Enquiring minds ask the dumbest questions

Listening to wartime press conferences is a good penitential
practice during Lent. Restraining myself from screaming out at the radio or
TV when the
most inane questions are asked takes a lot of self discipline. Especially silly
is different reporters asking the same question with only slightly different
nuances.

Reporter: Did the President watch the bombing campaign on Iraq
today?

Ari Fleischer: He did not have on the TV when I was in his office.

Reporter: Do you mean that he isn’t watching this on his TV.

Ari Fleischer: He might have turned on the TV after I left, I
don’t know.

Reporter: Surely he is watching the destruction of Baghdad that
he has ordered.

Ari Fleischer: The President does not have to watch TV to understand
the weight of his decisions.

Reporter: Did you see if he had a remote control in the room.

Ari Fleischer: I am sure that he does.

Reporter: What brand of TV does he have and what size of it.

Ari Fleischer: I do not know.

Reporter: Does he have cable or a dish.

Ari Fleischer: He has both.

Reporter: When you left the President did he mention possibly
turning on the TV later.

Ari Fleischer: Not that I remember.

Reporter: What are you hiding?. Did the President announce
his intentions or not.

Ari Fleischer: I am totally unaware of his TV watching intentions
for today.

Reporter: Doesn’t the President understand that it is unamerican
not to get all their information from the TV news.

Ari Fleischer: The President does have other sources of information
such as the Commander of the Joint Chiefs, NSA, CIA, FBI, etc.