'No comment' on candidates extended

Tony Snow

Make that no comment about anything to do with the presidential candidates, or the issues they discuss.

That's the word from White House spokesman Tony Snow, who was responding to questioning from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House.

"The New York Times reports this morning that yesterday, in Selma, Mrs. Clinton recalled going as a teenager to hear Dr. King speak in Chicago in 1963, but she made no mention at all of what is in her autobiography, that in 1964, she campaigned as a Goldwater Girl, and Sen. [Barry] Goldwater opposed the '64 Civil Rights Act. And my question: The president believes she surely should have admitted this at Selma yesterday, doesn't he?" Kinsolving asked.

"On, please don't waste my time with this silly stuff. I've already told you we're not commenting…" Snow said.

"It's not silly stuff," Kinsolving said.

"Yes, it is," said Snow.

"[It] was from The New York Times. Do you think that's a silly paper?" Kinsolving asked.

"Yes, it's a silly question because we have told you the president is not going to play pundit-in-chief," Snow said. "As much as you want to goad me into doing judgments about Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, it's not going to happen. So don’t blow one of your questions by asking something you know I'm not going to answer."

"Well, let me ask you about another one, not Obama or … the AP reported that Bill Clinton's induction yesterday into Selma's Voting Rights Hall of Fame – do you, Tony, know of any record that, in March of '65, when 18-year-old Bill Clinton – that he participated in the Selma march with those of us who did, and who came from a lot further away than either Arkansas or Georgetown?" Kinsolving said.

"I'm unaware," Snow said.

As WND reported earlier, Snow said Bush will have no comment on whatever Democratic candidates for president in 2008 do or say.

That's no comment on the actions, no comment on the issues, no comment on the comments, and not even any comments on the comments about the comments, according to White House spokesman Tony Snow.

"We're not commenting on the Democratic race. Period. We're not commenting on comments about the Democratic race. We're not commenting on comments about comments about comments on the Democratic race. We're not even talking – commenting on Republican comments about the Democratic race," Snow said.

Snow said when there's a Republican nominee and there is a race, "then the president will do what the party or nominee think are appropriate."

Kinsolving also asked about criticism of the president by Clinton and Obama for "failing" to return Hurricane Katrina victims to their New Orleans homes. That, Snow said, is a "matter of free choice."

In Selma, Ala., over the weekend, Obama and Clinton both campaigned for votes on the shoulders of the observance of the voting rights march 42 years ago that shocked the nation when police used billyclubs on marchers.

The two candidates both were at the Brown Chapel for a rally before a new march, but didn't interact.

Do you have a tough question you'd like to ask the White House? WND's MR. PRESIDENT! forum is your big chance.

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