At his first formal White House press briefing, Tony faced off with Helen over what she calls “wiretapping millions of Americans”. The fact is no one, not even USA Today is reporting Americans are being wiretapped, only that there is a database with telephone numbers. Here’s the transcript of what the moonbat said:
HELEN THOMAS: The President today denied he’d ever broken the law in terms of wiretaps. He also indicated that anything that was looked into, any calls, had some sort of foreign aspect either to or from. And he has said he’s always obeyed the law. Are all of these stories untrue that we’ve been reading for the last several days that millions of Americans have been wiretapped?
Tony handled himself well by shutting down Helen after she would not be quiet after she called the President a law breaker:
Q (THOMAS): He doesn’t have a right to break the law, does he?MR. SNOW: No, the President is not talking about breaking the law. But al Qaeda doesn’t believe in transparency. What al Qaeda believes in is mayhem, and the President has a constitutional obligation and a heartfelt determination to make sure we fight it.
Q—to obey the Constitution—
MR. SNOW: Absolutely right.Q—the Fourth Amendment—
MR. SNOW: Absolutely right, and he believes in obeying it.
“al Qaeda doesn’t believe in transparency”, nice one Tony.
Full transcript below.
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Q The President today denied he’d ever broken the law in terms of wiretaps. He also indicated that anything that was looked into, any calls, had some sort of foreign aspect either to or from. And he has said he’s always obeyed the law. Are all of these stories untrue that we’ve been reading for the last several days that millions of Americans have been wiretapped?MR. SNOW: Well, let’s—
Q Are the phone calls turned over to the government?MR. SNOW: Okay, let’s try to segregate the stories here. What he’s said about the terror surveillance program is that these are foreign-to-domestic calls and they were all done within the parameters of the law. He has not commented on the—
Q He, himself, has said he didn’t obey that law.MR. SNOW: No, he didn’t. What he said is that he has done everything within the confines of the law. The second thing is, you’re mentioning a USA Today story about which this administration has no comment. But I would direct you back to the USA Today story itself, and if you analyze what that story said, what did it say? It said there is no wiretapping of individual calls, there is no personal information that is being relayed. There is no name, there is no address, there is no consequence of the calls, there’s no description of who the party on the other end is.
Q Privacy was breached by turning over their phone numbers.
MR. SNOW: Well, again, you are jumping to conclusions about a program, the existence of which we will neither confirm, nor deny.
Q Why? Don’t you think the American people have a right to know—
MR. SNOW: Because—what’s interesting is, there seems to be a notion that because the President has talked a little bit about one surveillance program and one matter of intelligence gathering, that somehow we have to tell the entire world we have to make intelligence gathering transparent. Let me remind you, it’s a war on terror, and there are people—I guarantee you, al Qaeda does not believe—
Q He doesn’t have a right to break the law, does he?MR. SNOW: No, the President is not talking about breaking the law. But al Qaeda doesn’t believe in transparency. What al Qaeda believes in is mayhem, and the President has a constitutional obligation and a heartfelt determination to make sure we fight it.
Q—to obey the Constitution—
MR. SNOW: Absolutely right.Q—the Fourth Amendment—
MR. SNOW: Absolutely right, and he believes in obeying it.
RightWinged.com linked with Tony Snow Holds First Briefing, Fends Off The Usual Vultures. *UPDATES*...
The Sandbox linked with Tony Snow Vs. Helen Thomas, Round 1...
Sister Toldjah linked with Tony Snow’s first day as WH press secretary...
Jo's Cafe linked with Wednesday Specials...
Assorted Babble by Suzie linked with Great Day for Tony Snow...
Iowa Voice linked with Snow Deals With Helen Thomas...
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6:14 pm [ Quote ]
Why no mention of the word “tar baby” by tony snow? Thats going to upset a bunch of people. Just what Bush needs to boost his 3% african american approval rating.
6:19 pm [ Quote ]
Bush should’ve gotten Tony Snow three years ago.
One of the few good moves he’s had lately…
6:20 pm [ Quote ]
Seems to me to be asking about the USAtoday story?
New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is already covering up President Bush’s mistakes.
President Bush was asked earlier today about an NSA database reported by USA Today that tracks the phone records of “tens of millions” of Americans. Bush implicitly confirmed the existance of the program, claiming that Congress had been fully briefed on it:
QUESTION: Mr. President, you’ve said that the government is not trolling through the lives of innocent Americans, but why shouldn’t ordinary people feel that their privacy is invaded by the NSA compiling a list of their telephone calls?
BUSH: …The program he’s asking about is one that has been fully briefed to members of the United States Congress in both political parties. They’re very aware of what is taking place. The American people expect their government to protect them within the laws of this country, and I’m going to continue to do just that.
Holding his first White House press conference, the first question posed to Tony Snow was about Bush’s comments. Snow misled the press corps, claiming President Bush wasn’t talking about the collection of phone records by the NSA:
QUESTION: In his news conference with John Howard, was the president giving kind of a backhanded confirmation of the stories that the NSA is compiling telephone lists?
SNOW: No, he wasn’t. If you go back and listen to the answer he gave you, he was talking about foreign-to-domestic calls. The allegations in the USA Today piece, which we will neither confirm or deny, are of a different nature. So, no, he was not giving a backhanded confirmation.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/16/snows-first-question/#comments
6:24 pm [ Quote ]
TS made this old broad (no offense to old broads) look like a fool but of course does not care…The real stupid reporter asks him why he is wearing the yellow wristband…
What a dope that reporter is….
6:43 pm [ Quote ]
“Handling them deftly, like a ward of mental patients”.
AtlasShrugs.com
Great description of Tony Snow and the press corp. They should have hired him a long time ago.
6:50 pm [ Quote ]
Or in the case of Helen Thomas, a patient orderly at a nursing home.
“Would you like some extra apple sauce Miss Thomas and a nice walk out on the terrace?”
7:05 pm [ Quote ]
Shot here down? Hardly. I just used the old Fox news style of bullshit and blew here off and moved on.
Some real compassionate conservatives here when referring to Helen’s’ advanced years, I see. Shame on you all you mean spirited fucks
What you (of course) didn’t report:
A few moments later he also said “Look at the poll that appeared the following day [...] something like 65% of the public was not troubled by it. Having said that, I don’t want to hug the tar baby of trying to comment on the program… the alleged program…”
TAR BABY? IS HE A FUCKING ASSHOLE?
7:07 pm [ Quote ]
A few moments later he cried. Did you see that? Did you report that???
7:20 pm [ Quote ]
Let’s hope Snow will be a rainmaker when it comes to polls (it’ll take more than that, but Bush has been taking too many body shots lately).
My first view of Snow. Thanks!
7:24 pm [ Quote ]
“Some real compassionate conservatives here when referring to Helen’s’ advanced years, I see. Shame on you all you mean spirited fucks”
I guess you mean the stuff that people spew at Bush isn’t mean spirited. I know the left never makes anything personal, i.e (Michelle Malkin).
7:31 pm [ Quote ]
Snow Deals With Helen Thomas…
I didn’t see the entire press conference, but from what I hear, Tony Snow put the kaibash on the usual Helen Thomas line of questioning (you know….the ones that the DU or people like that could write for her).
Hot Air has the entire clip, and Ian…
7:41 pm [ Quote ]
Great Day for Tony Snow…
Hat Tip: Picture by Rightwinged
Hope you caught Tony Snow, the new WH Press Secretary’s Press Briefing today. My satellite went out before it was over due to the bad weather, but I did see him take on David Gregory and Helen Thomas. Tony did n …...
7:48 pm [ Quote ]
Wednesday Specials…
......
7:58 pm [ Quote ]
You forgot the “Tar Baby” remark.
8:14 pm [ Quote ]
The liberal faggots are really in trouble now! Tony Snow will really put them in their place.
8:48 pm [ Quote ]
A few moments later he cried. Did you see that? Did you report that???
Why? What does Tony Snow’s crying (as he was explaining about his cancer bracelet that someone asked him about) have to do with politics? Are you going to attack him because he had cancer? I know you haven’t yet and likely won’t (since you conveniently left out why he cried), but I wouldn’t do that if you were thinking to, and given previous examples of Liberal intolerance I wouldn’t have counted that out.
8:52 pm [ Quote ]
And as of recently, it’s been reported here. Perhaps patience was needed, Billw.
9:00 pm [ Quote ]
Billw you F*ckin asshat…he has just spent the last year fighting cancer…god you are a dick!
9:03 pm [ Quote ]
I wouldn’t use insults normally, but I don’t need to throw one out; I’ll just agree with EEprom here about Billw. And I wouldn’t throw it out as an insult, but as the truth.
9:18 pm [ Quote ]
Tony Snow is an exceptionally fine, decent man and unless or until evidence arises that he knowingly, deliberately lies to the media; I am convinced after watching and corresponding with him over several years that he would never lie or even shade the truth for anyone. He is also an excellent communicator and he would never consciously be rude to Helen, Gregory or anyone – he is simply not that kind of man.
Tony did a great job today and I think he will prove to be an force for good within the administration.
9:43 pm [ Quote ]
Tony Snow’s first day as WH press secretary…
By all accounts, things went well – he managed to put Democrat Helen Thomas, who is prone to moonbattiness, in her place in response to her ‘question’ about the President and the Constitution.
He also talked a little bit about the his battl…
10:38 pm [ Quote ]
I love it when the nasty, bile spewing left feign hurt and offence. Spare me and get a life!
11:35 pm [ Quote ]
Something tells me we’re going to have a lot more Tony Snow clips up now than scott McClellan clips before…
11:38 pm [ Quote ]
Mister Snow is amazing. We wish him the best of luck.
Good job Tony!
11:57 pm [ Quote ]
Tony Snow Vs. Helen Thomas, Round 1…
Today, Tony Snow gave his first formal press briefing. Of course, Helen Thomas had her insanely-spun loaded garbage question:HT: The President today denied he’d ever broken the law in terms of wiretaps. He also indicated that anything that was looked…
12:37 am [ Quote ]
Helen Thomas… with tea
Suzanne Heha
1:12 am [ Quote ]
Shot here down? Hardly. I just used the old Fox news style of bullshit and blew here off and moved on.
Some real compassionate conservatives here when referring to Helen’s’ advanced years, I see. Shame on you all you mean spirited fucks
What you (of course) didn’t report:
A few moments later he also said “Look at the poll that appeared the following day [...] something like 65% of the public was not troubled by it. Having said that, I don’t want to hug the tar baby of trying to comment on the program… the alleged program…”
TAR BABY? IS HE A FUCKING ASSHOLE?
Ah, quit yer bitchin’! You liberals show no more respect for the President than we’ve shown for Granny Hippie-to-be-replaced.
2:34 am [ Quote ]
Quart-of-Larry, I believe billw was implying that the term “tar baby” is racist. I would have to say that insulting an entire race would be worse than insulting one man, even if he is the president—not that anybody but you was talking about that in the first place.
For the record,
tar baby
n.
A situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself.
3:03 am [ Quote ]
Tony Snow Holds First Briefing, Fends Off The Usual Vultures. UPDATES...
New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is holding his first press briefing, and predictably the usual front row vultures are in attack mode. I’m sure Expose the Left will have video for us later. ***UPDATE*** AllahPundit at Hot…...
3:49 am [ Quote ]
Of course the left will call anything racist at first chance. Tar baby doesn’t mean black people you dipshits. Stop calling white people racist you bunch of racists.
4:18 am [ Quote ]
To be fair, “tar baby” most assuredly has a racist connotation as well. (Ever read Uncle Remus?) So, hhhhhh (brilliant moniker, by the way), you are wrong to say that it doesn’t mean black people. Why not either do a little research before adopting an insulting manner, or better yet, drop the insulting manner altogether? You might come across less as a dipshit your own damn self.
9:32 am [ Quote ]
Yes, yes, we don’t want our older, more credible reporters to ask the tough questions. We want to go quietly into fascism with the likes of Jeff Gannon.
9:40 am [ Quote ]
Yes, yes, we don’t want our older, more credible reporters to ask the tough questions. We want to go quietly into fascism with the likes of Jeff Gannon.
Really, now? That aging leftist moonbat wouldn’t know “credibility” if it walked up and slapped her prune face into next week.
10:09 am [ Quote ]
It’s safe to say now that Tony Snow was the perfect choice for White House Press Secretary.
The Lib trolls are spewing their venom at him like he was Karl Rove or Rummy.
12:40 pm [ Quote ]
One would need the patience of a saint to deal with the vitriol Helen Thomas spews forth.
4:10 pm [ Quote ]
Were there any homosexual prostitutes is the press corp crowd to ask the softball questions?