Need some entertainment on a Monday morning? How about ABC
chief White House correspondent Terry (“Bulldog”) Moran, right, questioning White House
Press Secretary Scott McClellan the other day? I don’t know which to admire more, Moran’s
tenacity or his sense of humor. As reported by Editor &
Publisher, here’s how that went:
MORAN: Scott, is the insurgency in Iraq in its “last
throes”?
McCLELLAN: Terry, you have a desperate group of
terrorists in Iraq that are doing everything they can to try to derail the transition to democracy.
The Iraqi people have made it clear that they want a free and democratic and peaceful future. And
that’s why we’re doing everything we can, along with other countries, to support the Iraqi people
as they move forward …
MORAN: But the insurgency is in its last
throes?
McCLELLAN: The Vice President talked about that the
other day — you have a desperate group of terrorists who recognize how high the stakes are in
Iraq. A free Iraq will be a significant blow to their ambitions.
MORAN: But they’re killing
more Americans, they’re killing more Iraqis. That’s the last
throes?
McCLELLAN: Innocent — I say innocent civilians. And it
doesn’t take a lot of people to cause mass damage when you’re willing to strap a bomb onto
yourself, get in a car and go and attack innocent civilians. That’s the kind of people that we’re
dealing with. That’s what I say when we’re talking about a determined
enemy.
MORAN: Right. What is the evidence that the insurgency
is in its last throes?
McCLELLAN: I think I just explained to you
the desperation of terrorists and their tactics.
MORAN: What’s
the evidence on the ground that it’s being
extinguished?
McCLELLAN: Terry, we’re making great progress
to defeat the terrorist and regime elements. You’re seeing Iraqis now playing more of a role in
addressing the security threats that they face. They’re working side by side with our coalition
forces. They’re working on their own. There are a lot of special forces in Iraq that are taking the
battle to the enemy in Iraq. And so this is a period when they are in a desperate
mode.
MORAN: Well, I’m just wondering what the metric is for
measuring the defeat of the insurgency.
McCLELLAN: Well, you
can go back and look at the Vice President’s remarks. I think he talked about
it.
MORAN: Yes. Is there any idea how long a “last throe” lasts
for?
Uh, next question.
