[War] US: I'm no bully!

[John Penta]

"I'm no bully!"
1 March 2014
President John Williams
USA
==================
<White House Press Briefing Room>

   It had become a regular custom of the President's to hold weekly,
few-holds-barred, unlimited-time press conferences - they ended when
questions hadn't been asked in 30 seconds, what his Press Secretary
had taken to calling the "White House shot clock" These had tended to
be bruising for the POTUS in recent weeks, but he kept up with them.
They gave the PS and DPS a day out of the cameras, for one thing, but
hopefully they also gave him credibility when it came time for the
hard parts.

   As he finished up with the regular "announcements from the top", he
looked out. Helen Thomas, nearly 100 but still going strong at a spry
94 - and still as feisty as ever - was in the front row (where she'd
always been, but for her brief exile during the Bush 43
administration). And she got the first question, as tradition guided.

   "Mrs. Thomas, you get the first shot." Williams called out, with a smile.

   "Mr. President, the Washington Post is reporting that you bullied
the Governor Cherry and General Cutler into requesting assistance
under the Riot Act. What's your response?" Thomas asked.

   "Let's make this clear. I'm not the type to bully. I asked Major
General Cutler to provide me his assessment of the situation. He did,
including the deaths of DPD officers and attacks upon joint Guard/DPD
patrols with antiarmor weapons. I then asked Governor Cherry if he
needed federal assistance. He said 'No.' I then asked Major General
Cutler if he concurred with the Governor's assessment. He did not.

   "I'm even going to be having the ushers hand out the transcript of
that point in the conversation, as recorded for evaluation purposes by
the situation room. Evaluation purposes, like watching a video of a
report you give to see where you screwed up. We do the same thing here
after a crisis, and go over our actions and responses to do better the
next time.

   "Now. Major General Cutler, moments before, had told me there were
*anti-armor* weapons being used against Detroit Police and the
National Guard. I had asked his opinion as his commander-in-chief and
superior officer, as National Guard adjutants-general answer to both
the Governor and the President. When your superior officer asks you
for your assessment of a situation, you do not give the politically
palatable answer, you give the *honest* answer. If Major General
Cutler had said he didn't need federal assistance, after the report he
had just given us, he would have been lying and been relieved of duty
*immediately*, -just as if he were holding an active component
command-. Had the report been different, and he said he didn't need
federal assistance, I would have let that stand." He gave a minute for
people to finish taking notes.

    "I'm curious: Do people think I *like* ordering federal troops to
deploy to American cities? Do people think I *want* to? Because,
really, I don't. I prefer American forces not have to be used to
ensure 'that the laws be faithfully executed'. I really would prefer
to let the states handle what they can. But in this case, the State of
Michigan couldn't do that.

   "Oh, and this is kind of nitpicky, but: It's not the Riot Act. It's
actually part of the 1792 Militia Act. The Riot Act is British, and
would allow for life imprisonment of the rioters. We broke away from
them two hundred and thirty-eight years ago, I seem to recall, and we
don't put rioters away for life."

   Thomas nodded. Her question was finished, she indicated.

   "Bob Arnolds, ABC News, is next up," Williams called out.

    "Mr. President, what about the ACLU's opening of litigation
against the government? Any comment from the podium?"

    "Beyond 'I'm sorry, it was a riot that got bad enough federal
troops were called in; I gave orders for the troops to go softly and
to do their best not to violate anybody's rights, but I was doing my
*job*?' Not much."

    Laughter from the press corps.

   "And what about complaints you're interfering with DOJ's authority
to prosecute or not with regards to those imposter teens?" from NBC.

   "I don't tell the Attorney-General how to prosecute, nor do I tell
the US Attorneys what to do. They're all too strong-minded to listen
if I tried, anyway. All I did was advocate for leniency, as the guy
who they were playing the prank on in the final analysis. As far as my
supposedly 'spying' on the Secret Service? Gee, I seem to recall Teddy
Roosevelt doing much the same thing as Police Commissioner of New
York: Walking the city, just to see what was going on. Shows how much
people have ignored culture, not knowing the legend of Harun
al-Rashid, or of TR's walks. I wasn't spying on *anybody*, and if the
AFGE is that paranoid, they have severe issues with inferiority
complexes. I was *walking around* after taking the dogs out to play in
the snow, when I happened upon the incident. I didn't want to disrupt
the other tour-goers, so I just kept an eye on the imposters and dealt
with the situation at the end. My actions in regard to discipline of
the Secret Service are *entirely* under my authority - they work for
me, in the end."

    And on and on it went.
---
Actions:
1. Re Michigan: Release transcript of the conversation at issue.
2. Tell AFGE: Quit being paranoid. Harun al-Rashid.
3. Re ACLU lawsuit: I was doing my job, thanks. You have no case.
4. Re Michigan delegation's call for hearings: Mmmhmm. I'd be happy to
meet with you, because I have nothing to hide.
5. POTUS to go to Colorado Springs to meet with the Olympians, wish
them luck, observe biathlon training.