WH Press Nicknames are Safe

The White House Press Corps protected their coveted nicknames today by refusing to press Scott McClellan on the discrepancy between the official "no comment on an ongoing investigation" position and the "comment" leaked to the NYT. McClelland anticipated the questions that never came by getting out in front of the issue: MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, hang on. I've seen reports, including today, in The New York Times, talking about this very issue that you bring up. I read that story with great interest, just like many of you in this room did. I would say that I cannot speak to whether or not the parts of that National Intelligence Estimate may have been declassified at some point prior to the release of the National Intelligence Estimate that we made on July 18, 2003. He needn't have bothered--no one from the docile corps had any intention of asking why the administration sees fit to leak their position but refuses to answer honest questions about it. The pet nicknames from Bush they so cherish are secure and will live to see another day. On the bright side, Helen continues to tune up McClelland every time he tries to 9/11 his way out of an indefensible position. Her peers should be ashamed.

Bush Uncut

From C$L, a shocking portrait of a man entirely out of his depth. The president attempts to respond to a question of jurisdiction regarding civilian contractors in Iraq. Shocking, not because he doesn't know the answer, but because of his clumsy and defensive handling of such a serious and sensitive issue. It leaves an indelible impression--this from the man who is reportedly considering a tactical nuclear strike in the Middle East.

Fox Airs Psy Ops Propaganda

From the Washington Post, a story about how the military has attempted to shape the myth of Zarqawi. Because the small part he plays in the war doesn't fit the administration's narrative, they saw fit to target Iraqis with the misinformation techniques they perfected on the American public in the run up to the war. Buried deeper in the story: Another briefing slide states that after U.S. commanders ordered that the atrocities of Saddam Hussein's government be publicized, U.S. psychological operations soldiers produced a video disc that not only was widely disseminated inside Iraq, but also was "seen on Fox News." Psy Ops vids shown on a national news network. All the more depressing because it's not surprising in the least.

White House Leak Defends Leaks

The White House once again saws the branch off behind Scott McClellan after pushing him out on the limb. From the New York Times: A senior administration official confirmed for the first time on Sunday that President Bush had ordered the declassification of parts of a prewar intelligence report on Iraq in an effort to rebut critics who said the administration had exaggerated the nuclear threat posed by Saddam Hussein. But the official said that Mr. Bush did not designate Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., or anyone else, to release the information to reporters. Then later on... The official declined to be named, because of an administration policy of not commenting on issues now in court. Isn't this what got them into trouble in the first place? Commenting is obviously no problem--clearly the policy is not to answer any questions about issues now in court. If the White House press corps had even a modicum of self-respect they'd demand Scott McClellan explain why the administration is commenting in a forum where accountability is nil, as opposed to a White House presser where, in theory if not in fact, they can be held accountable for disseminating gratuitous misinformation.