• NPa [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Wanted to see where people first used this term because HuffPo deboonked it, check out this press briefing from March 2003 where Ari Fleischer used the term first

      Some choice quotes in there if you want to pass them off as Lavrov or someone in the Kremlin being a maniacal war-hawk and then reveal it was the Dubya White House.

      Q Are we following the Geneva Accords --

      MR. FLEISCHER: Of course.

      Q -- in Iraq and Guantanamo?

      MR. FLEISCHER: There are two different situations. You have the war against terrorism, and then you have this conflict, which is much more of a traditional conflict. And we have always treated people humanely, consistent with international agreements. In the case of the fight in Iraq, there's no question that it's being done in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.

      Q How about the detainees in Guantanamo? They have no rights under the Geneva Accords?

      MR. FLEISCHER: As I just indicated, we always treat them humanely, consistent with. [sic] ::: :thinking-about-it:

      Q Ari, are you surprised that there have not been more chemical and biological weapons found so far? And why has there not been more of an effort up front to try to seize and control these weapons so they're not used against American troops?

      MR. FLEISCHER: I can just report to you what the President said yesterday; he's thankful that it has not been used. And anything dealing with seizing or anything of that nature, you have to talk to the Pentagon about.

      Q Well, right. But you speak every day about weapons of mass destruction. Is that -- is this should be any indication that this is less important than territorial gain or seizing oil wells that we have not done this sort of thing?

      MR. FLEISCHER: No, I think if you're asking about plans that would result in the seizure of WMD, things of that nature, that's something that General Franks is briefed on in the Gulf, and I would refer you to his words.

      Q The surprise element -- you're not surprised that they haven't been found?

      MR. FLEISCHER: No, I think there can be a variety of factors behind it. But as we have said repeatedly, we have information that Iraq has possessed biological, and possesses biological and chemical weapons.

      and these fucking journos just keep pressing for a Russian connection:

      Q If I could ask one other thing about the Russian thing. Do you have any indication that the materials we're talking about -- the GPS jammers and so forth -- were sent into Iraq on humanitarian aid flights?

      Don't know if it's the same person asking, but this question is asked multiple times in different ways. Like calm down, your government is destroying Iraq right now and you're pissed at them because they won't start WW3 as well? Some things never change.

      Q Ari, two questions: First, on the issue of the conversation with President Putin about the Russian technology. Is it the United States government's concern solely that Russia or a Russian company transferred to Iraq this GPS-jamming equipment? Or did the President discuss concerns that perhaps there are Russian advisors inside Iraq now helping the Iraqis use this equipment?

      this is a gem:

      Q And this is probably isolated, but there have been grumblings today, both from a Marine unit -- members of a Marine unit and members of an Army unit, that one of their concerns in these firefights is that they're not being allowed to use enough force. Is there any concern here that because of the admirable goals of trying to protect Iraqi civilians and Iraqi infrastructure that Americans are being put at risk in some of these skirmishes because they're not allowed, in the cases of Iraqis shooting at them from residential areas where there are civilians, to use overwhelming force to go after them? :jesus-christ:

      also:

      Q Why should the American public expect that you can accomplish that at the same time that you want to fund an extremely costly prescription drug benefit? I mean, isn't the administration giving the public a false sense of being able to do it all? (well hold on now, y'all, can't have the poors thinking we can actually fund whatever we want, now) :big-cool: