Scott McClellan has lashed out again at members of the press.
A few weeks ago, when challenged by Helen Thomas, McClellan accused her of being "opposed to the broader war on terrorism." During yesterday's White House press briefing, he smeared Thomas and other members of the press, as WashingtonPost.com's Dan Froomkin recounts:
Press secretary Scott McClellan was questioned repeatedly and persistently about what sort of exemption the White House is requesting from a proposed congressional ban on torture.
He wouldn't say. And when the journalists in the room wouldn't back off, he lost his cool.
When Hearst columnist Helen Thomas kept interrupting McClellan's talking points and demanding a "straight answer" about the exemption, McClellan shot back: "You don't want the American people to hear what the facts are, Helen, and I'm going to tell them the facts."
After NBC's David Gregory jumped in -- again, asking McClellan to explain why the White House feels an exemption is necessary -- McClellan accused his interlocutors of being, essentially, anti-American.
"Well, obviously, you have a different view from the American people," McClellan said. "I think the American people understand the importance of doing everything within our power and within our laws to protect the American people."
Moments later, he repeated the accusation: "This involves information that relates to doing all we can to protect the American people. And if you have a different view -- obviously, some of you on this room -- in this room have a different view, some of you on the front row have a different view."
Demagoguery: the last refuge of a press secretary whose boss has an approval rating of less than 40 percent.
Just out of curiousity, based on your reading of the trascript excerpt is this a smear of Scott McClellan by Froomkin or not?
"After NBC's David Gregory jumped in -- again, asking McClellan to explain why the White House feels an exemption is necessary -- McClellan accused his interlocutors of being, essentially, anti-American."
Posted by: Anodyne | November 10, 2005 at 12:44 AM