A mysterious statement of support?

Busy, Busy, Busy raises some interesting questions regarding the widely circulated statement of support that Ari Fleischer reportedly passed on to the press regarding Senator Rick Santorum:

"The president believes the senator is an inclusive man. And that's what he believes," Fleischer said.

Busy, Busy, Busy notes:

So just how did Ari Fleischer issue these widely quoted remarks? According to the White House web site, Fleischer published one statement Friday, and it made no mention of Santorum. His only interactive session with the press that day was a briefing, the transcript of which does not include the quotes at issue either, but does contain this exchange:

Q: Ari, both Senator Frist and Senator Specter have publicly supported Senator Santorum. And my question: Does the President believe they were wrong to do so, because while governor of Texas he ever tried to get that state's sodomy law repealed?

MR. FLEISCHER: As I said this morning, Lester, the President has confidence in Senator Santorum, both as a senator, as a member of the Senate leadership.

No clear answers are forthcoming at the moment, but it is an question worth asking. Atrios at Eschaton has reported that the GOP has essentially issued a gag order, telling even those who support Santorum's statements to let him speak for himself. And what a job he's doing of that.

Posted by thorswitch at April 28, 2003 01:33 PM | TrackBack