khaosworks | Required Reading

Since Russell Mokhiber's "Ari & I" excerpts have drawn my attention to them, I've been reading the White House Press Briefings released on whitehouse.gov itself. They make for very interesting reading - especially in what Ari doesn't answer. I really couldn't do Ari Fleischer's job for a second. I'd feel too slimy.

Here's an example of Ari tapdancing. It's a simple question - Bush says he's protecting the American people from Iraq. What is Iraq going to do to America?

Q Beyond the process, if the President asked for the country to go to war, they're ultimately going to ask what it is the President is protecting the American people from in Iraq. What is he protecting us from?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the biggest fear and the biggest concern is that Saddam Hussein does, indeed, possess weapons of mass destruction in the form of biological and chemical weapons. And I think it's important just to take one step back. And often we talk weapons of mass destruction, as if those are just vocabulary words. Weapons of mass destruction will inflict untold horrors on the civilized world. They can take the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, as well as be a weapon of terror that can dramatically change the life that the American people have come to live and expect.

That is the fear, that Saddam Hussein will indeed unleash these weapons, if he is able to, or link up with terrorists who will do it for him. It is not an idle fear; it is a real fear, particularly since we went through what we've gone through as a country since September 11th. That is the core of it, David. If Saddam Hussein did not have these weapons, the President would not have this cause for concern. He has these weapons, he's used them before -- that is the heart of the President's concern.

Okay... then it's that Saddam could potentially give WMD to terrorists like Al-Qaeda. So why hasn't he done it before?

Q Can I just follow on this apparent link to al Qaeda that is being presented in still rather vague form? If the President believes that there is a real danger that Saddam Hussein would task, sell, somehow give his weapons of mass destruction to groups like al Qaeda, why hasn't it happened since 1991, when we know during that period of time that Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda were busy plotting and carrying out attacks against the United States?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, what we do know is that there clearly have been in the past, and there have been contacts between senior members of -- senior Iraqi officials and members of the al Qaeda organization, going back for quite a long time. We know, too, that several of the detainees, particularly some of the high-level detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development.

There are contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda. We know that Saddam Hussein has a long history of terrorism, in general. And, again, if you're waiting for the smoking gun, the problem is when you see the smoke coming out of the gun it's too late, the damage has been done.

Uh, Ari... you didn't answer the question. We know you're saying there's a link. But why hasn't he done it in the last 10 years when he's had ample opportunity and what makes you think he's going to do it now? A moment of Ari zen coming up...

Q I understand that. But we're talking about a period of well over 10 years, at a time when al Qaeda was at full strength, you know, tearing it up, attacking U.S. embassies. If they wanted this kind of thing, as the President said they do, why didn't they get it through those contacts and through that training?

MR. FLEISCHER: One factor I think you also have to consider is, given the fact that Afghanistan provided a very large training ground and operational ground to al Qaeda, many of their needs were taken care of in Afghanistan until September 11th, and then their activities in Afghanistan have been widely disrupted. And this is an unfolding story, and I think you'll hear more of it.

Say what? And when the reporter presses...

Q When?

MR. FLEISCHER: Elizabeth.

Here's another one for Ari - if America is asking Iraq to disarm, why is it still developing its own WMD? And watch the man squirm...

Q Over the weekend there were reports that the United States is prepared or is considering using a nuclear bunker cluster bomb. Given that this situation with Iraq is about Iraq disarming its weapons of mass destruction, would it be more appropriate -- or is it inappropriate for the United States to be talking about or considering using weapons of mass destruction on its own, and would the United States be prepared to do so on a preemptive basis?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think it's well known that the United States' long standing policy about use of nuclear weapons is that we don't rule anything in and we don't rule anything out. And that remains or policy.

QB ut with all due respect, why is that appropriate for the United States? If we're trying to get Iraq to disarm, in the interest of nonproliferation, why would the United States be even openly considering that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Again, our policy is, we don't rule anything in and we don't rule anything out.

Q So it's not only in response to a potential Iraqi attack?

MR. FLEISCHER: Mark.