White House Press Secretary Dana Perino has sidestepped a question about what a Christian organization has called a “viciously obscene and anti-Christian” event being promoted in San Francisco, and has been taken to task by the Catholic League for her actions.
Perino was responding to a question from Les Kinsolving, WND’s White House correspondent about the Folsom Street Fair, about which WND reported earlier this week.
For the event, sponsors have paid for a Last Supper poster promoting the sex-fest that
replaces the bread and wine with sex toys and depicts Jesus Christ and his disciples as “half-naked homosexual sadomasochists.”
Scheduled for Sunday, the annual sadomasochistic “leather event” features public displays of nudity and sexual acts.
After the ad was exposed by the Christian group Concern Women for America, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights pressed the Miller Brewing Co. to remove its logo from the poster. With the logo still in place despite a promise from Miller, along with the beer giant’s continued sponsorship, the Catholic group is calling for a boycott of the company.
Kinsolving’s question was: “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?”
But Perino’s response was only: “Well, you’re clearing the room, Les. I’m going to decline to comment.”
The “clearing the room” reference was to NBC reporter Kelly O’Donnell, who, according to the Catholic League, “stormed out of the room [when Kinsolving asked his question] muttering her disapproval of Kinsolving’s question.”
The Catholic League said it considered that Perino dropped the ball on the question, and it would not hesitate to comment on both issues:
“She [Perino] was asked a legitimate question about a viciously obscene and anti-Christian event – one that President Bush would never speak approvingly of – and she got cold feet,” the organization said. “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.”
As WND also has reported, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered a dismissive quip when she was asked about the mockery of the Last Supper.
“As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed,” said Drew Hammill, the San Francisco Democrat’s press secretary.
In a second question, Kinsolving asked: “The Washington Post quotes Irena Briganti of FOX News as saying, ‘National Public Radio’s lack of news judgment is astonishing and their treatment of a respected journalist like Juan Williams is appalling.’ And my question: Could you tell us how the president feels about this tax-exempt and tax-supported network so discriminating against an undeniably qualified reporter who he invited to interview him?”
“That’s a question for NPR to answer, for the decision that they made…,” Perino said.
“No, no, I want to know what the president thinks,” Kinsolving added.
“I’ve never spoken to the president about what he thinks about any particular organization. We enjoy working with them here at the White House. They have really good correspondents that we like working with,” Perino said.
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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WND Staff