McClellan accuses press of "finger-pointing". Won't answer question.

[Kurovski]

In today's press conference, Scott McClellan was asked if the president was satisfied with the level of preparedness in the Gulf Coast region.

McClellan quickly ended that line of questioning.

He claimed that now is not the time for finger-pointing or politics, and that we should focus on assisting the region.

No finger-pointing? Well then how about some responsibility, Mr. McClellan?

Are you air-lifting stranded survivors from roofs in New Orleans, Scott? How do you do that from DC? Will you be bringing meals to hungry families from the White House commissary? Will you be doing the job of our absent and otherwise occupied National Guard, defending citizens from the small armed mobs? And the only sandbagging I see you doing is from your podium in Washington, which is nowhere near the broken levees your administration ignored.

You are not assisting the people caught in this disaster, and unless you get down to Biloxi or write a check to the Red Cross, You can't

Scott, it is the job of every politician on the ground, and every rescue worker to focus completely on rescue and assistance and we must allow them to do it, but your only job is to answer questions, and it is the job of the press to report them.

You are not a politician, you are not a rescue worker.

Please answer the questions.

And I hope that this excuse from the press secretary will not stop the White House Press Corp from asking questions. America needs to know the extent of negligence and incompetence that has created the unbelievable suffering of our citizens. We need the information. I hope they will not be silenced by a defense that is true (and desperately so) for only--and the emphasis is on only--those directly involved in planning and rescue.

Scott McClellan is wrong. Now is the time for finding out if Bush is satisfied with what he has done.

Here is a link to the transcript of today's briefing:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050901-2.html

[TornadoTN]

1. "Finger Pointing" is the NEOCON buzz word today

I've heard Chertoff and Haley Barbour use the phrase today. I guess Hannity and his ilk will be spouting that mantra.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Yep, it is.. along with "We had no idea.. no one could have anticipated"

[Kurovski]

12. It's how they intend to ditch responsibility.

The plan is already in place and has been faxed to all involved.

Expect to hear addle-pated ditto-heads piously spewing the same garbage soon after Rush Limbaugh feeds them their lines.

[Inland]

2. "Let's not argue about WHO killed WHO", as Monty Python put it. nt

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Oh, I have at least one finger for you, Twink.

[tulsakatz]

4. someone should have pointed out.........

........that it's not finger pointing, it's a matter of accountability and responsibility!!

Republicans can put a negative spin on it by calling it 'finger pointing' but truly mature people know it is a question of responsibility.

[MadeinOhio]

6. Hey asshole, who was it that cut the funding?

Who was it that cut all the funding so the oil men could line their pockets again, and denied assistance to repairing the levees?

Oh it was Bush once again.

[Vinca]

7. Just back from vacation and already it's

"cover Our asses" time. Too bad about the "good folks" down south, but we didn't do it.

[Kurovski]

9. That's exactly why it's important that the reality be reported.

right now.

even though Scotty says we shouldn't politicize this, it won't bother him at all when Republicans do it.

The Right-Wing is already way ahead on the pre-emptive strikes to defend the well documented failures regarding what's happened in New Orleans.

[BiggJawn]

8. You got it right about the sandbagging....

For all the TOUGH questions, it's "Uh....I don't know, you'd have to ask Sec. Chertoff..." but let one shill ask him "How LOW didja GO?" about the low-level flyover from AF-1, and he just GUSHES with "information"

Mother fucker. Take his ass to the scaffold when this shit gets straightened out, too.

[Kurovski]

13. If the white House only answers questions it wants to,

and reporters don't press for answers to questions Scott rejects, then the White House press corp becomes nothing more than members of the Bush administration's office of propaganda.

[applegrove]

10. HE IS THE PRESIDENT! But somehow he is never responsible.

[Kurovski]

11. Scott's comment on finger-pointing cowed a reporter enough

to affect this timid exchange:

"Q Without getting into finger-pointing or partisan politics or anything, would you concede that, given the difficult reality on the ground there now, that more could have, or should have been done to have resources available, to move quickly or to be there? Or is it your position that this is simply the nature of responding to disasters of this scale, that it's going to take days or weeks to get --

MR. McCLELLAN: Very legitimate question. I think that that's something that, over time, will be able to be addressed and looked at. I mean, you're still, right now, trying to assess all the damage and destruction that's been done."
****************************************************************

The fact is, there's enough information from the past four years already out there for reporters to start asking questions like "Why did you do this?" and "don't you see how you are responsible"? instead of the timid "do you think you've done enough?"

[Kurovski]

14. I wonder how today's (Friday) press briefing will go

considering New Orleans' Mayor Nagin's interview will be brought up.

Is there any way reporters can also demand that the administration "get it's ass down there" to New Orleans and save these people from dying?

[Don Claybrook]

15. I'm wondering the same. Will he have one today?

After seeing some real journalism let loose on these SOB's, I want to see McClellan get skewered. The first time he starts to blame someone else, tells reporters to get FEMA to answer their questions, or says that this is no time for politics, the WH press corps needs to lay into him and demand he answer questions for a change. Interrupt him as many times as necessary. Shame him, tell him to quit evading, tell him that the planet is watching, and that they're not happy. They need to tell McClellan and his superiors that the time for all of their typical excuses has passed.

You know, I was about to use the old standard line about smelling blood in the water, but then it occurred to me that this phrase is just too morbid to use, given what this administration is letting happen even as I type this.

[Kurovski]

16. well, you have five minutes to edit. I hope the press pushes

for some actual results in whatever way they can.

I don't think it's possible to shame the administration, but there must be some way the press can "break out".

The cable news outlets and some newspapers certainly seem to have done so.

[Kurovski]

17. There may not be a press conference.