UPDATE 4/20/06 With McCellan's abrupt but predictable resignation this week, to my knowledge he never did have to answer the question of whether or not Bush was personally aware of the DIA's report issued to the White House two days before his remarks on the Mobile Labs. I guess Scotty had a final victory after all...


Alright - indulge me once again. I give you the wonder of today's Press Gaggle.

Imagine your Scott McCellan, and you walk into today's press meeting knowing full well that there is one question that the WH press corps wants to ask today and you also know that you cannot say anything, ANYTHING in response. How do you do it? You try to run out the clock.

First, you come out swinging with the first question, even if its on an unrelated subject. This oughta kill some time. And if you're lucking open up new dead end lines of questioning.

QUESTION: Is the President alarmed at the climate of feeling that we're going to attack Iran? And there seems to be more and more scare --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: The wild speculation he referred to the other day?

QUESTION: Pardon me?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: You mean the wild speculation he referred to the other day?

QUESTION: Yes.

You've opened strong -- let them know that you're going on the offensive and gonna try to run out the clock. You're not gonna take shit. They'd better be afraid of direct confrontation with you...But now you've got some momentum...You've come out strong, but you know the dreaded question is coming soon

QUESTION: Does the President think that the remarks from the Iranian President on television were in any way timed as a response to Mr. Bush's own comments or on the eve of ElBaradei's visit?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I wouldn't try to make an assessment of the timing of it. I mean, I think that they had been signaling that they were going to be moving in this direction previously.

Then, with no beating around the bush, the lousy reporter changes the subject and WHAM from the current Iran situation right smack into the one question you cannot say ANYTHING about for the rest of the Gaggle.

QUESTION: Was the President aware that the Defense Intelligence Agency had found that there was no evidence of WMD in the trailers two days before the President said that there was evidence of that?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Well, the President made his -- the President's comments were based on the intelligence assessment of the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency that was publicly released on May 28, 2003.

QUESTION: But he wasn't aware of the report that they had delivered --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Well, I think what you'll -- you'll have to ask the international community what they looked at to put into that report. There's a briefing that was done for reporters on May 28th, and the intelligence community said that they were highly confident about these labs, these mobile labs being used for producing biological weapons.

There - you've played the only move you have: you've acted like you've misunderstood the question. Can't hold on to this tactic long, though. Better change the subject and quick...

MCCELLAN: But let me -- you're going to the article in The Washington Post today, and, I mean, the article in the lead leaves readers with an impression that the President was saying something that had been debunked by the intelligence community. That is not true. That is irresponsible reporting. In fact, the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency had jointly assessed at the time that the labs were for producing biological weapons.

Now've tried diverting attention, but what do you do when the question just keeps coming back?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: ...Again, I can tell you what the President made his comments based on. And I think this is just, frankly, reckless reporting.

QUESTION: So the President was not aware of the fact --

QUESTION: -- President was so definitive --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: And I think it's reckless reporting for ABC to go this morning and say that The Washington Post says that the President knew at the time what he was saying was not true.

Almost slipped here...You want to say SOMETHING, but look what happens when you do!

QUESTION: So was the President made aware of the fact --

Oh, fuck 'em. Just yell back in their faces...

SCOTT McCLELLAN: And are you all going to apologize?

(Can you fucking believe this was the best he could do?)

QUESTION: Was the President made aware of the faxed field report?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Are you all going to apologize for that?

QUESTION: Was the President aware of the faxed field report?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Is that a correct statement?

QUESTION: Scott, was the President made aware of the field report that was faxed?

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Jessica, I just told you, I've asked the intelligence community what they based this paper on. I can't tell you what they based their paper on. You have to. We're not an intelligence-gathering agency.

QUESTION: No, but was the field report faxed --

Okay - nobody's fighting back in response to your j'accuse. Guess you'll have to go back to the one move left: pretending you don't understand the question.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: The President made his comments based on this white paper that was publicly released by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, which is the arm of the -- which is an arm of the Pentagon --

But the jackals just won't stop

QUESTION: -- [Did the] President have access to material before it's declassified, so the question is, was he aware of this report on May 27th?

So it's about here you realize that you're not going to make the whole Gaggle, and are goning to have to split before all questions are answered. But you've got some steam left. And then, all of a sudden, WHAM you get the same question phrased in a different way...

QUESTION: Would you clarify what's wrong with the article
--

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I've got to go. I just said what -- the lead. I just did, repeatedly, Jessica.

QUESTION: Which is that the President didn't know the information that is contained in that --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: You -- the lead -- I just said that the lead suggested that what the President was saying was based on something that had been debunked. And that is not true. In fact, the President was saying something that was based on what the intelligence community, through the CIA
--

QUESTION: -- contradictory information out there.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: -- and I'm trying to go gather information from the CIA to find out what went into that paper. They're going to have to say what went into that paper. That's what the President's statement was based on. And so, for ABC to go on there and suggest --

Oh, fuck, and now their explicitly on to your game of not saying anything...

QUESTION: You're not denying --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: Hang on. Are you saying that the President went out there and said something that he knew was not true? That's what you said on ABC News --

QUESTION: I didn't say anything on ABC News --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: ABC News said that this morning. And is ABC News going to apologize for making that assertion?

QUESTION: My question is, are you denying that there was --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: You haven't answered my question. Are you going to apologize for that?

QUESTION: -- contradictory information --

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I just did, Jessica. I just answered that very question.

QUESTION: I have one. Can I have one?

Now that you're not saying anything or your non-denial denial has itself become topic of public scrutiny, time to split.

SCOTT McCLELLAN: I'll be back later.