White House Press Briefing - Thursday, February 8, 2007 [Now}

The White House Press Office ^ | 2/8/2007 | Tony Snow

[dinasour]

 

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[Bahbah]

Helen: Is the CIC so powerful he can ignore the people.

Tony gets into a bit of a dust up with Helen. He's going to do what it takes to keep you safe.

That's not the question.

Oh yes it is, Helen.

[LibertyLee]

Any idea that WH is tryhign to micro-manage the resolution is something the Senate would not appreciate and we are not doing. A lot of members...

Members in a meeting were expressing views...topic came up . Senators have own sense of pride. These are resolutions that have to do with the Senate...

Helen ...can President ignore the will of the people. What you asked was will of the people...very vague question. A tendentious assumption on your part. He has obligation to keep people safe. If you get non-binding resolution he's going to try to keep YOU safe...Au contraire Helen. When President considers National Security...He's laid out new way forward...

[FOXFANVOX]

"Tony notes that this is anniversary of first black reporter at WH...Presidential trip coming up..."

This is Black History Month so everyone wants to put forward a "Black" accomplishment. I think we have gone way beyond that. African Americans are now full partners in all aspects of American life. I would argue that they have not only achieved a level playing field, but one that is tilted in their favor. I find Congress' "Black Caucus" and, indeed, "Black History Month" as offensive as I would a "White Caucus" or "White History Month". We are all, whether black, white, red, yellow, blue?..., we are ALL Americans. Period.

[Bahbah]

Are you optomistic about negotiations with N.K.

Tony says let's not negotiate from the podium. Thinks the Chinese are putting an offer on the table.

Will we ease the financial measures for giving up the nukes?

Tony says we have made our position clear.

Here's Les, who I have come to like, actually.

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

Now dear Helen is posing herself as the Oracle of Public Will again.

Is that...person...or her newspaper ever going to decide that maybe the d*** universe doesn't really revolve around their men's room doorknob?

[Bahbah]

Les: why send money to competing terrorists.

Not a bad question.

[dinasour]

Here's Les, who I have come to like, actually.

He has been asking some pretty good questions lately.

[syriacus]

Life would be so much easier for the Bush administration if they would impose the same wartime censorship that the Truman Administration imposed during the Korean War.

During the Korean Conflict, press censorship went through different stages. Censorship was voluntary until the Chinese Army entered the war.

U.S. military commanders complained that correspondents had released information about troop movements, recovery of American prisoners from the Chinese and the use of a new combat airplane.

Tougher restraints were imposed upon the press.** All news stories were required to submit news reports and film to Army and Air Force censors.

On March 13, 1951, all news stories and film were also required to be approved by censors in Japan.

In January 1953, a Joint Field Press Censorship Group was created that approved all copy and film for transmission to American news media.

***Full Wartime Censorship Placed on Korean News 1/9/1951 Waterloo Daily Courier, front page | January 9, 1951 | UP

U. S. Eighth Army headquarters, Korea. –(UP) –

• The US.Eighth Army imposed full wartime censorship on news coverage of the Korean War
• threatened to courtmartial newsmen who deliberately report any troop movements without authorization.
• placed correspondents under the complete jurisdiction of the army
• forbade any criticism of the Allied conduct of the war.
• dispatches were screened for military information which might injure the morale of UN troops or their government.
• forbade mention of the effect of enemy fire or bombarment, unless authorized.
• listed as unauthorized -- information on the strength, efficiency, morale, or organization of Allied forces.
• no mention may be made of reinforcements, equipment, arms, plans and forecasts of future operations, or positions or descriptions of camps.
• Casualties could not be revealed before official publication.

The Eighth Army ruled that any violator of the code will be suspended from all privileges. "He may be subject to disciplinary action because of an intentional violation of these and other regulations, either in letter or in spirit, and in extreme cases of offense where investigation proves the circumstances warrant the correspondent may be placed in arrest to await deportation or trial by courtmaritial,'the announcement said.

[LibertyLee]

N Korea: we are looking for return to 9/19 agreement. Not proper to respond to proffers...

We have laid out our principles, the 9/19 accords. It is not wise to get ahead of yourself...

Lester: Palestinian fighting...why is money being sent ... Tony: to extent there is aid it is going to people who are trying to prevent violence than foment it...

I don't have crystal ball.. Members of Congress have serious decision. Measure of troops is whether troops will be supported in continued funding..

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Tony says she should have a military plane and won't say much more than that."

The media, including FOX, is saying that Tony defended Pelosi's request and that critics were being unfair to her .
That he slammed RNC.
Hope your version is correct.

[FOXFANVOX]

Sorry to be so negative today, but Homeland Security has made a bad problem worse. They have added an extra layer of bureaucracy on top of others. It will be subject to the same problems as the bureaucracies below it. In fact, many members of HS are just bureaucrats moved from one agency to another. The fact that HS deputies have recently been exposed for lying to Congress does not instill this new agency.

[Bahbah]

Q re WH letter on climate change.

Tony: you are saying we didn't heavily footnote the President's speech (Says it's a cheap shot and apologizes)

The Prez was calling for good science in 2001. (We are still not getting that, I would maintain.)

What is this stupid woman carping about?

[LibertyLee]

State of Science in 2001 was more uncertain...tendentious argument over "likely" or more likely or "in large part"...President is talking about good science.

[Bahbah]

Geez, back to Pelosi and her plane.

[Bahbah]

Tony says everybody is trying to pick a fight on the plane. Let them work it out.

[LibertyLee]

[Let us remember that Dept of Homeland Security was a Democrat idea we fought as precisely an extra layer of bureaucracy...now that it is in law, some things are not good. This Border Patrol controversy concerning the agents I have heard varying reports about]...Let Sgt-At-Arms and DoD work out the Pelosi plane issue...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[FOXFANVOX]

Sorry, Post #51 should read:

"...does not instill confidence in this new agency."

Too much typing, too little time. 8)

[Bahbah]

Tony: we are committed to securing our borders and dealing with those who are here.

Back to the Pelosi plane. Tony is understandably exasperated.

[LibertyLee]

We are committed to have secure borders...

More q's about Pelosi plane. We are supporting DoD and Sgt-at-Arms...I don't think she's requesting to be sent on the Space Shuttle...