Helen Thomas is SUCH a thorn in Fleischer's side, man. When I watch the press conferences on TV you can almost see Fleischer's flesh crawl when he calls on her. You go, Helen!
----- Original Message ----- From: "vince" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Joni" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 12:22 AM Subject: Helen Thomas njc : Helen Thomas, the most senior member of the White House press corps, : and Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer on Monday over the issue of : Iraq. Check out the dialogue: : : January 6, 2003 - 12:35 P.M. EST : : MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon and happy New Year to everybody. The : President began his day with an intelligence briefing, followed by an : FBI briefing. Then he had a series of policy briefings. And this : afternoon, the President will look forward to a Cabinet meeting where : the President will discuss with members of his Cabinet his agenda for : the year. The President is going to focus on economic growth, making : America a more compassionate country, and providing for the security of : our nation abroad and on the homefront. : : And with that, I'm more than happy to take your questions. Helen. : : HELEN THOMAS: At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President : deplored the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent : lives in the world? And I have a follow-up. : : MR. FLEISCHER: I refer specifically to a horrible terrorist attack on : Tel Aviv that killed scores and wounded hundreds. And the President, as : he said in his statement yesterday, deplores in the strongest terms the : taking of those lives and the wounding of those people, innocents in : Israel. : : MS. THOMAS: My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent : Iraqis? : : MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, the question is how to protect Americans, and our : allies and friends -- : : MS. THOMAS: They're not attacking you. : : MR. FLEISCHER: -- from a country -- : : MS. THOMAS: Have they laid the glove on you or on the United States, the : Iraqis, in 11 years? : : MR. FLEISCHER: I guess you have forgotten about the Americans who were : killed in the first Gulf War as a result of Saddam Hussein's aggression : then. : : MS. THOMAS: Is this revenge, 11 years of revenge? : : MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, I think you know very well that the President's : position is that he wants to avert war, and that the President has asked : the United Nations to go into Iraq to help with the purpose of averting : war. : : MS. THOMAS: Would the President attack innocent Iraqi lives? : : MR. FLEISCHER: The President wants to make certain that he can defend : our country, defend our interests, defend the region, and make certain : that American lives are not lost. : : MS. THOMAS: And he thinks they are a threat to us? : : MR. FLEISCHER: There is no question that the President thinks that Iraq : is a threat to the United States. : : MS. THOMAS: The Iraqi people? : : MR. FLEISCHER: The Iraqi people are represented by their government. If : there was regime change, the Iraqi -- : : MS. THOMAS: So they will be vulnerable? : : MR. FLEISCHER: Actually, the President has made it very clear that he : has not dispute with the people of Iraq. That's why the American policy : remains a policy of regime change. There is no question the people of : Iraq -- : : MS. THOMAS: That's a decision for them to make, isn't it? It's their : country. : : MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, if you think that the people of Iraq are in a : position to dictate who their dictator is, I don't think that has been : what history has shown. : : MS. THOMAS: I think many countries don't have -- people don't have the : decision -- including us.
