American Idol

Helen Thomas is new my hero. She didn’t back down when Scott McClellan, the White House’s prevaricator-in-residence, claimed, rather absurdly, that the United States is currently in Afghanistan and Iraq by invitation.

Please, just read the transcript, it’s amazing:

Q The other day — in fact, this week, you said that we, the United States, is in Afghanistan and Iraq by invitation. Would you like to correct that incredible distortion of American history —

MR. McCLELLAN: No, we are — that’s where we currently —

Q — in view of your credibility is already mired? How can you say that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I think everyone in this room knows that you’re taking that comment out of context. There are two democratically-elected governments in Iraq and —

Q Were we invited into Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: There are two democratically-elected governments now in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments, and we are there today —

Q You mean if they had asked us out, that we would have left?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, Helen, I’m talking about today. We are there at their invitation. They are sovereign governments — Q I’m talking about today, too.

MR. McCLELLAN: — and we are doing all we can to train and equip their security forces so that they can provide for their own security as they move forward on a free and democratic future. Q Did we invade those countries?

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Steve.

I personally supported the war, so don’t confuse my excitement about the exchange to include the sentiment that the US was wrong to invade. But we should be honest with ourselves — we invaded, we are occupying these countries, despite their sovereignty, and we will continue to occupy them as long as we deem necessary for the good of the people there as long as it is politically expedient for the current US administration. Mrs. Thomas didn’t allow McClellan to get away with his usual bull of giving a patently wrong or disingenuous answer until the report gives up and moves on to a new topic. She was so forceful in fact, that he finally had to cut her off completely.

Go Helen, my new American Idol.