After framing the first question about Boehner's remark that Democrats are "more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people" as Bush's failure to keep the dialogue above politics on Sept 11, Snow was peppered with *relevant* questions relating to Republicans' outrageous charges against Democrats.
Here are the questions (Snow's boilerplate spinning and repeated insistence that he hadn't yet seen Boehner's statment are at the WH link)
QUESTION: Do you think both sides, Democrats and Republicans, want to defeat the terrorists?
...
QUESTION: As you well know, this is not a campaign season about whether America is a great place or not, right? I mean, it's a lot more substantive than that and it has to do with the path that this president took the country after 9/11.
Now, when a Republican leader of Congress says, "I wonder if Democrats are more interested in protecting terrorists than they are in protecting the American people," as a spokesman for the president, do you think it's your duty to say that that's out of bounds or not?...
QUESTION: This is important because, as a matter of fact, the vice president said over the weekend to Tim Russert that, "The sort of debate we're having in this country about withdrawing troops from Iraq emboldens the terrorists." Now you have a Republican leader of Congress saying the Democrats may be "more interested in protecting terrorists than the American people."
Does the president agree with that?
...
QUESTION: You certainly would get into, if someone accused the president of being a liar, do you want to let a statement like this stand from a Republican leader?.
...
QUESTION: (Boehner's statement's) been out there for a couple of hours. I think you had ample time to see it.
Let me ask you this final point. Can you describe how it's possible to oppose the president on the war on Iraq without emboldening the terrorists?...
QUESTION: Do Democrats want to protect terrorists more than the American people? What do you think?
...
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) question. Forget about what John Boehner said. I'm putting the proposition to you. Do you have an opinion on that topic?
...
SNOW: Do I think -- no, I think...
QUESTION: Democrats are more interested in protecting terrorists than the American people?
SNOW: No.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060912-2.htmlThere you have it- There's deep division in the Republican government: The White House supports Democrats over remarks made by the House Republican majority leader. ;)