WH To "Fearmongering Dems" - It's The Immunity, Stupid

[kpete]

It's The Immunity, Stupid
By Paul Kiel - February 25, 2008, 5:56PM

Q So what does the White House think of the op-ed from the Democrats that accuse the President of using scare tactics and playing political games? And they say if the President really believed the expiration of the act created a danger, he should have accepted their offer for an extension.
MS. PERINO: Well, one, the House proved that they couldn't even pass an extension, so that wasn't an option. An extension wasn't an option. But we had a response to the op-ed, that I issued.

I think that fear-mongering and the use of the phrase "scare tactics" is something that the Democrats -- it must be, like, one of their favorite words, or it must poll very well, because they use it almost every time.

.....................

The issue really right now between the House and the Senate, as far as I can tell, the biggest issue is retroactive liability protection, and in their op-ed they just had a passing glance to that issue. But it is one of the biggest sticking points, because at the end of the day if we don't have the companies helping us, then we won't have a program.


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Q Yes, but if it's such -- if it's so urgent to protect the nation's security, as you have said --

MS. PERINO: But, Bill, it still didn't do what -- the things that I have said repeatedly that it needs to do. Even if they had extended it, it doesn't provide for retroactive liability protection, which is what the companies say that they need.

more at:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/white_house_keeps_beating_that.php

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Ms. Perino, a question . . .

Are we talking about the same Bush White House that pressured Homeland Security to raise the color alert when things weren't looking right? The same White House that, during the run up to the Iraq invasion (for which all given reasons were false, I might add) never failed to mention Saddam and September 11 in the same sentence? Is that the White House that is accusing congressional Democrats of fear mongering?

And what makes Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney think they're going to get retroactive immunity from Congress? Or that they deserve it?