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It is very clear that the President has denounced the Minutemen more than once and referred to them as vigilantes

That's your opinion. I disagree.

It's very clear that a statement of preference is not a statement of accusation.

For example;

Father hands son the car keys for the first time.

Mother:How do you think he'll do.

Father: I don't want him to drive recklessly. I want him to drive carefully.

Simple statement of preference by the father not wishing to take a position about what the mother asked -- It isn't an accusation.

It can't get more simple than that and it's the same as what transpired when the president was asked about current and future volunteer activity at the border.

March 2005

March 2005 | Reporter:President Bush, I wanted to ask you about your opinion about those people who are hunting migrant people along the border.

March 2005 | President Bush: I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America. I'm for enforcing law in a rational way.

April 2005 Minutemen go to border.

August 2, 2005 | Reporter:We've got these groups on the border called the Minutemen. They think you've called them vigilantes. Do you think they are vigilantes?

August 2, 2005 | President Bush: Well, this was -- I was in Waco when I decried potential vigilantism. I want to make it clear that this is before they even showed up, as I recall, and I wanted to make it clear that it was intolerable for people to take the law in their own hands, because we didn't want people showing up with guns.

As a postscript, as of April 2006, there has not yet been an instance when the President has praised what the Minutemen have done or are doing: AMERICANS DOING THE JOB CONGRESS REFUSES TO DO.

Addressing your postscript: The Minutemen chose to go down to the border independent of the government and that's fine. But to expect that the government is going to certify something that they don't control isn't going to happen.

The president has not accused the Minutemen of being vigilantes and the president has not praised the Minutemen. Having no control over how the Minutemen will ultimately act, the president takes a neutral position, which by the way can be seen throughout all of McClellan's comments as well.