White House Press Secretary Dana Perino dropped the ball today when asked by Baltimore reporter Les Kinsolving to comment on the Miller boycott.
Kinsolving: “The President does not believe that the First Amendment prohibits him from speaking out against the Miller Brewing Company’s widely reported financing of an obscene parody of ‘Jesus Christ’s Last Supper’ in San Francisco, does he?”
Perino: “Well, you’re clearing the room, Les. I’m going to decline to comment.”
Well, we won’t decline to comment on Perino.
She was asked a legitimate question about an viciously obscene and anti-Christian event—one that President Bush would never speak approvingly of—and she got cold feet. Perino did so because she followed the lead of NBC reporter Kelly O’Donnell who stormed out of the room muttering her disapproval of Kinsolving’s question.
We’d love to know what is bugging O’Donnell (does she like public displays of S&M and Christian bashing?), but the larger issue is why the Bush administration appointed a coward as its press secretary. Tony Snow would never have allowed a member of the press corps to set the table.
Many thanks to Les for having the courage of his convictions.
