In the daily Whitehouse press briefing a few hours ago, Tony Snow was getting some tough questions about the happenings in Lebabon and whether the U.S. was taken by surprise at some of the developments there:
Q If the reports are correct, and we, in fact, didn’t know about the weapons advances that Hezbollah has made, is there some frustration or embarrassment within the intelligence community at the moment?
MR. SNOW: Well, you’ve asked me one of those “ifs,” and then the answer is, I don’t know what the knowledge was about intelligence; therefore, I can’t answer it. Sorry, Victoria.
Q Well, it seems certainly according to the reports that we didn’t know that they had made significant advances.
MR. SNOW: Again, I don’t know. [Link]
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p>So what do you do next if you are Snow? I am disappointed by ANY SM readers that don’t already know the answer:
Goyal.
Q Tony, two questions. One, last night celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Indian-American Friendship Council, Dr. Krishna Reddy he got over 120 members of Congress from both sides — senators and congressmen on Capitol Hill — and they were all supporting the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement. And which yesterday you mentioned that G8 also — Prime Minister of India and the President had discussion on the same issue.
So now next month, there will be voting — final voting in the U.S. Congress. So where is the President now? How he is taking this approach —
MR. SNOW: The President supports the agreement. He made it clear to Prime Minister Singh. He’s made it clear to members of Congress. So far the votes have been overwhelmingly in favor in committee, and we’ll just have to see how it proceeds. I mean, that’s a no-brainer. [Link]
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p>Was Snow subtly implying that Goyal’s question was a no-brainer? Snow soon found out that even Goyal, when backed into a corner with his pride on the line, can take a swing by asking a tough question. You won’t like him when he’s angry.
Q Second, as far as terrorism is concerned, also G8 made a statement on terrorism that we have to bring all — all kind of terrorism to justice, including organizers, supporters and sponsors and financers. And Prime Minister of India is under pressure in India from the Indians on the (inaudible) bombings, that they should cut off all the diplomatic relations in Pakistan because Prime Minister of India has called off the (inaudible) with Pakistan — he also calling on the Musharraf government to stop in sponsoring terrorism across the border, including in Bombay. So what you think President —
MR. SNOW: Far be it for me to give — you’re trying to get us in the middle of a diplomatic dispute. The President —
Q How President feel?
MR. SNOW: You’re asking how the President feels about breaking developments? I think it’s inappropriate to comment. [Link]
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p>Big time avoidance by Snow there. The G8 statement seems to go further than the U.S.’s position in that it recognizes the Mumbai bombings as state-sponsored terrorism. Advantage Goyal.
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p>A better idea of what the Bush administration thinks about India-Pakistan relations following the Mumbai bombings is summed up in a statement by assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher
A key Bush administration official on Monday advised India to rely on hard evidence before drawing conclusions on the Mumbai terror attacks, while obliquely criticising New Delhi for implicating Islamabad in the blasts and calling off talks.
“I know there’s a lot of speculation out there now. That happens in these cases. But I think we need to be led by the evidence before we start trying to draw conclusions and make policy pronouncements on it,”US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher said on Monday.
“So that will be our attitude, and I think that should be the attitude of others as well,”Boucher, a mid-level functionary of the Bush administration recommended, even as the G-8 summit of leaders issued a policy statement condemning state sponsorship of terrorism specifically linked to the Mumbai blasts.
Boucher hoped that progress in India-Pakistan relations is not lost because of developments relating to the blasts, “and that they find opportunities to cooperate… against terrorist groups, to cooperate in stabilising the region…” [Link]
I personally find Boucher’s statement (this part at least) to be reasonable for now but good for Goyal for challenging the discrepancy.
OMG! Goyal actually transcended his normal role of being a press corps joke. It sounds (from the transcript) that Snow was equally surprised.
Boucher’s full statement was asinine, the part about how India’s only now experiencing cross-border Islamic terrorism the way America has suffered.
And this was rich: “No country has done more to fight Al Qaeda or has lost more people in doing so than Pakistan.”
He’s a joke only because he’s usually off-topic. But on his home ground, U.S.-India relations and Indian foreign policy, I bet he knows his stuff.
I was referring to him as a joke because of the way he’s used by press secretaries to avoid tough questions about Bush’s policies. You’re correct, though, that Goyal is a reporter with a constituency, and he’s certainly loyal to them. Plus, unlike other press corps members, he’s always assured of getting called upon. 😉
Oh, come on!
The press corps is mostly a joke becuase as soon as a member of it starts becoming fiesty or asking uncomfortable questions, he/she will not get picked with the limited q&a time allowed.
Irrespective of Indian pride, India pointing the finger to Pakistan without real evidence is stupid. If the evidence is solid but it is not to be discolsed to the public/media because it is too sensitive, the Prime Minister should state as much, very clearly. Boucher, though the wrong messenger, is factually right on that one.
The Indian intelligence has come up wanting, and how. With all the IT sophistication, it appears that there are no cameras at the stations, not any seriously viable plan to install them. (Think about how the London bombings were unraveled). The only way the Indian authorities will get information now is by catching the usual suspects, torturing them and hoping someone they have tortured is in the know how, and squeaks. It is about 50-50 on whether that approach somewhat works.
The joke is allowing Boucher to comment on what evidence should be construed as solid enough before leveling charges. You don’t ask a rapist about whether he is senstive to a woman’s opinion do you? The US administration waged war against Iraq on manufactured charges and lies. Yet, the Indian press has to curry favor by asking the very same administration for its opinion on an accusation? It is not Boucher’s fault for voicing his opinion. Goyal deserves a kick up the you-know-what for asking this question. If he wants to make it to the black list on the press corps, he should go out with all guns blazing on not weakly. E.g. “Mr. Boucher, who provided OBL with the first few tranches of money for Jihad? Does the President think that the Cold War victory in the manner it was achieved is still worth it considering the situation created in Afghanistan” etc.
Abhi, I think we should feed Goyal with a few choice questions to ask the Snow Job at one of the upcoming news conferences. I start the bidding with…..
“Q: Tony, at the state dinner last year for Indian PM Singh, how did the President handle names that looked like they were made up by Rudyard Kipling?”
Prohias
Why do you hate Bharat?
yeah because the US uses a similar standard before accusing others and engaging in war with them… eyeroll
alybaba,
Firstly, I don’t hate Bharat. Quite the contrary. I find the country less hypocritical than the US where I live. But it is far weaker when it comes to acting to avoid continually getting slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb. In fact, it is the pain of seeing reasonable world outlook compromised by weak diplomacy and misplaced aggression that makes me vent.
Second, the comment below yours by absolutgcs says what I mean about Boucher’s (and America’s) double standards, in a less direct way.
Third, I am utterly pained at how quickly the Mumbai blasts were upstaged by the Israel conflict within 48 hours by mainstrea, Western media, and I suspect the Indian media who apes them in all their stupidity.
Fourth and finally, isn’t it ironic that for a country that produces talented software engineers in plenty, there is no deployment of simple technology like camera monitoring. It is long overdue in crowded places. This is something that the administration can easily fix; solving the general Islamic fundamentalist scourge is far from easy if not impossible.
I love ‘Bharat’. I hate a large percentage of their numbskulls in power who ought to be more accountable to the people, especially the near and dear of the victims.
You need to brush up on Colbert
And you on Http.
AK: LOL!
Also Go Goyal!
Go Goyal!!
“hard evidence”?….uhh sure, go ahead I am listening
Bush said something about Syria wanting to get back into Lebanon. I do hope he has hard evidence or Boucher will have to tell him off too…
This whole situation is a complete mess. Musharaff may be offering “comfort” words to India but everyone knows, he could be doing a lot more to combat insurgents in his country. Of course, that might make him unpopular. Now that Israel has invaded Lebanon, I see no reason why India will not do the same with Pakistan. Its about time.
Oh ho ho Bhai-sab! Finally bringing out the big guns. I knew the little guy had a tiger within him.. I have a life-sized cardboard cutout of Goyal in my home. It’s from his podium appearance w/ Pres. Bush. I charge $5 for pictures w/ the esteemed-Raghubir uncle.