[denver larry]

Seriously, bring back Ari, McClellan is simply incorrigible, we can do better.

[Huck]

Ari was very good. McClellan looks and sounds like he came from a temp agency. Yet, they keep him on. Someone must like him.

[Cicero]

Liberal blog, knee-jerk liberal question. "When did you stop beating your wife?"

[Callahan]

Why don't they let me be press secretary. Here's how I'd answer it:

"Yes, jerk stain, it's still in effect. We are constantly working to improve our intelligence capabilities, but the bottom line is that the alternative to pre-emption is letting a nuke blow up in our backyard. How many pennies will be left for your precious entitlements after that?"

[KJC1]

It's a good question because the doctrine of preemption is one of the most defining and precedent-shattering elements of the Bush canon. The apparently sorry state of the U.S. intelligence apparatus makes it entirely unclear whether the doctrine is still in effect -- and under what circumstances it could again be called into service.

The WaPo's agenda is showing again.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Later in the story, discussing the Gannon situation:

"Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, was cleared in by the press office almost daily for more than a year, although he used a pseudonym, had a colorful past, worked for an overtly partisan Web site and asked questions that tended to be more rhetorical than inquisitive."

Now, I'm wondering: are the phrases "botched WMD intelligence" and "massive intelligence failures", coming from a guy on a partisan website (not overly partisan, since the WAPO agees with its views) more rhetorical than inquisitive? Gee, that's a toughie...

[Jabba the Nutt]

It was a dumb question, because the premise was wrong. The doctrine of pre-emptive war, which btw is not new with the Bush Administration, is not dependent on WMD. 9/11 attacks did not include WMD. Pre-emption comes from the realization that America can not sit back and allow people to plan attacks on us from safe havens, ie Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries, whether or not those countries have WMD.

[Zeppo]

If we had done nothing about Iraq, and the sanctions had been allowed to expire, and Saddam Hussein had again used WMD against his neighbors or his own people or against us, these ninnies (I include the Wash Post in this group) would have been the first to accusingly demand of President Bush "this is all your fault - why did you drop the ball and do nothing to prevent this". Nothing but a bunch of childish armchair quarterbacks...

[Jaysun]

Seriously, bring back Ari, McClellan is simply incorrigible, we can do better.

McClellan always looks nervous to me, and his voice always sounds like he's on the verge of vomiting. I agree that he needs to go. We need a beef jerky eating bad ass to deal with these idiots.

[68skylark]

"Back to the report on the botched WMD intelligence, have the massive intelligence failures documented in the report caused the President to rethink his policy of preventive war?"

It's not a very good question. A full answer would tell our enemies how much terrorism they can try to get away with before we'll attack them.

The left would love to empower our enemies with this information -- but it's information they shouldn't have.

[Oblongata]

That's the stupidest question i've ever seen wasted at a press conference. That question was relevent, maybe 2 years ago. It is refreshing though to see a question asked that was prefaced by a 2 minute diatribe.

[CyberAnt]

Just logged on here today so you could spew that garbage ..??

[arasina]

So bloggers are okay now, huh? When is the WaPo going to dig up some dirt on this liberal blogger? Where are his credentials, hmmm?

[ken5050]

As one who thought that during the campaingn, Scott was hurting W..I think now I understand the strategy..Ari was hsarp, and svery slick..stuff either rebounded off him, or slipped off to the side..Scott is like a slightly sticky Play-Do...shapeless..you can beat it, bend it..it takes it all..yet it adheres to you slightly..I think he tires out the reporters...they've given up...the WH wins if the media are already concedeing defeat before the presser starts..it's the journalistic equivalent of the "rope-a-dope"