Rhinocrisy

June 15:

Q Scott, more official British documents are seeming to indicate that the Bush administration was trying to justify an invasion of Iraq as early as March, 2002. And tomorrow, Representative John Conyers, as you know, is holding some Democratic hearings to get testimony about this. Is the President concerned that as more documents come out seeming to indicate a decision very early on to invade Iraq and possible manipulating –

MR. McCLELLAN: I think you’ve asked these questions, the President has been asked these questions, and I think it’s been addressed.

June 16:

Q Scott, on another topic, has the President or anyone else from the administration responded to the letter sent last month by Congressman John Conyers and signed by dozens of members of the House of Representatives, regarding the Downing Street memo? Has the President or anyone else responded?

MR. McCLELLAN: Not that I’m aware of.

Q Why not?

MR. McCLELLAN: Why not? Because I think that this is an individual who voted against the war in the first place and is simply trying to rehash old debates that have already been addressed. And our focus is not on the past. It’s on the future and working to make sure we succeed in Iraq.

These matters have been addressed, Elaine. I think you know that very well. The press –

Q Scott, 88 members of Congress signed that letter.

MR. McCLELLAN: The press — the press have covered it, as well.

Q What do you say about them?

Q But, Scott, don’t they deserve the courtesy of a response back?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, this has been addressed. Go ahead.

…

Q Scott, on John Conyers, John Conyers is walking here with that letter again, as you have acknowledged from Elaine’s comment. But 88 leaders on Capitol Hill signed that letter. Now, I understand what you’re saying about him, but what about the other 88 who signed this letter, wanting information, answers to these five questions?

MR. McCLELLAN: How did they vote on the war — the decision to go to war in Iraq?

Q Well, you have two — well, if that’s the case, you have two Republicans who are looking for a timetable. How do you justify that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I already talked about that.

Q I understand, but let’s talk about this.

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said –

Q Well, just because — I understand — but wait a minute, that’s not — if leaders from Congress — if you’re talking about unifying and asking for everyone to come together, why not answer, whether they wanted the war or not, answer a letter where John Conyers wrote to the President and then 88 congressional leaders signed? Why not answer that?

MR. McCLELLAN: For the reasons I stated earlier. This is simply rehashing old debates that have already been discussed.

June 20:

Q All right, Scott. At their joint news conference, both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair denied the major assumptions out of the so-called Downing Street memo. We’ve had other revelations, I guess, since then. But is the President wondering how the intelligence operatives and diplomatic operatives of the key ally in this mission came to these assumptions, came to these conclusions? Isn’t he wondering how this happened?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think Prime Minister Blair addressed this very issue. They were memos relating to the United Kingdom and he addressed the issue in a news conference.

Go ahead, Ken.

Get that man a glass of water!