Friday, September 23, 2005

Allow Me to Translate

From the Department of Defense transcript of an interview between "policital commentator and talk show host" Laura Ingraham and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:

INGRAHAM: Fantastic. If you need someone to be that military spokesperson over in Iraq, I'm happy to give up my microphone any time, Mr. Secretary. Any time you call I'll be happy to jump over there.

TRANSLATION: I’d happily ditch any pretense of journalistic integrity just to serve at your feet!

RUMSFELD: You're terrific, Laura. Thanks so much.

TRANSLATION: Goooood doggie. Here’s a treat.

Here also are a couple of Ingraham’s tough questions for the SOD (the Secretary of Defense, that is):

“Are you confident that a year from now or six months from now public opinion will move toward embracing progress in Iraq and the fact that Iraq was worth it?”

“You've got a press corps against you and you've got an international media who's oftentimes against you so it's very difficult.” [Sorry, that one’s simply a bald statement, not a question.]

“I hear a very different account of what is happening, very positive stories, again, and yet I don't see the stuff reported. It's frustrating to me. I can't imagine how frustrating to you it must be.” [Sorry, that’s more a bald statement of support, too, isn’t it.]

[Here’s a real question. Promise.] "Do we think, Mr. Secretary, that having a military spokesperson on the ground day in and day out, ticking off three positive pieces of news out of Iraq every day, someone that every American knows, comes to know whether it's General Casey or someone else [e.g. Laura Ingraham], do you think that's something that would affect the public opinion at this point? Because I'm concerned if these numbers keep going the way they are, it's going to do damage to the President's war on terror overall and obviously his standing on other issues at home." [See, there was a question in there.]

(Via Andy Sullivan.)

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