E&P: McClellan vs. Press Corps on Rove, Tuesday Edition (Talking Points)

[maddezmom]

~snip~

McClellan at an afternoon briefing again refused to say much, claiming he did not want to jeopardize the “ongoing investigation.” He also would not discuss revoking Rove's “security clearance,” what President Bush knew about all this, or when Rove first told Bush that he had talked to Cooper.

More than yesterday, however, he clearly said that Rove still had the president's ”confidence,” although he put it in a somewhat lukewarm way: “Any individual who works here at the White House has the confidence of the president. They wouldn't be working here at the White House if they didn't have the president's confidence.”

Asked why he could not comment when Republicans had allegedly been given “talking points,” possibly by Rove himself, McClellan responded: “Ask the RNC.”

He also refused to respond when asked if the administration had a “credibility problem.” Instead, he said this line of questioning was not “constructive,” and asked for questions on other subjects.

more;http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000977648

[maddezmom]

1. transcript here:

Q All right, you say you won't discuss it, but the Republican National Committee and others working, obviously, on behalf of the White House, they put out this Wilson-Rove research and talking points, distributed to Republican surrogates, which include things like, Karl Rove discouraged a reporter from writing a false story. And then other Republican surrogates are getting information such as, Cooper -- the Time reporter -- called Rove on the pretense of discussing welfare reform. Bill Kristol on Fox News, a friendly news channel to you, said that the conversation lasted for two minutes and it was just at the end that Rove discussed this. So someone is providing this information. Are you, behind the scenes, directing a response to this story?

MR. McCLELLAN: You can talk to the RNC about what they put out. I'll let them speak to that. What I know is that the President directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation. And as part of cooperating fully with that investigation, that means supporting the efforts by the investigators to come to a successful conclusion, and that means not commenting on it from this podium.

Q Well, if --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I understand your question.

Q Well, Fox News and other Republican surrogates are essentially saying that the conversation lasted for two minutes and that the subject was ostensibly welfare reform. They're getting that information from here, from Karl Rove.



http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050712-4.html

[Hokie]

2. Great line

I love this line:

"Q Well, Fox News and other Republican surrogates are essentially saying that the conversation lasted for two minutes and that the subject was ostensibly welfare reform. They're getting that information from here, from Karl Rove.

[Straight Shooter]

3. How many times can Scotty-Mouth say "cooperate fully" in one conference?

For the bushies, all they come away with after this pablum-dispensing episode is "cooperating fully."

Well, that makes it all right then, I guess. :eyes: