And now, for your entertainment, WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan will dance around questions from the press corp!
Q: Scott, why did the administration feel it was necessary to coach the soldiers that the President talked to this morning in Iraq?
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're suggesting.
Q: Well, they discussed the questions ahead of time. They were told exactly what the President would ask, and they were coached, in terms of who would answer what question, and how they would pass the microphone.
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?
Q: Nothing at all. I'm just asking why it was necessary to coach them.
McCLELLAN: The event was set up to highlight an important milestone in Iraq's history, and to give the President an opportunity to, once again, express our appreciation for all that our troops are doing when it comes to defending freedom, blah blah blah.
Q: But we asked you specifically this morning if there would be any screening of questions or if they were being told in any way what they should say or do, and you indicated no.
McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what the question was earlier today. I think the question earlier today was asking if they could ask whatever they want, and I said, of course, the President was -- and you saw --
Q: And I asked if they were pre-screened.
McCLELLAN: You troop-hater! You're almost as bad as Helen! She hates the war on terra!
Q: All right. Let me get back to the President's encounter with the troops, if I can. You said that the choreography of this was because of a technological challenge involved in the satellite feed. Well, what does that mean?
McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying that there -- you have delays and things like that when you have a satellite feed, and so, obviously, there's going to be some coordination going on when you're setting up an event like this.
Q: So the choreography --
McCLELLAN: I think you're missing the broader point of what this event was about.
Q: So you're saying this was not a staged conversation for PR purposes?
McCLELLAN: Blah freedom blah! The stakes are high in Iraq. This is right up there at the top of our list of priorities. As the President said in the remarks, his most solemn duty and the most solemn duty of our men and women in uniform, like those he was talking to, is the safety and security of the American people. I just don't know if some are suggesting that what our troops were saying was not their own thoughts, because it clearly was.
Q: Now, we all saw the event, so without getting into what the President said and what the troops said, can you just talk specifically to the choreography? Did the soldiers know what questions they would be asking? Did they --
McCLELLAN: No, I really can't, because we coordinate this with the Department of Defense, and you might want to direct questions to the Department of Defense, because when we do these events -- we appreciate all the help that they provide -- the Department of Defense takes the lead in terms of pulling some troops together so that we can do events like this. Q: So you, personally, do not know if those soldiers rehearsed their answers before they were on air, live?
McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that someone from the Department of Defense was talking to them ahead of time. But I don't know -- I was with the President, so -- It's their fault! Blame the DOD!
Q: Can you find out what the answer is?
McCLELLAN: Yes. Shit. Just three years ago, the Iraqi people were under a brutal, oppressive dictator, a dictator that killed thousands and thousands of people...
Q: How many have we killed?
McCLELLAN: We've liberated 25 million, both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
Q: How many have we killed?
McCLELLAN: Helen -- :: sputter :: troop-hater!!
Q: Scott, earlier you defined total victory in Iraq as a free and democratic Iraq. Is Iraq now not free and democratic?
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q: Is Iraq now not free and democratic?
McCLELLAN: I hate you guys.
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're suggesting.
Q: Well, they discussed the questions ahead of time. They were told exactly what the President would ask, and they were coached, in terms of who would answer what question, and how they would pass the microphone.
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?
Q: Nothing at all. I'm just asking why it was necessary to coach them.
McCLELLAN: The event was set up to highlight an important milestone in Iraq's history, and to give the President an opportunity to, once again, express our appreciation for all that our troops are doing when it comes to defending freedom, blah blah blah.
Q: But we asked you specifically this morning if there would be any screening of questions or if they were being told in any way what they should say or do, and you indicated no.
McCLELLAN: I don't think that's what the question was earlier today. I think the question earlier today was asking if they could ask whatever they want, and I said, of course, the President was -- and you saw --
Q: And I asked if they were pre-screened.
McCLELLAN: You troop-hater! You're almost as bad as Helen! She hates the war on terra!
Q: All right. Let me get back to the President's encounter with the troops, if I can. You said that the choreography of this was because of a technological challenge involved in the satellite feed. Well, what does that mean?
McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying that there -- you have delays and things like that when you have a satellite feed, and so, obviously, there's going to be some coordination going on when you're setting up an event like this.
Q: So the choreography --
McCLELLAN: I think you're missing the broader point of what this event was about.
Q: So you're saying this was not a staged conversation for PR purposes?
McCLELLAN: Blah freedom blah! The stakes are high in Iraq. This is right up there at the top of our list of priorities. As the President said in the remarks, his most solemn duty and the most solemn duty of our men and women in uniform, like those he was talking to, is the safety and security of the American people. I just don't know if some are suggesting that what our troops were saying was not their own thoughts, because it clearly was.
Q: Now, we all saw the event, so without getting into what the President said and what the troops said, can you just talk specifically to the choreography? Did the soldiers know what questions they would be asking? Did they --
McCLELLAN: No, I really can't, because we coordinate this with the Department of Defense, and you might want to direct questions to the Department of Defense, because when we do these events -- we appreciate all the help that they provide -- the Department of Defense takes the lead in terms of pulling some troops together so that we can do events like this. Q: So you, personally, do not know if those soldiers rehearsed their answers before they were on air, live?
McCLELLAN: Well, my understanding is that someone from the Department of Defense was talking to them ahead of time. But I don't know -- I was with the President, so -- It's their fault! Blame the DOD!
Q: Can you find out what the answer is?
McCLELLAN: Yes. Shit. Just three years ago, the Iraqi people were under a brutal, oppressive dictator, a dictator that killed thousands and thousands of people...
Q: How many have we killed?
McCLELLAN: We've liberated 25 million, both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
Q: How many have we killed?
McCLELLAN: Helen -- :: sputter :: troop-hater!!
Q: Scott, earlier you defined total victory in Iraq as a free and democratic Iraq. Is Iraq now not free and democratic?
McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q: Is Iraq now not free and democratic?
McCLELLAN: I hate you guys.
And then it got worse.
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