WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING - ARI SAYS "DEMS KNEW ABOUT SHADOW GOVERN."

cable news stations ^ | 3/5/02 | me

[Elkiejg]

I just caught part of the WH briefing with Ari (before cable stations cut away for the Pentagon briefing). The media was peppering him about Dems saying they didn't know about shadow gov. arrangements. HE SHOT THEM DOWN.....kept claiming in his soft spoken way "We're confident that when they talk with people on the Hill, they will see that the info. was previously submitted to them" - I'm paraphrasing.

He also got a great shot in to old Helen Thomas when he replied to her that the shadow gov. situation had been around since the cold war years - which he was sure she remembered!! I laughed out loud.

The stupid press kept hammering - "Daschle, Byrd, etc. say they don't know anything about it" -- Ari would reply with his "I'm sure when they talk to people, etc., etc." It was great - sorry they cut away for the Pentagon.

Does anyone know if transcripts are put out on these briefings? It would be worth reading.

[YaYa123]

Quilla's Clinton "swallow" reference is funny as heck, but I bet you heard right and I bet "shallow" was another intentional Brazille insult about President Bush's mental abilities. Sounds so typical of her. She's one mean black bitch dyke , and seems to relish courting that image for herself.
"Don't mess with Donna"...her stock in trade.

[cake_crumb]

"His response was timid."

I've watched nearly every one of Ari Fleischer's press conferences. His responses have NEVER been timid.
He's no Rummie, but he's NEVER timid.

[dread78645]

Ari also said something to the effect that now the "Shadow government" location has turned into a tourist attraction. Paraphrasing.

CMU or PBS

[cake_crumb]

"His response was timid."

Helen Thomas, scion of the left-wing intellectual elite, doesn't know the meaning of the word "REITERATED"???

That would be funny, if it weren't so frightening.

[YaYa123]

DITTOing my thanks for FOXNews. And everytime they announce a new cable network has added FOXNews to their lineup, my husband and I cheer loudly.

When Saturday Night Live poked fun of Bill O'Reilly this past week-end, we cheered again. SNL wouldn't waste time on an inconsequential, unknown and irrelevant FOXNews personality.

From every election here on out, more voters than ever will have access to FOXNews. I believe it will make a difference in the impact liberal spit and spin will have on elections.

[Wallaby]

MR. FLEISCHER: I would again submit to you that as Congress has a chance and a few of these individuals have a chance to stop, pause, and collect the information that they have had already provided to them, I think that will all be made clear. And that's why the president is confident that that will happen by the leaders of the Congress.

Q But how could it be that the person who is third in line to the presidency has no knowledge of the existence of this operation?

MR. FLEISCHER: Again, I think there are times when people just need to pause and talk to each other and talk fully to people on the Hill who are in a position to know, and they will have -- again, as I said, the president has confidence that they will say the administration did the right things for the right reasons.

Q Broadly can you say who was informed, though, and when? Was it right after, the hours after September 11th when this was triggered; that broadly who in the Congress happened to be informed then?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, people have always been working on this program. And it's fair to say that after September 11th, more people were involved in the continuity of operations part of the program. I'm not going to get into specifically who. And let me tell you why I'm not going to get into specifically who was informed about the program. There was a similar program that operated for the legislative branch, and as result of a great many people talking about it and discussing it and being informed, the program is now a tourist attraction, at a waste of millions and millions of dollars to the public. These are serious programs and serious times, and the president has made clear that he will inform the Congress, because it's a responsibility and it's important for our nation that Congress be informed, but the president has no interest in repeating in the executive branch what happened in the legislative branch.

Q There's a real conflict here. You understand that, don't you? You are absolutely contradicting what the leaders have said.

MR. FLEISCHER: I can only reiterate what I said about the president's confidence, as members have an opportunity to stop, pause and talk to each other. I wouldn't say -- Helen, I wouldn't say that lightly. I wouldn't say that if I didn't have reason to say that. Gary (?):

Q So they didn't get it. They didn't get it. However you chose to inform the leadership of Congress about the acceleration, substantial acceleration and putting in place of this program which has been in place -- been established in the Cold War -- you ramped it up, and in some form or fashion, it's your claim, that the administration informed these leaders, they didn't get it.

MR. FLEISCHER: I cannot speak for what members of Congress received from people who are close to them or on their staffs.

[lepton]

As I posted on another thread:

White House Says Congress Informed Of Shadow Government Plans

In short, the term "Shadow Government" is an intentional misuse of a loaded term. A "shadow government" would be like much of Clinton's first term where he appointed various people to positions, then gave other people the authority for those positions. THAT is a "shadow government".

At most, this is a "back-up government", with no unusual authority - just an unusual location.

[MissAmericanPie]

I guess this means that Tom and Dick were not present with the rest of the congress and senate on the capitol steps on 9-11 singing "God Bless America"?

Not these two, they were off busy trying to dig a hole and crawl into it. Shoving and nudging government employee's out of the way so they could get their sorry rears into the bomb shelter. What a couple of maggots. The trauma of the entire affair must have given them amnesia about where they were that day and what they were doing.

[Wallaby]

There are others whose duties are to be in testimonial capacity, and it is important -- Congress has every right to that information. And that's why the attorney general provides in those -- testimony --

Q Well, in that case, though, since his job is unique in many respects, in that he is supposed to be coordinating across government all the efforts in homeland security, who else would be able to testify about the same body of work that he could?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, Jim, that's my point. You can make the same case about the national security adviser. And the point I'm making is, Congress has respected for many a year the bipartisan traditions of the White House that neither the national security adviser nor this parallel new creation of homeland security adviser need testify, because they are able to receive the information from other government agencies. And that has been done on the Hill. I'm not aware of any complaints about the testimony of these others.

Q Is there any single alternative -- FEMA or others? I mean, who would the administration send to Congress if they insist on asking someone to testify about the coordination of all parts of government on homeland security?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I can tell you, when I worked up on the Hill -- and this is not the only agency that has overlapping jurisdiction; heavens, that applies to virtually every issue in the United States government -- and when I worked on the Hill, it wasn't uncommon for more than one Cabinet secretary to be present at hearings. I remember at the Ways and Means Committee sometimes we'd have three Cabinet secretaries present at one table, and the members benefitted nicely from it.

[cake_crumb]

Oops...I have no idea why I copied and pasted a previous quote into a new reply. Must be brain flatulence.

That sould have been simply:

"Helen Thomas, scion of the left-wing intellectual elite, doesn't know the meaning of the word 'REITERATED'??

"That would be funny if it weren't so frightening."

Signing off before I humiliate myself further.

[Fred Mertz]

Thanks Walls!

[stlrocket]

Helen Thomas needs to slither away.

HELEN THOMAS - GLAMOUR SHOT?

[Wallaby]

Q Ari?

Q Can someone find out how that could have happened?

MR. FLEISCHER: Ken?

Q In the meeting today with Senator Daschle and Senator Lott on the continuity in government program, who on the White House side briefed those two senators, and why was the president not involved in that meeting?

MR. FLEISCHER: Because the president is not a briefer. He was briefed -- they were briefed by the appropriate personnel, that included high-ranking White House officials -- Andy Card -- as well as operational people, who I will not describe or name.

Q Is Andy the highest level?

Q Thank you.

MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you.

[cake_crumb]

I think all this sudden "shadow government" stuff is something the press picked up from British political terminology.

[Wallaby]

Because the president is not a briefer.

Feeding the press their lunch.

[truthkeeper]

HE SHOT THEM DOWN.....kept claiming in his soft spoken way "We're confident that when they talk with people on the Hill, they will see that the info. was previously submitted to them" - I'm paraphrasing.

I know I'll get flamed for this but his soft-spoken way drives me nuts. He could be a lot more forceful without being obnoxious. Is it really so difficult to tell the press something like "I suggest you ask Mr. Daschle if he was present along with (fill in the blank) during the tour of the facilities. Perhaps he had a memory lapse"...and then move on to another question?

Sheesh...I'm sick of the press walking all over our guys.

[okiedust]

I think what Ari is saying here in this exchange, is not only were the proper people briefed, we can prove it. A nice subtle word to the wise. He is very careful but very certain to say they were briefed. Kind of harks back to the trashing of the White House story when everyone was screaming that it didn't happen and Ari said, we have pictures. Something like that.

regards

[Brian Allen]

I post Ari Fleischer's briefings daily. I'll ping you when it is posted...

Me too, please, U G? [Please put me on your ping list?]

[angkor]

There was a similar program that operated for the legislative branch, and as result of a great many people talking about it and discussing it and being informed, the program is now a tourist attraction

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[Wallaby]

I meant to say they were having their lunch handed to them.

"The president is not a briefer."

Very smooth!