Wednesday, November 09, 2005
That's not the answer I'm asking for --
Here's a transcript of a very strange White House briefing yesterday that nearly wanders into Samuel Beckett territory. Imagine Scott McClellan is being asked a basic question, the answer to which will decide his admission to heaven.
MR. McCLELLAN: It is an answer -- because the American people want to know that we are doing all within our power to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. There are people in this world who want to spread a hateful ideology that is based on killing innocent men, women and children. We saw what they can do on September 11th -
Q. That's no answer. [long pause] Do not concern yourself with temporal power when we're trying to determine which world you think you're in.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
MR. McCLELLAN: It is an answer -- because the American people want to know that we are doing all within our power to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. There are people in this world who want to spread a hateful ideology that is based on killing innocent men, women and children. We saw what they can do on September 11th -
Q. That's no answer. [long pause] Do not concern yourself with temporal power when we're trying to determine which world you think you're in.
