The press is getting more and more tired of being jerked around and lied to by the White House, and I’ve enjoyed watching the slow downward spiral of civility in the press transcripts. Here’s a chronological series of excerpted questions from yesterday’s press gaggle, with the answers omitted, because they’re completely worthless, as always.
What do you think of Senator Kerry’s remarks about North Korea in today’s New York Times?
Well, he said it’s become a nuclear nightmare because the administration has kept its eye on Irainstead of North Korea.
What have you guys done to make North Korea any less of a threat? Aren’t they as much of a threat now as they —
Scott, where is that getting you?
Right, but that’s not a new concept. The point is, you don’t have any tangible progress.
Besides talk, name one piece of progress that you’ve made.
Besides talk, name one piece of progress —
In four years, have you been able to remove one nuclear weapon from North Korea or reduce the threat at all?
In four years, have you been able to reduce the threat at all in North Korea? Are they any less dangerous now?
Does the President agree with critics that the weapons — assault weapons ban has been ineffective, hasn’t made much of a difference?
Is the ban effective, or not?
Isn’t it kind of disingenuous for the President to say that I’m for the assault weapons ban, but then not spend a nickle of his political capital to fight for it?
Let me follow up on this point. For a guy who goes around the country and says, I say what I mean, and you should take me at my word — so if he’s for the ban, and he doesn’t do a thing —
But the President didn’t work for it to come up. I mean, nobody — everybody understands how this process works. The President wants tax cuts, he lobbies all over the country —
He was happy to let the authorization lapse, wasn’t he?
Name one thing, one step that the President took to have the assault weapons ban reauthorized?
Is there one congressman, one congressional leader who he has called in Congress, and said, please put it on the timetable?
And the President has a strong record of lobbying very hard for legislation he truly supports. Name one person who he called to lobby on behalf of legislation.
So there’s nothing more he could have done to get the ban extended?
Has he ever mentioned it in a speech that you can remember, I mean, as he goes around the country, ever mentioned the assault weapons ban?
I’ve heard him bring up lots of legislation he wants passed as he goes around the country. I’ve never heard him bring up, I want to see the assault weapons ban —
Can you name one person who he’s called on the Hill on behalf of this legislation?
So has he made a call to any of them?
For added humor, you can read Scott McClellan’s responses, but they’re every bit as evasive as could be expected.