I'm sure glad Tony Snow is an arrogant prick. He thinks he's so fast and smart--an Aryan Fleischer with hair, if you will--that he calls on Helen even in a morning gaggle, and even after she's launched a pre-emptive barb at the Press Secretary...
For starters, she says the following, and Tony, not wanting to lose face, responds directly...
Q Will that be a real press conference, or is it two questions per side?
MR. SNOW: No, it's a "real" press conference. It's open press; they'll be taking questions. It's not a two-and-two or anything like that. So if you are in attendance and you have a good question, chances are you'll get called on.
Just a second. A couple of other items, Helen.(snip...)
more below the fold...
Please correct me if I misread that part of the transcript...I didn't get to see it live.
Next, he does call on Helen when the question session begins officially, and she even says the equivalent of, "Don't bullshit me," while asking her question...
Helen.
Q The President apparently has gotten several messages, underground, back-channel and so forth, through intermediaries for direct talks with Iran. Surely he is not going to blow a -- speaking of opportunities with Iraq, this is an opportunity to talk directly to Iran. And why doesn't the President do it? And don't give me the -- I'm sure the three other allies and so forth would be very happy if we talked directly to Iran.
MR. SNOW: Well, if you don't wish me to answer the question, then I'll just move to the next questioner.
Q I want you to answer after I've told you what my premise is. (Laughter.)
Tony is flustered already...trying to use humor but really trying to mock Helen...but he can't escape...
MR. SNOW: This from Secretary of State Helen Thomas. The position has always been clear. We are not going to divide --
Q If elected I will serve. (Laughter.)
MR. SNOW: Boy, that's going out everywhere today. (Laughter. The position has always been the same, which is if Iraq, in fact, proceeds with -- we think that Iraq -- Iraq -- Iran -- thank you very much -- needs to be very serious about suspending all enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. They have to agree to do it. They have to do it in a verifiable and credible manner and a permanent manner. When that happens, all right, then there may be some opportunities. But the first precondition right now -- and we've been working with our allies on this -- is to make sure that Iran does nothing in terms of advancing its ability to build nuclear weapons.
Now, we also are not going to divide up the coalition by trying to engage in side conversations with Iran. (darth's note: Noone said anything about dividing the coalition...which doesn't exist yet anyway)...(*snip)
(more bullshit tony speak snipped...)
Q Why don't we sound out whether these are true opportunities, or not?
MR. SNOW: Well, again, Iran -- I mentioned before --
Q -- lay down laws for everybody else. This is true negotiation.(SMACK!!)
Of course, the best part about this exchange is that Helen finally inspires another reporter to follow up on the same subject (after Tony gets even more hostile), thus putting the arrogant lying prick firmly in his place...
MR. SNOW: This is more an argument than a question, Helen, and I'm not going the engage in arguments about what constitutes or doesn't --
Q No, it isn't. It isn't. I'm asking you, why don't we take advantage of these feelers?
MR. SNOW: You are assuming -- I am not going to tell you each and every thing this government is doing diplomatically when it comes to Iran. I'm not telling you that there are --
Q -- you're more amenable to them?
MR. SNOW: I am telling you that nothing happens, the position has not changed. Iran has an obligation -- what Iran is trying to do is to negotiate through the press right now.
Q -- no --
(Tony gets very argumentative here...)...
MR. SNOW: Sure, it is. And you're doing an able job of it, Helen. So what's going on here is that Iran, in responding to pressure, is trying to change the subject. And we're not going to let them change the subject. The subject --
Q It isn't changing the subject --
MR. SNOW: Of course, it is.
Q -- it wants direct talks with the United States.
MR. SNOW: But it already knows what the preconditions are for American talks.
Q Are they, in fact, putting out these feelers that Helen is talking about?
Looking at this last blockquoted section again...does it not seem as though Tony let something slip here? Is he 'not confirming or denying' negotiations? Or is he saying that we're "doing nothing"?
And what the fuck are 'preconditions'? If there are conditions for negotiations, there are conditions...'preconditions' is just the same word with an extra syllable to make Tony sound smart to bush's base.
The mark of a true reporter is the ability to ask questions, and once those questions are answered, leave the audience asking more questions...Helen Thomas does this, and does it better than anyone else in that room.
I also think the bush admin fucked themselves by hiring a Fox hack...and I'm grateful to them for this.
Here's the rest of the exchange (I'm not sure if Helen's part of this or if someone else has taken up the slack for her, but it's great...Tony is fish food...)
MR. SNOW: I cannot advance you beyond anything that's been in the press. The answer is, Steve, I don't know. I have not been briefed on what they have or have not been doing. It's pretty clear that they have been talking with our allies, and we've obviously had the letter from President Ahmadinejad. So to that extent, I suppose you could catagorize it as a feeler. I don't know about -- I can't give you any insight.
Q When you say there may be some opportunities if they take some steps, what are you talking about?
MR. SNOW: I'm going no further. I think what we've always said is that there is simply -- the first precondition of Iran is renounce the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. Just stop. Stop doing that -- of nuclear materials. What Iran is now trying to do, as I said, in a response to pressure -- I think it's very clear the pressure has begun to pay off -- that they want to change the subject. And we're not going to let them.
Q It's the same subject. You are -- you're right, they are responding to pressure. They're probably really fearful --
MR. SNOW: You know what -- if and when they meet their obligations before the international community of suspending the production or enrichment or reprocessing of uranium, we'll --
Q So you're laying down the law to them, really, that they have to do that, or there's no negotiation? No running room.
MR. SNOW: -- and we'll see.
Next. Who do we have?
Next!...someone, anyone, please help me change the subject! WAAA!
Beautiful...fucking beautiful.