Posted on 09/05/2006 3:35:58 PM PDT by Peach
NEW YORK A not especially eventful press briefing at the White House today turned rancorous with NBC's David Gregory telling Press Secretary Tony Snow, "Don't point your finger at me," and Snow accusing the newsman of being "rude" and delivering Democratic talking points.
Earlier, speaking to reporters, Snow, continuing the administration's media focus on the war on terror, accused "some in the Democratic Party" of saying "we shouldn't fight the war" and "we shouldn't apprehend al-Qaeda" or even "question al-Qaeda."
Snow got into a tussle with Gregory after the NBC journalist told him, in a lengthy remark, that the public may wonder why the president's statement and report today on the war on terror did not admit more failings on the administration's part. Snow observed that he had nicely summarized "the Democratic point of view," and Gregory took exception to this.
This exchange followed. *
Q Actually, Tony, I don't think that's fair, if you look at the facts. If you look at the facts.
MR. SNOW: Well, I do, because -- no, because, for instance --
Q No, no, no. No, I don't think you should be able to just wipe that, kind of dismiss the question --
MR. SNOW: Well, let me --
Q It's not a Democratic argument, Tony.
MR. SNOW: Let me answer the question, David.
Q But hold on, let's not let you get away with saying that's a Democratic argument.
MR. SNOW: Okay, let me -- let's not let you get away with being rude. Let me just answer the question, and you can come back at me.
Q Excuse me. Don't point your finger at me. I'm not being rude.
MR. SNOW: Yes, you are.
Q Don't try to dismiss me as making a Democratic argument, Tony, when I'm speaking fact.
MR. SNOW: Well, okay -- well, no --
Q You can do that to the Democrats; don't do it to me.
MR. SNOW: No, I'm doing it to you because the second part was factually tendentious, okay? Now, when you were talking about the fact that it failed to adapt, that's just flat wrong. And you will be -- there has been -- there have been repeated attempts to try to adapt to military realities, to diplomatic realities, to development of new weapons and tools on the part of al Qaeda, including the very creative use of the Internet. So the idea that somehow we're staying the course is just wrong. It is absolutely wrong.
* Elsewhere, Snow denied that the president's statement and report today on the war on terrorism were political in any way. "I think it belittles it by trying to dismiss it as politics," he said. But later, when a reporter asked, "But you don't disagree that he's trying to frame the debate for what is an important political choice?", Snow replied: "Absolutely. Of course, of course."
He also said there would be no troop withdrawals in Iraq any time and reiterated the president's strong support for Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld. President Bush "would love to see members of both Houses of Congress returning to that sense of cooperation we had after September 11th."
Here is an excerpt from Snow's remarks:
"There have been some in the Democratic Party who have argued against the Patriot Act, against the terror surveillance program, against Guantanamo. In other words, there are some people who say that we shouldn't fight the war, we should not detain -- we shouldn't apprehend al Qaeda, we shouldn't detain al Qaeda, we shouldn't question al Qaeda, and we shouldn't listen to al Qaeda. In other words, they're all for winning the war on terror, but they're all against -- they're against providing the tools for winning that war.
"And we think it's a perfect opportunity for Democratic leaders to say, no, we are serious about winning the war. We have now reiterated some of the basic precepts of administration policy and also the policy put together by generals over the months of the engagement in Iraq. And we look forward to working with members of Congress to figure out how best to prevent terrorists from coming here, but, more importantly, how to defeat terrorism.
"Finally, one other point, which is, there is a reiteration of a call to replace or have Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stand down. The President strongly supports the Defense Secretary. It's not going to happen. Creating Don Rumsfeld as a boogeyman may make for good politics, but would make for a lousy strategy at this time. And, furthermore, if you listen to the speech that Secretary Rumsfeld gave last week, it was not only thoughtful, but comprehensive about trying to frame the ongoing war against terror, and also the war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"So this, again, is something that the President would love to see members of both Houses of Congress returning to that sense of cooperation we had after September 11th, where the real goal was not to try to hand out pink slips at the Pentagon, but instead to win the war on terror in a way that is going to make not only America safer, but also the rest of the world safer so that democracy can take firm root throughout the globe."
He looks exactly like a grown-up Howdy Doody!! and the brains as well.
Napoleon syndrome
Every inch of that line is classic, Democrat horse manure - - the Democrats are the ones who always insist on hearing "admissions" and "apologies", etc., as if those things have any meaning or would accomplish anything at all..... (The sick, irrational, liberal mind - - what's with it? Chemical imbalance maybe? I wonder if someday some clever psychiatrist will get to the bottom of it.)
If Gregory and the Democrats ever did get their "admissions" and "apologies", what would that mean, exactly? What would it accomplish? Would "admissions" and "apologies" change anything? Anything at all?
So anyway, yeah, Gregory is a hard-core Democrat scumbag and he abuses his position in the White House press corps to spout the standard Democrat talking points. It's not even debatable - - the proof is right there (the irrational request for "admissions") in his own original remarks to Snow. Gregory is a brazen liar if he denies it. Period.
One liberal looks just like the other to me.
I know it's traditional not to identify the reporters in White House press conference transcripts, but maybe it's time for that to change. Perhaps if they knew anything stupid they said was going to be on permanent record, they might step up their game.
Tammy Bruce described the leftist mindset better than anyone I've ever heard or read before in her must read book for parents and grandparents: The Death of Right and Wrong.
She describes in much more and better detail than I can that the leftists of the 60's grew up taking drugs and experimenting and they are trying to take out their social experiments on the rest of us. She says they are malignant narcissists.
I'll bet you're right and he's had to look up the words in a dictionary as soon as the press briefing was over.
You're so right...he just runs circles around all of 'em. I Love Him...what a delight to watch him.
Most of the WH press Corpse are Cut&RunningRat Stooges and Gregory David is the loudest. Looks like the WH is going on offense and the Rats are whining about it. The Blizzard is hitting the DC Dinosaurs!
Pray for W and Our Troops
Sometimes C-Span replays the press briefings in the middle of the night.
Well, with this guy it's possible. He might be an equal opportunity sniffer.
Oh I love that second picture, maggie!
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He just likes to make Helen Thomas giggle. She has a cute way of twitching her nose when she's amused. Plus, he likes the leftover gingerbread she brings him when she's beeen patching her house.
My favorite line:
"Don't try to dismiss me as making a Democratic argument, Tony, when I'm speaking fact."
Maybe I got Gregory all wrong. He seems to know that Democrats don't use facts. lololol
I recall when I used to watch Spitty Chrissy (there was a time his show was better than it is now)...and he had David Gregory on. I will never forget it; here is the exchange:
Matthews: "how much longer is this National Guard story going to go on?"
Gregory: "As long as John Kerry says so"
That is seared in my memory...I will never forget it.
Thanks for posting this exchange- unfortunately I missed the press conf.
Gregory is amazing.
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