Texastambul
06-05-2004, 08:37
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040505-3.html
Q: Have you been able to find out when the President first learned of allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq?
McClellan: ... The exact time period I'm not sure of, but it was some time after Secretary Rumsfeld became aware of it because he was the one who informed the President about the situation. [no date given]
Q I'm just wondering, why can't we put even a month on it? The President of the United States can't remember when he first heard that soldiers under his command may have tortured Iraqis? He doesn't remember that?
McClellan: Now, let's separate a couple of things here. [no date given]
Q Just one more on this. The President had to find out the gravity, the graphicness of this from the media, not from his chain of command. Isn't that a failure of the system, that this episode -- which as you've said has had such terrible effects around the world -- he finds out about from the media, and his own chain of command fails him in that way?
McClellan: No, no. Again, let's separate this out. [no straight answer given]
After avoiding things like dates and lack of control, McClellan tells a journalist that she is unAmerican for asking a question!
Q In that connection, has he issued a worldwide alert that all military prisons under U.S. control are not participating in such abuse? And does he know -- how about Guantanamo? Is it clean?
MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, our military adheres to high standards of conduct. And when -- and when there is a bad behavior --
Q We don't need that lecture. We know that. We believe in our country.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the way you phrased your question doesn't make it sound like you do --
Q: Have you been able to find out when the President first learned of allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq?
McClellan: ... The exact time period I'm not sure of, but it was some time after Secretary Rumsfeld became aware of it because he was the one who informed the President about the situation. [no date given]
Q I'm just wondering, why can't we put even a month on it? The President of the United States can't remember when he first heard that soldiers under his command may have tortured Iraqis? He doesn't remember that?
McClellan: Now, let's separate a couple of things here. [no date given]
Q Just one more on this. The President had to find out the gravity, the graphicness of this from the media, not from his chain of command. Isn't that a failure of the system, that this episode -- which as you've said has had such terrible effects around the world -- he finds out about from the media, and his own chain of command fails him in that way?
McClellan: No, no. Again, let's separate this out. [no straight answer given]
After avoiding things like dates and lack of control, McClellan tells a journalist that she is unAmerican for asking a question!
Q In that connection, has he issued a worldwide alert that all military prisons under U.S. control are not participating in such abuse? And does he know -- how about Guantanamo? Is it clean?
MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, our military adheres to high standards of conduct. And when -- and when there is a bad behavior --
Q We don't need that lecture. We know that. We believe in our country.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the way you phrased your question doesn't make it sound like you do --