Last week, just as the White House press corps was near-desperate for Plame-related information, Scott McClellan announced there would be no full-length briefing on Friday. Fortunately, reporters made up for lost time yesterday afternoon.
If the White House hoped the Alito nomination would help distract attention away from its criminal scandal, Bush aides must have been sorely disappointed. Here’s a sampling of questions from the briefing:
* Some Democrats say that the President should apologize for the role of some administration officials in the unmasking of the name of a CIA undercover operative. What’s the White House reaction to that?
* Another part of that is, some of the same Democrats are saying that the President should fire Karl Rove. What’s your reaction to that?
* On October 7, 2003, you were asked about a couple of the key players here, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, as well as another administration official who has not figured in the investigation, so far as we know. And you said the following, “There are unsubstantiated accusations that are made, and that’s exactly what happened in the case of these three individuals,” including Rove and Libby. “They’re good individuals, they’re important members of our White House team, and that’s why I spoke with them, so that I could come back to you and say that they were not involved.” You were wrong then, weren’t you?
* So aside from the question of legality here, you were wrong, weren’t you?
* You speak for the President. Your credibility and his credibility is not on criminal trial. But it may very well be on trial with the American public, don’t you agree?
* Does the President think that Karl Rove did anything wrong?
* In the year 2000, the President said the following: “In my administration, we will ask not only what is legal, but what is right; not just what the lawyers allow, but what the public deserves.” Doesn’t the American public deserve some answers from this President about the role of his Vice President in this story and what he knew and when he knew it, and how he feels about the conduct of his administration?
* There’s been a wound to your credibility here. A falsehood, wittingly or unwittingly, was told from this podium. And do you really believe that the American people should wait until the conclusion of all of this process and just take on trust everything that comes from that podium now….?
One, I think it’s fair to say the press corps is unsatisfied with the White House spin thus far. Two, I just love it when they’re feisty.