari didn't apply the "only real reporters" rule for questions today and took a few from Helen, although he did not call on her first. Here is the exchange, where Helen tag teamed with fluffy headed Terry Moran to make their case:
SOCK PUPPET: If the President bombs Iraq, which he apparently plans to do, it will be in defiance of a U.N. vote, because only in terms of self-defense and you're attacked can you really attack under the U.N. charter. It will also be immoral, and how do you know what the Iraqis think? You think they'd rather be dead and have liberty? I mean, what is this liberty if you're going to send 3,000 missiles over in 48 hours, according to all the plans I've read? How many people are going to survive that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Number one, on the legal basis of it, under United Nations Security Council Resolution 678, the United States --
Q It doesn't wipe out the charter.
MR. FLEISCHER: Of course it doesn't wipe out the charter; it reinforces it, and that's why it would be legal via United Nations previous resolutions, as previous United States Presidents have shown.
The United States military will, of course, take every step to minimize the loss of innocents. There are no guarantees it'll happen --
Q How can you do that with 3,000 missiles?
MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, I just would like to remind you that if the standard was if the United Nations Security Council did not act, how many Muslims would have been killed in ethnic cleansing in Serbia? By that standard, if you judge legitimacy by whether the United Nations Security Council --
Q We did intervene in Kosovo, if you recall.
MR. FLEISCHER: May I finish? If by that standard you judge legitimacy by whether the United Nations Security Council acted, then you would think you'd need to restore Slobodan Milosevic to power, because he was removed without the United Nations Security Council approval. That was regime change in Serbia, wasn't it?
Terry.
Q Wait, wait. The U.N. didn't change Slobodan Milosevic regime, the people of Serbia did. The goal of that operation --
MR. FLEISCHER: With a little help from NATO and the United States.
Q But I don't want to talk about history -- (laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: I suppose he might still be there had it not been for NATO and the United States.
Q We allowed that conflict to end with him in power. And I don't want to get into an argument about history, I want to talk to you about this notion of --
MR. FLEISCHER: History is very relevant here, because you're judging the Security Council.
Q All right. You're mis-stating the history, then.
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I'm not. The question --
Q Because Slobodan Milosevic was not removed from power by military action. Full stop, period.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, it certainly undermined his ability to stay in power, if I recall. But the point is, the United Nations Security --
Q That wasn't the goal. Now you're sliding over.
MR. FLEISCHER: The United Nations Security Council failed to authorize military action in Serbia. A different international coalition -- in that case, NATO -- was formed to do so. The question Helen was asking seemed to say that without Security Council approval a military action might not have a legitimacy. It did have legitimacy, and a result of the military action, Slobodan Milosevic fell from power.
If you'd like to see the look on Ari's face when he asks Helen if he can finish answering her question without hearing her screeching voice shouting over him go to 8:40min:
http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/kdrive/iraq031003_whpb.rm
Like a relapse...like the end of remission...the sea monster is back.
More like a Prolapse
Small correction:
Helen Thomas - a.k.a. "The Sea Hag"
LOL! That's what keyboards are for!
Sans beret?
So, according to Helen, if we had by chance found out about 9-11 before it happened, we would have had NO right to protect ourselves.
LOL! Such an image!
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